E3 2015: ‘Corpse Party: Blood Drive’ Is The Best Kind Of Survival Horror
With most of the major survival horror franchises either veering more towards action adventure, or completely dropping off the map, it’s good to see smaller franchises filling the void. Case in point: Corpse Party: Blood Drive, a Vita exclusive title that takes the concept to the extreme. Games like Clock Tower 3, Haunting Ground and Silent Hill: Shattered Memories were always some of my favorites, because in true horror movie fashion, you have nothing but your wits and the occasional tool to hold temporarily hold off enemies to ensure your survival.
First off, we should mention that Blood Drive is the final game in a trilogy, so if you never played the PSP games before this, you might want to do so to avoid being spoiled. With that said, as with most Japanese horror titles, Corpse Party puts you in the role of a Japanese school girl, fresh off the heels of the previous game. After being able to defeat their latest supernatural threat, it appears that peace has finally been achieved. It’s not long however, before this group of friends finds themselves trapped in a building while being pursued by a relentless monster, where even the environment is out to kill them. All with a cute, chibi inspired graphics style!
Not to be misled by its cute character models, Corpse Party is absolutely brutal. With a pitch black environment, your character has to rely on her flashlight to navigate the halls, which is vital considering stepping on glass, barbed wire, pulsating flesh, and holes in the floor will all cause damage when stepped on. Now with an unlimited battery that was not in the original Japanese version based on fan feedback, just because you’ll always have your light doesn’t mean you should use it. Being too overzealous can alert the monster that’s pursuing you, which is where the real fun begins.
When being chased, the only thing you can do to avoid being killed is to run for your life. Creating distance between the two of you is the only way to truly avoid the monster, but with so many traps along the way, it’s really easy to accidentally kill yourself in the process. If your pursuer does lose track of you, your character can hide in a cabinet until it gives up its search, but unlike most horror games, there are no holes in the door to peak through. The only way to know if the enemy is gone is to check your heartbeat, which increases as the monster draws closer. Once safe, retreating to, or finding a new save point will replenish the health you surely lost, making it safe to continue your progress… For now.
Considering I was at a crowded, loud E3 hall while playing, Corpse Party still managed to be incredibly tense, which is a testament to how creepy the game can be. Creating such a feeling of helplessness is something I’ve missed in more recent games, but I’m thrilled to see that Blood Drive is keeping it alive and well. Want to catch up with the series? Check the Playstation Store and get caught up with its prequels, then prepare for the final chapter in the Corpse Party story when it releases just in time for Halloween, on October 13th.
