Horror games have been one of the most popular genres across gaming for decades. Regardless of it being a big AAA release like Silent Hill or Resident Evil, or smaller independent releases like Outlast or Layer’s of Fear, there is usually a horror game that will speak to what you want from it. Horror games will often adapt themselves to the country of their origin, from those that focus more on gore and shock value to those that are centered around folklore or ancient curses. The Coma 2: Vicious Sisters deals with more of the latter, detailing its story around Korean folklore and their monsters of legend. The Coma 2 is an indie horror title that excels at what it attempts to do, a game that is made from a development studio of largely just four core people.
While there are several additional contributors to The Coma 2, the scale and scope of the game for what it is is quite impressive, given the depth of its lore and how detailed and tremendous its art style complements the tone and mood of the experience. My first exposure to this team was through Vambrace: Cold Soul, a game I really enjoyed. In fact, I wasn’t even aware this was the same team until I saw the artwork for their Vambrace game plastered in the hallways of the school. The Come 2 is a direct sequel to the first game, featuring a lot of the returning cast, but it’s done in a way where you don’t really need to have played the last game to understand its world, its characters, and who has returned from the previous game. That said, there certainly some narrative perks to have played the previous game, but also some interesting surprise twists if you have not.
Immediately after completing this game on the Switch I then purchased the original on Xbox One. For some reason, both the PS4 and Switch version of The Coma: Recut has been removed from each console’s digital marketplace to reasons I am unaware of. Regardless, I really enjoyed what Devespesso has done here, creating a visually fun, creepy, and moody horror game that is simply fun to play. Comparing the two games is met with noticing how significant the art has improved for this sequel and its implementation here is drastically better and frankly, the controls are far more intuitive this time around with much better choices of which buttons do what. Overall, it can be seen as a huge improvement in every possible way.
The Coma 2 is if you took Darkest Dungeon and Outlast and combined it into a side-scrolling horror adventure. It has the dark and moody hand-drawn look of Darkest Dungeon, albeit with a much cleaner but still gloomy art style, and the hiding and stalking approach of Outlast. You’ll perform a series of button prompts to hold your breath under a table, or stuff yourself into a nearby locker in order to escape the clutches of death, as you explore a series of grotesque and moody environments to find your way back home, all while being hunted by Dark Song, a relentless pursuer.
The core story to The Coma 2 is through the eyes of a new protagonist in Mina Park, as she attempts to find out what happened to her best friend, who just happens to be the first game’s protagonist, Youngho. She is unwillingly transported into a gruesome twisted version of her own world, one filled with wax-like bodies that fill hallways and rooms, often with their arms or heads removed. Hallways will be filled with numerous threats collapsed on the ground, hanging from the ceiling or stalking her through the halls, forcing Mina to hide under desks or using special matches to fend them off. Mina will encounter ghoulish versions of her fellow students and friends, as well as a variety of characters that call this “Coma” spiritual world home.
As Mina, you’ll solve a series of environmental puzzles as you track down keys, key cards and other ways to gain access to locked doors, often retrieving items needed to progress to each of the six locations; a school, police station, market, subway, hospital, and the final encounter in the gymnasium. You’ll start each new location by finding a map and using that to navigate as you’ll meet NPC’s that will help you on your way. While some NPC’s are simply there to help you access certain items, several of them are tied into stopping the evils that plague this realm. There are also dozens of notes to track down and read, further detailing the world Mina is so desperately trying to escape.
You’ll also find a series of items that you’ll craft into objects that help you avoid critical damage at the end of a level, but to say this game has a crafting system is pushing it. You’ll gather three items, one of which will be given to you immediately, with one being out in the world and the other being an item you’ll trade for. Crafting the object is then by performing a series of button prompts as you create said item. If you don’t have this object as you exit that level, you’ll suffer an attack that will reduce your overall health by one. There are also items to gather that will determine which of two endings you get. One item, for example, will be something that you are not exactly told you’ll need, so ensure to backtrack and explore every area, even ones you feel you’re completely done with.
My only real issue with this being an item hunt type game is even if you know where the item is, subsequent playthroughs will still require you to push through the hoops that result in those items existing in the world. For example, if you need a certain key to open up a locked classroom, you can’t simply go to where the key is as you’ll need to solve a series of steps that will put that key in the spot where it can be picked up. While much of this is because you’ll need to find a key or keycard to unlock the door to the room where the item is, even if that area is out in the open, certain steps need to be taken to produce that item for you.
While knowing where to go will make the experience flow through quicker, exploring off the beaten path to areas not devoted to the main story will result in finding lore notes or items crucial to your survival. Mina can hold four items in her possession as well as a mace spray in case you’re ambushed. You can eventually find an equipment upgrade, but by that time, the game is almost over. While you’ll find items just randomly laying about, you’ll also find money that you can spend in vending machines to refill items that will help against bleeding, health loss, or if you’ve been poisoned.
Eventually, you’ll gain access to spectral matches, as I mentioned a bit prior, that can aid in defeating some threats, but they can also help you open up bags or chests that are clamped shut by demonic wax hands. These matches expire after a while, but if you use them and quickly select your infinite-use lighter, you can save what’s left of that match, even if that doesn’t really make much narrative sense. Mina can also fast travel from location to location once you find special portals that can have you move between environments in seconds, often into areas that are locked from the inside. You’ll also find a crowbar that can unlock doors that have been bordered up. There are also special switches that you’ll find that unlock a pretty interesting surprise as well, should you find them all.
Exploring each location will be incredibly tense as you’ll have to avoid being caught by Dark Song or the Vicious Sister. two monsters that will stalk you throughout the game. Mina can quickly dodge with a few invincibility frames, giving you just enough time to shuffle by them and find a place to hide. Should they run by you in your hiding spot, you’ll need to perform a series of button presses to hold your breath. If you have mace and are caught, you can use it to break free of their grasp. If you don’t have any mace equipped, you’ll die. It’s also worth noting that the Spectral Matches do not work on these two, so it’s best to avoid them. What I like most about their implementation are their footsteps that precede their appearance as it serves as a very solid way to convey to the player that they are nearby. While there are times they will just appear, these appearances are kept to a minimum as to not overuse them, making them impactful and genuinely terrifying every single time.
Much like Vambrace: Cold Soul, The Coma 2 is gorgeous. Its art design is moody, detailed, and Mina herself is drastically better animated than Youngho was in the first game. The game features a wealth of still-frame comic book style cutscenes that are equally well done as well, giving the game a very consistent flow from scene to scene. The game has a solid color range as well between its environments, with dark blacks and solid use of contrast. Since you are usually just using the light emitted from your lighter as the sole use of illumination around you, much of the game is covered in darkness, creating a very claustrophobic feel to its exploration. Menus and icons used to distinguish what can be picked up are cleaner than the first game and there is a significant more amount of polish as a result.
With a slick presentation and solid use of its antagonist, The Coma 2 is a fantastic horror game at a budget price. Its roughly 10-hour journey entertains with an interesting story, fleshed-out characters, and a richly detailed world. While I received a code to try out this game, it led me to immediately purchase the original game to dive more into the backstory of what happened before. Everything this game does contributes to an engaging horror experience that is extremely satisfying and offers up plenty of genuine jump scares that are truly effective. I’ve always been impressed by some truly amazing games that are made by very small studios, and The Coma 2 might be one of the best indie games to release this year.
You can purchase The Coma 2: Vicious Sisters on the Nintendo eshop here, and the PlayStation Network here, as well as via the Microsoft store starting on Sept 4th, 2020 here.
A review code of The Coma 2: Vicious Sisters was provided by the publisher for the purpose of this review and played on a Nintendo Switch
All screenshots were taken on a Nintendo Switch.