Ao Oni

First released way back in 2008, Ao Oni was a game (and I actually think still is) that was very popular with YouTube streamers like Pewdiepie. Despite loving horror games, I never gave it a chance…. Until now!

A Plot Out Of A Horror Movie

As a huge horror movie (and game) fan I always get a kick out of a game that uses a plot that could have been ripped out of a horror movie. Ao Oni has a pretty fun horror story running through it. You play as a young Japanese teenager called, Hiroshi. Hiroshi and a few of his buddies are screwing around and end up going to a “haunted” mansion. Once inside the doors slam shut behind them and they lock. The group of teenagers are trapped inside this mansion. Hiroshi is a bit skeptical if it is actually haunted or not, but he will soon find out that this place is more messed up than he could have ever imaged as this place is home of a creep blue Oni!

Beware The Oni

One of the things that I like about Ao Oni is how the game does not give you a lot of details about this creature that is pursuing you around the mansion. He looks creepy as hell, he is buff, blue and has this weird look on his face. Worst of all is the music! The game puts this shrieking sounding music on whenever the blue Oni is present. This music I would go as far to say is even scarier than the actual Oni himself. Some people may wish that there was a little more back story to the Blue Oni or the actual mansion itself and usually in a movie or game I would agree with you. However, in the case of Ao Oni, I feel that not knowing what the deal with this place makes it that extra bit scarier.

So How Do You Escape The Oni?

As well as being a horror game, I would say that if I had to class Ao Oni as a style of game it would be a puzzle game. You will be required to explore the mansion, going from room to room. As you do you will need to find certain items, use them in the right place and in general use your smarts to figure out the various puzzles that the room has. The Oni will stalk you around the mansion and when he shows up you need to run away from him or hide and wait for him to leave. Your buddies can be caught and killed and if they are they will become another Oni that will try and find and kill you! It is very intense stuff and you are always on edge, worried about when the Oni is going to come for you. There are different endings that you can get when you play Ao Oni. As far I experienced there were two different endings. One of which was truly terrifying and showed why the Blue Oni was hiding behind that creepy smirk he as.

Pros:

• The Blue Oni is creepy as hell!
• There are plenty of puzzles to do
• The story is great if you are a horror fan
• Different endings
• The game is very well made

Cons:

• It is a little short
• That shrieking music is terrifying!

If you are a fan of horror games, Ao Oni is certainly a game you have to check out. Ao Oni actually was first released around 10 years ago, but the game is still pretty popular to this day.

Dumb Teenagers!

One of the things that is pretty amusing about Ao Oni is the plot. The game is not as story driven as I would have liked, but the less is more approach does kind of work for this game. The character that you are playing as is called Hiroshi and one evening he and a few of his friends think that it is a good idea one evening to check out a haunted house! Of course, this turns out to be one of the worst ideas in history! Even though Hiroshi does not think that the place is haunted at first, he soon realizes that this place is not what he thought. The reason for this is that this house is the place that the Oni calls home!

What Is The Oni?

Well despite playing through the game on multiple occasions I am still not exactly sure. The Oni is some kind of blue demon/ghost/spirit and he does not want you in his home. He is going to pursue you around this huge property and stop at nothing to kill these dumb teenagers that are inside! The Oni looks pretty messed up, he is blue and he has clearly been working out and he has these horrible teeth and a weird expression on his face. What makes the Oni really, really scary is not actually his appearance. It is the sound that accompanies him. When you are in a room and the Oni is close the game has this horrible music that sounds like it was ripped out of a horror movie! You are just minding your business looking around and then when that music hits…… you need clean underwear.

What About The Gameplay?

Ok, so I have told you that Ao Oni is a game that is very scary, but is it fun to play? I think that Ao Oni is more like a puzzle game than anything else. You will need to explore the house as best you can and find various items. You then need to figure out where these items need to be used and solve the different puzzles you come across. Of course, the fact you are being stalked constantly by the Oni makes it very hard and unnerving. Making things even harder is that your dub buddies are also walking around the house and if the Oni captures them he turns them into another Oni! It does have some replay value as there are a couple of different endings for you to experience, one of which is really creepy.

Final Thoughts On Ao Oni

For horror fans, playing through Ao Oni is a no brainer. It is very unnerving and while having a little more story may have made the game even better. I do feel that not knowing does make the game scary. As far as being a puzzle games goes, Ao Oni is not the hardest and you will figure them out, but the puzzles are made that extra bit harder as you are always worried about when that creepy blue Oni is going to come and try and get you!

Final Score

8/10

Pros:

• It really is scary
• The Oni is a really cool creation
• Fantastic if you are a fan of horror movies
• The puzzles are fun
• You have different endings to get

Cons:

• It is not the longest game
• Some may want more back story to the Oni

Ao Oni is a Japanese RPG survival horror with crazy puzzles and old-school graphics, where young guy Hiroshi tries to get out of an old mansion, and save his friends from ghosts and from a blue monster. Graphics in the style of nineties games create an authentic and gloomy atmosphere, and the musical accompaniment gives rise to intense anticipation.

Feeling of Horror

The player feels the fear of being attacked by evil at every second and feels the curiosity of solving riddles and escaping from a dangerous stalker. Traveling through the darkened labyrinths, the character will rethink many things - his attitude toward himself, his attitude toward the world, his own inner beliefs and values. The main thing is to take the will in the fist and cope with the difficulties, and also - to take responsibility for the search for missing friends.

It's all locked up!

Too young for such serious quests, but already very brave for them, Hiroshi embarks on a journey through mysterious labyrinths, at times disgusting and at times frightening:

• Sticky cobwebs with dead flies hang in the corners
• Creaky huge doors that can fall off and nail a person or slam shut forever to cause a hungry and agonizing death
• Small footsteps of rats can be heard, sometimes a nasty bald tail can be seen slipping across the floor
• The windows are nailed shut with thousands of nails and dozens of boards, impossible to break. It seems that even if you break those boards, there will be a bloody glow and Satan's hell outside the window

Hiroshi is a typical Japanese teenager who likes to tickle his and others' nerves. Once again, in search of adventure, he takes his naive and trusting friends to the wrong place: Takuro, Takeshi, and Mika enter a strange but majestic house, not realizing what awaits them.

Gameplay

The door closes. Darkness falls. The friends scatter.

The player runs around the map and collects important items: keys, documents, friends' footprints. Avoid the tall mutant, which looks like a baby, who was painted with blue spray paint, molded with a funny head, and made twice as big as a normal person.