Paranormasight: The Mermaid's Curse
Japanese visual novel released by Square Enix
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Paranormasight: The Mermaid's Curse (Japanese: パラノマサイト FILE38 伊勢人魚物語, Hepburn: Paranormasight FILE38 Ise Ningyo Monogatari) is a visual novel developed by Xeen and published by Square Enix for Android, IOS, Nintendo Switch, and Windows. The game was released on February 19, 2026. It is a sequel to the game Paranormasight: The Seven Mysteries of Honjo.
| Paranormasight: The Mermaid's Curse | |
|---|---|
| |
| Developer | Xeen |
| Publisher | Square Enix |
| Directors |
|
| Producers |
|
| Programmer | Naoki Takishita |
| Artists |
|
| Writer | Takanari Ishiyama |
| Composer | Hidenori Iwasaki |
| Platforms | |
| Release | Switch, iOS, Android
|
| Genre | Visual novel |
| Mode | Single-player |
Gameplay
Paranormasight: The Mermaid's Curse is a visual novel. Similar to its predecessor, it utilizes a multi-perspective flow-chart gameplay.[1]
Plot
Set in the 1980s in a fictionalized version of Kami-shima, Ise-Shima, Mie, Japan, named Kameshima. The plot is a coming-of-age story revolving around mermaids and immortality.[2] The area, well rumored for its mermaid inhabitants, is befallen by a series of curses following the sight of Yuza Minakuchi's doppelgänger, attracting a girl of unknown origins, treasure hunters, and a housewife investigating a drowning. Through colliding paths, they become closer to the secret of the Mermaid of Ise.[1] Characters from Paranormasight: The Seven Mysteries of Honjo are mentioned, however there is no substantial connection to the previous game outside of this.
Development
Release
Paranormasight: The Mermaid's Curse was revealed during the Nintendo Direct in February 2026. It was released on February 19, 2026, on iOS, Android, Windows and the Nintendo Switch.[2] In Japan, the Windows edition followed the next day[3]
Reception
| Aggregator | Score |
|---|---|
| Metacritic | (PC) 85/100[4] (NS) 85/100[5] |
| OpenCritic | 93% recommend[6] |
| Publication | Score |
|---|---|
| Game Informer | 9/10[7] |
| Nintendo Life | 7/10[8] |
| Nintendo World Report | 9/10[9] |
| RPGFan | 88/100[10] |
The PC and Nintendo Switch versions of Paranormasight: The Mermaid's Curse both received generally favorable reviews from critics, according to the review aggregation website Metacritic.[4][5] OpenCritic determined that 93% of critics recommend the game.[6]
RPG Site's Josh Torres praised the story but argued that it was slightly weaker than its predecessor.[11] Ollie Reynolds of Nintendo Life wrote that the story was slower initially but felt that it led to "a narrative that eventually feels more fleshed out and complete".[8] Josh Broadwell of Polygon wrote that the game was "one of the most grounded, and well-written, visual novels out there".[12] However, Torres and Reynolds noted that the game has fewer horror elements compared to its predecessor.[11][8]
Reynolds wrote that the fishing minigame was a "a nice little detour from the lengthy dialogue sequences".[8] Rollin Bishop of GamesRadar+ wrote of the minigame "If the developers had simply made a diving game, I'd probably happily spend dozens of hours exploring the sea floor."[13]