Developers Child-Dream’s psychological horror visual novel remake Scar of the Doll is now available on PC via Steam. The game supports Japanese and English text options. The title is currently available at a launch sale discount that shaves 34% off early buyers, and the offer ends on April 2.
Scar of the Doll was created and published by Hidehisa Miyashita of Child-Dream and made on the RPG Maker 95 software in 1998. The title has been ported over to mobile platforms on iOS and Android in the past. In July 2022, Child-Dream partnered with developers Mamekujira to bring the visual novel to a new set of readers. The remake was first released on the Nintendo Switch in August of last year.
▍ Scar of the Doll Announcement Trailer
▍Features New to the Remake
Being branded as a full-blown remake of the title, Scar of the Doll 2022 brought the classic PC visual novel over to consoles for the first time. The changes are significantly more distinct than the ones found in the other mobile and older steam releases of the game.
■ Remastered Visuals and Soundscape
The Scar of the Doll remake naturally ups the visual and audio presentation, with the game featuring redesigned characters, stills, and backgrounds. The game now newly features a remastered soundtrack and Hiroyuki Oshima’s “Tobu Yume o Mienai” newly added as the main theme to the game.
■ New QoL features
The game features an array of modern tweaks to the UI and functions that all help modernize the title from its original 1998 release. Scar of the Doll allows you to go back to the scene in which the dialogue happened, effectively giving players a rewind button.
■ UI Options and Revamped Navigation
Elements such as navigation are more diegetic during gameplay, as the game now offers an actual map screen instead of the original choice-style dialogue boxes. The new “Horror Ease Mode”, which turns off the jump scares are all welcome additions.
■ Newly Added Stories
The second half of the story has been greatly added, and an extra scenario has been implemented. Called “Zapping,” these chapters are unlocked after hitting the credits once over and are retellings of the key plot points in the story told through the lens of a different character.
▍Scar of the Doll Remake Story
It is December. It is the end of the year in Tokyo. Asumi Kamijo, who has come to Tokyo by herself. The story unfolds rapidly over the seven days from December 18 to 24.
After losing all contact with her sister, who is attending graduate school in Tokyo.
A concerned, younger sister, Asumi Kamijyo, travels to Tokyo by herself to check on her sister’s safety.
Upon arriving, however, Asumi quickly realizes something is incredibly wrong. When she asks around the lab, she is told that they have never heard of her sister and that they have no records of her ever being enrolled.
At a complete loss, Asumi wonders what has happened to her sister…
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Scar of the Doll Review – A Compelling Revival of the Classic Mystery Visual Novel
