After terrorizing the entire audience of Steam, survival horror by Protocol Games titled Song of Horror is ready to make Sony players jump out of their seats too: we tried the game on PlayStation 4 and we are ready to tell you ours with this review.
Song of Horror review: survival horror lands on PS4
Song of Horror is a survival horror in terza persona a episodi made by the Spanish studio Protocol Games and released in 2019 on Steam. In Deluxe Edition, available in June on PlayStation 4, players will have available all five episodes released on Steam. Furthermore this version, distributed by Meridiem Games, will contain not only the game but also one series of precious collectible items.
Our adventure begins with Daniel, the first protagonist who will accompany us on this harrowing journey. As soon as he returns home from work, tired and heartbroken, Daniel gets a sudden call from his boss: Sebastian Husher, a famous writer who collaborates with his agency, he suddenly disappeared along with his entire family.
For Daniel, who was hoping not to get a call on a Friday night, it's just yet another problem little account. He doesn't really know what awaits him inside the large mansion of Mr. Husher.
Once he arrives at the scene, Daniel realizes that there is something wrong. The environment is completely surrounded bydarkness, there is no light, chaos reigns supreme e there is no shortage of disturbing noises to accompany him along the corridors.
Also found scattered around the house letters e Tickets which refer to one strange music box recently donated to the family by a colleague of Sebastian. Daniel's job is therefore to find out what is going on and he will have to deal with The presence, a fearsome adversary who hides in the darkest corners of the house and that it will show itself to us when we least expect it.
This enemy is unlike any we've ever fought before because The Presence is a 'Advanced AI and actively reacts to our actions e decisions, adapting to the gameplay.
Daniel is just the first of several characters that we will control within this episodic adventure. Different characters but all with the same goal: find out what happened to the writer Husher, his family and also our Daniel. As we all know the boy, after going to the writer's house to have a look around, he never came back.
What happens inside this mansion and what happened to the characters, including Daniel?
A house full of details and a cold and eerie atmosphere
Song of Horror hits right away. The first element that catches the eye and that, in a certain sense, made us smile are the various levels of difficulty: in this game they were named as some of the greatest horror writers in history, come Edgar Allan Poe e H.P. Lovecraft.
This detail made us smile, yes, but at the same time there has restless and offered a short preview of what awaits us within the walls he corners of the Husher mansion. As soon as we arrive inside the house, in the role of Daniel, we realize together with him that there is something strange about it.
The whole environment was crafted down to the smallest detail and it's characterized by numerous objects which make the mansion well furnished and particular. We have the opportunity to analyze objects present inside and get an idea of who the missing person is and also their family members.
The tranquility, however, as you can imagine, does not last long. As soon as we enter the house, they start to feel sounds, suoni sides and you are wrapped in one heavy cold atmosphere, disturbing, terrifying. The sound sector plays a fundamental role within Song of Horror and we recommend you pay particular attention to every little sound.
As you go forward, however, everything turns out to be strange e incomprehensible. So let's find out how to best move within this place that seems to be infinite.
The Song of Horror review: puzzles and exploration
One of the aspects that best characterizes the game is the presence of puzzles e puzzles to solve. You spend most of your time ad explore the surrounding environment and collect and examine objects. There are also occasions when it is necessary to better analyze the items in our inventory because some they can be combined with others and use them to proceed forward.
The puzzles are many e different among them. Told in this way it seems simple but what makes our exploration complicated is The Presence. At the beginning we say that it will stay a little on its own, it will scare us but not too much. It almost seems like he wants warn us e push us to abandon research and that house.
Later our enemy becomes more present and dangerous. He never attacks us directly but he does it through some tricks of the trade. We have available two methods to save our skin during these meetings: to win a test of strength (for example to prevent him from opening a door) or by hiding.
In these situations we have to overcome some minigames that will test our skills. In this part of the game it is necessary find out e keep the pace right otherwise we risk losing the patience and yes, even the life - of our character, of course.
Characters with different pasts and similar fates
Another particular aspect that characterizes the game and makes it interesting are the characters that we will go to check in the course of the episodes. Through the use of multiple players, we are able to to live e understand la story through their eyes: this means that we will have available different points of view on the same topic.
Clues and history are analyzed differently, by completely different people from each other. This aspect is really interesting and intriguing because makes the plot even more captivatingAlways new, characterized by a few more elements that perhaps had escaped us before.
Each character is connected to each other in a different way: each of them has their own past but they all share the same destiny. Also, as we mentioned earlier, The Presence acts on our decisions. Our actions and decisions shape the surrounding environment and it is amazing to see this process up close.
You are probably wondering now: What happens if my character dies? The answer is simple. If you die the story is resumed with another character, continuing the investigation. This element makes the gaming experience even more viva e brim.
How is it possible to continue the investigation with the clues of another individual? It is up to you to find the answer to this question.
READ ALSO: Song of Horror arrives on PlayStation (and soon on Xbox)
The verdict of this Song of Horror review
Song of Horror is different from its survival horror brothers and you can already see it from the trailer: it is a title that offers aanxious atmosphere e heavy in continuous growth, reaching sudden heights when we least expect it. The possibility of being able to play all the episodes without forced interruptions it increases even more this tension that we perceive within the game.
However, we recommend that you make the most of this experience, taking breaks when required. In some ways the title is extremely heavy, so the breaks will also serve to give you time to carburetor what you have just seen.
The ability to explore and analyze history from various angles make it the plot even more engaging.
However there are some defects, for example the woody movement of the characters e some unsuccessful shots. In the long run they can be quite annoying. Also there are some characters that leave something to be desired graphically speaking but frankly it's the minor problem.
Despite some minor flaws, Song of Horror pass selection and proves to be a worthy component of the team survival horror.
The story turns out to be mysterious e endearing until the end: also with The Presence it will be impossible getting bored. Of course, though, it will make you jump out of your chair over and over again so make sure you put gods on floor cushions, just to mitigate the fall.
For more information we advise you to consult the official website.
PRO
- Intriguing history and creepy atmosphere
- "Stressful" mini-games at the right point
- Various and well-structured puzzles
- Fascinating and detailed setting
AGAINST
- Woody movements of the characters
- The graphic transposition of some characters leaves something to be desired
Song of Horror - Deluxe Edition - Special - PlayStation 4
- Horror
- Procedural
