You know, most good games don't often always need game mechanics that are made to be super engaging, and make it feel like coming back for some more. Nope, few games just have you sit in the driving seat, only to change lanes instead of being entirely on the wheel.
Doesn't exactly have to be bad, not when you're a radio DJ who has to help the locals of Gallows Creek escape from a murderer on the loose each time. And there are plenty of lanes to choose from, the challenge is using brains and making good guesses before communicating them out of their terrible ordeal, if not, there's going to be some serious slashing.
Not only does this conceptually work, the content of story and characters are pretty entertainment. I'd say it's cool, thanks to the neat ideas it throws in, like anxiety-inducing situations similar to horror films, and then there are the 80s silly moments like frat boys interrupting a doctor from being killed.
In the small town of Gallows Creek, a washed-up DJ from Chicago lands a job of hosting late night radio in KFAM. After his first listener call of the day turns out to be a police dispatch, telling us that the sheriff is dead, things took a real drastic turn and is where things get interesting.
Every 911 call is relayed to the station, and now with the police temporarily out of commission, it's upto Forrest Nash, and Peggy of 189.16 - The Scream to help whoever dealing with an urban legend that was once thought dead to stop them from getting flayed.
Of course, a big majority of the game will be me on the DJ spot, so brace yourselves for media shares that will be eyesores. But bear with me here. The game gives a good amount of items in front of me to interact and use. Some aren't necessary, and just provides a modicum of immersion into the whole DJ thing. That's not important, it's where the game takes me that does.
Killer Frequency is an interactive walking simulator with detective gameplay elements, and puzzle solving. Callers would describe their situation, and with the dialogue options present, I have to choose the best route of actions needed taking.
Accepting callers would mean I have to turn off the music, and engage in the conversation. The first case was helping Leslie get the deputy, who was unconscious and locked in a cell, to get help while also trying to escape via the patrol car. The number of choices I made, got her to sneak into hiding in the sheriff's office, finding the car keys and deputy, before finally choosing a taser as the weapon.
Play the guessing game well, get happy endings. Some of them require that I find items in the KFAM building to help them out, most of the place is locked out at first, but slowly opens up as I find keys or Peggy gives them. The next caller was a woman who got spooked out by the killer, so she dropped her car keys. She's inside, needing to find a way to get it started, and out of dodge. The only way to do that, was me helping her hot wiring the car.
I spent a good chunk of time scavenging the place for these specific items, it can get annoying. For this instance, I needed to find a help guide that was supposed to be in the office, but the manager took it and is misplaced. 20 minutes later, I found it in the most unusual spot, and that was the male restroom.
The next part was tricky, it was only a matter of translating what was being said. I never realized how difficult older generations had it, by just looking at this stuff. I was at the edge of my seat, thinking, "this is probably it for her". But I smartened up, and eventually got her saved.
The voice acting is alright, it is campy while being believable for the characters. I did like engaging with my producer Peggy, she seems to be the reasonable voice for Forrester in this kooky town. The game isn't trying to be post-modern about it, rather kind of immerses into the humor of 80s small town by having the Pizza guy sneak his promo in the radio or mayoral candidate for his election.
People here have a lot of different characteristics, and can be stupidly funny too sometimes. But not the type that'll make me almost fall off the chair, cackling. But the writing knows how to make the situation absurd enough to get into, as well as inserting some wit.
Despite the serious tone, and the slasher vibe, it's a game that willingly lets the player not take the game seriously and just play it out till the end the way anyone wants. Heck, if someone dies, reaction is pretty lukewarm from the characters. Though, it does affect how the story will pan out.
A nerdy guy calls the station, and lets them know that he's waiting for a girl named Molly, so he'd like it if they played a song for him. This lead to something ominous when whistling is heard, and he cut the call. Later on, some guy calls, wanting small talk about being a small business owner, but then turns it was the pizza guy all along pulling an ad again. Forrest didn't like the Red Herring.
There was a doctor that needed saving, but she's frozen stiff and in order to do so, we had to figure out where the frat house besides her place ordered their food from. Called the pizza guy pretending to be the frat dude, silly conversation later, at the last moment before the killer struck her, the frat house came crashing in loud and obnoxious. The doctor was saved.
Before I did manage to save her, I had to load up a save because I ordered a slow burner pizza instead of garlic bread, pizza took too long, and she was hacked. It was pretty brutal. So solving these puzzles does require good awareness, memorization, and thinking.
Similar to a situation involving a reporter who has to deal with the killer in his office building before faxing us the layout, and the nerdy kid trying to get out of a maze. And yet, for some reason, the freaking station has the map for that maze. How convenient!
As the game went on, the story also got pretty interesting as it opened up secrets of the denizens of the town. Like, really dark secrets. There are twists, and turns, in fact doesn't seem like anybody would also be trustworthy. Spooky conspiracy stuff.
And if am not too into the spooky shenanigans, I would find and put cassettes to play dumb ads or fiddle with the rack of vinyl discs because I don't know, maybe the animation and way it's designed is kind of a good ADHD remedy. There's stuff to enjoy in this game, I really dig how charming it is.
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