Kowai Shashin

Kowai Shashin (Japanese: コワイシャシン 〜心霊写真奇譚〜, Hepburn: Kowaishashin ~shinrei shashin kitan~) is a 2002 horror game developed by Media Entertainment [ja] for PlayStation.

Kowai Shashin
Developer	Media Entertainment [ja]
Publisher	Media Entertainment
Director	Masayuki Hiramatsu
Producer	Atsuko Hayakawa
Composers	Yusuke Beppu Shigenori Masuko
Platform	Playstation
Release	JP: July 25, 2002
Genres	Horror action
Mode	Single-player

Gameplay

The player takes on the role of Hiori (緋織), a psychic who has to exorcise evil spirits that dwell in spirit photographs. Using the cursor, the player identifies spirits shown in photographs, and then follows the on-screen instructions to exorcise them.^[1]

Development and release

The game was developed by Media Entertainment. It was produced by Atsuko Hayakawa and directed by Masayuki Hiramatsu. The music for the game was composed by Yusuke Beppu and Shigenori Masuko.^[2] Hiroi, the game's protagonist, was voiced by Junko Noda.^[3] The game was published on the PlayStation console in Japan by Media Entertainment on July 25, 2002.^[4]

Reception

The game was compared to the Fatal Frame series.^[5] Following Kowai Shashin's release, several rumors and urban legends about the game and its production process arose on the Internet. According to them, the photos used in the game were supposedly of "real" ghosts.^[6] It was rumored that members of the game's development team experienced "depressive episodes, seizures, accidents, and auditory hallucinations" during production. The game's creator was alleged to have committed suicide. The rumors gained notoriety on Japanese platforms and image boards such as 2chan. The rumors were supposedly started by Media Entertainment as an attempt at viral marketing, similar to that behind The Blair Witch Project.^[7]