Kuon
| Kuon Japanese Cover | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Developer(s) | From Software |
| Publisher(s) |  From Software Agetec Acclaim |
| Designer(s) | Atsushi Taniguchi |
| Platform(s) | PS2 |
| Release | April 1, 2004 December 7, 2004 April 28, 2006 |
| Genre(s) | Survival horror |
| Mode(s) | Single player |
Kuon is a survival horror game for the PlayStation 2. It was developed by From Software and published by Agetec. The game was released in 2004 in Japan and the United States. Kuon is based on an ancient type of Japanese horror story called Kwaidan. The setting is a dark and gruesome mansion in the Japanese town of Kyoto where mutated creatures and other horrors lurk. The game is set during the Heian Period of ancient Japan.
When starting the game, players can choose between two characters. The Yin phase revolves around a girl named Utsuki. She and her sister go to the manor in search of her father, a once renowned, now renegade exorcist named Doman. The Yang phase centers on Sakuya, one of Doman's disciples and one of the rare female exorcists. She and her fellow apprentices (including her brother) are sent to the manor to investigate the strange occurrences there.
After finishing both phases, players can play a third summarizing chapter as a master exorcist named Abe no Seimei. This phase is called the Kuon phase.
During all three phases, the characters have encounters with a pair of unnamed twins. The twins are manifestations of evil mulberry trees (source: in-game documents) and they consistently appear when you are on the right path. They also utter cryptic phrases to explain themselves to the character.
In the third summarizing chapter, or the Kuon Phase, the first two phases are tied together. By this time you will have discovered that Doman is the real enemy. Angry at his rejection by the emperor's court (and, as documents within the game hint at, the master exorcist Abe no Seimei herself), he sets out to gain the 'ultimate power' to both prove himself and to control Seimei. He planned everything, including the sacrifice of his daughters and disciples (as well as other innocent people) through a forbidden ritual. In the Kuon Phase, the player will take the role of Seimei and solve the final mysteries, defeat Doman once and for all, and finally reach the true ending.
As some events are duplicated in the first two phases, people on the GameFAQs Kuon message board have theorized that the Yin Phase is a dream up until Utsuki awakens underground. This is reinforced by the fact that areas that are open in the Yin Phase have to BE opened in the Yang Phase. Also, see the remark that the twins make about people inside a wicker chest who are undergoing the ritual, "dreaming a long dream".
Gameplay
X button - Action
Circle - Run
Square - Magic/Weapon
Triangle - Magic/Weapon
R1 - Meditate, cancel summon spells
Select - Bring up the menu
Start or L1 - Bring up the map
Kuon by default does not employ the survival horror control schemes made famous by franchises such as Resident Evil or Silent Hill- however such a scheme (known in survival horror games as tank control) is selectable. Pushing the analog stick in the direction you want the character to go will move her in that direction. Running drains health and attracts enemies, but helps you move around faster. Meditation will restore health but can only be used while standing still.
There are two types of attacks in Kuon - melee (physical) attacks and magical attacks. The melee attacks are performed with a knife (Yin phase), a fan (Yang phase), and a spear (Kuon phase). The weapons in the first two phases are upgradeable, first to an ice-based weapon then to a fire-based one. The spear in Kuon phase is the only weapon available for that phase.
Magic is divided into two types: attack and summon. Different spells are available in each phase. There are varying levels of fire and ice spells. Summons perform a variety of tasks, from attacking monsters for you to trapping them and causing a one-hit kill. Some of them serve as bodyguards as well.
Enemies
Gaki, a "hungry ghost".
Mizuhiki, a vicious merman type creature.
Adamushi, an insect man with a powerful stinger.
Ennyo, a mass of flesh referred to as a "huntress".
Yamabito, a person infected by the Kuon spell. They look like men with clouds of darkness around them.
Ghost, a ghost that is attracted by noise.
Mashira, a super-strong ape creature.