Song of Horror

 PC
Song of Horror Image
Metascore
73

Mixed or average reviews - based on 13 Critics What's this?

User Score
8.4

Generally favorable reviews- based on 14 Ratings

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  • Summary: Song of Horror is a survival horror adventure. Face the manifestations of the Presence, an unpredictable, eldritch AI that reacts to your way of playing: you won't experience two exact gameplays.

Critic Reviews

Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 7 out of 13
  2. Mixed: 6 out of 13
  3. Negative: 0 out of 13
  1. Wccftech
    Oct 29, 2019
    80
    Song of Horror is a genuinely atmospheric, creepy horror game, with the major selling point of an enemy that you're never actually sure about. The advanced AI system of the horrors you face, combined with sound, visuals and other game mechanics make for one of the more engrossing and captivating horror titles of recent memory. There are some faults, such as backtracking and a bit of adventure game logic when trying to solve puzzles, but these do nothing to stymie everything Protocol Games are bringing to the table.
  2. GameSpew
    Oct 29, 2019
    80
    Thus far, Song of Horror is a tense, chilling horror outing that deserves to be experienced by any serious horror fan.
  3. Ragequit.gr
    Nov 7, 2019
    80
    Song of Horror breaths some fresh air into the Horror genre. Searching for clues and solving puzzles while being stalked by an omnipresent entity that adapts to your actions, has never been more terrifying.
  4. Millenium
    Oct 29, 2019
    75
    A frightening and unpredictable horror game that will even startle regulars horror fans. You simply can't stop playing Song of Horror until you see it to the very end. You have to anxiously find clues, solve riddles and most importantly avoid The Presence in order to fully unravel the storyline. Whether you are a detective in the making or a jumpscare enthusiast, Song of Horror was made for you. Adrenaline, stress, fear, anxiety... You have come to the right place.
  5. God is a Geek
    Nov 11, 2019
    70
    Song of Horror has some great ideas and is genuinely scary at times, but random deaths and awkward controls sometimes threaten to spoil the experience.
  6. Multiplayer.it
    Nov 5, 2019
    70
    Quotation forthcoming.
  7. PC Invasion
    Oct 31, 2019
    60
    Song of Horror's scariest aspect is its permadeath feature - not because it's spooky, but because slogging through levels is an absolute chore. Worse yet, Song of Horror punishes the player for exploring its admittedly beautiful environment. Neat technical features and meticulously crafted lore do somewhat make up for its faults. But ultimately, none but the most hardcore horror fans will give this game the time of day (or night).

See all 13 Critic Reviews

User Reviews

Write a Review
Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 3 out of 3
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 3
  3. Negative: 0 out of 3
  1. Crushlet
    Nov 3, 2019
    10
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Inspired by Resident Evil and Silent Hill and it shows. The addition of permadeth is difficult but handled well. I went into the game blind without knowing and had my favorite character die. I instantly force-quit the game hoping that my decisions aren’t saved before a cutscene ends but it was too late. Then my second and third characters died and i was forced to play as the last character left or restart the game. I considered restarting but chose to continue with the last character because I felt I was close to the end of the chapter. Playing as this last character was tense, worrying that hours of gameplay would be wasted heightened my sense of dread like no other horror game in recent years. I was able to finish the chapter, but walking through the house was more nerve-wracking than ever before. When I finished the chapter, it felt like an accomplishment. Making sure that I only made the most important decisions without leaving anything to chance, I was more cautious than ever before.

    This bled in to chapter 2 perfectly. I chose the same character this time around because he was expendable to me. But the more I played through the second chapter with him and the more he referenced his version of events from chapter 1, the more attached I grew. I now found myself, again, attached to a character going into a new chapter. The more progress I made, the more I worried that my time with him was almost up. When the game started throwing in random new mechanics I started to panic, worrying some mistake on my part would kill him off.

    There was even one stairwell that activated 3 unique, one-time-only effects at different times that made me feel like there were in-game flags placed at that location to scare me. These effects were new and had no accompanying tutorial text to solve them, but still required unique ways of escape while blocking usage of the map. I started going into the stairwell as prepared as possible, ready for anything. But whenever I was most prepared, nothing would happen. Each time I passed by, thinking that the game was done trying to scare me in the stairwell a new effect would come out or a previous effect would return. That’s about when I realized that the events were being triggered by an AI and that I couldn’t try to out-predict what would happen and where.

    By now I was playing as cautiously as possible. All of the haiku clues that I picked up in the first chapter came in handy and I avoided coming into contact with anything they mentioned. In a game where every character’s life matters, you need all the help you can get. Previous chapter’s collectibles can transition over to the next chapter to provide vital hints on what not to interact with, as some interactions can be fatal. These hints can absolutely save a character’s life if you can interpret them. Will you explore the area, putting yourself in danger to prevent a future death or take no chances? I ended up beating the second chapter with no deaths, still playing as my expendable character. When the chapter ended and I realized he had made it, he no longer felt expendable to me.

    As a huge fan of the original numbered Silent Hill series, Song of Horror made me feel like I was playing a classic survival horror game in every sense. Each chapter was just long enough to feel substantial, with the payoff being a sense of accomplishment and the desire to test my luck in the next chapter by playing the same character.

    I do have to get out of the way that the voice acting was fairly weak overall, with Daniel’s VA sounding the most grating to me. Most of the other characters were passable enough. Honestly, I think too many professional VAs might have lessened the impact of playing as an everyman. The story is serviceable enough to move you forward, with a fair amount of backstory coming from the items you inspect and the characters you play as. For an indie horror I was really impressed by the attention to detail. There were a few times that I saw creatures or ghosts in windows or across hallways that made backtracking feel more personal and less of a chore.

    I saw the rating on Steam and Metacritic and felt that Song of Horror deserved a higher rating so I thought I’d pitch in. Personally, it may be one of my new favorite horror games. It’s unique and fresh while providing a moderate burn without fatiguing you. The random elements of the game’s AI ended up giving me some pretty memorable moments that I don’t think I’ll experience again.

    I’m very excited to play the next chapters and I hope that this game gets more attention. By the time March comes around and the game ends, I know I’ll be craving a sequel.

    [Played on PC in 4K with SuperXFI amp, Sennheiser HD6XX’s and Philips Hue sync lights]
    If you want the best experience, recommend playing in 4K with surround-sound headphones. Game-synced lights are, of course, totally optional.

    Hope you enjoy the game as much as I have!    … Expand
  2. Shion
    Nov 4, 2019
    9
    A Horror game that knows how to build suspense and tension. Genuinely good looking game with great use of tight spaces, shadows and lighting.A Horror game that knows how to build suspense and tension. Genuinely good looking game with great use of tight spaces, shadows and lighting.
    Excellent use of sound, and particularly the lack of sound to heighten tension
    AI entity is unpredictable, meaning each playthrough will feel different, keeping you on-edge    … Expand
  4. GodGamer86
    Nov 2, 2019
    9
    Good graphics, story and music, creepy atmosphere.
    More scary than the Resident Evil.
    Best Alone in the Dark type game.

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