Video Game Review - Song of Horror

Rob reviews Song of Horror on Xbox One...

Horror films have lost their ways in recent years. I remember the first time I watched Halloween I was terrified, which lead to a hilarious routine in checking the cupboards and closets every night for one Michael Myers...age ratings are there for a reason! 

Anyway, modern horror is more akin to an action movie than horror. It seems to be a game of "who dies the most gruesome?" before the lead character find their inner strength to defeat whatever it is that's butchering their friends.

Song of Horror is a game that fully embraces its horror roots. Taking what the genre does best - a large ensemble of characters, cutthroat tension, and a lot of terror. Throughout its 5 chapters, you'll take control of this cast as they attempt to survive the ordeal at hand. Of course, not everyone is going to survive and with each death, the tension rises. With permadeath fully in play, once the final character falls to the darkness - it's back to the start to try again. 

The plot of Song of Horror is a simple yet very well-executed affair. The story tells the tale of writer Sebastian Husher who's gone missing with his entire family. The game-opening centres on one of Husher's assistants who goes to look for the writer at the family home. It's not long before things start to go wrong and the unfortunate assistant is lured to the basement by an otherworldly melody. Others soon come in search of the now missing assistant and the Husher family but are also caught in the web, as a mysterious entity is known as "The Presence" makes itself known. 

On paper, it most certainly comes across as a narrative that's been seen many times before. Yet, Song of Horror keeps you guessing right up to its conclusion. There's plenty of exposition throughout the game which is told via telephone recordings and plenty of documents that are laying about. It's a great way of telling the story whilst keeping what's happening on the screen at the forefront while these glimpses of past events build upon the sense of dread. It also feels much on par with what was seen within the original Resident Evil, you get a small glimpse as to what could be going on, yet you don't get the full scope until the end of the journey. 

Speaking of Resident Evil, Song of Horror could be mistaken for a foray into that universe. The game features third-person gameplay which is played from a fixed-camera position. There's also plenty of puzzles throughout the narrative too. These are also very much inspired by those seen in Resident Evil. While some require items found within the environment, others ask you to pick up on subtle clues left in various documents to solve them. It does mean that Song of Horror requires your attention at all times. It's very easy to miss the smaller details which can come back to haunt you later. 

The entity which chases you throughout the journey is a true terror. Attacks can happen at any time and are different with each playthrough. The tell-tale sign that the Presence is close is your character's heartbeat. The Presence can also attack you in various ways with each being different to the last. There are a few quick-time events when the Presence does attack. These vary from having to press buttons to control your heartbeat, to stopping the ominous darkness from creeping through an open door. My personal favourite - more so because I fell for the ruse - is the crying figure. The random nature of these encounters does serve to keep the suspense, especially if you've had to restart the current chapter. Not knowing where or even when the Presence will come at you leads to some pretty heart-racing moments.

As you can imagine, death plays a big part in both Song of Horror's narrative and its gameplay. If the unfortunate does happen and your current character bites the dust, then they're gone for the remainder of the game. You're then left in the shoes of another as you carry on from where the previous character left off. Thankfully you're able to scavenge the dead character's equipment which seems a little morbid, but anything to survive right!? If everyone dies then regardless of the permadeath, you'll just restart the current chapter again. The permadeath option can seem a little unfair but it's a wonderful way of building tension, and certainly stacks the odds of surviving against you. 

The only real downside to Song of Horror is that it doesn't currently benefit from having Xbox Series X|S enhancements. It's not a major problem as the game's visuals are impressive anyway. The claustrophobic atmosphere is enhanced by both the fixed camera and the levels of lighting. There's plenty of shadows for the Presence to attack from and you get the real sense that anything can happen at any time. I fully recommend experiencing Song of Horror with a decent pair of headphones too. The small sound details certainly up the dread with plenty of subtle noises that will certainly make you wonder what's lurking ahead of you. 

All in all, Song of Horror is a brilliant horror game. Much akin to Outlast, you feel a sense of foreboding throughout as anytime could certainly end up being the characters last. The choice of camera angles feels nostalgic, yet works wonders in heightening the tension. Each character is also well represented by voice actors who both suit the role and take it seriously. If you are a fan of dark horror, with plenty of scares then Song of Horror is most certainly a game worthy of experiencing. 

Rating 9/10

A code was kindly provided by the publisher for this review. 

Song of Horror is available now and can be purchased via the Microsoft Store by clicking here.

Rob Lake - For more comic book and video game chat why not follow Geek Culture Reviews on Twitter and Facebook @GeekCultureRev