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Song of Horror


 Song of Horror revolves around Daniel Noyer's quest to locate the missing Sebastian P. Husher, unveiling the mysterious phenomenon of vanishing when exposed to the sound of a music box. Accompany Daniel as he endures anxiety-inducing environments, such as residential houses, a university, and an antique shop, among others, to uncover clues crucial to solving the enigma. Each episode introduces a fixed number of characters, typically four, but beware, losing all of them results in game over, necessitating a restart of the episode.

 


Recommended by a fellow streamer, this game was described to embody everything I adore about choice-based genres, but with a twist. However, from the beginning, it became apparent that "choices" took a secondary role in gameplay mechanics, placing more emphasis on puzzles, quick time events, and narrative exploration. Having now completed the game, I found certain aspects appealing, but overall, I grew weary and eager for its conclusion by the time I reached the final episode.


The game excels at generating a constant sense of suspense, implementing recurring ghostly encounters that ultimately lead to challenging quick time events. Nevertheless, with each subsequent event, the difficulty of survival increases. If revisiting previous areas to retrieve items is not your preference, be aware that this constitutes the entirety of the gameplay. The quick time events themselves vary in nature, some proving more annoying than others. Notably, the heartbeat mini game frequently failed to register my inputs, resulting in my character's demise. Frustrated by repetitive arcade-style button mashing and having to replay episodes due to what seemed like unfair deaths, I swiftly lost interest in the game. 

As if that wasn't enough, the game penalizes you for prolonging the survival of your characters. Consequently, you find yourself meticulously scouring each level, swiftly gathering essential story elements to expedite their demise, leaving little else to accomplish for the remaining characters. Although this tactic may appear useful, the game diligently tracks your deaths and progress, anticipating your subsequent playthrough.


Albeit the criticism, the game introduces a unique gameplay mechanic of eavesdropping on spirits lurking behind closed doors. You have to listen closely to any notable sounds that come from the other side, so you know not to enter. Opening a door and encountering a spirit instantly results in death, necessitating cautious checking of doors whenever feasible. Also, the timing of the jump scares was skillfully balanced, catching me off guard on numerous occasions. Taking advantage of the fixed camera angles, you'd walk into a new room, and in the next frame see a figure closing a door or appearing for a quick glance and then disappearing instantaneously. The creepiest of the mechanics: seeing a dead playable character crying in the middle of a room. What happens next? You'll have to play to find out!


Song of Horror initially hooked me with its story premise, intrigued me with its innovative gameplay mechanic, and peeved me with its quick time events and cheap deaths. It was an interesting journey to experience, but not one I'd revisit. If you're looking to experience a never-ending nightmare where you're mashing the controls, so you don't have to redo mundane tasks, and the payoff comes with the game finally being over, then this is your game.


6/10 



 

 

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