
Damn You, Muscle Memory!: The camera button was mapped to the Triangle button, rather than the Square button as it had been done previously. Cutting Off the Branches: Mafuyu staying with Kirie and Mayu dying are made the clear, canon ending for the previous two games, respectively. And Tattoo Priestesses that end up failing have their tattooed skin ripped off and left inside the Kuze Manor to be worshipped, while the priestess' body is sent onward. Then she gets staked alive in the Chamber of Thorns and left to 'sleep'. The Tattoo Priestess gets her body covered in tattoos as she takes on more and more pain from other people, until everything is covered up and she cannot take on anymore. The events of the previous two games are frequently referenced, with their sections of the manor including rooms from Himuro mansion and Minakami village, and establishing a running timeline. Continuity Nod: This game connects the previous games, as the playable characters include the protagonist from the first game and the uncle of the protagonists from the second game.
Cat Scare: After having a dream about a ghost encounter in the attic, the protagonist can go downstairs and open a closet, at which point Miku's cat will leap out.The cutscene also shows the advancement of her Holly Tattoo. It serves as a mechanic to show that the "Hour" of the game has been completed, and the game is progressing. Catapult Nightmare: Rei awakens from the night spent in the Manor of Sleep this way.
This doesn't stop her from potentially being the strongest character in the game.
Boring, but Practical: Miku's Camera Obscura only has the Sacred Stone and Double as combat functions. Rei and Miku, and Kei in the Good Ending, learn to keep on living, despite their painful losses. Rei and Yuu get one final moment together at the Rift, but Yuu cannot come back to life and he insists that Rei continue to live on. Bittersweet Ending: Reika and Kaname are sent onward, with the spirits of the other deceased moving on, too.