Apathy: Midnight Collection – Vol.1

Apathy: Midnight Collection – Vol.1 is a collection of three horror visual novels, each with a unique art style. The main story, Emi-Chan’s Murder Club Investigation Diary, is a retelling of Gakkou de atta Kowai Hanashi featuring 84 endings. Okuri Inu, inspired by Japanese legends, offers 32 endings. Scratches on the Pillars is a short, linear narrative. Collecting 100 passwords across all games’ endings unlocks new routes in other stories.

Apathy: Midnight Collection – Vol.1: Review

Introduction

Released on December 29, 2007, Apathy: Midnight Collection – Vol.1 stands as a cult cornerstone in the horror visual novel landscape, a meticulously crafted anthology born from the twisted psyche of developer Nanakorobi Hachikorogari. As an alternate retelling of the 1995 Super Famicom classic Gakkou de Atta Kowai Hanashi (“Scary Stories Told at School”), this collection transcends mere nostalgia. Weaving together three thematically divergent yet structurally interconnected narratives, it offers players a labyrinthine journey through psychological dread, urban legends, and existential isolation. Its legacy—bolstered by a fervent fanbase and years of ambitious translation efforts—elevates it beyond a niche curiosity into a landmark of experimental horror storytelling. This review posits that Midnight Collection – Vol.1 is a masterclass in narrative fragmentation and atmospheric dread, where its technical idiosyncrasies become intrinsic to its unsettling charm.

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Development History & Context

Nanakorobi Hachikorogari, a studio synonymous with the Apathy franchise, conceived Midnight Collection – Vol.1 as a reimagining of their foundational work. The game’s origins trace back to Gakkou de Atta Kowai Hanashi, a Super Famicom title that pioneered the “high school horror” subgenre. By 2007, the studio revisited this universe with fresh ambitions, releasing the collection as a Windows-exclusive title. Technologically, it leveraged the KiriKiri engine—a common choice for Japanese doujin (independent) visual novels—prioritizing narrative flexibility over graphical fidelity.

The gaming landscape of 2007 was pivotal. While Japan’s indie scene flourished with ambitious visual novels, the horror genre remained a specialized pursuit. Midnight Collection – Vol.1 arrived amid a resurgence of interest in anthology formats, echoing titles like Higurashi no Naku Koro ni but distinguished by its meta-password system. Shannon Co., Ltd. handled publishing, bridging the gap between grassroots development and wider distribution. Crucially, the game’s development coincided with the peak of fan-translation culture—a movement that would later propel its cult status, as evidenced by the decade-long English localization project by Guardian’s Paradise.

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Narrative & Thematic Deep Dive

The anthology’s tripartite structure is its defining feature, each story serving as a prism for distinct facets of horror:

• Emi’s Murder Club Observation Diary: As the anchor narrative, this arc reimagines Gakkou de Atta Kowai Hanashi through the eyes of Kurata Emi, a psychopathic high school girl. With 84 endings, it subverts survival tropes by casting the protagonist as both hunter and hunted. The “Murder Club”—a secret society of assassins—pursues Emi with lethal precision, yet her responses oscillate between manic glee and detached cruelty. Thematic depth emerges from its black comedy: violence is rendered with absurd flourish (e.g., weaponized stationery), contrasting with genuine psychological terror. Emi’s “yangire” (sudden emotional breakdown) nature explores the fragility of sanity in institutionalized chaos.

• Okuri Inu: Inspired by the Japanese folktale of the “following dog”—a spectral canine that consumes those who look back—this narrative adopts a dramatic, grounded horror tone. With 32 endings, it explores paranoia and trust as players navigate scenarios tied to the legend. Choices directly influence outcomes, from mundane encounters to supernatural confrontations. A standout arc features a pampered pomeranian and pug, subverting expectations by framing vulnerability through animal perspectives. Thematically, it interrogates the cost of self-preservation: the protagonist’s fate hinges on resisting the primal urge to “look back” at past traumas.

• Scratches on the Pillars: A stark departure, this linear vignette follows a university student renting a room in a deserted villa. Its brevity belies its impact, as decaying architecture and symbolic dread (e.g., titular “scratches” foreshawowing decay) evoke claustrophobia. The narrative is a meditation on isolation and the encroachment of the uncanny into the mundane. Its linearity feels intentional—a narrative sigh after the chaos of the preceding stories.

Interconnectivity is masterful. Endings in one story unlock passwords that alter routes in others, creating a non-linear meta-narrative. Completing the 100-password collection becomes a ritualistic act, binding the tales into a cohesive whole. This design reinforces themes of fate and consequence, where player choices ripple across disparate worlds.

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Gameplay Mechanics & Systems

Midnight Collection – Vol.1 deconstructs traditional visual novel conventions through its layered systems:

• Branching Narrative & Endings: The core loop involves text-driven decision-making leading to divergent fates. Emi’s Murder Club boasts 84 endings, ranging from darkly comedic to bleakly fatalistic. Okuri Inu’s 32 endings emphasize replayability, while Scratches on the Pillars offers a singular, haunting conclusion. This glut of outcomes necessitates meticulous choice logs, though the lack of a backlog feature (per VNDB tags) frustrates experimentation, demanding memorization or external resources.

• Password System: Upon achieving an ending, players receive passwords that unlock new routes in other stories. This enforced interdependence creates a “completionist” ethos, with 100 passwords as the ultimate goal. Mechanically, it rewards persistence but risks feeling punitive, as certain routes require specific ending conditions across narratives (e.g., clearing 30 endings in Emi’s Murder Club to unlock Okuri Inu secrets).

• UI & Design: The interface prioritizes immersion over accessibility. Text boxes overlay photographic backgrounds (MobyGames), grounding the horror in realism. Character sprites shift art styles per story—an ingenious visual shorthand for tonal shifts. However, “blind choices” (VNDB tags) are frequent, and the enforced playing order (e.g., Scratches must precede certain Okuri Inu routes) disrupts organic exploration.

• Progression: The absence of difficulty settings or explicit tutorials underscores the game’s avant-garde ethos. Instead, players embrace ambiguity, with completion indicators (VNDB tags) nudging them toward 100% without hand-holding.

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World-Building, Art & Sound

The collection’s strength lies in its atmospheric cohesion, achieved through divergent artistic and sonic palettes:

• Art Direction: Each story adopts a distinct aesthetic. Emi’s Murder Club uses anime/manga-inspired character designs (MobyGames), contrasting the photorealistic backgrounds with stylized sprites to heighten unreality. Okuri Inu employs grittier, sketchier linework, evoking folklore’s rustic dread. Scratches on the Pillars is a tour de force, with hauntingly beautiful art (per VNDB) that renders decay with painterly elegance—decaying pillars, shadow-draped corridors, and subtle environmental storytelling.

• Sound Design: Composer Rengoku Teien’s score is a character in itself. Emi’s Murder Club features dissonant, jarring melodies that mirror its chaotic energy, while Okuri Inu uses minimalist piano motifs to amplify tension. Sound effects—from distant barks in Okuri Inu to creaking wood in Scratches—immerse players in a tactile soundscape. The absence of voice acting (per VNDB’s “No Sexual Content” tag) focuses players on text, making silence a powerful tool.

• Atmosphere: The game excels in tonal dissonance. Emi’s manic energy clashes with Scratches’ oppressive stillness, while Okuri Inu walks the line between urban legend and psychological thriller. This variety ensures no two stories feel repetitive, with each evoking distinct emotional responses.

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Reception & Legacy

Midnight Collection – Vol.1’s reception is a testament to its cult appeal. At launch in Japan, it garnered niche praise for its ambition but flew under mainstream radar. Over a decade, however, its reputation blossomed through fan circles:

• Critical & Commercial Impact: MyAbandonware’s perfect 5/5 user score (albeit from only 2 votes) and VNDB’s 6.63/10 average (from 68 votes) underscore its polarizing yet dedicated following. Commercially, it remained a doujin staple, with re-releases on platforms like BOOTH (2009) and Steam (2016 via unofficial patch). Its inclusion in GOG’s “Dreamlist” highlights enduring demand, with fans petitioning for wider accessibility.

• Influence & Legacy: The game expanded the Apathy universe, directly influencing Apathy – Gakkou de Atta Kowai Hanashi ~Visual Novel Version~ (2007) and Version S (2008). Its non-linear structure and anthology format prefigured modern titles like The Dark Pictures Anthology. Most notably, the fan translation project by Guardian’s Paradise (2010–2016) became a touchstone, with the translator’s blog detailing years of effort to render its 1.3MB of text. Though incomplete, the project’s fervor cemented the game’s status as a “holy grail” for Western horror VN enthusiasts.

• Cultural Footprint: It inspired creators like @starlynxreborn006_, who cited the franchise as their motivation for writing (GOG Dreamlist). Forums like Fuwanovel documented its labyrinthine endings, while MyAbandonware’s 370MB download link ensures its preservation. Its legacy lies in proving that horror need not be linear—that fragmentation and ambiguity can be narrative strengths.

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Conclusion

Apathy: Midnight Collection – Vol.1 is an enigma—an anthology that thrives in its contradictions. It is simultaneously a love letter to 1990s horror and a forward-thinking deconstruction of the visual novel form. Its three stories, while tonally disparate, unite under a shared ethos: horror as a lens for exploring the absurdity of existence. The password system, initially a gimmick, emerges as a profound metaphor for fate’s interconnectedness. Technical flaws—like the lack of a backlog or enforced playing order—become part of its unsettling charm, forcing players into its rhythm.

Where it falters, it redeems through ambition. Emi’s Murder Club’s chaotic energy, Okuri Inu’s folkloric dread, and Scratches’s existential dread coalesce into an unforgettable journey. Its legacy, though niche, is secure: a testament to the power of doujin developers to innovate within constraints. For those willing to embrace its complexity, Midnight Collection – Vol.1 offers not just a game, but a haunting mirror to the fragility of human nature. In the annals of horror gaming, it is a midnight-blue masterpiece—dark, intricate, and endlessly compelling.