View source for Software:Yuuyami Doori Tankentai

{{Short description|1999 horror video game}}
{{Infobox video game
| image = Yuuyami_Doori_Tankentai_cover.jpg
| developer = [[Company:Spike|Spike]]
| publisher = Spike
| release = {{vgrelease|JP|7 October 1999}}
| genre = [[Software:Adventure game|Adventure]]
| modes = Single-player
| producer = Masakazu Suzuki
| designer = Keita Kimura
| platforms = [[Engineering:PlayStation (console)|PlayStation]]
}}

{{nihongo foot|'''''Yuuyami Doori Tankentai'''''|夕闇通り探検隊|||lead=yes|group=lower-alpha|extra2=lit. "Dusk Street Exploration Party"}} is a horror-themed [[Software:Adventure game|adventure game]] developed and published by [[Company:Spike|Spike]] for the [[Engineering:PlayStation (console)|PlayStation]]. It plays similarly to the ''[[Software:Twilight Syndrome|Twilight Syndrome]]'' series by [[Company:Human Entertainment|Human Entertainment]], and follows a story of Japanese youths exploring paranormal [[Social:Urban legend|urban legend]]s in their neighborhood. The player can choose to play as one of three junior high students, first eavesdropping on rumors being discussed at their school, then investigating these rumors in the city that can be freely explored.

The game was developed over two years by former Human staff that had worked on ''Twilight Syndrome''. It was released in Japan in 1999, following a popular trend of horror in Japanese media. It received a limited release and remained mostly unknown for years, but has grown a following over time. In retrospect, Japanese critics have praised the game as a masterpiece for its captivating sense of realism. A western journalist discussed it as a reflection of the uneasiness felt in Japanese society during the country's recession in the 1990s. 

== Synopsis and gameplay ==
[[File:Yuuyami_screenshot.png|thumb|left|The characters exploring the city]]
''Yuuyami Doori Tankentai'' is an adventure game that plays similarly to the ''[[Software:Twilight Syndrome|Twilight Syndrome]]'' series.<ref>{{Cite magazine|author=卯月鮎|date=January 2000|title=さらば愛しのヒューマン・アドベンチャー|trans-title=The Rise and fall of Human Empire|department=追悼企画 [Memorial Project]|magazine=ゲーム批評|trans-magazine=Game Hihyō|language=JA|volume=30|location=Chūō|publisher=Micromagazine|pages=98–103}}</ref> The game is set in the late 1990s in the fictional Hirumi City, a stereotypical Japanese neighborhood with shopping districts, hospitals, construction sites, and parks.<ref name=":2">{{Cite news|url=http://dengekionline.com/elem/000/000/920/920673/|title=PS『夕闇通り探検隊』15周年記念。伝説の隠れた名作ホラーゲームの思い出を語る【周年連載】|date=15 September 2014|work=電撃オンライン|access-date=13 August 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180115161717/http://dengekionline.com/elem/000/000/920/920673/|archive-date=15 January 2018|url-status=live|language=ja-JP}}</ref> Although never stated, it is implied the city was born out of Japan's economic boom during the 1980s and has since fallen into disrepair.<ref name=":4">{{Cite news|url=http://www.heterotopiaszine.com/2017/08/02/suburban-decay-yuuyami-doori-tankentai/|title=Suburban Decay {{!}} Yuuyami Doori Tankentai|last=Crimmins|first=Brian|date=2 August 2017|work=Heterotopias|access-date=13 August 2018|language=en-GB|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180130055152/http://www.heterotopiaszine.com/2017/08/02/suburban-decay-yuuyami-doori-tankentai/|archive-date=30 January 2018|url-status=live}}</ref> The story follows three junior high school students exploring [[Social:Urban legend|urban legend]]s in their city, typically with a paranormal theme.<ref name=":4" /> The students are a boy named Nao and his dog Meros, as well as two girls, Kurumi and Sango.<ref>{{Cite book|title=夕闇通り探検隊 ''instruction manual''|language=ja|location=Meguro|publisher=Spike|date=7 October 1999}}</ref>

Each chapter consists of two phases, first collecting rumors at the school and then later investigating them in the city. The player can choose one of the three characters to play as when starting each chapter, a choice which will affect how the story proceeds. The player is allotted five minutes to listen in on rumors at school. Each character has different friends, so may hear different rumors.<ref name=":2" /> There are 44 total rumors in the game.<ref name=":2" /><ref name=":5">{{Cite web|url=http://www.spike-online.net:80/yuyami/kaihatsu/kokodake3_1.html|title=開発情報＜ここだけのオ・ハ・ナ・シ 後編＞ (Part 2)|date=1999|website=Spike|language=ja|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070704014651/http://www.spike-online.net/yuyami/kaihatsu/kokodake3_1.html|archive-date=4 July 2007|url-status=dead}}</ref> After this, the player has ten minutes to investigate any rumors by exploring the city, searching suspicious places, objects, and people. The player can consult the other characters at any time, and view information on rumors they have collected in their journal. They can also browse an in-game map of the city to aid in exploring, or use a physical map that came packaged with the game. The dog, Meros, will typically explore the city with the characters and will stop in his tracks if he senses anything strange. In some situations, the game switches to a 360-degree panorama mode, where the player can look around freely.<ref name=":2" />

== Development and release ==
Horror was a popular trend in Japanese media during the late 1990s, with films such as ''Ring'' (1998) being successful. In the video game industry, the [[Engineering:PlayStation (console)|PlayStation]] and other hardware were pushing the limits of graphical expression, so naturally horror video games became popular. In March 1996, [[Company:Human Entertainment|Human Entertainment]] launched the ''Twilight Syndrome'' series, 2D side-scrolling adventure games that followed three high school girls exploring strange occult phenomena in their neighborhood.<ref name=":2" /> After Human Entertainment folded, some of the staff went on to form [[Company:Spike|Spike]],<ref>{{Cite book|title=The Untold History of Japanese Game Developers|last=Szczepaniak|first=John|publisher=S.M.G. Szczepaniak|year=2015|isbn=9780992926007|pages=266|oclc=890601504}}</ref> including some involved with ''Twilight Syndrome'',<ref name=":8" /> and decided to develop another horror game borrowing the series' gameplay system.<ref name=":2" /><ref name=":8">{{Cite web|url=http://www.spike-online.net:80/yuyami/press/press_frame3.html|title=あと100日で、誰か死ぬ|date=1999|website=Spike|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071121135323/http://www.spike-online.net/yuyami/press/press_frame3.html|archive-date=21 November 2007|url-status=dead|access-date=14 August 2018|df=dmy-all}}</ref> The lead designer previously worked on the first ''Twilight Syndrome'' game,<ref>{{Cite book|title=トワイライトシンドローム 探索編 ''instruction manual''|language=ja|location=Musashino|publisher=Human Entertainment|date=1 March 1996|pages=16|quote=ゲームデザイン：木邨圭太}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|title=夕闇通り探検隊 ''instruction manual''|language=ja|location=Meguro|publisher=Spike|date=7 October 1999|page=26|quote=ゲームデザイン：木邨圭太}}</ref> and the producer in this game later reprised his role for the third game in the ''Twilight Syndrome'' series, which was developed by Spike.<ref name=":7">{{Cite web|url=http://www.spike-online.net:80/twilight/stff/s_06.html|title=「トワイライトシンドローム～再会～」発売によせて ディレクター 原木正志氏|date=27 July 2000|website=Spike|language=ja|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050205120928/http://www.spike-online.net/twilight/stff/s_06.html|archive-date=5 February 2005|url-status=dead|access-date=14 August 2018|df=dmy-all}}</ref> The team aimed to create a sense of realism with their new game.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.spike-online.net:80/yuyami/kaihatsu/kokodake3.html|title=開発情報＜ここだけのオ・ハ・ナ・シ 前編＞|date=1999|website=Spike|language=ja|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070704014715/http://www.spike-online.net/yuyami/kaihatsu/kokodake3.html|archive-date=4 July 2007|url-status=dead}}</ref>

It was released on 7 October 1999,<ref name=":0">{{Cite magazine|title=夕闇通り探検隊|url=https://www.famitsu.com/cominy/?m=pc&a=page_h_title&title_id=18868|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130627173610/http://www.famitsu.com/cominy/?m=pc&a=page_h_title&title_id=18868|archive-date=27 June 2013|access-date=13 August 2018|magazine=Famitsu|publisher=ENTERBRAIN|language=ja}}</ref> after two and a half years of development.<ref name=":5" /> ''Yuuyami Doori Tankentai'' was released in limited quantities,<ref name=":1">{{Cite news|url=http://news.denfaminicogamer.jp/horror2016/hr-review016|title=「写実的なグラフィックに妙な説得力アリ」『夕闇通り探検隊』【ホラゲレビュー百物語】|date=26 July 2016|work=電ファミニコゲーマー|access-date=13 August 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171107180756/http://news.denfaminicogamer.jp/horror2016/hr-review016|archive-date=7 November 2017|url-status=live|language=ja-JP}}</ref> and it remained relatively unknown for years.<ref name=":2" /> European game journalists remarked the game had a low chance of being released in Europe at the time.<ref name=":9" /> The game garnered more interest over time and now commands high prices of 15,000 to 20,000 yen on secondary markets due to increased demand.<ref name=":1" /><ref name=":6">{{Cite news|url=https://www.gamespark.jp/article/2017/10/15/76304_7.html|title=【特集】『初代プレイステーションの"素晴らしい"ホラーゲーム』7選|date=15 October 2017|work=Game*Spark|access-date=13 August 2018|language=ja|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180813215222/https://www.gamespark.jp/article/2017/10/15/76304_7.html|archive-date=13 August 2018|url-status=live|df=dmy-all}}</ref>

== Reception and legacy ==
{{video game reviews
|Fam = 26/40<ref name=":0" />
|JP = 2/10<ref name=":9" />
}}
Upon release, ''Famitsu'' scored it at 26 out of 40, feeling the gameplay was old fashioned and its horror elements came late after the Japanese horror boom.<ref name=":0" /> French magazine ''Joypad'' reviewed the game, giving a low score saying that although an adventure-horror game without action is popular among Japanese schoolgirls they had no interest in it. They also remarked that the narrative requires high level of understanding of Japanese to understand.<ref name=":9">{{Cite magazine|last=Hellot|first=Grégoire|date=December 1999|title=Toutes les sorties Japonaises et US: YûandôriTanketai|magazine=Joypad|language=FR|issue=92|location=Levallois-Perret|publisher=Edicorp Publications|page=96}}</ref>

Japanese critics have dubbed the game a "masterpiece" in retrospect.<ref name=":2" /><ref name=":1" /><ref name=":6" /> ''Dengeki Online'' was disappointed the game was not more well known, feeling it is one of the best takes on urban legend storytelling and a better style of horror than the shock and [[Social:Jump scare|jump scare]]s popular in the 2010s. They praised the originality of the rumors, and enjoyed the process of unraveling the stories.<ref name=":2" /> ''Game*Spark'' called it one of the best horror games on the PlayStation, praising its graphics, writing, and freedom of exploration.<ref name=":6" /> ''Dengeki Online'' wrote that the graphical style added a sense of realism, giving it a casual "everyday" feel.<ref name=":2" /> ''Den Faminico Gamer'' agreed, saying the game's realistic graphics and ambience, such as construction and traffic noises, helped establish fear.<ref name=":1" /> ''Dengeki Online'' also complimented the map packaged with the game, giving a sense that the city was real.<ref name=":2" />

In 2017, Brian Crimmins (writing for ''Heterotopias'') discussed ''Yuuyami Doori Tankentai'' as a reflection of the uncertainty felt in Japanese society during the 1990s recession. He felt the game was particularly notable for how it realistically portrayed the lives of Japanese youth, and felt the game's horror lied not in the rumor storylines, but in the daily reality experienced by the characters in a city defined by "urban decay and lost innocence". He writes: "Nao and company’s emotional outlooks coincide well with what the space around them has fallen into. Very generally Hirumi's environments connote alienation, lost futures, and a lack of control over one’s life". He cited examples such as the tangled web of streets that make up the city, the complications of school socialization, and the varied environments which ranged from empty to claustrophobic.<ref name=":4" />

==Notes==
{{notelist}}

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
* {{official|https://web.archive.org/web/20070226130652/http://www.spike-online.net:80/yuyami/}} {{in lang|ja}}
** [https://web.archive.org/web/20070503142111/http://www.spike-online.net/yuyami/kikaku_frame.html Original design documents] {{in lang|ja}}

[[Category:Adventure games]]

{{Sourceattribution|Yuuyami Doori Tankentai}}