Parasocial | パラソーシャル is a Japanese horror game developed by Chilla's Art and published by Chilla's Art. It was released on Steam for Microsoft Windows on August 26 2023.
The game revolves around an online livestreamer named Senra Nina.
Gameplay
Prologue
The game starts when Nina wakes up with her alarm so she can start her stream on time. A message notification will ring out and you will be able to read texts from Asuka, Mom, Rikiya, and Chilla's Cafe. Mom doesn't support Nina's livestreaming career, Chilla's Cafe introduced a new menu, and Rikiya wants to start over.
| “ | The nikujaga I made is in the fridge so heat it up and eat it! | ” |
— Asuka
|
After reading Asuka's text, Nina takes the nikujaga out of the fridge, heats it up in microwave and eats it on the dining table. She then sits down on her gaming chair. Upon opening the computer she will see the note she left for herself on the computer screen.
| “ | Make sure before stream:
|
” |
— Computer note
|
She starts the VirtualMe software, admires her Senra Nina model on her left screen, has the game ready and starts the stream. In the game, the main adjective was to deliver 2 pieces of paper, the character Nina plays walks through the halls and at some point gets attacked and killed, causing a game over. Nina ponders that the game wasn't suited for her because of it's difficulty and then presses a link on her livestream chat that supposedly leads to a game site.
| “ | If you'd be interested, try this |
” |
— ILoveNiina
|
The link leads her to a site that Nina always uses so she presses the download option to install a new game. The new game is a first person horror game in which she has to find a number code in order to escape the room. The numbers are hidden in various spots inside the room: a blue 7 on a dining chair, a red 5 on the floor behind 2 doors, a green 4 on the right wall next to the computer setup, and a yellow 3 on the wall that's left to the computer setup.
After she clears the game, the chat goes crazy with comments. Confused as to why they are mentioning her face, Nina looks to her left screen and sees her own face on the screen instead of her model. She hurriedly ends the stream and finds a threatening text from a unknown number that tells her to keep playing the games, she blocks the unknown number. In a panic, she texts Asuka about her face being exposed but Asuka was unable to talk with her due to being at work. Asuka tells her that she'll hear her out in person the next day and tells her not to overthink it.
The doorbell rings but no one can be seen as through the peephole, after she takes her eye off it, a creepy note slips through the mail slot.
- You can see someone's leg at the bottom left of the peephole if you look closely.
| “ | I'm always watching over you |
” |
— Creepy note
|
Day #1
Trash Collection Day
Nina wakes up on her computer desk because of her trash pickup day alarm. Apparently, she ran an antivirus the previous night but found no current threats. After turning her alarm off, she checks her messages, her mom sent another deprecating text and she also finds a text from the same unknown number she blocked the night before.
| “ | There's no use blocking me just listen to what I say |
” |
— Unknown number
|
Nina walks throughout the house and collects the trash inside the bins: next to the computer setup, next to the tv, under the microwave, next to the bathroom sink, and next to the toilet. She gathers everything, leaves her condo, and takes the elevator to the lobby. Outside, she sees a policeman pruning leaves, he claims that he's volunteering and wanted to pick up some trash nearby since his station is nearby. Seeing her trash bag, he assumes that it was her trash collection day and that she lived nearby. He also asks if she lived alone.
Regardless of the choice you make, he will give Nina the same response and warn her that anything could happen, especially to a young lady like her. He suggests her to come to his station nearby and that he'd hear her out. Nina walks to the building parking lot and throws her trash into disposal bins. A person who was standing from a distance suddenly appears up close to her, next to the bin without saying anything.
- After Nina walked away, you can hear someone take out the trash that Nina just threw out
Chilla's Coffee
You return to your condo and after you check your texts, the doorbell rings and you can see Asuka outside through the peephole. Asuka becomes concerned about Nina's wellbeing and decides that it's better for them to see the sun. Nina and Asuka go to Chilla's Cafe. Nina has the option to order a food item with her drink, which will always be matcha cake. Nina will have to interact with some of the patrons at the restaurant until Asuka makes her order.
- When Nina enters the cafe, the suspicious man in a black cloth hoodie sits in the back of the cafe.
The employee places Nina's order at the counter on the right. After Nina goes to grab it, she and Asuka sit together to discuss Nina's face being exposed during her stream. As Nina tells Asuka about everything, a suspicious man in a shiny black jacket stands behind Asuka and stares at the two for a moment before sitting at an empty table close by. The man is carrying a slice of matcha cake (the same as the only food item Nina will order for herself.) Since the man sits with his back to them, Nina can see the man watching Senra Nina on his phone. At the end of their conversation, the man in the black jacket stands behind Asuka and takes a picture of Nina.
Nina's Second Stream
Asuka walks Nina back home and they split up in front of the building. When Nina enters the elevator, the same suspicious man in a shiny black jacket from the cafe rushes into the elevator with her just as the doors were about to close. Nina arrives on her floor and exits the elevator alone, she arrives at her condo and the alarm for her stream rang.
When Nina streams, she continues playing the game that the unknown number sent her, the livestream chat was filled with much more people than the day before, many comments wanted to see her face. The game was about helping a woman not get caught by the police, she has to escort a woman in a white dress towards a red door while avoiding the police.
- ILoveNiina sends a strange comment: I go to Chilla's Coffee too.
Nina decides to take a bath after she clears the game in her stream, she sets up the bath remotely and enters the bath.
- Through the bathroom mirror reflection, you can see someone opening the door to peep on Nina.
Day #2
The Building Manager
Upon waking up the next day, Nina wasn't able to sleep well out of fear, she thinks that the events from the previous day in the bathroom was a psychic phenomenon, she was thinking about asking someone when she finds a note on the floor in front of her front door. The condominium manager left her a note.
| “ | Chilla's Residence I'm Miyamoto, the manager of the condominium. Please get in touch with me anytime if there are any problems. Contact us: 09812370845 |
” |
Worried about the events from the previous day and gives the building manager, Yukiko Miyamoto, a call. They ask her room number and immediately knows her name after she answers them. Nina asks the building manager about the history of her room, if it was a stigmatized property, but they say that nothing of the sort had happened before and that they were obligated to notify her before she moved in so she wouldn't have to worry. They say that if anything happened, it may just be Nina's imagination.
They also say that if anything did happen, for example, like a stalker incident, they could provide consultation on such matters so if anything came up, Nina could contact them.
Nina goes to check outside the door and sees no one.
Nina's Third Stream
Nina streams another game from the unknown number, this time, it's set in a convenience store with the same objectives as the previous game.
- ILoveNiina sends a strange comment: Did you enjoy your bath yesterday?
She names the girl in a white dress Reiko, as she says so to her audience, the television suddenly turns on by itself, she assumes that her room was cursed.
- You will be able to find the tv remote behind the kitchen counter later on, this implies that someone snuck into Nina's home and turned on the tv with the remote.
Nina's stomach grumbles as she ends her stream, she finds her fridge empty, she decides to go to the convenience store. As she tries to leave, she finds flowers on the mail slot. Outside, the building manager starts a conversation with her and barrages her with very personal questions, the most notable being why she broke up with her boyfriend, if he was a bad person, and if there was that bad of a reason. Nina goes down the elevator and walks to the convenience store. A fast car suddenly stops in front of Nina while she crosses the road during a red light.
- If Nina orders UberEats through her phone, the courier will recognize her face and say that he's a fan but he does not deliver her order. You'll have to go to the convenience store anyway.
The Convenience Store
As Nina buys dinner she will want more food and gets herself snacks and drinks, walking to and from the cashier. When she tries to leave the store, Rikiya blocks the way and refuses to let her leave until she hears him out. He claims that Asuka is suspicious, that he has evidence and tells her to message him. The store cashier leaves the counter stops Rikiya, giving Nina an opportunity to leave.
- As Nina walks close to the magazine corner, a man in a business suit will stare at her while holding a magazine.
- A large woman will stand in front of the cashier and Nina wouldn't be able to get drinks.
- If Nina looks out of the store, she will be able to see the man in a black jacket watching her.
- Nina will be able to see Rikiya in front of a snacks aisle inside the store, he will walk to the store bathroom after some time.
The man in a black jacket follows Nina from the convenience store to the condo's front building. Nothing happens until Nina goes on the elevator, the elevator stops on a seemingly empty floor but as the doors close, the man in a black jacket forcefully thrusts his hand in the middle, re-opening the elevator doors. He will run in the elevator, ride the elevator with Nina, and watch her as she gets off on her floor, he will stare at her back until she enters her condo.
Nina panics and texts Asuka about being stalked home, Asuka recommends going to the police box in person the next day since they'll take her more seriously that way, she also regrets that she wouldn't be able to go to Nina since she was away for work at the moment and the next day, she's worried. The unknown number sends Nina disturbing texts that make her paranoid and distrusting, he makes her doubt trusting in Asuka and ignoring her ex.
Nina ends up unblocking her ex, Rikiya, he somehow knows that Nina recently had her face exposed while streaming and inquires about the fact that she got hacked, He then sends Nina a photo of Asuka and the man in a black jacket making contact, saying that he saw them talking and that he finds her suspicious as she is the only one who should have access to her home. He tells her to think about it.
The Nightmare
It makes Nina feel as if she had no choice but to block Asuka. Then out of nowhere, Nina's computer starts acting up, her 3D model shows up on her right screen and voices out depressive thoughts as if reflecting Nina's current state of mind. Nina hears strange knocking sounds from somewhere around the house, the noise came from the room across her bedroom, close to the front door. The man in a black jacket stood right outside her home, knocking on her window. He broke into the house.
As Nina hides, she suddenly notices her phone notifications, it was as if her phone had turned into a live comment section. They edged her on to find a screwdriver to stab and kill the intruder. She sneaks around he condo, finds the screwdriver in the closet behind her computer setup and stabs the intruder from the back. As Nina tries to leave through the front door, she finds a black-eyed Asuka standing there, blocking her way. Asuka then stabs her and watches as she collapses onto the floor.
Day #3
Police Consultation
Nina wakes up with a rapid heartbeat, feeling tired despite sleeping for so long. She looks at the time and remembers that she has to go to the police box, it was already evening. She goes down the elevator, leaves the building and walks towards the police box. When she tries to knock on the door, the policeman from a few days ago walks up to her. He takes her to talk at the park instead of the police box.
- If Nina asks why they weren't talking inside the police box, he'll say that she'd feel more nervous if they were to talk inside the station and that the police get people like that often.
The policeman listened to her problems in the park and says that the hacker and the stalker were probably the same person. There was nothing he could do due to the lack of evidence but he tells her to contact him directly if she gets stalked again. He says that the police would take too long, he was always around the station so he could come right away so he told Nina to call his number instead.
Asuka
When Nina gets home, she will feel scared and want to contact Asuka.
- If you do not call Asuka, you will not be able to change endings until the end of the game.
Nina unblocks Asuka and asks her to come over because she wants Asuka on her side, she doesn't know who to trust. Asuka just realized her texts weren't being read because she was blocked, she still tells Nina not to worry and that she got off work early. She was close by and would be right there. 20 minutes later, Asuka arrives, she asks if Nina was okay, if she got stalked again, and if she talked to the police. Asuka was just glad that Nina still relies on her.
Nina admits that she's seen a photo of Asuka with the man in a black hoodie. Asuka says it was about the time a strange guy spoke to her nearby, he came up to her out of nowhere, approached her and didn't say anything, he'd stop her when she'd try to leave and wouldn't say a single word. Asuka waited because she thought he was lost but nothing happened and he just walked away. Asuka was unaware that someone had been taking pictures.
Asuka is an understanding and forgiving friend, she accepts Nina's apology and stays with Nina. She laments, wishing that Nina would take a break and gets her to consider moving, she then enters the condo and sits on the couch. While Nina sets up her computer, Asuka walks up to her after checking the fridge and finding it empty, she says she'll be right back after getting some food from the convenience store.
Nina's Fourth Stream
Nina starts streaming and opens the game which started in a place that looked like the zebra cross in front of the convenience store close to her condo.
- ILoveNiina sends a strange comment: You'll get fat if you only eat Conbini food~
As Nina plays the game, she will slowly realize that the areas in the game were modeled exactly like the areas near her condo and the game continues to lead to her home.
- ILoveNiina sends a strange comment: What's wrong~＾＾?
Inside the game, she rides the elevator, arrives on her floor, and enters her own condo, she sees herself sitting on her computer desk.
- If Nina turns her head to her left, she will see someone's hand holding out a phone to her direction.
When the game clear screen shows up, she ends the stream early saying it's because she felt sick. Immediately after ending the stream, a recorded video of when Nina took a bath will then play itself on Nina's computer, the video also recorded Nina while she was sleeping. Feeling terrified, Nina will have choices on who to contact: Rikiya, the policeman, the building manager, and Asuka.
- Contacting Rikiya, the policeman, and the building manager will all lead to the same ending. The choice to call Asuka will only show up if Nina unblocked her after returning from the police box.
There are two endings to this game where the player decides if Nina should trust Asuka or not. Upon this point, the player is left to decide the outcome of the game.
Endings
Bad Ending:
If Nina chooses to call Rikiya, the building manager, or the fake cop, the stalker catches the protagonist but is attacked by Rikiya, seemingly rescuing her. Nina is indebted to Rikiya and decides to date him again.
| “ | I'm glad Rikiya came. Afterward, the police officer who consulted with me. informed me the stalker had been caught That man was a fan of Senra Nina As he watched my streams daily, I'm told he began to fall under the illusion that I was his girlfriend. The act of misconstruing your relationship with an online media personality and being under the illusion that you are in an intimate relationship is called "Parasocial" It seems that there are many incidents like mine. They told me to stay cautious in the future. After the incident I felt immensely indebted to Rikiya for helping me I decided to go out with him again. |
” |
However, Asuka approaches Nina and shows her a picture of Rikiya collaborating with the stalker, revealing the whole thing to be a setup by Rikiya to make himself look like a hero. The game then allows the player to try again.
Good Ending:
If Nina decides to call Asuka, she will call her and be led to the next-door room where the stalker has captured her. After freeing Asuka, Nina immediately runs from the bathroom and goes through the balcony door or through the window while avoiding Rikiya Miyamoto. If she stays in the room for too long, Rikiya will catch her.
Once she exits, she opens the balcony door and the curtains, goes back inside her own apartment and sneaks past the stalker, avoiding him. Nina leaves through her front door and escapes through the elevator, Kyoa follows her there but will not succeed. If Nina goes to interact with Kyoa Akushu, he will catch her.
Nina goes down the elevator, she sees the building manager standing in front of her and says that it is dangerous for her to walk alone at night and that she will help her go back to her room.
- If Nina decides to talk to her, the building manager will rush up to her and catch her.
Once Nina ignores the building manager, she exits through the doors and runs but will be stopped by the fake cop who tells her it is dangerous for her to walk alone at night and that he will hear her out.
- If Nina talks to him, the fake cop will rush up to her and catch her.
Nina decides to run away from the fake cop, who chases after her all the way to the police station. If Nina stays in place or doesn't run quickly, the fake cop will catch up to her.
Nina rushes to the police box then tells a real police officer the situation that she had just experienced, they listened to her and began investigating. The next day, it is shown on a news report on TV that Rikiya Miyamoto (Nina's ex-boyfriend), Yukiko Miyamoto (the building manager), Sagio Shirota (the fake police officer), and Kyoa Akushu (the stalker) were all arrested for collaborating with each other. It is revealed that Rikiya arranged and manipulated a situation to force Nina to get back together with him.
Yukiko is Rikiya's mother who, dressed up as the building manager, pushed Nina into paranoia, Sagio posed as a cop and made sure Nina didn't report them, and Kyoa stalked Nina and other people, took pictures of them, and tried to attack, hurt, and kill them. They are all arrested for their crimes. Nina makes a nice meal for Asuka out of gratitude and talks to her about the new game by Chilla's Art: The Convenience Store.
Characters
- Nina - The main character. She works a full-time job as a live streamer with a 3D avatar that she named Senra Nina. The game starts when she accidentally downloads a virus that exposes her real face live on stream, she is then threatened to continue playing the games her stalker sends her.
- Asuka - Nina's best friend. She often texts Nina and supports her, she then meets up with Nina after work and later on visits Nina's home to accompany Nina.
- Rikiya Miyamoto - Nina's ex-boyfriend and the main antagonist. Nina broke up with him prior to the game's events, he kept sending her texts even after they broke up, trying to persuade her to hear him out, going as far as stopping her in the convenience store just to get her to listen.
- Yukiko Miyamoto - Rikiya's mother and the fake building manager. She attempts to make Nina paranoid throughout the game by prying into Nina's private life, asking about her ex-boyfriend, bringing up stalkers and warning her against going out at night.
- Sagio Shirota - Rikiya's uncle and the fake police officer. He meets Nina while she is throwing out her trash and offers help against her stalker, claiming that the police are often too slow to respond and gives his own number to call for help.
- Kyoa Akushu - The stalker. He knew Nina's phone number and address from the start, he often sends suspicious comments on Nina's streams with the name ILoveNina, stalks and breaks into Nina's home, taking photos and recording videos which are pinned in his apartment next to Nina's.
External links
Trivia
- One of the first games that we see Nina stream appears to be a third person perspective Aka Manto.
- Parasocial and The Closing Shift have been shown to happen at the same time as Chilla's Cafe seems to be the same cafe where the main protagonist of The Closing Shift works.
- Nina's condo is the same design as the apartment in Night Security.
- At the end of the game, the game Asuka recommends Nina seems to be an ad for The Convenience Store
Gallery
