The acclaimed Junji Ito-inspired RPG, World of Horror, has received a significant free update titled 'As Below So Above.' This expansion introduces new cosmic threats, characters, locations, and a host of quality-of-life improvements.
The update adds two new Old God invasions. The first, 'IKT-YOSIS, THE FIRST NIGHTMARE,' is described as a gargantuan entity beneath the mountains that reshapes the world and weather with each ritual performed to awaken it. The second, 'THE WAR FOR SHIOKAWA,' escalates the terror by having four cults simultaneously summon their eldritch masters, plunging the town into evil.
In addition to these major threats, 'As Below So Above' brings a variety of new content, including more enemies, mysteries, characters, items, spells, curses, and injuries. The developers also noted "a large batch of quality-of-life features and bug fixes." This marks the game's largest update to date, with developers panstasz and publishers Ysbryd stating it makes the game 20% larger.
Players will have three new protagonists to choose from: Kiriko, a Tarot card reader; Satoshi, an experienced hiker; and Makoto, a school AV club member. The update also introduces 10 additional allies, accessible through a reworked conversation system that triggers randomly during investigations. A new location, the Mountains, has been added, along with 60 extra events, 19 enemies, three challenges, and 30 items. The Scenario Mode has also been expanded with 'Worldlets of Horror,' self-contained stories set before the main game, the first of which involves a hunt for lost students.
For modding enthusiasts, the update includes a new modding system that maintains backwards compatibility with content created for the game's 1.0 version. World of Horror originally launched to critical praise for its unique style and deep horror gameplay, with critics highlighting its repetitive combat as a minor drawback against its overall engaging experience.