There are plenty of first person dungeon crawler RPG games out there. The Etrian Odyssey series alone has a bevy of entries alone, and there are countless titles cluttering every platform. The genre has existed for decades, first appearing on old PC computers and then making its way to consoles as well. As it has progressed, so has the complexity of the games. While modern titles like Mary Skelter 2 bear a superficial resemblance to early ones like Phantasy Star for the Sega Master System, the genre has expanded to add significant story elements, gameplay elements, and graphical devices. But a few titles always slip through the cracks, only to be discovered by an intrepid few and Kowloon High-School Chronicle is one of those titles.
Kowloon High-School Chronicle from publisher Arc System Works is a unique and odd first person dungeon experience. Originally released in 2004 on the PS2 as Kowloon Youma Gakuen Ki, it was never translated or ported for Western audiences, despite receiving an expanded re-released in 2006 due to significant grassroots fan response. The game starts out with traditional simple story elements and then throws you head first into your first dungeon to teach you the mechanics. Right away you know you’re in for something special. Between the weird notification voices, the ability to shift from explorer mode to battle mode, and the use of action points for attacks in a first person game, there’s a wild medley of game concepts coalescing in Kowloon High School Chronicle. Eventually, you’ll manage to finish the introductory dungeon and things start to kick into high gear, so to speak.
One of the more interesting things about Kowloon is the pacing. There are two main sections to gameplay, an interactive visual novel and the first person hybrid RPG style exploration sequences. Each section of the game starts out with a new story element related to various students in the school and the effect that the dungeons have had on them then segues to a first person dungeon exploration, but equal time is given to each section, resulting in very methodical pacing for the entire game. You’ll make a variety of choices regarding how you want to react to students, all of which have an effect on the game. Decisions are made by selecting directions on a d-pad shaped emotion input chart. The longer you hold down a direction, the stronger the reaction. It’s almost impossible to tell, but the entire emotion input chart is actually in English, just a very badly stylized English font. Up is joy, then love. Right is amity, then hot. Left indicates sombre, then grief, and finally, down says cold, then anger. It’s a bizarre system and even once you manage to learn the corresponding emotions, sometimes your selections don’t match up with the reactions of the other characters. Generally, amity and hot are the most positive, and cold and sombre are fairly negative, while grief and anger tend to be overreactions. Regardless of how you react, you can muddle your way through and the overall story is quite solid.
Once you finish the first main school story segment, you’ll find yourself looking at an overview of the school. Selecting areas allows you to gather supplies which you can take with you or stockpile in your dorm room and talking to people by selecting their portraits seems to have an impact on how they interact with you, though it’s hard to tell. Eventually, you’ll acquire a variety of friends to join your party and help you on your way, but you initially start with only two, Minakami and Yachiho. Once you’re done, it’s time to go to the cemetery and enter the dungeon! This is where the game takes an abrupt shift to a more active exploration and puzzle-solving style.
In dungeons, you can walk around and interact with various items. Initially, it may seem like a bit of a clunky interface, but as you get used to the controls, Kowloon actually controls quite well. When you enter a room, if there are enemies around, they’ll attack and the game will suddenly shift to combat mode. You have a limited number of action points each turn with which to attack and move, so spend them carefully! Most combat is challenging but not difficult and if you’re persistent, you’ll get to experience a wide variety of weird creatures! Rush through too fast though and you’ll be forced to grind, having to leave the dungeons over and over to reset the monsters and raise your levels.
Your stats are controlled by your report card, and pumping points into damage and abilities drastically improves your characters. Many activities in the game directly depend on how you allocate your points, so choose wisely. If you don’t put enough into jumping, lockpicking, or mental skill, it will be difficult to progress, as you won’t be able to open locked treasure boxes, jump far enough, or even decipher some of the ancient tablets lying around in the dungeon’s many areas.
There are a ton of extra menus in Kowloon High School Chronicle as well. You have access to a personal data assistant called H.A.N.T. that collects all the information you acquire in your exploits, profiles of enemies, emails and more. You also have access to the Treasure Hunters Guild, where you field requests for some spectacularly weird items in exchange for ridiculous amounts of money. Often, you’ll just randomly come across these items, so be on the lookout! You can buy weapons and ammo from the Treasure Hunters website as well, but they’re quite pricey so expect to get stuck with a limited arsenal for quite some time. During the day, the school janitor runs a shop where you can buy food and supplies as well. There’s even an old text adventure style mini-game that allows you to take a bit of a break from the normal game where you explore tombs for treasure in order to explore tombs for treasure! It’s actually pretty good too, so don’t just skip out on it!
On top of all the extras, the storyline, the exploration, and the combat, Kowloon High School Chronicle still holds a few surprises. Many of these involve studious exploration and attention to detail in the dungeons. Synthesis, for example involves combining two items to make a third, something pretty much straight out of an old Resident Evil game. The catch is that there’s no guide on what combinations of items you might need to make or how they go together, so you’ll just have to experiment and skim your notes in H.A.N.T. For example, combining Nitric Acid and Hydrochloric Acid makes Aqua Regia, a mixture that burns through metals (it works in real life too, but do NOT try this at home!). You can use Aqua Regia to open certain locked doors by burning away the locks. If this seems daunting, it is, and Kowloon definitely doesn’t hold your hand, forcing you to think about where you’re stuck and explore until you solve each puzzle. Clues are scarce or non-existent, and sometimes you might not have the items you need in your Assault Vest, requiring a trip back to the Soul Well to replenish your inventory from your dorm room stash. May as well save while you’re there!
There are a truly outrageous number of secrets and hidden items strewn all about the massive underground dungeon of Kowloon High School Chronicle. Hidden rooms, secret chambers, and seemingly unattainable objects are everywhere. It’ll take a patient and intrepid explorer to find them all! And then there are the bosses. Bosses in Kowloon are disturbing and bizarre, putting the strange regular enemies to shame. Every time you think you’re ready for one, you’re probably not, and just diving in guns blazing will likely get you killed. The second boss, for example, is surrounded by little spiders. Ignore them at your peril however, as their bite has paralytic venom that keeps you from using your weapons, allowing them to pound you into oblivion while the boss smashes you against the wall repeatedly with her blast attacks. Your doom is assured unless you use your action points tactically!
Suffice it to say there’s an abundance of unique story elements, wild dungeons, weird creatures, and vicious traps permeating every inch of Kowloon High School Chronicle. It’s no wonder that Arc System Works chose to localize this almost entirely unheard of title! Sure, there are a few minor localization mistakes, but they’re to be expected with a game this complex, and honestly, they just add to the charm. It’s honestly a shame that it hasn’t had a more mainstream release and more promotional content, as this is one of those niche titles that ends up being an absolute classic and at $30, it’s worth every thin dime of your hard earned cash! It’s hard to believe the disparate elements, weird background storyline (what the heck is up with that School Council anyway?!?), odd items and side missions all work so well together. The general all-around quirkiness of Kowloon High School Chronicle manages to settle into the perfect mix of weird, fun, and exciting! Kowloon High School Chronicle is an absolutely unique game that’s not to be missed!
This review was based on a digital copy of Kowloon High School Chronicle for the Nintendo Switch. It was played in both docked and undocked modes and was entirely excellent in both! Kowloon High School Chronicle is currently a Nintendo Switch exclusive and is only available in North America on the Nintendo eShop!