Part 2: Chapter 1, Part 2

Music: None



...Ungh...



*crunch*



Ooh... Ow, my leg...
I can move it, so I guess it's just a sprain...



I'm...not at home, am I... It can't be...

Background Sound: Opressive Hum



...? It's so dark...I can barely see a thing... Is...this the school?

Suddenly, the lights flicker on.



Wha...! ...What's going on...? What the hell is this place?!



We take a few steps around, to get a bearing on our surroundings.



*gasp* Is that...Seiko?!



...This isn't good!



There's no way across to the other side of the room, so we head outside to look for another entrance.



We head into the dark hallway and proceed north.



*crack*



Oof... That really hurt...
My ankle's...in pretty bad shape...



Continuing north, we find another doorway, and a paper in the corner.



One by one, the young students of Heavenly Host __________ School seem to be disappearing, as now a third student has joined the ranks of the missing. Classmates testify that fifth-grader __________ was on her way home from school, but got separated from her friends in the hall and hasn't been seen since. Police are investigating the possibility of a serial kidnapping and have assigned countless investigators to the case in the hopes of a speedy resolution. However, ten days have already passed since the first disappearance, giving parents and classmates ample cause for concern.



After reading the paper, we head back into the classroom.



Seiko! Seiko! Sei...



Seiko! Come on, Seiko! Wake up!



Seiko blinks and sits up.



Don't you 'what's up' me! I thought you were dead!
Hmm? ...Wh... Where... Where are we...?
What's going on?!
That's what I'd like to know...

Background Sound: None



The screen cuts to black and we hear strained grunting from Seiko.



These windows are sealed up tight. And it's pitch black out there. I can't make heads or tails of what I'm seeing.



Naomi takes a few steps closer to Seiko.

What the hell is going on?!
...Well...this is clearly a school building...
Don't the desks seem unusually small to you, though? Like an elementary school...

Music: Terror



...It can't be...can it?




What is it?
The printout...on the wall...



Heavenly...Host? Isn't that...the elementary school that preceded Kisaragi Academy? The one that was shut down and demolished?



Where the hell are we?! And where are our friends?! And Ms. Yui?!
Calm down, Seiko! Don't get so worked up!



...Sorry...



(It was the first time in my life that I'd been shaking so hard, I could hear my teeth chatter. I'd become completely light-headed, and couldn't even think straight -- much less wrap my brain around what was happening to us. I kept telling myself, it's all a dream...some horrible nightmare...but no matter how hard I wished for it, I just couldn't wake up.)



(I couldn't take it anymore. I had to say something. Anything!)

Music: None



...but how about we try finding a way out of here?
...A way out?
We can't just stand here quaking in terror. We need to do something...you know?
(Besides, I don't want to be in this creepy place any longer than I have to...)
But the windows are all sealed shut. And I don't mean they're stuck, or locked...it's like they're decorations on the wall. I don't even think they CAN open! Is it even possible...to leave this building?

Jumping to the conclusion of "It's impossible to leave this building" from "The windows in this room don't open" is a little bit too far, I think. There are windows in my house that don't open, but my door works just fine.



Some means of getting outside...
...You're right. And it's a lot better than just standing around. I feel like I'm going to go all looney in here if we keep this up!
Okay, then. First step...is to leave this room. We've got to keep our spirits up. After all, it's probably not just the two of us in here. The others have to be around somewhere, right?
Yeah. And if we can reunite with them...
...we'll find a way out of here together!

Music: Chapter 1's Theme





(I was probably delirious, to be honest. But I know that if I didn't act, I'd start to go mad. I'd start to scream. I'd be inconsolable. So in desperation, I put on the strongest front I could manage...)




At this point, the game dumps us into this weird character introduction screen. We control the floating eyeball and by talking to the characters, we get background information on them.

It's weird and clunky and RPG Maker as fuck. Kind of like the rest of the game, I suppose. I've transcribed all the character bios into the second post of the thread, for you to read at your leisure.

Directing the eye to the door in the corner of the room brings us back to the game.




Right!



At last, we're back in control. We start by exploring this side of the room.



In each instance, the victim was taken quickly and unexpectedly, so please remain alert and aware at all times.
-Principal Takamine Yanagihori






And we're done here, so we head out.





EEK!
Another earthquake?!
Noooo!

The screen continues to shake for a short while, and then comes to a stop.



Whew...
I've had enough...
...Let's just get out of this room.



...!
What? What's wrong?
This hallway...looks totally different than it did before...
...M-Maybe the earthquake...made more of the floor collapse?
...Y-yeah... Maybe...

I've about had it with all these ellipses.




We can't go north, so we turn around and head to the south.



What the heck is this? Pee?
Eww, don't say that...



The south end of the hall has collapsed as well, so we go back into the classroom.



Uhh...hey, Naomi?
Mmm?
Is something wrong with your leg?
Oh, yeah. I was so freaked out, I forgot all about it. I think I sprained my ankle when I fell.
Well, that's not good! Will you be okay?
I can walk, at least. I'm sure It'll heal on its own.
Yeah, but you shouldn't push yourself. Here, lean on my shoulder, okay?
Okay. Thanks.



Yes
No

Sound Effect: Item



We've obtained our first item! Let's go check it out in our inventory.



Most everything on the menu screen is self-explanatory, aside from Name Tags, which I'll detail a little bit later when it's more relevant.

You probably notice the HP stat over on the right. Corpse Party doesn't have any battles, but there are a couple of environmental hazards that can drain your HP. It honestly feels out of place to have HP at all in a game like this though; it's probably a carry over from the RPG Maker original.



We can go into our inventory and get descriptions of our items. Items are used from the map screen simply by checking whatever the item can be used on, so you don't ever have to go into your inventory unless you need a refresher on what you're carrying.



Now that we've got this board, we head back out of the classroom and go south.



Hey, Naomi! What about that loose board we found? You think it would support our weight?
Like a bridge? I dunno. It seems kind of beat up, but I guess it IS pretty solid...

Try it
Too risky

The loose board has been set in place.



And with that, we're able to continue to the south.



We enter a door immediately after crossing our makeshift bridge...



...And arrive in a stairwell.



I could swear I've seen it before...



Candles serve as save points (the save option in the menu is just a suspension so you can turn the game off). There are only five save slots, and that really sucks because it's not nearly enough to easily find every ending.

They improved on the save system in Book of Shadows by allowing you to save anywhere and by giving you 64 save slots. Which creates new problems for weirdos like me, since I compulsively save every five minutes and will never overwrite an old save unless there are no new slots to fill. 64 saves is a lot to sort through...



Now that we're done getting our save on, we continue down the stairs.



The hallway immediately turns to the right after the staircase.



And then a pit prevents us from going any way but south.



This really was an elementary school, huh...
Yeah...
Yuu and the others must be getting pretty hungry by now.
Oh, yeah, I forgot. Your father's working late tonight, isn't he...
Yep. All those mouths to feed don't come cheap, after all! And while Dad's working to put some food in 'em, I get to be the housefrau! Heheh...
Yeah, I guess Yuu and them are still just little kids, so somebody would need to be around... You're pretty amazing, Seiko. High-schooler and mom, all rolled into one!



Hahaha...
I just have to get back to them, though!
Guess it's the same for you, too. Your mom's waiting for you, Naomi.



You bet!



Continuing forward, we reach a huge door.

[Entranceway]
The heavy door is firmly shut, and seems unlikely (or unwilling) to open through any normal means.



Oof! ...No good. It won't budge.
Didn't feel it give at all, in fact. I don't think we'll be able to force it open.
Maaan... So close, and yet so far! Well, guess we'd better look for another way out.
Yeah...



That's all we can reach on the first floor, so we'll go look around upstairs some more next time.