Name: Spirit Hunter: NG Review | KonNetwork
Item: Spirit Hunter: NG
Rating: 8.5
Author: Kon

Spirit Hunter: NG builds on Death Mark with polished storytelling, suspense, and multiple endings, delivering a gripping supernatural thriller on Switch. While it may not feel as deep as its predecessor, the quality of the scares and psychological depth provide significant value for those returning to the series.

The polished presentation makes it a worthwhile experience for horror fans.

Spirit Hunter: NG

Released: September 13th, 2018 (JP), October 10th, 2019 (WW)

Developer(s): Experience

Publisher(s): Aksys Games

Platform(s):

Completed on Nintendo Switch in Handheld Mode, True Ending.

HowLongToBeat Time: 16.5 hours | My Clear Time: 15 hours

Contents

Spirit Hunter: NG Background
Spirit Hunter: NG Experience
Spirit Hunter: NG Impressions
Spirit Hunter: NG Verdict
Spirit Hunter: NG TLDR
- References

Spirit Hunter: NG Background

After the success of Death Mark in 2018, Experience Inc. began work on Spirit Hunter: NG. CEO Hajime Chikami explained that the two games approach horror differently. While Death Mark throws characters into immediate life-or-death chaos, NG is a slow burn where the situation gradually worsens.

The protagonist is a major shift too. Instead of a middle-aged amnesiac, you play as a hot-blooded high school student who is much more likely to act on impulse. To get the tone just right, the team reviews tens of thousands of pieces of concept art. Chikami noted that if a chapter doesn’t match their specific artistic vision during playtesting, they scrap the whole thing and remake it from scratch.

In order to choose the right designer and really get the mood of the game correct, we looked at tens of thousands of pieces of concept art, as that’s one of the elements really central in determining the overall feeling of the game. Then we play through each chapter over and over again to see if it matches our vision. If the chapter seems different from what we had in mind, we re-make it from scratch.
– Hajime Chikami

Spirit Hunter: NG Experience

I jumped into NG in 2021, only nine days after finishing Death Mark. That first game hooked me on Experience Inc.’s style, leading me to follow their key talent like kera, Fumiya Sumio, and Kazuhiro Oya. At the time, I had only cleared a few other visual novels like The Silver Case and Danganronpa. I already knew Aksys from their work on fighters like BlazBlue and the Zero Escape series, so I knew I was in for a high-quality localization.

Spirit Hunter: NG Impressions

Kakuya plays her flute under the moonlight during her first appearance in Spirit Hunter: NG. — **Playing For Keeps**
*Kakuya’s haunting flute melody sets a beautiful but eerie tone under the moon’s watchful eye*

NG definitely delivers on the shift in tone I was expecting. It keeps the core Experience style: great music and creepy presentation: but it feels much tighter. The areas are smaller and the interface is way more streamlined than Death Mark. This keeps the focus on the world itself rather than menus or distractions.

Jump scare moment during the Urashima Woman case in Spirit Hunter: NG, showing the ghost with her mouth open on screen and the investigation UI. — **She Called Out A Warning.**
*Just like the Incubus track, this park encounter is a sudden, nightmarish wake-up call you won’t see coming.*

The supernatural intrigue is still the main draw here. The story uses spirits inspired by urban legends and fantasy to build a narrative that feels like a polished evolution of the first game. It refines the formula without losing the soul of the series.

Crisis Choice screen in Spirit Hunter: NG, presenting three options to escape a nearby security guard during a tense moment. — **I’m giving you a choice**
*Obey or find a way out. it is live-or-die, evolved.*

Spirit Hunter: NG Verdict

NG leans closer to a supernatural thriller than the pure horror of Death Mark. Replacing the Live-Or-Die moments with Crisis Choice and Survival Escape keeps the tension high without feeling like a carbon copy of the previous game.

The UI is better and the smaller exploration zones make for a faster pace, though it does lose a bit of the depth the first game had. You should also be ready for some gore: the CG art is much more graphic and can be pretty unsettling. They also added a scare mode for jumpscares. If you prefer the psychological dread of the first game, you might want to toggle that off in the settings. Overall, it’s a sleek, refined thriller that any horror fan should check out.

Spirit Hunter: NG TLDR

Pros

Sleek and Fast: The streamlined UI and smaller maps make the gameplay feel much smoother and more focused.
Thriller Vibes: The shift in tone creates a different kind of tension that focuses more on the mystery and the hot-blooded protagonist.
Legendary Spirits: The ghost designs are still the best in the business, pulling from creepy myths to create some truly memorable encounters.

Cons

Jumpscare Mode: The new “scare mode” can feel a bit cheap compared to the series’ usual atmosphere. Luckily, you can disable it.
Less to Explore: The smaller areas and fewer clues mean the game is easier to navigate, but it lacks the deep investigation of the first title.
Gory Visuals: The CGs go heavy on the blood. It’s effective, but it might be a bit much if you aren’t a fan of body horror.

Spirit Hunter: NG (Switch)

8.5Very Strong

Spirit Hunter: NG refines the supernatural thriller formula with gripping storytelling, sharp presentation, and a tense atmosphere. While it may not feel as deep as its predecessor, the quality of the scares and multiple endings provide significant value on Switch.

The polished visuals and psychological depth make it a worthwhile experience for horror fans.