Corpse Party: Book of Shadows and Blood Drive coming to PC, Sweet Sachiko’s Hysteric Birthday Bash coming west for PC [Update]

Corpse Party 2: Dead Patient delayed to winter.

Corpse Party: Book of Shadows and Corpse Party: Blood Drive are coming to PC, and the previously Japan-only Corpse Party: Sweet Sachiko’s Hysteric Birthday Bash will be localized for PC alongside the upcoming Corpse Party 2: Dead Patient, publisher XSEED Games announced.

The PC version of Corpse Party: Book of Shadows will launch on October 29 for $14.99, followed by Corpse Party 2: Dead Patient and Corpse Party: Sweet Sachiko’s Hysteric Birthday Bash this winter, and Corpse Party: Blood Drive shortly after before the season ends. Corpse Party 2: Dead Patient was previously planned for release this fall.

Here is an overview of each game:

Corpse Party: Book of Shadows (Steam)
Originally released for PSP in Japan in September 2001, followed by North America and Europe in January 2013. An iOS version was released in Japan December 2013.

About
NOTE: This title is a followup to Corpse Party, and thus contains considerable spoilers for that game. If you have not played it, then I beg thee delve farther into these depths at your own risk, dear player!
An anthology series that serves as a Corpse Party sequel, prequel, midquel, and alternate universe tale all in one, Corpse Party: Book of Shadows is a horror / adventure game developed by MAGES. (formerly 5pb. Games) and published under the supervision of the original series creators at Team GrisGris. Corpse Party: Book of Shadows builds upon the events of the first game, exploring or re-exploring past incidents, characters, and points of view, and allowing the player to escape many of the deaths that occurred previously, thus steering them toward all-new (albeit not necessarily better) outcomes.
This PC version updates the original PSP system version’s art to HD and adds full mouse support for authentic point-and-click gameplay, providing the definitive Corpse Party: Book of Shadows experience for series fans who are eager to delve a little deeper into its storied lore.
Before, during, and after the events of Corpse Party—in the canon universe, as well as in several alternate timelines—the students of Kisaragi Academy, Byakudan Senior High, Paulownia High, and Musashigawa Middle School had far more experiences within the cursed halls of Heavenly Host Elementary than the stories typically recount. How would events have unfolded, for example, in a universe where each student went into the Sachiko Ever After ritual with an unconscious awareness of everything that was going to happen to them? What might’ve occurred to Mayu if she’d never interacted with the ghostly children in the school infirmary? What might’ve occurred to Yuka if she’d been caught during the harrowing chase in the second wing? What might’ve occurred to Seiko if Naomi had gotten to the bathroom just a bit earlier?
On the other side of the coin, how did Naho actually get into Heavenly Host, and whom did she come with? What was Tohko’s relationship with Kizami, and how did that result in a lost tooth? And what connection did Ms. Yui have to the cursed elementary school prior to ever taking part in the Sachiko Ever After ritual?
Most crucially, what happened to the survivors of the previous incident after their escape? How did the loss of their friends affect them? And what does all of this have to do with the mysterious tome known as the “Book of Shadows”…?
Key Features
Point-and-Click-Style First-Person Gameplay – More realistically proportioned and immersive first-person environments bring Heavenly Host to life in all its grim glory, with point-and-click-style “Search Mode” allowing players to scour every inch of every room via keyboard, gamepad, mouse, or any combination thereof…
Original Japanese Voice-overs with More 3D Audio Than Ever Before – Every line of dialogue is spoken in its original Japanese by a who’s who of Japanese voiceover talent, with many crucial scenes recorded in binaural 3D using dummy-head microphones: play with quality headphones or a hi-fi stereo setup to hear the horror coming from all around you, or perhaps from right next to your ear…
Dastardly “Darkening” System Leads to Painful Demise – Characters gradually become frightened and unstable as horrific discoveries are made, distorting the game’s graphics and altering their decision-making abilities; continuing down these darkened paths will result in one of the game’s many dozens of gruesome “Wrong Ends,” all of which are virtually guaranteed to replay in players’ nightmares…
Enhanced Focus on Side Characters – The already robust cast from the original game is further humanized, with a focus on those characters whose screen time may have been lacking before; learn more about your favorite side characters, and find out just what was going on in their heads (before those heads were crushed)…
Unlockables, Achievements, and More – Steam achievements, collectibles, voice cast interviews, music tracks, art stills, and more are unlockable through a variety of means for attentive and detail-oriented players; additionally, those who’ve conquered or even just dabbled in the first Corpse Party will be able to import their save-data to unlock dozens more art stills, and possibly even make the crucial final chapter of the story available to play through a bit sooner than it otherwise would be…
Corpse Party: Blood Drive
Originally released for PS Vita in Japan in July 2014, followed by North America and Europe in October 2015. An iOS and Android version was released in North America and Japan in February 2017.
The final installment of the supernatural story that began with Corpse Party and continued in Corpse Party: Book of Shadows, Corpse Party: Blood Drive ups the ante by allowing players to explore Heavenly Host Elementary in full 3D for the first time, with all of its formerly 2D environments meticulously recreated and greatly expanded. New gameplay systems provide more exciting interactions for players experiencing the gruesome finale to this tale of an inescapable, otherworldly school populated by vengeful spirits, including a dynamic lighting system aided by an in-game flashlight, talismans to protect the player characters from danger, deadly traps to disarm, cabinets to hide in, a stamina system that allows for limited dashing, and much more.
Furthermore, Blood Drive — once again presented with the original Japanese voiceovers for authenticity — features the return of previously offered gameplay elements such as binaural 3D audio for simulated surround sound and the screen-altering “Darkening” system, as well as bonus unlockables such as voice actor interviews, art, music, and more. Boasting 11 huge story chapters and 8 supplemental “Extra Chapters,” Corpse Party: Blood Drive caps off the Heavenly Host storyline in a big way, providing answers and shocking twists in equal measure.
Corpse Party: Sweet Sachiko’s Hysteric Birthday Bash
Originally released for PSP in Japan in August 2012.
The missing link in the Corpse Party saga, now coming to English-speaking audiences officially for the very first time! Sachiko Shinozaki, the vengeful spirit responsible for the deaths of countless children and adults alike, is turning 7 again (being dead, she never truly ages), and is thus graciously granting her victims 24 hours of amnesty so they can serve as guests at her birthday party. However, if these party-goers thought that Sachiko’s shindig was going to be all fun and games, they thought wrong: Sachiko has invited everyone—including many of the poor souls she’s already killed—to participate in various activities for her amusement, with an overarching (yet heavily twisted) theme of “romantic comedy.” This game of “ship or die” takes the Corpse Party universe in a totally new direction, but the hellish outcome for these poor, unfortunate students remains the same…
Corpse Party 2: Dead Patient
Originally released for PC in Japan in May 2013, followed by a powered-up version on the new “KENIX Engine NEUES” in October 2017.
About
The nightmare has returned five years after the events of Corpse Party: Blood Drive with an average junior high school student, Ayame Itou, suddenly finding her life turned upside down in the most unsettling way possible. Upon waking from a coma strapped to an operating table in a ransacked and seemingly abandoned hospital called “Amare Patriarcha Crucis,” Ayame realizes she’s locked in without any means of escape and with virtually no memories of her past. She is, however, not quite as alone as she first thought. Others occupy the mysterious hospital, but whether they are friend or foe remains to be discovered. Remains to be discovered…
Corpse Party 2: Dead Patient takes players on a dark and mysterious journey with Ayame and any other friendly faces she can find. Through the deserted halls of Amare Patriarcha Crucis, the party will solve inventory-based puzzles, collect medical charts of deceased patients, and avoid terrifying zombie-like pursuers in order to find much-needed answers, as well as—hopefully—a way out. Titled Corpse Party 2: Dead Patient NEUES in Japan, Corpse Party 2: Dead Patient is the definitive version of Dead Patient with updated graphics and additional scenarios. Corpse Party 2: Dead Patient exists as a standalone story within the Corpse Party series, allowing players to jump in regardless of their experience with past titles.
Key Features
Brand New Setting, Same Creepy Atmosphere: This time it’s not an otherworldly elementary school, but a quarantined hospital full of bloodthirsty zombies, supernatural monsters, and scornful shades.
Unique Cast with Some Familiar Names: Features an all new set of dramatis personae, yet still rewards series fans by tying back into the Heavenly Host arc with a few familiar names.
More Interactive Environment than Ever Before: Items can be equipped and used directly on the environment to solve puzzles, or held and used in protagonist Ayame’s hands for a variety of purposes. Ayame can also hide in cabinets to evade foes.
Original Indie Team’s Return to PC: The same team responsible for the 2008 Windows PC edition of Corpse Party is back! Features top-down 3D graphics with dynamic lighting, 360° control, emotional Japanese voice-acting, and one of series composer Mao Hamamoto’s moodiest soundtracks to date.