My Iyashikei Game

Description

Links are NOT allowed. Format your description nicely so people can easily read them. Please use proper spacing and paragraphs.

Police officer, would you believe me if I say this is an Iyashikei game?

Translator’s Summary:

Han Fei is a comedy actor who is down on luck.

Things seemed to be turning for the better when he was given an expensive gaming helmet to a virtual reality game called Perfect Life, a soothing iyashikei (slice-of-life) game that heals one’s soul.

Little did he know what he thought was heaven was actually a hell filled with terrifying ghosts and vengeful spirits.

Associated Names
One entry per line
My Healing Game
我的治愈系游戏
Related Series
My House of Horrors (Shared Universe)
Recommendations
My House of Horrors (7)
Self-cultivation of the Exorcist (2)
Infinite Bloodcore (1)
Little Tyrant Doesn’t Want to Meet with a Bad End (1)
Soul of Negary (1)
Crazy Detective (1)
Recommendation Lists
  1. Novel where mc is a game player
  2. Really Nice
  3. My next 5 out of 5 !!!
  4. My Library Of Treasures
  5. Novels that I have read 2

Latest Release

Date Group Release
03/23/24 Hosted Novel c920
03/20/24 Hosted Novel c919
03/18/24 Hosted Novel c918
03/11/24 Hosted Novel c917
03/06/24 Hosted Novel c916
03/02/24 Hosted Novel c915
02/28/24 Hosted Novel c914
02/19/24 Hosted Novel c913
02/17/24 Hosted Novel c912
02/13/24 Hosted Novel c911
02/06/24 Hosted Novel c910
02/06/24 Hosted Novel c909
02/06/24 Hosted Novel c908
01/16/24 Hosted Novel c907
01/02/24 Hosted Novel c906
Go to Page...
Go to Page...
Write a Review
19 Reviews sorted by


kkgoh
kkgoh rated it
June 18, 2021
Status: c145
Disappointing horror novel from author of "My House of Horrors" MHoH.
This is what happens when China's censorship on supernatural stories goes out of whack.
3/5 stars... really tried to bump it up to at least 4, but I felt that doing so would instead be a disservice to MHoH which I rated 5/5.

SUMMARY
A seemingly normal, socially-withdrawn aspiring actor Han Fei, is given a headset for a new VR game by a mysterious old shopkeeper. As Han Fei discovers a hidden "supernatural" world within the game, he has to... more>> overcome horror challenges to survive, while gaining powers and uncovering the game's mysteries.

COMMENTS
(1) Flawed world building
China's censorship law prohibits supernatural themes in media, requiring that there be some kind of scientific explanation. That's why there are little to no horror titles, and most are lamely explained away as psychosis or aliens.
This restriction really shows up in this novel as it forces the author to create a fictitious VR world. There are two layers -- a normal surface one, and a ghostly cryptic one. MC just happens to be sent to the cryptic layer.
Spoiler

Around C73-75, the VR world is loosely explained by one of the developers as next-gen photon computers that collate and process so much real-life human data, that it seems to go beyond normal simulation. It's unclear if the "ghosts" are just AI constructs, or something that transcends it (i.e. that the gaming devices are actually an accidental method of isekai/parallel world theory).
But that's way too much of a stretch in tech plausibility, so the more reasonable explanation for now would be AI constructs, which if true would completely destroy the horror theme. Esp since MC constantly treats them as actual former living beings which is just weird. How does he know if it's actually the same person that died? There's never actually any link mentioned anywhere.
You could almost think of it as the "My House of Horror" virtual themepark competitor, where MC Chen Ge himself scoffed at such "fake" constructs.

PM me if if I'm mistaken on this and if there's any evidence before c145 that proves the ghosts are "real". I scoured the novel but couldn't find it.

[collapse]

Horror is horror, because of the unknown.
A great quote from an article in Medium summarized horror as "a controlled fall into the unknown... a very human way to project our worst fears, unspoken questions and worries, and express them in a way everyone can connect to. It takes one of the most primal human emotions -- fear -- and turns it into an avenue for catharsis and release, often with a new kind of understanding."

Creating a "game" element for catharsis is still fine, hence the iyashikei concept. But when EVERYTHING is squarely explained away and gamified, there's no suspense anymore.
-- Pointless stats that are hardly used (Int/Sta/Cha/Lck/Malice/Sanity/Personality) and appear to easily quantify the unknown ghosts
-- Pointless min/maxing (my random stat is now stronger than Ghost Type A, so I can overpower them physically)
-- Pointless 24 hr login requirement, with 3 hr min playtime, 1 mission min completion requirement, blah blah blah blah blah (you're no longer afforded any real build-up and detail on missions, unlike MHoH. You're so focused on clearing missions everyday there's no attachment to any one of them.)
-- Pointless levels with random Exp (no explanation how much Exp per level, MC just randomly levels up)
-- Pointlessly numerous grades (MC starts with Grade G missions... so we're automatically expecting at least 7 levels, Grade A-G). We have little understanding of the differences in grades, because MC completes so many damn missions that are all Grade G and F in the first 100 chapters, with no discernable change in difficulty level other than being told he's "more likely to die". How??

Let's use actual horror video games as a reference, and you can see how that juxtaposes with a reading medium like a webnovel.
There is usually some RPG element with min-maxing functions where players can equip/upgrade themselves. But there are at least two very different routes.
-- Games like "Fatal Frame" and "Phasmophobia" are more laid-back, discovery type genres with limited inventory. This is the route MHoH went through, and fits very well into passive, spectator type perspective like reading a novel.
-- Games like "Dead Space" and "Resident Evil" relies on actively engaging and fighting monsters, basically an adventure-type genre. But it requires an active player taking full control to deliver a strong sense of player agency. This is the route that My Iyashikei Game is trying to follow, and DOES NOT translate well in a medium like a novel.

Also, perhaps due to poor writing for the first 75 chapters, there's a lack of any perceived risk and palpable fear because MC was under the impression that if he died in the game, he WOULD NOT die for real (only his character would be reset).
Later it's revealed that at least in the cryptic world, in-game death for the MC would result in coma.
You should just assume MC knew that from the beginning, else it makes the first 100 chapters really boring.

The ultimate failure of all this is that you end up way more interested in MC's real life as a famous actor than his escapades in the VR ghost world. Especially since MC can use his newfound powers.

(2) Weak, incongruent MC
This was the biggest problem for me. You have a socially withdrawn/anxious MC Han Fei that doesn't do well when around other people. But he's also an actor, which necessitates he's around other people. Huh??

Han Fei is supposed to be a lifelong passive, kind-hearted do-gooder. But somehow within a short few days in VR, he turns into a highly calculative, manipulative person. He learns to lie and think quickly on his feet (despite no change to his Int stat). Huh??

As per @DarkD, Han Fei's relationship with the police is completely implausible.
Han Fei doesn't do any crime-busting besides soliciting info from VR cryptic/ghost world (i.e. he's just a tipster). He conjures info for the police out of nowhere, and nobody questions him. Literally, he responds with "I used logical deduction." End of story. Seriously??
Chen Ge from MHoH was an active vigilante/Good Samaritan so he could plausible solve crimes since he's always at crime scenes.
Han Fei doesn't go anywhere and he's just supposed to magically produce evidence. Huh?? If his power is to experience what the victim went through, take a cue from "Movies Are Real". At least that development was better.

(3) Unrelatable cast of characters
Unlike MHoH where MC Chen Ge slowly interacts with psychotic criminals before actively confronting with powerful specters, our MC Han Fei goes straight into the deep end starting from a haunted apartment complex.
He immediately confronts various horror scenes where people/ghosts inexplicable want to kill him on sight for no apparent reason. We're given ZERO backstory before all this happens, which is confusing.

When Han Fei does meet up with friendly ghosts, they are totally unrelatable and episodic.
Spoiler

- A random amalgamation of 7-8 specters in his apartment, we don't know why they are there except being mu*dered by 1 guy). We don't find out much till dozens and dozens of chapters later.
So, am I supposed to relate to being randomly mu*dered?
- A granny who adopted 3 kids, some of which backstabbed her. We don't find out why until dozens and dozens of chapters later. Even when we do, they are totally unrelatable since granny was just unlucky enough that 2 of the kids are naturally psychotic. Huh?
So, am I supposed to relate to unfortunately adopting psychotic kids?
- A shadow child who lures other children into his apartment. We don't find out why...
- A beautiful mu*deress with a penchant for flesh. We still don't know why she's there even after MC is friendly with her....

[collapse]

Contrast this with MHoH, where the circumstances that led to the ghosts' death are often known ahead of time or quickly discovered (there's actual build-up to understanding the ghosts). We can often empathize with the ghosts' situations. And the focus of MC Chen Ge is how to use the info to counter them.

(4) Similar webtoon
So this novel was supposedly published on Qidian 1/25/2021, and I'm inclined to trust the author's authenticity. That said, there's a webtoon with REALLY similar beginnings called "Movies Are Real", first published on Kakao around 2/28/2021. At least for the 1st horror case of playing the victim, "Movies Are Real" wrote it way better, maybe in hindsight.

(5) True purpose of My Iyashikei Game MIG??

Totally speculating here, but I almost have a sneaky suspicion that this was a throw-away novel written by author, with loose-references to MHoH.
Spoiler

-- Red specters are occasionally mentioned
-- You have "Building Managers" in MIG, alluding to the "Door Pushers" in MHoH which control entire buildings/infrastructure

[collapse]

Maybe by creating a sci-fi element in MIG, the author is sneakily allowing himself a path to continue publishing the supernatural elements in his REAL novel MHoH, without being forced by Chinese censorship to make edits?? <<less
66 Likes · Like Permalink | Report
Alex Woods
Alex Woods
November 16, 2021
Status: c300
If you guys are hesitating cause of thr vr and the weird description. Just don't. Believe in the author, who gave us my house of horrors. Yep, vr game got risks and is deeply related to real life and is not just a bunch of codes. MC is not another Chen Ge, but he is as smart and got great character development. So give him a chance.

Great novel. Whatever kkgoh writes is plain bullshit. Yep, I have read My house of horrors.

  1. The dude is hating the author for adding vmmorpg aspects to it. What the hell is the author supposed to do, when chinese3 government banned horror unless it has an scientific explanation or its in vr world.
  2. Cant believe people don't get it, its not a f*cking video game, its disguises as such. So they are not just a bunch of games. The horror alternate world is based on games, so yeah there will be stats, missions, mission rating. Author is doing all he can so roll with it.
  3. Unlike s*upid readers the MC knew, death in the game will nit be as simple as a simple reser, so he took the game as life and death from the beginning. Later it is revealed that death in game will result in cerebral death or brain death. A brain has absolutely zero chance of living.
  4. The vulnerabilities about the MC is the greatest thing about the novel. MC in the beginning was just a normal guy who is spooked by someone knocking his bathroom doors at night. He is nit a crazy guy with firm will, nor is he a man with very strong body with great strenght. Doesn't mean he is s*upid though. But like a normal person he faces tough scenarios, go through lots of emotions and becomes braver and braver till the earliest sh*t barely fazes him. Earlier all he wanted to do was to escape from the game, but as he interacts with ghost and knows their stories he slowly changes and wants to turn the twisted iyashikei game into a real one. And no iyashikei is not just a comedy stuff.
  5. Can't relate to getting mu*dered. Wow, just wow. Ghosts attacking people cause they are ghosts.
  6. Iyeshikei game is basically a more polished version of of MHOH, won't say better but is definitely more polished.
The stuff that made MHOH great, iyesekai game got it.

Props to lonely tree for translating... more>> it for practically free and with such great grammar quality. Love you bro. <<less
35 Likes · Like Permalink | Report
DarkD
DarkD
March 5, 2021
Status: c500
So this is a LOT like My House of Horror. The author clearly wanted to write something for the exact same audience with a few minor revisions. Imagine if MHoH was remade with acting as the protagonists job instead of House of Horrors operator. The problem is that many of the flaws from My House of Horrors are magnified this time. The author does great ghost stories, but terrible human interaction.

There are some improvements. My House of Horrors felt like pokemon for ghosts. The protagonist would simply overwhelm any... more>> ghost story with his uber powerful ghosts and a lot of ghost stories were deflated like that. This problem has largely been fixed as the protagonist has to do the harder missions with only a small amount of items. So he has to actively hide from the wandering ghost stories or beat them with intelligence.

Another change this time the ghosts aren't accessing the real world (so far) but they are stuck in another dimension (think Dimensional Sovereign).

Things I love about this author

His horror is top notch fun to read. NOTE: I don't find horror novels scary. Rather, I find them extremely fun. I love monsters that are bound by obscure and weird rules. One ghost will be extremely powerful, but he won't hurt you unless you turn around to see him.

Edit: I take it back a little. His horror stories have degraded. This feels like Dragonball where every season feels like it needs to top the previous one. So this new series has completely given up on doing simple horror stories right from the start. The early antagonists are almost cartoonish with how evil they are. In My House of Horrors you could identify with the horror stories and it only started to get cartoonish later on. Cartoonish is the starting point now.

I also love that this author comes up with unique idea after unique idea. I think this can largely be attributed to horror/litRPG being almost entirely unexplored, but props where they're due.

Once again we have LonelyTree translating. Absolutely top of the line translator. And FAST. Note, you can get about 30+ unreleased chapters on patreon. More chapters for more money. I am getting the full backlog myself for about $27.

Things that I hate about this author.

I'm also not sure the author understands what he's good at. As with MHoH, there are features I loved early on that are being thrown out or watered down later in the story.

When the author incorporates the real world, the character interactions between normal people are almost cartoonish. "Han Fei is the most empathetic person the ghosts had ever seen. His words were like rain in the desert..."

Han Fei like Chen Ge in MHoH is helping the police solve crimes again. And just like in MHoH, the interactions make no sense at all. If someone like Han Fei or Chen Ge came into the police station with half the information he provided the police, the police would make him reveal his sources then tell him to keep away from the investigation while the "professionals" handled it. End of story. At best they might bring him in as a consultant at a crime scene.

Han Fei is also like Chen Ge in that he makes ridiculous emotional appeals to the families of victims that would never work in reality. <<less
31 Likes · Like Permalink | Report
Efu-sama
Efu-sama rated it
March 22, 2021
Status: c122
The MC enter a VR game that boasted to give the player Iyashikei life (a healing life where every single moment makes a person fully feel the appreciation towards life, world, and people). The game that should give a player a happy life full of smiles, actually turn into a bloody horror life when the MC enter. Is this a failure in the game system? Or perhaps this bloody horror life actually hid many secrets inside that could make the MC achive the "Perfect Dream Life" he always wanted to... more>> have?

When forced to pariticipate in the game min. 3 hours every day, the MC who lived his life boringly finally realize the beauty of such a "boring" reality, after he spent night full of horror. Perhaps this game indeed create the "Perfect Life", as in making the MC realize nothing beat the beautiful reality, not even the fake Virtual world.

Or perhaps... something else entirely, because

Spoiler

MC has hidden past. This past is influencing his deepest thought. The world full of horrors that appear in the VR of "Iyashikei Life" he attempted to have actually have more meaning. Every monster, every ghost have their stories. Every malicious being has their story. The pain, regret, malice, griefs, and sorrow that those monster and ghost experienced in their life before have turned them into what they are currently.

Attempting to make those monster who have deep regret and pain finally smile and liberating their sentiments... perhaps is what the MC has always wanted to do. His Iyashikei life, his Perfect Dream Life is perhaps... relieving the pain and regret of the human who died unjustly and had been turned into malicious ghost due to their death...

[collapse]

If it were so, then what exactly happened in MC's life, and what actually hidden behind the kind soul and naive front that the MC had?

Well, the novel is still ongoing and the answer is barely there, LOL~ <<less
22 Likes · Like Permalink | Report
reverofukato
reverofukato rated it
January 31, 2021
Status: --
I know that some people would say that it's still too early to give a review, but I have enough trust in the author and the translator to put this here.

The horror genre isnt something we see a lot of, and probably one of the best, if not the best, out there is "My House of Horrors" The novel by the same author of this one, if you read that one, you should know why I'm saying that, if you haven't you really should give it a try, even if... more>> you don't like horror, most of the people I recommended it to said that it wasn't like how they expected it to be, it's a great unique novel that you need try.

And from my trust in the author, and the few chapters they I've read of this one, I can say that this will be another great novel too, so please give it a chance😍😍😍🎉🎉 <<less
15 Likes · Like Permalink | Report
V_sA.Bl_.E
V_sA.Bl_.E rated it
March 18, 2021
Status: c260
I've read the raws up until c106, and I can confidently say that this is very similar (maybe perhaps an improved version) of My House Of Horrors. So, if you like the author's previous work, you will like this. You will feel the same emotions you felt while reading MHOH, but instead of improving a Haunted House, the MC is cracking old cases. If the ghost is treated horribly in life, he will hunt down the mu*derers and make them suffer/offer them to the ghost too. There is more of... more>> a game system here and doing those tasks makes him level up. After leveling up, he obtains skill points and attribute points that also levels him up in real life.

EDIT: I'm at c260 and the story is getting better and better. Really like this. <<less
13 Likes · Like Permalink | Report
Simon_Harley
Simon_Harley rated it
September 19, 2022
Status: c700
So, A basic premise of this novel is,

Weirdly, An actor with social anxiety, Han Fei is fired from his studio due to nepotism or favoritism (IIRC). After that, He spends his days like a recluse, in a depressed state; Coming out only to buy food or video games. Seeing this, The old shopkeeper sells Han Fei a VR game that promises its player a perfect relaxing VR experience, soothing their souls and washing all stress or anxiety; Hence, The name of the game, is "Perfect Life".

Han Fei logs into... more>> the game and slowly realizes something is weirdly off about this game. The "NPCs" act weirdly. The setting doesn't really suit the promoted theme of the game. And apparently, He is stuck in the game until He finishes any one mission and stays a minimum of 3 hours logged in the game. What is this game hiding? What is his perfect life? Is his life at stake here? The answers remain a mystery but this very recent recluse will do whatever it takes to survive! Be it running into terrifying ghosts or helping police solve decades-old mystery cases and fight supercriminals whilst regaining his professional life as an actor.

Now, If you've read "My House of Horror", the previous work of the same author, This novel will seem like an alternate version of MHOH with science, technology, and the entertainment industry mixed in instead of a Haunted House business. The main characters, Chen Ge and Han Fei also share quite similar personality traits at first glance. But, I won't go too much into details and just say, Continue reading; The author won't disappoint. This is a polished version, and IMO, the better, MHOH.

As for new readers, I will tell you what to expect.

-Chilling horror scenes.

-Character growth from the MC and clear distinctions and changes being left on MC by the characters

-Great story progression between the real world and the virtual world (Tho virtual, MC's life is at stake here)

-A long but extremely well-connected cast of characters. Like, the backstories of the first 3 ghosts MC interacts with are connected somehow to the characters that appear a long way.

-A really long story. In the MTL version, the Author really pulled a 'Congrats! Tutorials completed successfully!'.

-Cool scenes. A lot of them.

-Kinda half confirmed half ambiguous romance. It has been hinted at many times already. But, I assume the author will tie the knot at the end of the story at this pace.

-Mystery. So much, It will make your brain hurt.

-Damn great cast of characters. Familial love with all.

And many more great points. Any problems you have with this series may be a little bit of repetition after 300-400 chapters, But The repetition will disappear soon. I don't wanna make it too long so that's it. :D <<less
11 Likes · Like Permalink | Report
fuwa.fuwa
fuwa.fuwa rated it
July 10, 2021
Status: Completed
It was okay at the beginning. The slow burn of getting into the horror (a.k.a getting along with lot of ghosts) was quiet bearable. But it's just like a recycled MHoH with some bad spices

+ 1star for the ghost descriptions. At least, for creating ghost characteristics, author got bunch of imaginations

Reasons why I gave it 1star

  • While it had a unique good plot, it was a turned off for me (couldn't blame author if it was due to gov's regulation) starting from GAME-inside-GAME arc. This was dating arc, and ofc soft-HAREM
  • Using background such as 'intelligent city' and 'praise advanced tech' was to please gov's side. But ended up making it like 'HEY, the game you're playing now ahout to mix with reality' (for every player, not only MC) and yes, it's cringey like AYAKASHI GAME was that good to make most people couldn't live without it. The stereotypical important-game genre of manhwa. AND YES, different from MHoH which was not that obvious. It shown how chuunibyou author was trying to make the MC. He was a depressed adult, a failure one at jobs, couldn't smile, couldn't attract opposite/same gender, awkward bump.. seemed like nothing special. But voila ~ a spin of fate, he was a hero to save the world, to keep balance of two worlds
  • Ghost had a lot of background story with ONE similarity, they're pitiful and met misfortune while alive. BUT somehow the living human that became MC's allies was sharing ONE similarity which was ALONE, ANTI-SOCIAL, in short it's just MC A, MC B, MC C, et. al. A doctor, good at talking but actually loner due to hobby.. a bottleneck-good actor but actually loner too and had an AI wife. In romance shoujo, it would be: MC was platinum blonde with red ruby eyes, his loyal friend was sun blonde with ruby eyes, and his another good friend with a black jade hair & eyes. No red hair, no brunette, no brown
  • Save by plot-armour, almost taken by death. He was playing game. He could log off when there's no solution about his situation (such as dead end when tried to running away from ghost)
  • His talent related to acting became profound bcs playing the game. Dude, it felt like if Ayakashi Game was real and there's someone who got this deadly game, it would make them hysterical or have schizophrenia. BUT here MC became gary stu instead he got talent, popularity, money, honor
  • The last (?), Idk, I skipped some last arc's chapters, antagonist was meh. Author tried to give a complicated background, but it's quiet bland. From what I read, (was he? CMIIW I skipped some chapters), he was good-looking (at least above average), pitiful for exchanged at birth, actually charismatic, pretty smart, got a kind & loyal wife. I guess a completely difference person from MC but both had their own misfortune. Just blackened it with irrational mind and heartless damaged-soul
  • As usual, living female sucks. Dead woman was the best. They helped MC, they're loyal, they would go under immense pain if it helped MC, they're not that good at socialising either, but they're feared by same speciment (ghost and human) bcs how strong they were. As a ghost, they're unique. More importantly, they're ghost so rarely (actually none of) living man atrracted to them (a.k.a only MC loved for who they were, knew their worth). So there's no word for jealousy, and loyalty was guaranteed
  • The so-called "memory world" arc also quiet annoying after being repeated that many times. His companion ghosts would scattered, or he's alone. Then he 'played' in that "memory world", every time he died, his memory was taken away. Yes, yes, this was GAME-inside-GAME
  • MC could increase his state. Sure intelligence due to brain activity. But his physical state (including agility) somehow also increased.... while he's actually laying down inside a capsule (?)
7 Likes · Like Permalink | Report
Liero Dirlewanger
Liero Dirlewanger rated it
May 28, 2021
Status: c90
Quite like it, it's like My House of Horrors, except way less repetitive and with a much better integrated horror/real life setting. Hope it doesn't degrade over time.
6 Likes · Like Permalink | Report
EmilioRecore
EmilioRecore rated it
May 21, 2022
Status: c281
This novel is very well written and translated, up until this point every arc has been exciting. I have also read the authors' previous novel "My House of Horrors". Later on in My House of Horrors the tension kind of faded because the protagonist just became fearless and hit ghosts with a hammer. But that doesn't happen here, the protagonist is physically very weak, but his acting skills are strong and he becomes "friends" with more powerful ghosts. Although it's not really scary, the novel still gives a certain sense... more>> of horror. The normal life parts are also interesting and they are very good at relieving the constant tension you feel when he is in the "game world". Also for the people who think the VR aspect takes away from the tension, the consequences of dying are higher than you'd think (;. <<less
4 Likes · Like Permalink | Report
PtitcaSi
PtitcaSi rated it
May 11, 2022
Status: c472
On the one hand, the recognizable "rails" of the plot, along which My House of Horrors managed to run, on the other hand, the "bad" places are wonderfully traditional, with a shopping center an excellent move, the "game" territory allows the author to unfold on a larger scale, in short, I look forward to continuing. Very good story
3 Likes · Like Permalink | Report
Bachingchung
Bachingchung rated it
March 18, 2022
Status: --
It stops being scary when it focused more on action based interactions, rather than the earlier escape room scenarios. At some point I kinda wished the author focused more on his acting career, the game chapters just became so dull to read. The loophole inventory scam with his friend also didn't help on the supposed to be "horror" theme of the novel.

I just hope the author flesh out his IRL story more, I think that part has more potential than the VR parts. The author got it backwards, since the... more>> VR part is where the clues are and the MC should find solutions IRL. The slaughterhouse arc is just way too dragged out and the payoff is pretty meh.

Edit: C697

There are way too many fillers! The author lost focus on the MC, and just wanna focus on memories of other people. I totally lost interest with the VR world, because there's so much BS in it. You've probably read novels like 48 Hrs a Day or Oracle Paths, where the MC have different characters and worlds each round? Just like that.

We're already left with MC surrounded by Ghosts/characters that have no contact to the surface world, and this novel just f*cks it up even more by putting the MC on a memory world filled with new characters that won't have any retention value even in the cryptic world! But wait there's more, this kind of arc happened thrice so far! Yes, thrice! At least maybe 50 chapters up to a hundred. The biggest problem is, those 100 chapters of fillers doesn't even mean anything because it's a freaking memory! The still living people in it won't change, more so for the dead people coz' yeah, they're dead. But maybe it would be rewarding for the MC right? Hell no, he'll get to choose 1 reward among the multiple options. And coincidentally, the MC will get injured to the point of dying, one of the ghost would save him and about to die too so he'll use the reward to heal that ghost. My' Lord, the payoff from reading those tedious chapters could make a man cery. <<less
3 Likes · Like Permalink | Report
yugmodnar
yugmodnar rated it
February 13, 2022
Status: Completed
This is fantastic starting from chapter 200ish until 500+. Afterwards the author loses track of things causing a bit of a mess of inconsistencies, redundancy, and plot holes. Chapter ~700-900 was painful to read, literally 1 star quality content there. In the end entire characters, subplots, and other development were completely abandoned or had a poor resolution. Most of the conflicts leading up to the end were known hundreds of chapters in advance but no one prepared for it in any significant way. The way the novel ended was horrible:... more>>

Spoiler

A bunch of plot irrelevant action/adventure sequences led to a deus ex machina + tragedy. The last few paragraphs were a forced undo for a contrived 'happy' (happier than the previous tragedy anyway) ending.

Whatever was inside the main black box was never revealed.


Han Fei became a repeatedly betrayed hero who begged his enemies and doubters to please believe in him so could be more able to sacrifice himself for them.
His ghost family and friends were rarely featured in the last 300 chapters. The "romance" consisted of flirting a couple times, getting married and then apparently forgetting they got married, and sporadic 'what Han Fei likes me?!' between Evil Soul and Xu Qin.
[collapse]

The worst parts of this novel were
Spoiler

Orphan 002, who has super intelligence and repeatedly attempts to kill/harms Han Fei. Han Fei blindly follows 002's lead, sometimes even against his own ideals and morals. Han Fei essentially becomes a near robotic system (002) s*ave that does whatever he's told without ANY reasonable explanation.

[collapse]

Spoiler

Last chapter quote: Night enveloped the night. The doors at Immortal Pharma closed after Han Fei entered it. Only a limited number of people could enter through special methods.


Han Fei trusted Xin Lu Police a lot, but even Li Xue was told to wait outside the lab door. Li Xue wanted to be there, but her superior told her that handing Han Fei over was part of the 'deal'.
"We've done everything we could. We leave the rest to fate."

This idiotic self sacrificing, no pragmatism at all protagonist 🤦‍♂️

[collapse]

Old review at ch 168:

Spoiler

A wildly incompetent attempt to mimic My House of Horrors with some original plot points. If you read this expecting either quality or original writing you're going to be disappointed. Additionally, this isn't a horror story it's an action thriller.

[collapse]
<<less
3 Likes · Like Permalink | Report
wonyoung
wonyoung rated it
April 21, 2022
Status: c490
Take my review with a grain of salt since I never really venture into the horror/thriller genres. I personally haven't really found this particularly scary which works for me since I didn't want to get scared. It was only until the supermarket (10 fingers) and plastic surgery arcs that I found the novel a tad bit scary. I think it's going to be getting scarier as it goes on, but so far it hasn't really made me feel that I won't be able to sleep or made me feel anxious... more>> or something because I know everything is going to work out for MC and friends. Plus since it's all textual my mind doesn't imagine super scary scenes. To me it has felt more like an interesting action/adventure with horror elements.

Actually, this novel is quite heartwarming and funny, and I like it for that, it is healing. Who would've thought a horror novel would inspire me. I am someone really sensitive to thrilling scenes, they make me really nervous. But the feeling that this novel gives me is mostly positive.

Tbh the only annoyance I've had with this novel is how in one of the chapters I read recently he behaved oddly, like your typical CN LN face slapping MC, it made me roll my eyes. Did the author really need to add such a cheap scene?
Spoiler

Some actor wanted to make him drink (toast) and MC challenged him to a handshake contest and ended up cracking his bones and making him kneel. Like am I suddenly reading an urban cultivator novel? It pissed me off lol, that doesn't suit his image.

[collapse]

It also has some plot holes (example from c7 in spoiler) but whatever, it's still a fun read.
Spoiler

Like when he told Li Xue (an officer) about Granny Meng, it never made sense to me how he even 1) made her look her up and even give him info about her findings 2) how did he even assume that she was real (he met Granny Meng in a video game) 3) it's just really weird

[collapse]

I MTLed some chapters because I'm broke and although it's understandable it hit me that it wasn't worth it since the novel isn't even finished. I'd recommend to just read along with the translator and if you really liked it their patreon is up to date with the raws and has probably +200 chapters. I've liked it enough though, I will be keeping up with this. <<less
1 Likes · Like Permalink | Report
Decarabia
Decarabia rated it
December 17, 2021
Status: c241
I skimmed past this novel after the early 100s because it quickly reached the same point it got into My House of Horrors from the same author. That is to say, a transition from horror to action with horror elements.

This actually had the potential to be better than My House of Horrors despite not managing to reach to its heels in the horror department, simply because the author used the "MC abnormal from the start" card much earlier, at around chapter 70 or so. As a horror story I would... more>> give it 2-3 stars, but it could be a 5 on action if author didn't force MC to go to the other world every night. That made MC quickly accustomed to the other world, whereas in MHoH it burnt much slower. The police interactions are also noticeably more interesting when compared to the other novel.

Another bad element is the fact it is placed in a VR game, but the system itself is quite pointless. That's likely to circumvent the problems with supernatural novels in China, nevertheless it leaves a bad taste.

The stories are very interesting, it's well written and the characters are likeable, but it doesn't really change anything from the previous novel. The only reason I still rate it 4 stars is because it is more honest on what it sets to become, whereas in MHoH it is just disappointing that it turned out like that. <<less
1 Likes · Like Permalink | Report
Raestloz
Raestloz rated it
July 27, 2023
Status: c298
My Healing Game is, basically, a journey of Resident Evil from 1 to 4

The story starts with the protagonist getting dropped into a horror world where he needs to use everything in his power to barely survive. It's entertaining and the atmosphere is horrific. The characters are great and relatable, here's a man who just wants to survive but the world won't let him

As you continue reading, the protagonist started gaining more powers. He stopped being a relatable character, the reader's connection strictly limited to the emotional investment into the... more>> character. He started gaining powerful skills, he started fighting more, things gradually moved from survival horror where every horrific detail added to the mystique, to an action adventure where the horrific details are basically backdrops to show how "scary" it is supposed to be, but it's so over the top it just doesn't register anymore. A drip of blood is horrifying, a sea of blood is just setting the mood

Beyond that, the story is good enough. The Butterfly provides the goal for the protagonist to keep going. I personally prefer a Case Closed style where each case is its own issue but this works too

Even if you don't like "scary" stuff, My Healing Game can still work, because at some point it stopped beint survival horror. Do give it a try <<less
0 Likes · Like Permalink | Report
Shaiole
Shaiole rated it
March 8, 2022
Status: c414
Vibes very similar to authors other famous work. MHoH

Horror novels doesnt really scare me due to lack of visuals and sounds. But it can be really creepy.

This horror novels has multiple chapters. There will be creepy moments, funny momments, sometimes you will even feel the slice of life genre. This novel will have crime solving thrilling moments, and heart warming, sometimes grief inducing moments.

Overall it is good. And recommended to read. A good amount of creativity is needed to create a work like this. Most reviews just shrugs the VR... more>> parts saying its is just to go around Chinese censorship on supernatural elements. But I thinks it is really creative. Not much litrpg horror themed novels.

That said, some parts are a bit lacking. Since it is VR, the MC can sometimes choose to logout. With restrictions of course. But this feels like some s*upid plot armor sometimes. When he logs out, he would research and prepare his best not to die. It's like glancing at exam questions then going back home to study. One time he even logout to check his answer sheet.

Our MC is an actor, with talent that were hone with life and death. Although, I liked reading his Real Life parts. The pacing feels too fast. Although he can one take a shot fast. Movie feels that it is produced too quickly to match the maps he is exploring in the game. It is nice that the MC can cooperate with the police without much police drama. But it feels like the MC is litterally paying the police their salaries. When MC asks a question Police can answer within the day (before he logs ingame ofcourse). If they are this good and fast, how come they couldn't solve 10+ year old cases. Then police guards him all the time. Maybe the MC is more higher ranking policeman or a detective than an actor. <<less
0 Likes · Like Permalink | Report
camperment
camperment rated it
March 1, 2022
Status: c639
There's a lot of similarities in terms of world-building in My Iyashikei Game and My House of Horrors. The difference is probably MC's motive, Chen Ge chose the black phone to find his parents, Han Fei was chosen by the black box so he just trying to survive. Hm, black phone, black box...

Compared to MHOH, My Iyashikei is far less scary. Probably because it featured VR game type of thing, so I'm inclined to perceive this novel as unlimited flow not as horror. Despite all, I still enjoy it. Pretty... more>> good adventure and action I'd say. Rating 3.5/5.0 <<less
0 Likes · Like Permalink | Report
Gsichtselfmeter
Gsichtselfmeter rated it
February 2, 2022
Status: c340
This is a superbly written and translated novel that is fun to read. The horror world is dark and grim, the ghosts are diverse, and the many human-ghost interactions are very funny ... more>>
Spoiler

Did you like the ghost I brought you?

[collapse]
. Still I can't give it more than 4 stars.

The author put all his (or her) energy into the VR parts, the IRL storyline is bland and the IRL world has terrible world-building. And no, calling it a "photon computer" doesn't solve anything.
Spoiler

Apparently the police has lie-detection apps on their phones, there is face-detection everywhere, everyone has their DNA collected in a gouvernment database, and the "photon" computers can calculate the ranking of actors based on social media monitoring. And then all the crimes are banal, bland and with aforementioned high-tech easily solve-able.

[collapse]

Then there is the whole acting thing. Yes, its great that the MC doesn't care, but I do! All the real world interactions just feel like an after thought. Hail the police, meh the rest.

Lastly I didn't talk about stats.
Spoiler

The MC only levels his "strength" and can ignore the rest. Worst of all, he has super-memory from the start. And it lets him survive the a few times. Not likeable.

[collapse]

From an authors perspective, I would not have separated VR and IRL that much. Compare it to "My House of Horros", where the MC can put real humans into the ghost world easily. And then look at all the hoops the MC in this novel has to do the same. Also, the MC should play the "real" VR game and have some juicy interactions there. Lvl 10 tr*shes lvl 80s or something. Or being able to call ghosts. We know nothing about the "real" VR game. <<less
0 Likes · Like Permalink | Report
Leave a Review (Guidelines)
You must be logged in to rate and post a review. Register an account to get started.