The way that different cultures and people find different ways to interweave the mythos and spirits of the past into modern times is truly fascinating. While some civilizations opt to keep their boogeymen and cautionary tales firmly rooted in “a long time ago,” Japan lives everyday surrounded by the markers of their past, both historic and mythical. So instead of finding some reason why Bigfoot is in downtown New York or putting the chupacabra in a pet shelter, you find the umibozu looming in Dotonbori on a Saturday night and everyone is just trying to avoid eye contact. It’s this level of legendary recognition that allows Of the Red, the Light, and the Ayakashi Tsuzuri to thrive and give the average reader pause to consider: what could happen right beneath my own nose?

Our tale focuses on Yue, a young man who has lived all his life inside a temple just outside the city limits. This temple is inhabited by the very real yokai of lore, from a hulking tengu who cleans the castle grounds to the goldfish triplets who swim through the air and work with joyful, terrifying precision. Yue and his companion, Kurogitsune (literally a black fox) venture into town to check out a festival and give Yue a taste of the “normal” world. Yue feels a strong sense of connection with two young men he encounters, and is encouraged by Mikoto, the temple’s goddess, to get to know them better. Little does Yue know, there is a countdown timer happening, and his getting to know one of these boys may change the thread of destiny for him, Mikoto, or possibly the city at large.

As a visual novel, Of the Red is surprisingly light on traditional choices when it comes to moving the story forward. While you will occasionally get dialogue branches, a majority of the advancement of the game comes from map selection. Over the course of several days, Yue will have options to choose different places to explore, first within the temple grounds, then out in the city itself. Oftentimes some locations will be blocked off, but you’ll still have multiple options. The locale you decide opens up discourse with one of many characters, and the results then propel you forward into a direction that doesn’t become immediately clear, not even when you’re coming up on the very end.

Before analyzing all the stuff that makes a visual novel great, the technical mechanics of Of the Red need to be picked apart. The button mapping feels antithetical, with pausing, menu and selection all being a little off from where I’d like. The choice selection map has no touch interaction, which means trying to rifle through decisions with light shadows to figure where to go next. This definitely resulted in me reading quickly and ending up going down the wrong dark alley instead of heading off to the seashore or whatever.

Also, and I hate to bring this up, but there are moments in the game that haven’t been translated. It’s essential for games to go through QC before being launched, even in an era when hotpatching is the norm and can be done with almost no downtime whatsoever. However, given that only Japanese audio exists for the tale, it could be distressing when three characters are talking and the subtitles suddenly can’t be read by the average player. Thankfully, the missteps didn’t occur during any of the choice moments, so it didn’t affect my overall playthrough.

Having got that out of the way, Of the Red, the Light and the Ayakashi Tsuzuri is a visual treat that plays with multiple ideas of art and presentation to craft a sufficiently otherworldly environment. There are usages of shadow, watercolor and strange papercraft styles that give you vibes of something mildly disturbing, though you can’t quite put your finger on it. There’s a consistency that exists in that it constantly remains in flux: that is to say, you’re never really sure how the game will appear from moment to moment. If you’ve spent any time watching the Monogatari anime series, it’s a very similar feeling with far less trauma.

The characters themselves are the driving force behind Of the Red, and that’s saying something considering the story. The tale unfolds so gradually and effortlessly you don’t even realize you’re eyeballs deep in something seriously dark and upsetting until it’s too late. The existence of the yokai intermingling with humanity adds a layer of complexity that’s fascinating to behold. The developers made the choice to have humans of no consequence look like monsters and spirits themselves, only taking form when they suddenly become important. It’s truly a weird moment when the character of Suzuki stops being a floppy eared Ikea being and becomes a real boy, as it makes the audience stop and say “Wait, what the hell is about to happen?”

But the interactions and presentation from the cast are the pinnacle of it all. Yue is certainly ignorant of the world into which he was born, but it becomes unclear if that’s due to others influencing his stance or his own choices to ignore the obvious in front of him. Mikoto plays such a great part as a sinister but nurturing being, balancing the duality of her own selfish needs and the lives and spirits of others. Kurogitsune is a little stereotypical in his “I like you but I’m kind of an asshole” role, but that makes his concern for Yue and his willingness to forsake others to help him all the better. In fact, only the two initial foils – Tsubaski and Akiyoshi – are of the flatter variety, and that’s not entirely their faults.

Tsubaki and Akiyoshi are the two “routes” you can follow in Of the Red, and they have to fall into some tropes that are banal but forgivable. Tsubaki being the caring older brother to a precocious little sister and Akiyoshi having some thorny exterior/belief in the supernatural puts them in polarizing positions for Yue to get to know better. There’s an urgency that can’t be fully explained without spoiling it, but both boys are willing to believe and be a part of Yue’s world for different reasons. As a result, I was actually very nonplussed as to whom ends up coming back to the temple with me: my indecision lead to the first ending wherein nothing happened and Yue just sort of…exists. Not the greatest conclusion.

Thankfully, rallying yourself and taking the time to figure out the patterns of each character – their interests and their stomping grounds – gave way to better subsequent playthroughs, and also unlocked the ability to seek an ending with someone else entirely. There isn’t really a romantic element that needs to be pursued, which maybe puts Of the Red as an outlier in terms of visual novels. After all, this supernatural tale explores so much about the concepts of compassion, humanity, sacrifice and duty without getting sanctimonious or convoluted. Indeed, the ethereal nature of it all makes you feel like Yue’s journey is a waking dream from start to finish (and his narcoleptic nature doesn’t hurt this either).

Yet you don’t need romance or a defined path to truly enjoy this game. The soundtrack is positively captivating, rife with music that mesmerizes you into being a hypnotic participant of the world. No one speaks in a hurried way, not even when urgent moments are coming. The atmosphere is one of mystery and high strangeness, as if the world itself knows something is off but isn’t really trying to fix it. And, if you find yourself wanting more, the different endings can unlock prequel moments and side stories to give better form to many different characters, including the “cleaners” who work for the temple. It’s well worth the trek if you want to learn more.

Of the Red, The Light and the Ayakashi Tsuzuri isn’t a well known visual novel, but it’s a unique one, and something that really captivated both my attention and my imagination. Full of disembodied moments of curiosity and philosophy, you find yourself sleepwalking along with Yue along his journey. Even as the world begins to unravel, you never feel afraid or concerned: there’s something about the tone that keeps you calm and locked in. Yes, reality may cease to exist, but what even is reality anyways? Come and see what lies beyond your own two eyes: there so much more to finally witness.

Graphics: 8.5 Well crafted designs and characters set against backdrops both convicing and otherworldly. Can sometimes be a bit offputting when the weirdness goes too high, but that’s infrequent and makes the game quite memorable. Lanky human design grows on you.	Gameplay: 7.5 Vocal choices are few, instead relying on map decisions. The variety in the map means more replay value, but also a higher chance of getting the same ending due to not timing the forks correctly. It’s good, but it’s not my preferred VN style.
Sound: 9.0 Wonderfully weird and full of tradition and modern strangeness, the music complements the voices and speaking styles. I could listen to Yue and Mikoto discuss anything for hours.	Fun Factor: 8.0 As far as visual novels go, this one is memorable and engaging in ways that many are not. I didn’t care about the future of the game, but only about where I was in that moment, and the moment was frequently odd, unsettling, but soothing, and that’s certainly something.
Final Verdict: 8.0

Of the Red, the Light and the Ayakashi Tsuzuri is available now on PSP, PC and Nintendo Switch.

Reviewed on Nintendo Switch.

A copy of Of the Red, the Light and the Ayakashi Tsuzuri was provided by the publisher.