Killer Frequency Review

We're taking a trip back to the 80s with Killer Frequency, a game that follows your venture as both a radio disk jockey and an interim emergency response unit. And you'll be kept plenty busy between the personable chatter, the musical tracks, and the hit-or-miss advertisements featured throughout the roughly four-and-a-half-hour playtime of this game.

Here, I will give you a breakdown of what this niche horror game brings to the table. The game was released in June of 2023 on multiple platforms. While the game was clearly geared towards virtual reality consoles like Meta Quest 2, it was also ported to standard consoles such as the PS5 on which this review was conducted. With that in mind, the gameplay section of this review will consider that the controls were intended for a VR interface.

A Love Note to Slashers

The opening scene of the game plays out like an ode to classic slasher-horror, with the player taking control of an as-yet-unnamed individual who appears to have drunkenly stumbled his way into a dark alley where we see the dreaded Whistling Man make his first kill of the night. After this, players will take control of the main character, Forrest Nash, the lead personality of a small-town radio station after a recent fall from grace in the big city. That's all you'll get about Forrest's backstory, as this game has a large cast in its small story, and all of their fates lie in your hands. With 23 different characters that can live or die based on how successful you are in helping them escape the prolific Whistling Man, most of the characters are caricatures of classic horror tropes (the sniveling nerd, the arrogant jocks, the stoner bro, etc.,) and you likely won't walk away with a clear favorite. Though you are likely to walk away with a least favorite. (I'm talking about you, Ponty of Ponty's Pizza!)

While the game is short, the story tends to drag, with all of the significant reveals being reserved for the second half of the game. This wouldn't be too bad if the game didn't require the player to get up and wander slowly around the building between calls in order to complete objectives, a sequence that becomes dreadfully boring when you realize this game has zero stealth or combat elements. Nonetheless, the questions you're left with were enough to keep me engaged for the whole four-plus hours as I pondered the different suspects I had thought of throughout the night, making the big reveal reminiscent of another certain small-town slasher.

The Brains of the Operation

While Forrest may be the main character of this horror title, he's not the daring hero who is going to be fighting the Whistling Man one on one. There are no combat or stealth mechanics built into the game, with the scares coming either by atmosphere or by proxy as Forrest tries to keep the citizens of this small town alive.

This means that the game is more of a puzzle, with players walking around the offices of their building (and, at one point, the alley outside), finding items like newspapers, advertisements, and records to provide them with clues as to how to ensure everyone makes it through the night alive. The fact that this game was initially designed for VR makes the controls clunky at times when using a standard controller, with your positioning having to be precise to ensure you grab the correct item. For the most part, this didn't prove to be game-changing, though there was a moment in the game's final act that I grew frustrated with due to timing being thrown off by the slow movement and required precision of the controls. While the pacing can be thrown off, the moments that you return to the main recording station are where the fun is in full display as Forrest uses the knowledge he's gathered to give the best advice to the townsfolk, with the developers smartly making room at the desk to prominently display whatever paper you discovered in the building that's relevant to your problem.

A Nostalgia-Driven Experience

Now we take a step back and look at the big picture. And what a picture it is. While there are segments that can drag plot-wise, the art style for the game keeps you engaged with striking colors and trademark neon lights of the late 80s being featured throughout the small playable area of the game. The color palette leaves a strong impact, especially when you come face-to-mask with the killer. While it may not be a true jumpscare, the striking contrast between the mask and the dark shadows that creep around every corner you take.

Even when the killer isn't visible, the haunting sound of his signature whistle is enough to send chills down your spine before you've even heard the lore behind the killer's origins. Add in the surprise every time you hear a loud crash, only to realize you've accidentally stumbled your character into some miscellaneous refuge, and the game does an effective job of giving you the creeps even when, mechanically, there's no danger present. And no 80s horror is complete without an enticing soundtrack, and of course, being a disk jockey, Forrest has access to various tracks representing different genres that were popular for the time period. Though personally, no track was better than the end credits song, given the same title as the game itself and truly wrapping a bow on a fun adventure.

Final Observation

Sometimes when rating a game, you have to ask, "Is this for everybody?" And then you have to ask, "Who is this really for?" Unfortunately, this game is certainly not for everyone. It markets itself toward fans of horror games, but anyone expecting the jump scares of Five Nights at Freddy's or the run-for-survival aspects of Outlast will be sorely disappointed. This game is for fans of puzzles and anyone with a strong interest in the slasher subgenre of horror. And while it's impressive to have so many characters in life-or-death situations, you'd find more impactful deaths in The Dark Pictures Anthology.

The sound and audio will give a nostalgic feel for fans of 80s culture, and the short playtime and low horror vibes can prove to be a gateway for new gamers to find a niche in the horror genre. And while this review was conducted on console, it should be noted that the clunky experience with the controls is expected to be smoother with a VR interface. That said, with VR not selling nearly as many units as consoles (and accounting for the fact that there are not many people who can stand being in a VR headset for two hours, let alone four and a half), I can't justify giving this game a rating larger than 6 out of 10. It's not a terrible game by any means, and I enjoyed my time with it. But I also recognize I happen to fall perfectly in the niche audience that this game is geared towards. If you want to experience this game for yourself, you can find it on PlayStation 5 & 4, Windows PCs, Xbox Series X/S & Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, and Meta Quest 2. The dev team, Team17, is known for working in the Worms and Overcooked franchises.