Killer Frequency is an interesting and fairly unique adventure game from the very beginning to the end. It puts you in the shoes of Forrest Nash, a new radio jockey for a small town that has seen the return of a famous serial killer and is now running amok in the town. An unfortunate series of events puts the lives of the townspeople in your hands. You’ll navigate the balancing act of being a jockey, and the difference between life and death to your callers. In my Killer Frequency review, I’ll talk about one of the most memorable titles I’ve played all year.
Story
The game takes place in the fictional town of Gallows Creek, USA. Working the graveyard shift with his radio tech Peggy, Forrest Nash is in for a night to remember. He gets a call from the last standing deputy in the town and is told she has wired all 911 calls to his radio station for the night.
The town is haunted by the sinister return of a fabled serial killer known as ‘the whistling man’. As the name implies, he has an ominous whistle leading up to the death of his victims. As Forrest, you pick up calls from listeners and citizens alike who you have to aid through dialog prompts in surviving the night through various scenarios, and deepening on who lives or dies, determines the ending you get.
The game has a lot of limited set pieces, primarily taking place in the radio station and the neighboring offices. Later in the game, you’ll be able to access the lower part of the building which has the kitchen, reception, and other places. Each room in the building holds a key or something you need to aid your latest caller to survive or die from your actions.
Gameplay
The gameplay loop mainly centers around doing your job as a radio jockey, while also picking up calls, and understanding the situation your current caller is in. Peggy gives you hints on helpful items in the building, the location, and using those items to help save your listeners from death.
Some are simple, and others require a lot of attention. For example: guiding a listener through a maze or helping one of them hotwire a car. You will find all the necessary materials to make sure you are able to do your task, but following the instructions is a whole other feat that you must do on your own.
You can pick up and interact with almost every object in the game. This lets you read, inspect, and learn more about the world you are in. You can use this feature to better use clues you pick up on your way to saving your latest caller.
Your ending depends on how many people you saved, or couldn’t. This encourages you to go back and figure out how you can save more people.
Graphics
The graphics are simple and minimalistic. There is nothing here that a laptop after 2012 can’t confidently run. The entire game centers around walking from one room to the next and coming back to your main room with the clue you need to save your latest caller.
Overall, the biggest attraction here is the options for interactivity players have with the environment. When you consider the game was made with VR in mind, is evident, that it’s still a decent-looking game. Nothing that will stress your system, but taking down the graphics won’t do you any harm either.
Sound
If you are a fan of 80’s music, particularly synth, instrumental, etc. you will feel right at home here. Records from various genres of the time are at your disposal to listen to at your leisure. While you do have to frequently stop the music to take a call from a citizen, you can just mellow out and listen to the assortment of music at your disposal.
With a limited cast of characters that have a face, the strength of the game comes from the callers on the phone. All of your callers have unique identities, backgrounds, and personalities. You can feel the sorrow or happiness in their voices when you are responsible for their death or rescue. The voice acting is pretty good, and for the limited amount of time you spend helping each caller, paired with the number of calls you answer throughout the night, the cast does a great job of keeping you immersed as Forrest.
Conclusion
Killer Frequency is a fun indie game with branching dialogue, multiple endings, and a lively cast of characters. This is a game you should consider picking up if you are looking for replay value, and improving your run. Going for the good and worst ending is always a journey worth taking, depending on what completion you are looking to achieve.
The voice work in the game fits with the theme of the game brilliantly, the puzzles are equal parts challenging, and also fun to figure out, and the replay value offered by the game makes it worth the multiple playthroughs.
Killer Frequency is a great game with a lot of replay value, but only if you are a fan of the genre, puzzles, and setting.
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This review is based on the PC version of Killer Frequency. The key was provided by Team17 Digital.
