《TERRORS》是發行於WonderSwan的黑白恐怖敘事冒險遊戲。雖然平台僅能呈現單色畫面，但作品卻善用WS在音效上略優於Game Boy的硬體能力，以及縱向握持的機身結構，打造出以「小說劇場（Novel Theater）」為核心的閱讀式遊玩體驗。透過強烈實寫感的點陣繪圖、細緻的美術風格與壓迫感十足的音效，成功營造出獨特的「掌上型怪談」氛圍。透過閱讀、選擇指令推動故事，而每一次分歧都會影響劇情走向與結局，使整體玩法與Sound Novel十分接近，在WonderSwan上被視為恐怖題材的代表作。

以上下分割畫面呈現，上半部顯示黑白圖像，下半部以縱書方式顯示故事文字，彷彿在翻閱一冊詭異的黑白恐怖小說。雖然畫面解析度有限，但點陣圖的處理非常講究，經常在靜止畫面中加入突如其來的跳動與變形，產生比精緻CG更強烈的驚嚇效果。每一次閃動都像在黑暗中有人突然拍一下你的肩膀，視覺衝擊與心理壓力相當強烈。

遊戲由五篇短篇怪談構成，全部完成後會開啟最終的隱藏章節。「五個故事＋三冊存檔」的結構讓玩家宛如在翻閱三卷詭異小說集。每篇故事篇幅雖短，卻以奇妙、幻異與「現實與異界交錯」的氛圍為主軸，著重營造不安與迷離感，而不是直接驚嚇。讀完後常會感到一絲恍惚，彷彿故事並未講出所有答案，但某些東西仍留在腦海揮之不去。

五個主故事題材多變，卻共享一致的怪奇風格。《怨靈旅館》描述主角旅途中邂逅神秘少女，兩人抵達的旅館平靜外表下暗藏怨念；《愛しき友》以寄宿生活為舞台，描繪陰影、家庭祕密與深夜怪音交織的壓迫感；《小さなお化け屋敷》讓三名高中女生在遊樂園老舊鬼屋中走入出口消失的異空間；《きしむ音》則透過人偶師祖父與古宅深處的詭異場景構築出噩夢般的發展；《マザーテーブル》以日常生活中的餐桌為線索，逐步揭露主角體內的未知祕密。所有故事完成後才能進入隱藏的《最終章》，主角在迷路之際走入一座不可思議的宅邸，而劇情的分歧完全取決於玩家在前五篇中的選擇，使得此章節成為遊戲中最具挑戰性的部分。

以閱讀與選項為主，但背後的系統相當細緻。最具特色的是「恐懼值（Terror Points）」，當選擇可能引發恐懼的行動時，畫面會伴隨波紋效果，顯示恐懼值上升。不同行動與劇情會依恐懼值高低產生影響，包括分支劇情、選項是否出現、同伴安全與好壞結局的變化。恐懼值過高會導致主角無法做出關鍵行動，太低則會無法觸發重要事件，需要玩家維持微妙的平衡。此外，《怨靈旅館》篇中還加入「玲醬好感度」系統，玩家的選擇會左右少女玲子的態度，並影響結局走向。遊戲同時提供中斷存檔、文字速度調整、音效開關等功能，使閱讀過程更為順暢。

音效是本作的重要靈魂之一。WS雖受限於硬體，但其粗糙、失真的實音悲鳴與簡潔卻氣氛強烈的BGM，使恐怖效果反而更加直接。許多玩家表示，某些音效強到「聽了心臟會揪一下」。主題曲《追伸》（由大森玲子演唱）因壓縮音質而變得模糊，反而營造出詭異不適的氛圍，成為作品的經典元素。畫面部分則以粗糙但逼真的點陣圖為主，當靜止圖像突然動起來時，那種破格瞬間所帶來的沖擊遠超常見的CG動畫，因此作品甚至被評為「黑白畫面恐怖的極限」。

在市場與玩家社群中，本作是WonderSwan平台上相當受歡迎的作品，銷量以WS標準而言十分亮眼。玩家普遍肯定其氛圍營造、文學感十足的劇情、多重結局與高度的重玩價值。它不依賴血腥或暴力，而是以詭異、未知與心理不安為核心，打造出獨特的恐怖體驗。雖然也存在一些硬體相關缺點，如螢幕亮度不足、沒有快速跳過已讀內容、聲優演技受限等，但整體被認為瑕不掩瑜。

總體而言，《TERRORS》是以氛圍、敘事、音效與點陣畫面共同構成的罕見恐怖佳作。它沒有華麗的CG、沒有刻意的驚嚇，而是以黑白畫面、破音般的聲響與奇幻又迷離的故事，帶給玩家一種「讀完後心裡好像空出一塊」的感覺。即使年代久遠，硬體取得不易，它仍被許多玩家視為WonderSwan上最值得一體驗的恐怖小說式遊戲。如果喜歡Sound Novel、怪談或心理不安感十足的敘事作品，這會是值得想方設法去接觸的體驗。

“TERRORS” is a monochrome horror narrative adventure released for the WonderSwan. Despite the platform’s single-color display, the game makes clever use of the WS’s slightly superior audio capabilities compared to the Game Boy, as well as its vertical handheld design, to create a “Novel Theater”–style reading experience. Through highly realistic pixel-art illustrations, refined art direction, and oppressive sound design, the game successfully builds a uniquely unsettling “palm-sized ghost story” atmosphere. Players advance the story by reading and choosing commands, and every decision alters the narrative path and outcome, making the experience very similar to a Sound Novel. It is widely regarded as one of the signature horror titles on the WonderSwan.

The game presents its scenes using a vertically split screen: monochrome images on the top, and vertically written story text on the bottom, giving the impression of reading a strange black-and-white horror novel. Although limited in resolution, the pixel graphics are meticulously crafted. Sudden distortions, flickers, and momentary animations jump out from otherwise static screens, producing shocks even stronger than polished CG. Each flash feels like someone tapping your shoulder in the dark—both visually and psychologically striking.

The game is composed of five short horror tales, and finishing all of them unlocks a hidden final chapter. The structure of “five stories + three save volumes” makes the experience feel like leafing through three eerie short-story collections. Although each episode is brief, they revolve around themes of the uncanny, fantasy, and the blurring between reality and the otherworld. The focus is on creating unease and disorientation rather than direct jump scares. Players often finish a chapter with a lingering sense of ambiguity, as if the story left something unsaid that continues haunting the mind.

The five main stories explore different themes but share a cohesive eerie tone.
“Spirit-Haunted Inn” follows a traveler who meets a mysterious girl, and the seemingly peaceful inn they arrive at hides restless malevolent spirits.
“Beloved Friend” depicts the tense atmosphere of a girl’s boarding life at her cousin’s home, where late-night noises, family secrets, and psychological shadows intertwine.
“The Little Haunted House” takes three high-school girls into an old amusement-park ghost house, only for them to realize the exit has vanished and they have stepped into another dimension.
“The Creaking Sound” follows a university student visiting his grandfather, a master dollmaker, where strange noises, emotionless dolls, and the oppressive air of the old mansion lead toward a nightmare-like revelation.
“Mother Table” uses the setting of an ordinary dinner table to gradually uncover the hidden secret inside the protagonist’s own body.

After completing all stories, players gain access to the hidden “Final Chapter”, in which the protagonist, lost in the mountains, stumbles into an uncanny mansion. Every divergence in this chapter depends entirely on the choices made in the previous five stories, making it the most challenging part of the game.

Gameplay consists mainly of reading and choosing actions, but the underlying systems are surprisingly intricate. The standout mechanic is the Terror Points system. When players choose actions that would frighten the protagonist, a ripple effect appears to show the increase in Terror Points. The value directly affects story branches, available choices, companion safety, and whether players reach a good or bad ending. If Terror Points are too high, the protagonist becomes unable to perform critical actions; too low, and key events may not trigger. Maintaining the right balance is essential.

In the “Spirit-Haunted Inn” chapter, an additional Reiko Affection system affects the mysterious girl’s attitude and the ending. The game also includes suspend saves, text-speed adjustments, sound toggles, and other features to keep the reading flow smooth.

Sound design is one of the game’s core strengths. Although limited by hardware, its distorted, noise-ridden sampled screams and minimal yet atmospheric BGM make the horror feel raw and direct. Many players report that certain sound effects are so intense that they “make your heart tighten for a moment.” The theme song “Tsuisin” (performed by Reiko Ōmori), though degraded by compression, becomes eerily uncanny and is remembered as one of the title’s signature quirks.
The visuals rely on coarse but realistic pixel graphics, and when a still image suddenly moves, the shock far exceeds what typical CG animations achieve. The game is often praised as “the pinnacle of black-and-white horror presentation.”

Within the WonderSwan community, “TERRORS” is a well-regarded title, achieving strong sales by the standards of the platform. Players consistently praise its atmospheric storytelling, literary tone, multiple endings, and high replay value. It avoids gore, relying instead on eeriness, uncertainty, and psychological tension. While it has hardware-related drawbacks—such as dim screen brightness, lack of a skip-read function, and limited voice performance—these are generally considered minor issues.

Overall, “TERRORS” is a rare horror gem built from atmosphere, narrative, sound, and expressive pixel art. Without flashy CG or simple jump scares, it uses monochrome visuals, distorted audio, and dreamlike, disorienting storytelling to evoke a strange emptiness after finishing each tale. Despite its age and the difficulty of obtaining the hardware today, it remains one of the most highly recommended horror novel-style games on the WonderSwan. For fans of Sound Novels, ghost stories, or psychological unease, this is a title worth experiencing by any means available.