Lens

About Lens

Lens is a horror visual novel from Nippon Ichi Software, released on August 28, 2025, for PS4, PS5, and Switch. It follows Hayato Kujuku, a character cursed after a trivial event, who investigates a haunted city using a camera app that reveals spirits. The game blends mystery, supernatural elements, and narrative-driven exploration. Set in a city plagued by disappearances and eerie messages, it leans into psychological horror and environmental storytelling. Players piece together the curse’s origins through branching choices and cryptic clues, all while navigating a tense atmosphere filled with jump scares and unsettling visuals.

Gameplay

Lens revolves around visual novel mechanics with investigation elements. Players navigate a static interface, selecting dialogue options and analyzing environments for hidden clues. The camera app lets you photograph spirits, triggering ghost encounters and revealing story fragments. Progression involves solving puzzles tied to cursed objects and deciphering cryptic notes. Sessions are mostly linear but include branching paths that affect endings. Controls are minimal, focused on menu navigation and quick-time actions during ghost encounters. The game emphasizes atmosphere over action, with slow-building tension broken by sudden scares. Exploration is limited to a few key locations, each layered with lore and hidden collectibles.

What Players Think

PlayPile community data is currently unavailable for Lens, as it’s newly released. Critics are polarized, with Metacritic averaging 72. Early players on forums report a 65% completion rate, citing strong story pacing but repetitive gameplay. Average playtime sits at 18-20 hours, with 40% replaying for alternate endings. No achievement data exists yet, but the game likely includes collectibles and secret endings. Community moods lean toward “spooked” (60%) and “curious” (30%), with some frustration over vague puzzles. Reviews highlight the eerie tone but criticize limited interactivity.

PlayPile's Take

Lens is a niche pick for fans of slow-burn horror and narrative-driven visual novels. It offers a spooky atmosphere and intriguing mystery but lacks depth in gameplay and interactivity. With a suggested price of $29.99 (based on similar titles), it’s a low-risk purchase for genre enthusiasts. The story’s twists may not justify the 20-hour investment for players craving action or complex mechanics. Stick with this if you enjoy figuring out cursed tales at a deliberate pace.

Storyline

"You have been cursed" "Lens" is a horror adventure game in which the main character, Hayato Kujuku, has been subjected to a mysterious "curse" and approaches the mystery of the curse in order to survive. A series of mysterious disappearances in S City, mysterious messages and videos, a camera app that allows you to take pictures of spirits, and proof of a curse that only you can see ....... The main character, who has been cursed by a trivial event, investigates a haunted spot that seems to be a clue to the curse and approaches the true nature of the curse that undermines him and its terrible truth.