Pop Culture Critique: Corpse Party
by Sophie Berkemer
The horror genre as a whole invokes a feeling that other genres cannot replicate, and that
feeling is... FEAR! (Did I scare you?) The ability to shock the viewers and strike fear into their
hearts is one of the strongest reactions you, as a storyteller, could possibly hope to evoke from
the audience. With this being said, it’s easy to see why so many people rave over this genre when
it can affect you so strongly, both physically and mentally. Now, when you combine the horror
genre with video games...you now have a whole cult following on your hands. The video game
industry is arguably one of the most rapidly growing corporations in the world, and ‘rapidly
growing’ just about fits every aspect of the industry. The technology has exponentially improved
in the past twenty years, and with streaming being so accessible (not to mention profitable), more
and more people are joining in on the fun.
I wish to talk about a specific type of horror video games called ‘RPG maker horror
games’. To be more specific, I want to discuss an RPG maker horror game series called ‘Corpse
Party’, which has been an ongoing franchise since April of 1996, created by a developer named
Makoto Kedouin, that has had many different sequels and remakes over the years. To clear up
any unfamiliarity, ‘RPG maker’ is an engine used to create video games with. In particular, it
creates pixelated games that utilize the use of sprites. They typically have very specific battle and
healing systems woven into the game play. If you can think of old Pokemon or Final Fantasy
games, and you have a pretty good idea of what RPG games generally are.
To briefly sum up the story, a group of high school students stay after school one day to
carry out a light hearted ritual to bid one of the girls from the group goodbye, because she is
moving away soon. This ritual ultimately goes awry somehow, because the whole group is
dropped from their world into the one of an old school called ‘Heavenly Host’ which was said to
have beenknocked down and built over after the murder of four children. The spirits of these
children, and whoever else has the misfortune of dying within the haunted school’s walls, is
forever trapped in Heavenly Host. The group is split up in the ruins of this school, and must
figure a way before they’re killed, or lose their minds. It’s a brutal psychological horror that
deals with the merciless wrath of tortured spirits, and how isolation can rewire the human mind.
Corpse Party is a significant creation because it is an RPG game with very little of the
typical RPG elements woven into the gameplay, such as the health or battle systems. It’s
incredibly story driven, wth a plethora of different endings to explore despite it’s somewhat
simple, or low-res appearance. Corpse Party is regarded as one of the most gruesome franchises
out there, right up there next to other renowned series like Resident Evil, or Silent Hill. The
significance of this comparison is that Resident Evil and Silent Hill are games whose graphics
are worlds more detailed and realistic than what you see in an RPG like Corpse Party, yet it still
holds that same level of power to frighten the viewers. The game challenges our authority of
what to deem a truly good horror game, because it makes it clear that graphics is not the one way
ticket to a perfect video game. The multiple different endings concept drew a lot of people in
because it was essentially a grading system to see how well one plays the game, which in a way
plays into the theme of psychological horror that the game follows. I think this was a part of the
developers vision when creating the game, to create that sense of pressure for the player to get
everything right and keep all of the characters alive, despite some dying regardless of what
choices you make in the game.
The reason why I personally hold it to such a high regard is because it was my
introduction to this niche genre. It was like a gateway into a whole new world of interests that
definitely ruled over my middle school years, and I know I’m not the only one who’s been
affected by it in this way. A lot of the franchise's Western audience was introduced to the series
through the circulation of youtube videos. Big creators like Pewdiepie and Markiplier (which
could be considered huge authorities within the gaming community) all had their go at playing it
and in turn, sharing it with their subscribers. This was a vital part in the game's circulation
because it was rather difficult to get your hands on a copy of the game itself fully translated, with
it being PC only. It’s growth in popularity can also be linked to the runaway success of other
games and anime of the similar genre, such as the hit horror anime staple Higurashi: When They
Cry. Many other indie RPG horror games have been created since, some striking up to the same
level of popularity. Titles such as Ib, Mad Father, and The Witch’s House are all RPG horror
games created after Corpse Party, and they have the same audience backing them up in their
popularity.
Overall, I think it’s amazing to witness the domino effect of how these titles have
affected one another. Corpse Party has grown and developed so much since it’s initial release
back in 1996. I hold this genre very close to my heart, so I hope to continue to see people create
stories and characters through this style.
feeling is... FEAR! (Did I scare you?) The ability to shock the viewers and strike fear into their
hearts is one of the strongest reactions you, as a storyteller, could possibly hope to evoke from
the audience. With this being said, it’s easy to see why so many people rave over this genre when
it can affect you so strongly, both physically and mentally. Now, when you combine the horror
genre with video games...you now have a whole cult following on your hands. The video game
industry is arguably one of the most rapidly growing corporations in the world, and ‘rapidly
growing’ just about fits every aspect of the industry. The technology has exponentially improved
in the past twenty years, and with streaming being so accessible (not to mention profitable), more
and more people are joining in on the fun.
I wish to talk about a specific type of horror video games called ‘RPG maker horror
games’. To be more specific, I want to discuss an RPG maker horror game series called ‘Corpse
Party’, which has been an ongoing franchise since April of 1996, created by a developer named
Makoto Kedouin, that has had many different sequels and remakes over the years. To clear up
any unfamiliarity, ‘RPG maker’ is an engine used to create video games with. In particular, it
creates pixelated games that utilize the use of sprites. They typically have very specific battle and
healing systems woven into the game play. If you can think of old Pokemon or Final Fantasy
games, and you have a pretty good idea of what RPG games generally are.
To briefly sum up the story, a group of high school students stay after school one day to
carry out a light hearted ritual to bid one of the girls from the group goodbye, because she is
moving away soon. This ritual ultimately goes awry somehow, because the whole group is
dropped from their world into the one of an old school called ‘Heavenly Host’ which was said to
have beenknocked down and built over after the murder of four children. The spirits of these
children, and whoever else has the misfortune of dying within the haunted school’s walls, is
forever trapped in Heavenly Host. The group is split up in the ruins of this school, and must
figure a way before they’re killed, or lose their minds. It’s a brutal psychological horror that
deals with the merciless wrath of tortured spirits, and how isolation can rewire the human mind.
Corpse Party is a significant creation because it is an RPG game with very little of the
typical RPG elements woven into the gameplay, such as the health or battle systems. It’s
incredibly story driven, wth a plethora of different endings to explore despite it’s somewhat
simple, or low-res appearance. Corpse Party is regarded as one of the most gruesome franchises
out there, right up there next to other renowned series like Resident Evil, or Silent Hill. The
significance of this comparison is that Resident Evil and Silent Hill are games whose graphics
are worlds more detailed and realistic than what you see in an RPG like Corpse Party, yet it still
holds that same level of power to frighten the viewers. The game challenges our authority of
what to deem a truly good horror game, because it makes it clear that graphics is not the one way
ticket to a perfect video game. The multiple different endings concept drew a lot of people in
because it was essentially a grading system to see how well one plays the game, which in a way
plays into the theme of psychological horror that the game follows. I think this was a part of the
developers vision when creating the game, to create that sense of pressure for the player to get
everything right and keep all of the characters alive, despite some dying regardless of what
choices you make in the game.
The reason why I personally hold it to such a high regard is because it was my
introduction to this niche genre. It was like a gateway into a whole new world of interests that
definitely ruled over my middle school years, and I know I’m not the only one who’s been
affected by it in this way. A lot of the franchise's Western audience was introduced to the series
through the circulation of youtube videos. Big creators like Pewdiepie and Markiplier (which
could be considered huge authorities within the gaming community) all had their go at playing it
and in turn, sharing it with their subscribers. This was a vital part in the game's circulation
because it was rather difficult to get your hands on a copy of the game itself fully translated, with
it being PC only. It’s growth in popularity can also be linked to the runaway success of other
games and anime of the similar genre, such as the hit horror anime staple Higurashi: When They
Cry. Many other indie RPG horror games have been created since, some striking up to the same
level of popularity. Titles such as Ib, Mad Father, and The Witch’s House are all RPG horror
games created after Corpse Party, and they have the same audience backing them up in their
popularity.
Overall, I think it’s amazing to witness the domino effect of how these titles have
affected one another. Corpse Party has grown and developed so much since it’s initial release
back in 1996. I hold this genre very close to my heart, so I hope to continue to see people create
stories and characters through this style.
“Corpse Party Roots as an Indie Game.” Corpse Party, XSEED Games, 2015,
www.corpsepartygame.com/cp/.
Kim, Matt. “'Corpse Party' Channels the History of J-Horror Into an RPG.” Inverse,
Inverse, 26 Oct. 2016,
www.inverse.com/article/22718-corpse-party-horror-history-review-impressions.
www.corpsepartygame.com/cp/.
Kim, Matt. “'Corpse Party' Channels the History of J-Horror Into an RPG.” Inverse,
Inverse, 26 Oct. 2016,
www.inverse.com/article/22718-corpse-party-horror-history-review-impressions.