History VideoGame / TwilightSyndrome

!!The Series

* RescuedFromTheUnderworld: In "Reverse Town", the girls go looking for Chikako, a preschooler neighbor of Yukari's who suddenly went missing, and discover that she was accidentally transported to the titular AfterlifeAntechamber. In the end [[spoiler:Yukari succeeds in rescuing her, but it's [[PsychologicalTormentZone not an easy journey.]]]]

The first release was scheduled to come out for the Platform/PlayStation in 1996 and originally planned to have ten scenarios, but only three of them had been developed when the game's release window drew near. Scheduling conflicts also led the game's original director to abandon the project, leaving then-unknown HUMAN employee [[Creator/Suda51 Goichi Suda]] to step in and fill that role for the remainder of production. The result were [[DividedForPublication two separate releases with a continuous storyline]], ''Tansaku-hen''[[labelnote:note]]"Search Volume"[[/labelnote]] and ''Kyūmei-hen''[[labelnote:note]]"Investigation Volume"[[/labelnote]], which contained six scenarios each (plus "Prank", a secret unlockable bonus).

Following the release of the original duology, Suda began work on a sequel, ''VideoGame/MoonlightSyndrome'', which released in 1997. As he had joined development of the first two games partway through when all the main scenarios had already been planned out, he did not have a lot of creative input outside of the bonus chapter, so he chose to make up for lost time by developing the new game with a [[QuirkyWork style all of his own]] which would carry on into his future works. However, this included a number of [[ContestedSequel controversial decisions]] which left fans of the original duology [[MindScrew confused]] and [[TheyChangedItNowItSucks unhappy]], leading the game to be [[CanonDiscontinuity officially removed from the main series canon]] for future instalments. However, the game in turn went on to be considered the first in Suda's own Kill the Past series.

The first release was scheduled to come out for the UsefulNotes/PlayStation in 1996 and originally planned to have ten scenarios, but only three of them had been developed when the game's release window drew near. Scheduling conflicts also led the game's original director to abandon the project, leaving then-unknown HUMAN employee [[Creator/Suda51 Goichi Suda]] to step in and fill that role for the remainder of production. The result were [[DividedForPublication two separate releases with a continuous storyline]], ''Tansaku-hen''[[labelnote:note]]"Search Volume"[[/labelnote]] and ''Kyūmei-hen''[[labelnote:note]]"Investigation Volume"[[/labelnote]], which contained six scenarios each (plus "Prank", a secret unlockable bonus).

A one-shot SpiritualSuccessor of sorts, ''VideoGame/YuuyamiDooriTankentai''[[labelnote:note]]"Dusk Street Exploration Party"[[/labelnote]], developed by staff that had previously worked on ''Twilight Syndrome'', was released by [[Creator/SpikeChunsoft Spike]] in 1999. After HUMAN's closure in January 2000, the series was passed on to Spike's Vaill subsidiary, which was largely made up of former HUMAN staff; a new main series sequel, ''Saikai''[[labelnote:note]]"Reunion"[[/labelnote]], was released the same year, following the same basic aesthetic as [[VideoGame/ClockTower2 the second Clock Tower game]]. One more sequel, ''Kinjirareta Toshi Densetsu''[[labelnote:note]]"Forbidden Urban Legend"[[/labelnote]], was released for the UsefulNotes/NintendoDS in 2008.

* ''Twilight Syndrome: Tansaku-hen (Search Volume)'' ([[UsefulNotes/PlayStation PSX]], 1996). Contains six scenarios:

* ''Twilight Syndrome: Kinjirareta Toshi Densetsu (Forbidden Urban Legend)'' ([[UsefulNotes/NintendoDS NDS]], 2008)

* EvilTaintedThePlace: The titular park in "Ghost Photo Park" is haunted because [[spoiler:it was once used as an [[ThePurge execution site for enemies and undesirables]] of the local feudal lord. The victims were beheaded atop a hill, where their heads then rolled down into the nearby lake.]] A Shinto shrine was eventually built on the grounds [[DueToTheDead to placate the restless spirits]], but it was demolished to build a parking lot, causing the hauntings to resurface. In the end, an unidentified group pools together to build a new, smaller shrine in the same place, restoring balance.

* WeirdHistoricalWar: "Rusty Hole" turns out to be all about this. The tunnels underneath the construction site are inhabited by [[spoiler:an old man who believes UsefulNotes/WorldWarII [[ShellShockedVeteran is still going on]], and is following orders from a shadowy CO to keep watch over the Iron Soldier, a mysterious SecretWeapon [[PoweredByAForsakenChild made from human corpses]] that is meant to be empowered or activated through some form of RitualMagic.]]

* GaussianGirl: Throughout the games, the main characters' faces are kept out of focus and never shown in closeup. Notably, their eyes in their gameplay sprites are always covered up by [[FaceFramedInShadow small blobs of shadow]]. The graphics in special dialogue scenes either show them from the back, or distant enough that their features remain vague and simplistic. WordOfGod indicates that this was done as a [[TropesAreTools deliberate artistic choice]], out of concern that if the detailed faces were done badly it would [[SpecialEffectsFailure break the player's immersion]].

* FortuneTeller: One is visited by Yukari (though she remains unnamed in the scene) on the street at the beginning of "Occult Mystery Tour", who uses a unique deck of UsefulNotes/TarotCards to give her a reading that further underlines her inner turmoil [[spoiler:before vanishing, though not before she [[{{Foreshadowing}} foreshadows]] the re-appearance of the Kappa-haired girl as someone who would affect her fate at a crucial time.]]

A one-shot SpiritualSuccessor of sorts, ''Yuuyami Doori Tankentai''[[labelnote:note]]"Dusk Street Exploration Party"[[/labelnote]], developed by staff that had previously worked on ''Twilight Syndrome'', was released by [[Creator/SpikeChunsoft Spike]] in 1999. After HUMAN's closure in January 2000, the series was passed on to Spike's Vaill subsidiary, which was largely made up of former HUMAN staff; a new main series sequel, ''Saikai''[[labelnote:note]]"Reunion"[[/labelnote]], was released the same year, following the same basic aesthetic as [[VideoGame/ClockTower2 the second Clock Tower game]]. One more sequel, ''Kinjirareta Toshi Densetsu''[[labelnote:note]]"Forbidden Urban Legend"[[/labelnote]], was released for the UsefulNotes/NintendoDS in 2008.

The first release was scheduled to come out for the UsefulNotes/PlayStation in 1996 and originally planned to have ten scenarios, but only three of them had been developed when the game's release window drew near. Scheduling conflicts also led the game's original director to abandon the project, leaving then-unknown HUMAN employee [[Creator/Suda51 Goichi Suda]] to step in and fill that role for the remainder of production. The result were [[DividedForPublication two separate releases]], ''Tansaku-hen''[[labelnote:note]]"Search Volume"[[/labelnote]] and ''Kyūmei-hen''[[labelnote:note]]"Investigation Volume"[[/labelnote]], which contained six scenarios each (plus "Prank", a secret unlockable bonus).

* WeirdHistoricalWar: "Rusty Hole" turns out to be all about this. The tunnels underneath the construction site are inhabited by [[spoiler:an old man who believes UsefulNotes/WorldWarII [[ShellShockedVeteran is still going on]], and is following orders from a shadowy CO to keep watch over the Iron Soldier, a mysterious SecretWeapon made from human corpses that is meant to be empowered or activated through some form of RitualMagic.]]

The first release was scheduled to come out for the UsefulNotes/PlayStation in 1996 and originally planned to have ten scenarios, but only three of them had been developed when the game's release window drew near. Scheduling conflicts also led the game's original director to abandon the project, leaving then-unknown HUMAN employee [[Creator/Suda51 Goichi Suda]] to step in and fill that role for the remainder of production. The result were two separate releases, ''Tansaku-hen''[[labelnote:note]]"Search Volume"[[/labelnote]] and ''Kyūmei-hen''[[labelnote:note]]"Investigation Volume"[[/labelnote]], which contained six scenarios each (plus "Prank", a secret unlockable bonus).

Following the release of the original duology, Suda began work on a sequel, ''VideoGame/MoonlightSyndrome''. As he had joined development of the first two games partway through when all the main scenarios had already been planned out, he did not have a lot of creative input outside of the bonus chapter, so he chose to make up for lost time by developing the new game with a [[QuirkyWork style all of his own]] which would carry on into his future works. However, this included a number of [[ContestedSequel controversial decisions]] which left fans of the original duology [[MindScrew confused]] and [[TheyChangedItNowItSucks unhappy]], leading the game to be [[CanonDiscontinuity officially removed from the main series canon]] for future instalments. However, the game in turn went on to be considered the first in Suda's own Kill the Past series.

* GratuitousEnglish: The save screen in ''Kyūmei-hen'' shows the chapter titles in English.

* TeacherStudentRomance: Yukari is in a relationship with trainee teacher Kitamura, which is strained by the latter's worries to try and keep it under wraps for fear of how others would judge them, further exacerbated by Yukari's aloof attitude towards his concerns and [[spoiler:her investigation of what happened to Mayumi Fujita, who took her own life after being in a similarly strained relationship with the music teacher.]]

* EvilTaintedThePlace: The titular park in "Ghost Photo Park" is haunted because [[spoiler:it was once used as an execution site for enemies and undesirables of the local feudal lord, where the victims were beheaded atop a hill, where their heads then rolled down into the nearby lake.]] A Shinto shrine once stood on the grounds [[DueToTheDead to placate the restless spirits]], but it was demolished to build a parking lot. In the end, an unidentified group pools together to build a new, smaller shrine in the same place, restoring balance.

The first two releases, ''Tansaku-hen'' and ''Kyūmei-hen'', came out for the UsefulNotes/PlayStation and follow a continuous storyline. Ten scenarios were originally planned, but only three of them had been developed when the game's release window drew near. Scheduling conflicts also led the game's original director to abandon the project, leaving then-unknown HUMAN employee [[Creator/Suda51 Goichi Suda]] to step in and fill that role for the remainder of production. The result were two separate releases containing six scenarios each (plus "Prank", a secret unlockable bonus).

Following the release of the original duology, Suda began work on a sequel, ''VideoGame/MoonlightSyndrome''. As he had joined development of the first two games partway through when all the main scenarios were already planned out, he did not have a lot of creative input outside of the bonus chapter, so he chose to make up for lost time by developing the new game with a [[QuirkyWork style all of his own]] which would carry on into his future works. However, this included a number of [[ContestedSequel controversial decisions]] which left fans of the original duology [[MindScrew confused]] and [[TheyChangedItNowItSucks unhappy]], leading the game to be [[CanonDiscontinuity officially removed from the main series canon]] for future instalments. However, the game in turn went on to be considered the first in Suda's own Kill the Past series.

After HUMAN's closure in January 2000, the series was passed on to [[Creator/SpikeChunsoft Spike]]'s Vaill subsidiary, which was largely made up of former HUMAN staff. A one-shot SpiritualSuccessor of sorts, ''Yuuyami Doori Tankentai''[[labelnote:note]]"Dusk Street Exploration Party"[[/labelnote]], developed by staff that had previously worked on ''Twilight Syndrome'', was released in 1999. A new main series sequel, ''Saikai'', was released in 2000, following the same style as [[VideoGame/ClockTower2 the second Clock Tower game]]. One more sequel, ''Kinjirareta Toshi Densetsu''[[labelnote:note]]"Forbidden Urban Legend"[[/labelnote]], was released for the UsefulNotes/NintendoDS in 2008.

In more recent years, a number of {{Fan Translation}}s for the series have also started to become available. [=YouTube=] channel aRdW began releasing a [[https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLsjgr-vGRfs51a2dyaQY5_JFpnVrYl05v subtitled longplay of Saikai]] in 2017 which was completed the following year, when he also began releasing a similar translation for [[https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLsjgr-vGRfs6wxhuXZrW4anQLQp4C2W0v Tansaku-hen]] and [[https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLsjgr-vGRfs7gijiS4UgUrpPVVnCMcgEO Kyūmei-hen]] which has since been completed. Tara A. Devlin has also released a [[https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL_3nZk9WWsQCpuJ7BeDDgVAwgh-Isl7GM partial fandub translation]] (up to ''Kyūmei-hen'''s third chapter). ''Kinjirareta Toshi Densetsu'' remains untranslated, however.

* GhostTrain: The final stretch of "The Last Train" involves the appearance of an unscheduled train bound for "Dusk Hill" in the middle of the night. The platform controller that appears along with it arbitrarily changes the ticket prices. One possible bad ending for this chapter is to [[spoiler:allow Mika to board the train, which leads to her [[CameBackWrong turning up later]] as a [[SoullessShell listless shell of her former self]].]] Taking a picture of the platform at this point also reveals [[spoiler:a multitude of disembodied spirits boarding the train]] when it is developed later. [[spoiler:This gets a CallBack of sorts in the final chapter, "Reverse Town", where it's implied that the titular AfterlifeAntechamber is the train's destination, also housing its own train station which turns out to be how Mika and Chisato (but not Yukari) are able to return home.]]

** The Rumor That Started It All / Beginning Rumor: The girls investigate their first rumor together, sneaking into the school toilets at night to try and summon a ghostly child who might be able to grant them a wish.
** The Park In Which You Can Take Numerous Ghost Pictures / Ghost Photo Park: Mika convinces her friends to try and record ghostly activity at a local park after seeing that any photographs taken within tend to show a subtle but dire omen.
** M.F. from the Music Room: The girls look into the ghost of a student who was recently found hanged in the school's music room after being rumored to be in a position which is eerily similar to Yukari's.
** The Last Train: When the girls investigate a local train station said to be linked to an unusual number of deaths and accidents, they run across a dark influence that runs deeper and farther than they imagined.
** Hinashiro High School's Seven Mysteries: The girls decide to investigate their high school's version of the traditional "seven mysteries" said to be found in every Japanese school.
** One More Rumor: After Mika begins scribbling messages back and forth with a mysterious correspondent via a desk in the school library, she finds herself slowly getting involved with something far more grave than she could have anticipated.

** Hinashiro Grove: Following the ending of the first volume, the girls rush to try and get to the bottom of the mysterious force that Mika was messing with.
** The Boy that Appears at Dusk / Twilight Boy: The girls' only hope to stop the ghost of a recently deceased student from haunting the school's gym is to discover the whole truth of how he ended up like that.
** The Telephone Call: After hanging up on an unknown caller, Yukari finds herself assailed by a multitude of strange phone calls coming into her bedroom, which Chisato fears could spell disaster for her if she cannot discover the cause.
** Rusty Hole / Gather Rust Cave: Chisato discovers the joys of Karaoke while the girls look into a nearby construction site where human bones are rumored to have been dug up, uncovering a dark legacy that had lain buried for decades.
** Occult Mystery Tour: Determined to get something out of the first rumor the girls investigated, Mika attempts a modified summoning ritual, unleashing something that could have catastrophic consequences if the girls cannot figure out how to undo it.
** Reverse Town: While searching for a kid from Yukari's neighborhood who had mysteriously vanished, the girls find themselves transported to a surreal, ethereal version of the city, where their struggle to return home is exacerbated by Yukari's tumultuous personal feelings coming to a fever pitch.
** Prank (Bonus chapter): While walking to school, Mika is hit by a mysterious gust of wind carrying a golden powder. Chisato later tells her that this is the sign of a fairy's prank before she starts seeing some very strange things. This is a prototype of what would become the fourth chapter of ''Moonlight Syndrome''.

* GhostTrain: The final stretch of "The Last Train" involves the appearance of an unscheduled train bound for "Dusk Hill" in the middle of the night. The platform controller that appears along with it arbitrarily changes the ticket prices. One possible bad ending for this chapter is to [[spoiler:allow Mika to board the train, which leads to her [[CameBackWrong turning up later]] as a [[SoullessShell listless shell of her former self]].]] Taking a picture of the platform at this point also reveals [[spoiler:a multitude of disembodied spirits boarding the train]] when it is developed later. [[spoiler:This gets a CallBack of sorts in the final chapter, "Reverse Town", where it's implied that the titular AfterlifeAnteroom is the train's destination, also housing its own train station which turns out to be how Mika and Chisato (but not Yukari) are able to return home.]]