Corpse Party 2: Dead Patient Review

Corpse Party 2: Dead Patient is a rather interesting game to talk about. A lot of people might think that this is the first iteration of the game, and I certainly can’t blame them for that. However, Corpse Party 2: Dead Patient has existed since 2013 and was exclusive for Japanese regions. This is the first time we get a “full” release of the game in the west.

The Corpse Party series stems beyond a PSP game. In fact, the series has existed since the late ’90s. This isn’t the first time a sequel to the game has been made, with many attempts at a sequel being axed over the years.

Some people might mention that Corpse Party 2: Dead Patient is not a sequel to “the original game” on PSP since two other titles were released for the system which encompasses the Heavenly Host Saga. The conclusion for the saga has been delivered through the game that was released a few days prior: Corpse Party: Blood Drive.

Let’s get this out of the way and make sure the readers know this before anything else. This game only has ONE chapter and ONE extra chapter. If you expect to have a full experience that was brought to you with the PSP game… Well, now you know exactly how (real) Corpse Party fans have been feeling before the PSP game’s release.

So, who made Corpse Party 2: Dead Patient? The studio behind it, Team GrisGris, is primarily made up of the people who put together the first Corpse Party. In other words, this is considered an indie project. Thankfully, this is a port of the NEUES version of the game and not the absolute piece of trash that was the original 2013 release.

But anyway, I’ve confused our readers enough about multiple versions of games, PSP releases, sagas, etc. So I might as well link you to this primer by the Corpse Party wiki if you want to find more information about the video games themselves. For now, let’s see how much this sequel can do compared to the original game.

Part 1 – Story

Corpse Party 2: Dead Patient starts us off as Ayame Itou. She wakes up on an operating table in a dimly lit hospital room, unsure of how she got there. To make matters worse her memories are completely gone and she doesn’t remember anything (not even her name). Once she leaves the operating room, she finds that the hospital has been deserted, without a single soul in sight.

Ayame desperately tries to find a way to leave the hospital and find out what happened to the people. Along the way, she finds that some of the people in the hospital have gone bonkers and will stop at nothing to kill her. However, in the midst of the madness she also ends up meeting sane people who wish to learn what has happened and get to the bottom of the situation.

If you’re a Corpse Party fan, then you know that this is exactly what you are going to love. What’s creepier than a haunted school? A haunted hospital. Silent Hill has taught us more than enough times that Hospitals are pretty much the last place you want to go.

I can’t say much about the story though. It is a mystery that works great as a prologue. However, the story ends before the player has any idea what’s going on. Not to mention, the way the first chapter ends is with a cliffhanger ending which only adds more questions for the player.

I believe that’s the attractive part of Dead Patient, the fact that it offers a serviceable story that throws the player on a loop while making them question reality. This is made even better by the game’s other aspects.

Part 2 – Gameplay

Okay, now this is something I can spend some time describing. Corpse Party 2: Dead Patient allows you to explore the dark corners of the hospital… Unlike the original game, however, Dead Patient’s locales and characters are all rendered in 3D. Don’t worry, there are still some CG images that highlight the game’s gory aspects.

Dead Patient highlights the return of the RPG-Adventure style, Team GrisGris even brought back the save candles! The game also has an in-game map, which is handy, as the hospital is quite easy to get lost in.

Ayame also has become one of the best protagonists in the series for one reason. She can move in all 8 directions as opposed to only 4. She can also run indefinitely (I mean, until she starts awkwardly panting nonstop until you stop holding the run button to make her shut up.) and can move some items around.

The item system has also been reworked as well for this new entry. Once an item is selected from the item menu, it can be used over something on the map. Otherwise, you will interact with the object in the map as if you didn’t have the item. In other words, you have to make sure that you have an item (say, a key) equipped on your inventory if you want to use it on something.

Of course, this wouldn’t be a Corpse Party game without enemies roaming the halls. Ayame can fight monsters if she ever gets caught by mashing buttons to break free. However, it is easy to avoid those enemies because … Well, she moves in all 8 directions.

The enemy AI is … Busted. It tries to go straight to the player so they can’t seem to figure out that there’s a freaking locker in the middle of the way and as such they get stuck. It’s fun to mess around with the enemies but this can also diminish the scare factor when you realize they can’t figure out how to get around a corner and eat you alive or something.

Conclusion – Is that it?

Yeah, much like Chapter 1, this review is going to come to an abrupt end. Corpse Party 2: Dead Patient doesn’t have much to go off from, both from a narrative and gameplay standpoints. The art style is the same while the 3D graphics are nice but not groundbreaking. The narrative is also kind of dull and relies on the player not knowing what a zombie is, only really picking up until you reach the ending.

I’m interested in seeing where this game is going. The game’s extra chapter offers a connection to Blood Drive and it certainly feels like it deserves some credit for improving the graphics and going for a new dimension (quite literally). However, this feels like a teaser you have to pay money for… And for that, I really can’t recommend it unless you’re a really big fan of the Corpse Party series.

This review is based on a review copy of the game provided by the publisher.

Are you hungry for more horror goodness? Read our Daymare: 1998 review. Do you think that we’re in a horror game renaissance? One of our authors believes that is the case, read his opinion about it here. What do you think about the Corpse Party series? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.