Verdict
Paranormasight: The Mermaid’s Curse is a ghoulishly gripping horror visual novel that successfully carries its predecessor’s torch as a masterclass in modern storytelling. It seeks to both educate and enthrall, weaving a web of tangled tales just as horrifying as the myths that inspire it, and I can’t get enough.
Amidst a sea of exciting games on display during the February 2026 Nintendo Direct Partner Showcase, you’d be forgiven for overlooking some of the smaller announcements. With flashy trailers and huge names like Fallout, Resident Evil, and Final Fantasy snatching up the headlines, there was certainly a lot to be excited for. However, it was another unexpected announcement from Square Enix that really caught my attention – Paranormasight: The Mermaid’s Curse.
The Mermaid’s Curse is actually the second in the Paranormasight series, with the first entry arriving in March 2023. I was entirely enchanted by it back then, as you can see in my Paranormasight: The Seven Mysteries of Honjo review, where I actually awarded the game my first ever (and to this date, only) 10/10 score.
Now, don’t get me wrong, it’s not a perfect game, and is really quite understated. But it achieves everything it sets out to do with great success, and, for such a reasonable price, I truly can’t fault it. In fact, the story has stayed with me all this time, and I still recommend it as one of the best horror games I’ve played on a handheld console nearly three years later. As such, I was over the moon at the surprise announcement of a sequel, and even moreso when Square Enix offered me the opportunity to play the game in advance for the purposes of writing this review.
The Mermaid’s Curse is set in the 1980s, around a year after the events of the first game. It’s independent from the first game, but deals with similar themes, is set in the same world, and, as the Storyteller aptly informs you at the start, may spoil one of the surprises from the first game if you’ve not played it yet. However, other than that and a few references to the events of the Rite of Resurrection, you can definitely play this one first without worrying about missing too much – though, of course, I highly encourage playing through The Seven Mysteries of Honjo first if you can.
This time, our story takes place in Ise-Shima, Japan, five years after a catastrophic maritime accident that left several dead. Now, a dark and seemingly supernatural threat hangs over Ise Bay’s remote island of Kameshima, as whispers of the Curse of Raging Waves and mermaids ripple among the locals. You follow several different protagonists in their own unique but interwoven stories, untangling the mysteries that surround the land and delving deep into its history and legends in pursuit of answers before more lives are lost.
I’ll admit, I wasn’t as initially taken with the topic as I was with the first game. While I do find legends of ningyo (merfolk) intriguing, I was unsure how a Paranormasight game would manage to revolve around one type of supernatural creature rather than multiple. However, I soon found myself deeply invested, impressed by the depth of the lore and the different curses that surround it, as well as the captivating way that the game handles the topic.
Much like its predecessor, The Mermaid’s Curse is predominantly a visual novel with mechanics borrowed from point and click games. It tells its story through short, repeatable chapters that play out from the point of view of one of several central characters, and many of the events take place concurrently, overlapping in several places. Progressing through each storyline gives you a better understanding of the others, and you’re free to hop between them freely using the story chart. In fact, you sometimes face roadblocks in one of the storylines, pushing you to switch to another before you can progress.
I think you do need to be a very specific genre of nerd to fully enjoy this type of game. It’s slow, mechanically simple, and definitely doesn’t fit in the same space as chart-topping games of the current day. Most of your time here is spent reading through files and profiles, piecing together the story and how it relates to the ancient legends it handles in order to understand the motivations and goals of each character.
However, there are also some novel (and occasionally obtuse) puzzles, such as lining up a puzzle box with the horizon, using mirrors or spiritual abilities to search for clues, and hopping between locations to track down specific individuals and gather information. All of this adds to the sense of intrigue as you progress through the game, while also providing you with a real sense of achievement as you begin to connect the dots and unravel the mysteries at hand. Admittedly, some of the characters’ storylines are more mechanically simplistic and feature less interactable elements than others, but that all makes sense by the end.
Of course, the Mocking Birds are back from the first game, too – a collection of bird-themed stickers hidden around the map – and, this time, there’s also some fun bonus content for you to unlock around them.
Aside from this, the main new addition to the sequel is the new diving minigame. It’s a pretty simple affair – you dive under the water and harvest shellfish while remaining mindful of your oxygen. Your goal is to collect as many harvestables as possible, then return to your boat before you run out of air. You gain points for each item you return with, and, after gathering a certain amount of points, you increase your diving level, which in turn allows you to upgrade one of your four diving skills, making future dives easier.
I will admit, I spent far too long searching the bottom of the sea, and managed to max out each of my diving skills, tick off all five entries in my underwater gathering log, and grab a few collectibles before even starting the story. As simplistic as it is, I genuinely enjoyed combing the seabed for secrets. But, of course, I also met a very premature and grizzly end while under the sea, which quickly reminded me that this was, indeed, Paranormasight, despite the much brighter aesthetic and weirdly moreish Dave the Diver-esque mini game.
The visuals here are, once again, beautifully cohesive, with even the menus and text fitting perfectly with the game’s overall aesthetic. I adore the use of historical paintings and artwork in the files and certain in-game scenes, and the meticulously crafted 360° backgrounds, pieced together with real-world photographs, make each location a treat to explore.
I recall some of the character designs being somewhat contentious when the first game came out, especially with the exaggerated expressions some of the characters sport, but I personally adore them. Yes, the odd, puffy-cheeked duck pout often sported by Jun Erio in the previous game makes its return, and I will continue to defend it (and all the other odd grimaces, silly smiles, and dramatic poses) until a curse claims me, too. These faces add so much charm to an otherwise dark series, and go a long way towards making the predominantly static characters feel more alive.
In terms of audio design, The Mermaid’s Curse once again lacks voice acting, but, for the low price, I wouldn’t expect such a text and dialog-heavy visual novel to be fully voiced. Instead, we once again fall back on the wonderfully atmospheric score composed of some new tracks and some that you may recognize from the previous game.
The OST makes brilliant use of less conventional instruments like the harpsichord and theremin to generate a sense of mystery, along with well-timed dramatic snares and stings to emphasize important points or discoveries. However, as much as I enjoy the music, the loops are sometimes quite short and therefore repetitive. But this just means that you can certainly enjoy the game with the sound off, too, making it a great option for handheld or second-screen gaming.
Speaking of which, I do think that the Paranormasight games are best played handheld. Beyond the diving minigame, which can feel a little clunky with a joystick, everything here looks and feels fabulous on the Switch in handheld mode, and you can play the entire game with touchscreen controls.
I personally prefer a mixture of using the joystick for camera movement and the touchscreen to interact with the environments, but you can switch between the two fluidly, allowing the same level of flexibility you’d get from a keyboard and mouse. Of course, it looks great on a big screen in docked mode, too, but it definitely feels made for on-the-go gaming, and, considering the previous game is fully Steam Deck verified, I’m sure this one will be a treat on Valve’s handheld, too.
Above all, though, The Mermaid’s Curse manages to succeed in the exact same way as The Seven Mysteries of Honjo. It boasts an artfully crafted narrative backed by real-world mythology and legends that date back hundreds of years, and it’s got the receipts to back it up. Its glossary of files seeks to not only support your understanding of the story, but also to educate you in everything from cryptids to culture, and I find that fascinating.
While this does result in a lot of extra reading through the files that pop up throughout, and sometimes the discussions between characters (particularly those including the highly theatrical Avi and his intelligent companion Circe) can feel quite dense, it all serves to deepen your understanding of both the real-world folklore and historical context, as well as the complex narrative web at the heart of the game, and I’ve deeply enjoyed learning more about the topics at hand.
Overall, Paranormasight: The Mermaid’s Curse carries its predecessor’s torch as a prime example of what I consider to be a masterclass in modern storytelling. While it doesn’t innovate as much as the previous entry in the series, I simply couldn’t put it down throughout its surprisingly lengthy playtime. This is what I want from a visual novel, and I only hope to continue seeing more of it in the future.
