Paranormasight: The Mermaid's Curse

Paranormasight: The Mermaid's Curse
DeveloperXeen
PublisherSquare Enix
Directors
  • Takanari Ishiyama
  • Yoshihito Okuno
Producers
  • Kazuma Oushu
  • Kazuhiro Kawakami
ProgrammerNaoki Takishita
Artists
  • Junko Sumimizu
  • Gen Kobayashi
WriterTakanari Ishiyama
ComposerHidenori Iwasaki
EngineUnity[1]
Platforms
ReleaseSwitch, iOS, Android
  • WW: February 19, 2026
Windows
  • JP: February 20, 2026
  • WW: February 19, 2026
GenreVisual novel
ModeSingle-player

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.

Gameplay

Paranormasight: The Mermaid's Curse is a visual novel. Similar to its predecessor, it utilizes a multi-perspective flow-chart gameplay.[2]

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.[3] 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.[2] Characters from Paranormasight: The Seven Mysteries of Honjo are mentioned, however there is no substantial connection to the previous game outside of this.

Development

Paranormasight: The Mermaid's Curse was developed by Xeen for Square Enix.[2] The game was directed and written by Takanari Ishiyama.[3]

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.[3] In Japan, the Windows edition followed the next day[4]

Reception

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.[5][6] OpenCritic determined that 93% of critics recommend the game.[7]

RPG Site's Josh Torres praised the story but argued that it was slightly weaker than its predecessor.[12] 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".[9] Josh Broadwell of Polygon wrote that the game was "one of the most grounded, and well-written, visual novels out there".[13] However, Torres and Reynolds noted that the game has fewer horror elements compared to its predecessor.[12][9]

Reynolds wrote that the fishing minigame was a "a nice little detour from the lengthy dialogue sequences".[9] 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."[14]

References

  1. ↑ "Games made with Unity: February 2026 in review". Unity. Retrieved 2026-08-03.
  2. 1 2 3 "PARANORMASIGHT: The Mermaid's Curse". Gematsu. 2026-02-05. Retrieved 2026-02-09.
  3. 1 2 3 LTD, SQUARE ENIX CO. "PARANORMASIGHT: The Mermaid's Curse". PARANORMASIGHT: The Mermaid's Curse. Retrieved 2026-02-09.
  4. ↑ LTD, SQUARE ENIX CO. "パラノマサイト FILE38 伊勢人魚物語". パラノマサイト FILE38 伊勢人魚物語 (in Japanese). Retrieved 2026-02-22.
  5. 1 2 "Paranormasight: The Mermaid's Curse PC Critic Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved February 22, 2026.
  6. 1 2 "Paranormasight: The Mermaid's Curse Nintendo Switch Critic Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved February 22, 2026.
  7. 1 2 "PARANORMASIGHT: The Mermaid's Curse". OpenCritic. Archived from the original on March 11, 2026. Retrieved February 22, 2026.
  8. ↑ Van Allen, Eric (February 17, 2026). "Paranormasight: The Mermaid's Curse Review". Game Informer. Retrieved February 22, 2026.
  9. 1 2 3 4 Reynolds, Ollie (2026-02-17). "Review: Paranormasight: The Mermaid's Curse (Switch) - Plenty To Plunder In This Solid Sequel". Nintendo Life. Retrieved 2026-02-21.
  10. ↑ Hilhorst, Willem (February 17, 2026). "PARANORMASIGHT: The Mermaid's Curse (Switch) Review". Nintendo World Report. Retrieved February 22, 2026.
  11. ↑ Williams, Jerry (February 17, 2026). "Paranormasight: The Mermaid's Curse". RPGFan. Retrieved February 27, 2026.
  12. 1 2 Torres, Josh. "Paranormasight: The Mermaid's Curse Review". RPG Site. Retrieved 2026-02-21.
  13. ↑ Broadwell, Josh (2026-02-17). "Square Enix's great new murder mystery is a new breed of cold-case thriller". Polygon. Archived from the original on 2026-02-18. Retrieved 2026-02-21.
  14. ↑ Bishop, Rollin (2026-02-19). "Paranormasight: The Mermaid's Curse is a horror adventure, so I of course spent several hours diving for lobster instead". GamesRadar+. Archived from the original on 2026-02-19. Retrieved 2026-02-21.
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