A Look at the Haunting Isolation of D

1995 | Warp | Sega Saturn

The works of Kenji Eno are some of the most esoteric experiences that the world of video games produced around the 90’s. His work often involved new and innovative ways that pushed the boundaries of story telling and the medium it used to convey said story. D, or D no Shokutaku, introduced a real time limit to the game as well as providing a tactile approach to puzzle solving by including a part of an answer in the Japanese release of the 3DO version. If there was ever any way to perfectly encapsulate how Kenji Eno conveys the concepts of the games he worked on under WARP it would be the way that this version bridges the world of video games with our reality. His work often involves a specific usage of sound to get the player involved. This is particularly present in Enemy Zero, where enemies are invisible and only trackable by tracking a ping noise similar to the radar in Alien.

D is a surprisingly eerie experience that despite having aged visually to the point where a liquid effect on a mirror might be perceived as more goofy than scary, puts the player in a state of pure isolation while exploring the surreal castle. The game constantly gave me a similar sensation as if I was walking on an abandoned road in the middle of the night, feeling a creeping sensation of someone following me. It’s extremely effective at creating a sense of discomfort that is so incredibly specific that I wanted to make a video on the Saturn version of the game. So enjoy the extra crunchy FMV’s and wonderful voice acting in “A Look at the Haunting Isolation of D“.