In Paranormasight, you experience the story of three different curse-wielders who are involved in a battle royale over the Rite of Resurrection. As the story unfolds on its various perspectives, one of them perfectly illustrates the themes of the game and what it means. Harue is, although she may not be the main protagonist, certainly the strongest of all the characters in paranormavista.
Editor’s Note: This article will contain spoilers for paranormavistaThe characters and the story.
Let’s quickly review the three main playable characters in Paranormasight. Tsutsumi is a policeman who wants to stop the Rite of Resurrection. So fetch curse stones from everyone. Yakko is a high school student whose former best friend recently committed suicide. His discovery of his friend’s tragic secrets makes him want to use the Rite of Resurrection to try to bring her back. However, her friend Mio and Tsutsumi convince Yakko not to go through with it. Harue is a mother whose family is estranged and her son was recently murdered. She hires private detective Richter to find out who killed her son, then after getting his curse stone, hunts down the other curse bearers.
It was never discussed whether or not Yakko and Tsutsumi would use the Rite of Resurrection. Although Yakko was tempted, Mio convinced her to avoid using the Rite. The narrative also went to great lengths to establish that Yakko and Michiyo had separated. Harue, on the other hand, has a story that is very relatable. Even if you are not a mother, you can understand the pain and grief a mother would feel if she lost her child in such a tragic way as murder. What’s worse for Harue is that she believes the death could have been avoided if the police hadn’t put her reputation ahead of her son’s life. Unlike the other two, there was real narrative tension behind Harue and the Rite. How far would you go for your child? In fiction, parents often go quite far.
But despite “How far would you go?” being one of the questions in the game’s tagline, what Paranormaight is really asking is, “What would you do if the power to resurrect someone existed?” And the answer to that question is that you have to destroy it. You really shouldn’t use it at all and it shouldn’t exist to begin with. All the tragedies of paranormavista they arise from the idea of bringing someone back. In Harue’s conversation with Ayame, Ayame points out that Harue’s wish to resurrect her son is for her. Harue wants her son back, but does her son want back? How would your son feel if he came back to find his mother killed people for him? Even if Harue achieved her original goal and stole someone else’s Cursed Stone, her rebirth would still be upon the death of others.
Although Harue is the most desperate for the Rite, she lacks the determination that the others have. This is because she needs to stay alive and free to care for her child once she returns. In the story, Nejima and Ayame are also characters who actually plan to go through the Rite. Nejima has no qualms about murdering people. Meanwhile, Ayame manipulates others around her to use the curse, as well as actively using it herself. Ayame is essentially Harue’s foil; she does everything Harue said she would do, but for much less sympathetic reasons. But a good reason doesn’t excuse what Ayame is doing. I mean, Nejima kills people for his lover and looks like a freak. The game does not glorify the idea of killing in another person’s name. It shows him as he is: selfish, brutal and barbaric.
While Tsutsumi’s career and paranormal knowledge allow him to shift the plot in a way that places him close to the main protagonist, Harue is the most prominent of the playable characters due to his arc being so close to the game’s themes. In fact, I’d say she could be the only playable character in Paranormaight and the game would still be good. Of course, they would have to rewrite some parts as Harue remains separate from most of the main conflict. Most people would actually want to use the power of resurrection. But the game’s message, as well as Harue’s final lesson, is that only misfortune lies beyond this chimera.
Paranormasight is available on Nintendo Switch and Windows PC. You can read our review about it here.