Killer Frequency is a heavily narrative driven, first person horror puzzle game from Team 17. Set in 1980’s Gallows Creek, small town USA, you play as local radio station’s new DJ, Forest Nash, who is about to get more than he bargained for by taking on a serial killer from within his recording booth.
Nash, who has just moved from Chicago in disgrace, is now keeping the mic warm at “The Scream”, a radio channel on the fictional Gallows Creek KFAM 189.16. On his first show for the station, a legendary serial killer “the Whistling Man”, seems to have come back from the dead, returning to torment the small town after 18 years. Not the first night Forest had anticipated.
Leslie Harper, the town’s 911 dispatcher, leaves her post and discovers the town’s local police chief is dead, killed by the whistling man. As a result of her having to abandon the 911 line, she calls into the radio station and tells a shocked Forest that she’s re-routing all calls to the show. After a close encounter with the killer, she sets off into the night to find help.
Now fully in charge, Forest realises this isn’t a job to be taken lightly and is a matter of life and death… literally. Nash must help the various 911 callers as they frantically try to flee the murdering Whistling Man whilst fulfilling his role as late night DJ. One wrong instruction and they’re dead.
In this point and click puzzle game, Forest will answer the 911 calls and each caller will be in a deadly situation that requires Forest to be on point and help them by finding clues in the large radio station building and surrounds outside. This could be anything from finding out how to hotwire a car to reading maps and guiding people to safety.
You will be given multiple choice answers to choose from and only if the information is spot on, will they escape the killer. Some of the quests are time bound and require a quick response to the question in order to keep these people alive. At times I missed the prompts due to looking away, so I do think this could have been displayed better, however a totally minor detail in a game that’s been well thought out and executed. Accuracy and timing is so important in this game. Depending on how well you’ve done saving the town from this sinister murderer, you will be met with one of three endings.
Forest is helped and hurried by the charismatic Peggy Weaver, who is the station’s producer. We never quite make out the finer details of Peggy as she refuses to leave her booth out of fear of the serial killer. We meet Peggy at the beginning of the game when she runs you through a clever tutorial in the form of a “pre-show systems check”. She will teach you how to play the tapes and what the buttons mean, so you’re good to go. There is a lot of playful banter between Peggy and Forest and some great one liners.
There are lots of nicely thought out extras in the game. You are a DJ after all, so at the DJ booth, if you need a moment to breathe between calls, you can play adverts, swap records, listen to tapes and play around with the volume controls. Also, to add a little fun to your late shift, there’s a mini game where there’s some screwed up balls of paper on your desk, and you have to skilfully throw them into the basketball hoop in front of your decks. Who doesn’t love a little game of skill and it’s always satisfying when the achievements for this pop up.
They’ve definitely captured the retro 80’s vibe with the sound, graphics and the colours in the game. The 80’s is very in right now thanks to shows like Stranger Things and so getting these elements right is so important to the authenticity of this game. Even the ads you play are very reminiscent of that time period. It has an 80’s slasher movie feel to it and is incredibly addictive, both to watch and to play. The voice actors are great and really immerse you in the storyline. If you’re after something compelling, that leaves you wanting more, this is a great candidate.
Verdict
Available on PC, Switch, Playstation, Xbox and VR this is a thoroughly engaging and fun adventure, puzzle game with a horror theme that keeps you on tenterhooks all the way through. You’re looking at around five hours of play and due to the multiple endings, you can easily extend that time by replaying and trying to save the people you lost the first time round. I was surprised at how attached I got to the characters whilst playing the game, but this really goes to show the level of detail the team went into in order to give the game an authentic and thrilling feel. Unexpectedly entertaining and moreish.
Rating
9/10