Square Enix’s Paranormasight series might not be stuck in Showa-era Japan forever, and honestly, that could be a pretty exciting lane for the franchise.
In a recent Famitsu interview, series director Takanari Ishiyama and producer Kazuma Oushu talked about where the supernatural mystery series could go next. So far, the franchise has kept its stories within the Showa era, which ran from December 25, 1926 to January 7, 1989.
That includes 2023’s visual novel Paranormasight: The Seven Mysteries of Honjo, the 2025 spin-off direct sequel manga Paranormasight File 25: Encounter with the Psychic Girl Kurozuru Miwo, and the standalone sequel Paranormasight: The Mermaid’s Curse.
But based on Ishiyama’s comments, future Paranormasight projects could loosen things up. When asked about the series’ future, he said he prefers keeping the definition of Paranormasight flexible. As long as a work involves supernatural phenomena and includes the Storyteller, he feels it can still carry the Paranormasight name.
That opens the door to stories set beyond the 1980s. Ishiyama said a future entry taking place in the Heisei era — January 8, 1989 to April 30, 2019 — or the current Reiwa era, which began on May 1, 2019, would be acceptable.
Oushu pushed the idea even wider, suggesting Paranormasight could potentially jump into the distant past or future. He compared that kind of structure to Osamu Tezuka’s Phoenix, a manga series known for moving across different timelines.
To be clear, this is not a new game announcement. Neither developer confirmed that another Paranormasight title is in active production. But the comments are still interesting because they show how Square Enix’s team sees the franchise: less like one fixed storyline, and more like a supernatural anthology that can shift time periods while keeping its core identity.
For Malaysia and SEA players, that matters because Paranormasight is exactly the kind of visual novel that fits modern gaming habits here. It is story-heavy, easy to play in short sessions, and available on platforms people actually use: Windows via Steam, Nintendo Switch 2, iOS, and Android. If future entries move into Heisei or Reiwa settings, the horror could feel closer to home too — think urban legends, internet rumours, old apartments, phone-based scares, or modern city paranoia instead of purely retro folklore.
That said, the episodic approach seems to be a big part of the plan. Ishiyama designed the Paranormasight games so players do not need to start from the very beginning to understand them. Most fans still play in release order, but he said he is especially curious about the reactions of people who began with The Mermaid’s Curse.
That is a smart move for a niche series. Visual novels can be intimidating when they look like they require homework, especially for newer players coming from anime, manga, or mobile games. If Paranormasight can keep each entry approachable while building a larger supernatural identity, it has room to grow beyond just hardcore VN fans.
A Reiwa-era Paranormasight could be gila interesting if handled right. The series already has the mystery and atmosphere. Now the big question is whether Square Enix will let it haunt more timelines.
Source: Automaton Media