REVIEW: Song of Horror Complete Edition

A few years back, if you asked me about reviewing horror games, I would have laughed because horror movies are something that I was not a big fan of. The idea that I was in control of the events, and that full immersion was too much was what it was. After diving into Alien: Isolation's deep end, I find it much easier to get my hands into horror games. Song of Horror was scary at times, but I found it to be relatively easy (...mostly.

Spanish developer Protocol Games worked hard to get the survival-horror video game Song of Horror online. After a failed Kickstarter campaign in 2015, the team worked hard to make it happen. The first two episodes were released on Steam in October 2019, with the fifth and final chapter coming out in May 2020. The horror is now available on consoles as a single package with all five episodes.

Song of Horror tells the story of a respected writer who mysteriously vanishes from his home. After his publisher sends an investigator to his house, he too disappears. Your job is to discover the truth. You will soon discover that these strange happenings are connected to an ominous music container that houses a dark entity known only as The Presence.

You will find The Presence in various places as you travel. It is most noticeable through the creepy sounds and black marks on walls. The fear is constant throughout the game and often comes when you least expect.

There are thirteen character choices throughout the game. Each chapter offers a new set of characters to choose from. These options can change depending on who has died in an episode. This game has perma death. However, it's not too bad. Once you die, you can choose another character. They can then take your backpack and continue your mission. If you do end up killing all your characters, you will have to restart the episode with what I call "perma perma-death".

Perma-death is something I don't like in games. It makes me anxious, and I don't have enough time or patience to go through the same thing over and over. It works in Song of Horror. Because you're given chances. However, I got the perma-perma death despite having four chances. I had to start over. Here are my thoughts on the game's minor flaws and how you can get killed.

The game warns you well and gives you mechanisms to avoid death. For example, you can listen to the door and see the multitude of hiding places. You can also fight against The Presence to stop it from forcing its way through the door. There are instances when the game can almost trick you into accepting death. For example, you might find a girl crying in an attic. She will give you a collectable if you interact with her and then vanishes. A few minutes later, a crying man appears in another room. However, this time, you interact with him and you're dead.

This mechanic was both a pleasure and a bit of annoyance for me. There is a way that you can get out of trouble no matter how careful or cautious you may be. To review this game quickly, I needed to do a walkthrough after my first perma-death. There are many instances where something so simple can lead to death.

The biggest question I had when I first started Song of Horror, was "Will this be scary?". It has a very creepy soundscape throughout the game, which is especially effective when you can hear your character’s heartbeat after a slight sound or knock. Although there's nothing particularly frightening happening, it really increases the tension. It's also great to feel uneasy about the surroundings. I remember a moment when a photograph made my hair stand on its own.

One thing I will say about the scariness of this game is that it has a few jump-scares. Although I used to hate jump-scares in the past, I believe they are lazy and cheap. But I will admit that most of the jump-scares found in Song of Horror are used well and have some payoff.

The gameplay is Resident Evil, from the fixed camera to the 'get that object to do this thing'. The game works well for its story and there is plenty of wandering around to realize you need to be somewhere else. This keeps the tension high, as there's a desire to complete the tasks to escape this dark place. Although the puzzles can be a bit confusing at times, they are still quite enjoyable. I'm sure anyone familiar with games like Resident Evil will find the overall gameplay easy.

Song of Horroris in need of improvement. This is especially true for the facial animations which are very poor. Voice acting can also be improved, but it feels stiff and unprofessional at times. This is an indie game, so it doesn't have a lot of dialogue or cutscenes. However, I can understand their plight.

A few bugs were found, such as the torch hanging from a character's shoulder and the wall texture jumping out at half the screen. The rest of the game looks fantastic, and the environment design is excellent. There's a lot of detail that goes unnoticed in the game. It works well with the horror setting. Even though there are lights on at certain places, you are often blinded by dark shadows.

Song of Horror was a lot of fun. It kept me entertained and it is very entertaining. There is an ominous Presence all around and the fear of perma death. Song of Horror is an entertaining and solid indie horror video game.