Corpse Party fans rejoice! It’s time to come together and celebrate the birth of Sachiko Shinozaki, the adorable yet totally violent girl who now wants to invite you to her outrageous party. Corpse Party: Sweet Sachiko’s Hysteric Birthday Bash is a different type of adventure in the typical Corpse Party universe, as this time much of your experience will be hanging out with the 7 year old murderer, along with all of her other victims, in this twisted “Romantic Comedy” that she wants you all to be a part of. There’s really no turning back once you’ve accepted the invitation and every request that Sachiko asks of you, well, you’d better be sure to accept it. Corpse Party: Sweet Sachiko’s Hysteric Birthday Bash still retains that typical Corpse Party charm, but this time flips things in a brand new way to give players a fresh experience from start to finish.

Corpse Party: Sweet Sachiko’s Hysteric Birthday Bash is still your quintessential visual novel adventure but this time, instead of committing heinous acts of brutal murders and sending victims to the netherrealm, you now get to celebrate what’s seemingly a simple birthday party with the one who killed you in the first place. Sounds like a blast, right? Those new to the Corpse Party series could really use this title as a way to become well acquainted with all of the notable characters in the series, and since this title is more on the comical side of things, it’ll be easier to grasp what’s going on. It does provide a good breakdown of all of the familiar characters and so progressing through the story will definitely help newcomers to become more familiar with their personalities and motives. Look forward to a lot of laughs and shocking turn of events in this wild yet exciting thrill ride, with Sachiko in the driver’s seat!

Those familiar with the series will most likely feel right at home with the visuals as they really haven’t changed since previous iterations. This can be interpreted in two ways, one being that it’s good to see that nothing has significantly changed but on the other hand, some may complain that the visuals look bland. For us, running Corpse Party: Sweet Sachiko’s Hysteric Birthday Bash on PC looked totally fine and we really love the simple yet charming art style that Corpse Party provides. It doesn’t try to go over the top with spectacular visual appeal but rather places more of its attention on the narrative and character development, which to us is way more important down the road. It’s still an old game though so of course there are some rough edges here and there, but again, nothing to write home about.

Nothing to write home about in this area much, which isn’t to say things are bad but rather they’re not outstanding in any way. Admittedly, the voice acting is still top notch and always brings things to life, especially during very pivotal moments in the story. There were moments, however, when the background music seemed to be much louder than the voicing, in spite of us lowering the volume, so some of the voicing was sort of muddled at some intervals. It didn’t hurt the game in any significant way but it did seem a bit off putting. We do love the fact that for every emotion conveyed within the story, there’s a matching sound or bit of music which seamlessly goes along with it. That’s a huge plus because it really helps you to get deeply immersed in what’s happening, especially in Corpse Party: Sweet Sachiko’s Hysteric Birthday Bash where there’s just a bunch of twisted events that take place.

Corpse Party: Sweet Sachiko’s Hysteric Birthday Bash moves at a healthy pace in terms of progression and doesn’t rush you to really grasp everything all at once. As a romantic comedy spin-off, it still provided something entertaining to enjoy. You’re still greeted with multiple endings and extra chapters that add even more to the already satisfying experience, and of course the gruesome yet hilarious ways of victims dying when they disobey Sachiko. It’s a great mixture of all things ranging from ecchi moments with Naho and Sayaka, to the more darker and sinister where people actually die and you’re sitting there wondering why.

The spirits of those murdered are now judges at a cooking contest, you befriend talking carrots, being eaten by bread monsters, and then suddenly all of that random excitement comes to an end all before you know it.

Corpse Party: Sweet Sachiko’s Hysteric Birthday Bash felt like a roller coaster ride of emotions because you never really knew what to expect, but in spite of those crazy experiences it definitely helped to paint a picture on just how valuable friendships can be, along with building great relationships with those you care about. We feel that’s the underlying truth beneath all of the exorcisms and fondling of oppai, but in the end it all comes together beautifully, which is perhaps the whole point of this birthday bash to begin with.

Corpse Party: Sweet Sachiko’s Hysteric Birthday Bash was a birthday event that we’d probably not go to a second time, not because it was bad but because well, we value our lives that much. Sachiko is cute and all but there’s just something about her that puts a certain type of fear in you! All jokes aside, we highly recommend fans of the series to grab this one because it surely will not disappoint.