Order Up!: Get spooked with Song of Horror
By Rae
As I’ve admitted before, I have a problem when it comes toscary games. I love them – give me spooky, creepy, dark, tense atmospheres andstories, please! – but I don’t love being chased, or cheap monsters runningafter you down hallways. I want to be truly scared and spooked – not sentrunning away from zombies and ghosts. That’s why Spooktober – otherwise knownas the excuse so many of us gamers take to heavily focus on horror games andmedia – was kind of a challenge for me. I was looking for atmospheric horror.The kinds of things that make your heart go wild with anxiety as you debatewhether or not to open a door. The kinds of things that keep you on the edge ofyour seat. And, specifically, the kinds of things that do that without throwinga cheap, easy monster running down the hallway into the mix. (As a disclaimer,I do still enjoy survival horror with zombies and spooks and demons and such –it’s just not really my first choice).
As such, I was a little apprehensive when one of my colleagues pinged me to ask if I wanted to play Protocol Games’ Song of Horror – a fresh new game promising to be a truly terrifying experience. But it promised Lovecraftian overtones, a spooky house, and plenty of tense atmosphere and so, the night before Halloween, I found myself ready, in costume, to jump into the uncomfortable investigation of a missing writer and his family.
This is definitely a game best played blind, so I’ll keepthe story as under wraps as possible. If you want to know literally nothingabout the game except if it’s worth playing, here’s the tl;dr: Song of Horroris an excellent horror game, especially if you’re more about atmosphere thanchase scenes. It is episodic, and it does rely on some quicktime events, so ifeither of those are dealbreakers for you, you’ve been warned. If they’re not,go pick it up and enjoy your blind playthrough! If you want to know more andaren’t worried about having a little of the story and atmosphere revealed, feelfree to keep reading.
You’ll start the game as Daniel, returning home on a Fridaynight to your empty apartment (with way too many dirty dishes – Daniel,please). Unfortunately, your weekend is delayed by everyone’s true worstnightmare – a call from your boss. Sebastian P Husher – one of your famed writers– seems to have gone MIA. He hasn’t contacted his editor or anyone else. Hisfamily hasn’t been heard from. Something seems to be amiss. You’re tasked withgoing to his house to check for them and make sure all is well. Unfortunately…you don’t quite make it back.
From here, you’ll have a choice of characters to send out toinvestigate the Husher house. Each one has different strengths, weaknesses, andviewpoints, which adds a nice touch to the game. Daniel’s colleague, forexample, will have completely different commentary from the Husher household’shired help.
There are three things that I really love about Song ofHorror.
The first is that permadeath works a little differently herethan in other games. Your characters can die, and when they do they’re goneforever. However… that doesn’t mean your investigation is over. You’ll have theopportunity to pick your next character, who will pick up the investigationwhere it left off. Thankfully, all their items and hard work will still bethere, but be careful… once you’re out of characters, the mystery of the Hushermansion will remain unsolved. It’s a formula that takes all the pressure ofpermadeath and adds an interesting twist. I didn’t ever want to die – I gotattached to my characters and wanted to get them through. On the other hand, Ialso looked forward to having the opportunity to see what another charactermight say and think. It adds a depth we don’t often get to see, especially inhorror.
It also forces you to stay focused and aware. Remember all those times when, during a horror movie or game, you told yourself "I'd never do that if I were in this situation!"? Congratulations! It's your time to shine! Here's your chance to not go through the obviously dangerous door. Video games are so often a "what's the worst that could happen?" environment, so it's interesting - and a little stressful - to be forced to take your whole predicament very seriously and cautiously.
The second is the incredible atmosphere that Sound of Horrorsets us in. What’s actually lurking in the Husher mansion? You’ll never reallysee a monster, a zombie, or a demon. Sometimes you might see the hint of aghost. But nothing is really… chasing you. Still, something is certainly huntingyou. Referred to only as the Presence, Song of Horror’s antagonist is astrange, intangible being which lurks throughout the house. We never quite seeit – only strange glimpses or sounds. Hands might reach through a door or youmight listen at a entrance to a room and realize something is in there.Its lack of form is more terrifying than any monster – you never know how itwill manifest or where. Your only hope is to carefully listen and look forcues, and use common sense as you explore.
However, the Presence will adapt to you as you explore,resulting in a rather tailored experience to each player. I haven’t playedenough to see differences yet, but I’ve heard other players mention that asecond playthrough was lacking something they thought was scripted, or that eventswent entirely differently the second time around. I never really knew what wascoming, or when, or where. The end result is a tense, frightening atmospherethat never quite lets up. You’re never truly safe.
When the Presence does find you, you’ll usually get aquicktime event to help you survive the encounter. You may have to keep yourcharacter calm, shove a nearly-bursting door closed, or hide in a closet. Someencounters are fatal no matter what – which is why listening at doors isincredibly important. If you know something is strange about the room you’reabout to enter, maybe you should go look elsewhere for the time being….
The game doesn’t just throw you into a scary area with a weaponand send monsters around every corner. Instead it invites you to be part of thestory. You’ll have to explore deep through the house – maybe even in places you’vealready been – in order to uncover secrets and unlock areas. It’s an incredibleatmosphere that truly feels like being in an oldschool horror story – the Lovecraftianvibes of madness, mystery, and cosmic horror are immersive and engrossing.
The third thing is a detail that I don’t tend to notice ingames because even though it’s important, it’s sometimes taken for granted –Song of Horror has amazing sound design. The footsteps and creaking floors are constantlyinterrupted by discomforting noises in the far distance. The house is neverreally perfectly silent, but when it is it’s almost creepier. The sound design isas immersive as the story, lighting, and other details that usually draw you infirst.
The gameplay is third-person, with constantly shiftingcamera angles. In another game I might think they’re messy, but in Song of Horrorthey simply serve to make the experience more disorienting – something I thinkreally works. The fixed camera angles and third person are a lovely littlecallback to classics such as Silent Hill. As you explore, you’ll need to solvean occasional puzzle (such as getting an appliance running again) and searchout items to help you proceed. In a game where the Presence is always randomlylurking throughout the mansion, even just searching for a screwdriver can be adaunting task. You can set the game on three different difficulties (allfeaturing the names of famous horror creators, which was a lovely touch),though be warned that you may not be able to undo it – I changed to easy at onepoint to get a feel for how it might be different and was never able to turn itback.
I played this on controller, which feels fantastic andbrings the added experience of tremors and rumblings to the game. Near danger?You might feel it start to shake in your hands. It’s a small detail that madeit worth skipping mouse and keyboard for – and that I think probably will bebeneficial for most players.
I played a lot of really incredible games this October, butSong of Horror was definitely the highlight and one that I can’t wait to getback to playing. I’ve still got some of episode 1 to go, and have episode 2downloaded, so I’m hoping to dive back in soon. Hopefully you’re sold as well –it’s a game worth playing if you love spooky atmosphere, Lovecraft, or justhorror in general.
Ready to get spooked? Check out Song of Horror episode 1 on Steam!
Order Up! is a weekly column featuring indie-focusedreviews, news, or interviews! We like old games just as much as new ones andare always looking for something to check out. Have a game recommendation, aproject, or a company you want to talk about? Email me atrae@thegeeklygrind.com or find me on Twitter @ArcanaChance