Killer Frequency (PlayStation 5)
Official GBAtemp Review
Product Information:
- Release Date (NA): June 1, 2023
- Release Date (EU): June 1, 2023
- Publisher: Team 17
- Developer: Team 17
- Genres: Horror
- Also For: Nintendo Switch, Virtual Reality, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S
Game Features:
Killer frequency came out to not much furore at all. I saw the game in my local stores and knew next to nothing about it, so once I was offered the opportunity to check it out for review, I jumped at the chance to engage in something unknown.
Killer Frequency is made by Team17 (Escapists, Overcooked, Worms) and Fireshine games (Dredge, Sniper Elite 5, Descenders, Blasphemous) so the caliber of game they produce are pre-established as solid puzzle games with cerebral elements, and twists galore.
Creepy, 80s' Aesthetic, and Incredibly Well Voiced
You start the game in a tutorial section, wandering the streets interacting with items and learning the controls, all the while I was thinking "Hold on, am I going to be the killer?!". Alas no, you are about to become the unwitting middleman between the police department and the victims as they call in for your assistance and guidance on your radio show. Playing as Forrest Nash, and assisted by Peggy, you assume the guise of "your friendly neighbourhood radio host" on 189.16 "The Scream" with the most upbeat attitude to listening into the acts of a serial killer you will ever find.
The premise is simple: the callers call in, you acquire information and advise them on how to survive their homicidal ordeals while you spin the wheels of steel and maintain your show. When the call comes in, the bulb lights up, and you answer the phone in order to gain information and make decisions to save the various callers from a known serial killer: The Whistling Man!
Slasher Movie Vibes and Nostalgic Nods
The vocal styling of Forrest put me in mind of Penn Badgley's Joe Goldberg in the TV series You with the dulcet tones, and the solid performance. But I later discovered that it's none other than Josh Cowdery voicing Forrest! Overall the voice performances in this game are superb and really build on the retro aesthetic the developers have built. The subtle background whistling sounds build tension as you realise that something is about to go down, and you find yourself utterly sucked in and gripped.
Leslie and Deputy Martinez is the first case you will be thrown into and it establishes the fact that you are the point of contact for the police and callers in need of assistance. It's a simple game of quick time event button pressing to answer the questions in an attempt to save lives on the phone over the air. I won't spoil anything through this review, but your actions have consequences and your attention span is tested--a lot.
Later on, you engage with other callers, Maurice, Marie, Eugine, Carrie, Teddy, Ricky, Maxy, and Jason: a lot of familiar names to most horror fans!
Case By Case, Call By Call
Each case requires you to head out, skulking around the building, to find tidbits of information that can help you make informed choices as to how to guide your caller. In some cases, you have to read up on notes, emails, and manuals, and navigate maps and charts in order to pass along good info because sharing too much bad info risks the killer hunting down your caller and slaughtering them in various intricate ways.
Building a hub at the radio station, you literally assemble a murder wall with scrapbook pieces of data, maps, pictures and various informational publications. Laying them out and visualising them is useful in understanding the locations, and the tasks being described to you over the phone and help you understand what on earth is going on even though you aren't there with them.
You also have to deal with notes, tapes, records and the flow of the show, which means you will be chucking on tracks for listeners in the background whilst you solve issues at hand with Peggy in the station. Sometimes you have to search for items like fuses and solve small puzzles which breaks up the narrative-driven vocal sections, but there isn't a lot of them, and I would have liked to see more puzzle elements.
Intriguing and Gripping Throughout
Killer Frequency is an interesting title, which plays out really well given its rather limited setting and conversational pacing. I would have loved this to be playable in PSVR2, as it's also available on Quest 2, but ultimately the gameplay doesn't need to be a VR experience and works just fine as a first-person mystery title.
The game plays much like a point-and-click adventure for the most part, as there is a lot of fetching and collating, but zero gunplay and absolutely no traditional first-person combat action you might wish for. With this in mind, the pace is quite slow for the most part, with small crescendos in pressure when you're put on the spot and have to think your way out of a situation that is developing remotely through the quick time event character responses.
I enjoyed the experience throughout, it was somewhat of a rollercoaster, not too scary, but just spooky and cryptic enough to keep you guessing all the way to the end. The ending was A-typical for what I was expecting, but the twists along the way were quite clever and I really couldn't call exactly how it was going to end. I'm glad that it has been crafted in such a way that there is scope for a sequel to this title!
Verdict
- Comedy horror at its nostalgic best
- Four endings to find
- Fantastic voice acting throughout
- Left open for a sequel
- Just under 5 hours of gameplay all told
- Very few jump-scares
- No PSVR2 compatibility
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