16 cert, XSEED Games, PS Vita (also PSP) ***

If nothing else, Corpse Party: Book of Shadows could win an award for the most accurate title. The Japanese horror game is strewn with cadavers and has its share of dark corners. It opens with an arresting, disturbing sequence that tells of Naomi, a once-vibrant teenager who’s permanently scarred by paranormal events, starting with an ill-advised dabbling in the occult. Book of Shadows looks and sounds impressive, with some creepy ideas, great illustrations and a decent J-horror story. But even for a point-and-click game it feels niche: It’s subtitled, there are reams of exposition and a twee back-story before the game-play and horror begins. The less said about the dubious school-girl lesbian subplot the better. There is, however, much to enjoy in this atmospheric and unnerving story that mixes body horror, ghost story and paranoid psychological thriller.