It has only been a month since I was first introduced to the Corpse Party franchise. In that time I seem to have played through the entire saga, minus the one spin-off title. Corpse Party is an interesting take on horror (a genre I do terribly with btw), and its creepy blend of survival and visual novel style has once again shined in this latest entry in the franchise. Corpse Party 2: Dead Patient is an interesting title, and not just because of its subject matter. The game originally released in Japan in 2013 and was intended to begin a new multi-chapter adventure. Since that original release, only a small extra chapter has been added to the game. Now the game is finally available in North America and I am curious to see if the franchise will even continue.

Story

5 years have passed since the events of Corpse Party: Blood Drive. A young girl named Ayame has woken up on a hospital operating table with no recollection of who she is or why she is here. After escaping the table, Ayame must figure out the horror she now finds herself in and piece together just who exactly she is.

Gameplay

Now I think it is best to manage expectations when it comes to Corpse Party 2: Dead Patient. Rather than the multi-hour adventure that Corpse Party: Blood Drive was, this game is a single 1 to 2-hour chapter. This was supposed to be the beginning of a new tale that would be added upon, after all. 

For anyone who has played Blood Drive, the premise of the game is also very similar: explore the hospital and activate story sequences. Gameplay likewise is very similar, with not a whole lot of new things being added to the formula. This isn’t a bad thing, mind you, because if it ain’t broke, why fix it?!

Anyways, as you begin to explore the hospital you will be introduced to a completely new cast of characters, each with their own unique tale. Writing for these characters has been very enjoyable and I imagine will please fans of the series. It also won’t take long for you to encounter the new enemy types Dead Patient has to offer. 

These new enemies are scattered around the hospital and must be avoided to stay alive. There are a few ways to go about doing this: you can hide in closets and wait for them to pass by, or you can throw objects to distract them. This is one of the biggest new features in Dead Patient: the ability to equip items to use in the environment. This equipment system is also key to solving many of the hospital’s puzzles. Puzzles aren’t exceptionally difficult but provided a satisfactory level of enjoyment to complete for me.

Visuals

Corpse Party 2: Dead Patient has an interesting art style. The game world plays from a 3D top-down perspective. Characters and environments are also done in 3D but look constructed of sprites. It is an interesting look, but one that fits the series well, and I must admit I like it more than the chibi look of Blood Drive. The cutscenes once again feature high-quality anime-style drawings and look fantastic!

Audio

Audio work also retains that signature Corpse Party feel and helps increase the ambiance tremendously.

Replayability

As far as replaying Corpse Party 2: Dead Patient goes, the chapter features 2 separate endings for players to see. There is also the EX chapter available to play, but it isn’t super long so don’t expect to get a whole lot more out of it.

What It Could Have Done Better

I actually have no real complaints about Corpse Party 2: Dead Patient. It is sadly short, but again it’s one chapter so I expected that.

Verdict

Corpse Party 2: Dead Patient is a short and sweet horror experience. (Man those words don’t all belong in a sentence together!) For the $10 asking price you get a well written and interesting chapter. Sadly, there isn’t more of it and no real clue when, or if, we can expect to see more. For fans of the series, this is a definite must buy. For anyone new to Corpse Party it is still a good starting entry as it won’t require any previous series knowledge to play. Corpse Party 2: Dead Patient is available now on Steam, GOG, and the Humble Bundle Store!