One of the developers of Song of Horror actually says, the game is to be difficult, if not frustrating. Yeah, I would say death is frustrating. It’s a huge obstacle to everything you’re trying to do in life. Permanent death is one of the game’s main selling points, along with 16 playable character and a really spooky house.
Song of Horror is trying to be that game where death isn’t overcome with a press of a button. If your character dies, that’s it. He or she’s gone forever. But the dudes at Spain-based Protocol Games are not complete evil. If one character dies, you can continue the game from the same chapter with a different character. No need to restart the game from the beginning, which would probably lead to permanent death for the game itself.
The game isn’t technically alive yet. It’s on Kickstarter, currently at $28K of $55K with 15 days to go. But it’s an intriguing concept.
It’s third person survival. The objective is to find a writer who’s gone missing. As one of the 16 characters, your mission is to find him or find out what happened to him. The problem is that the house is haunted with a crazy shadowy evil that kills.
There are puzzles, too. And each character has unique traits that will approach puzzles, objects and situations differently.
But the main draw of the survival horror is of course the horror. You play horror games for the same reason you watch scary movies. You want to pee in your pants a little bit. That adrenaline that squirts in your body when survival instincts kick in — that’s why you love horror.
Camera movement and placement are key in horror flicks, and the POV plays a central role in Song of Horror. You don’t really control it, which could add to the frustration as well as the spookiness. It moves on its own and takes angles that maximizes the scare factor. Good stuff, but I’m sure there will be times when I’m like, “I want to look there where the monster is, but I’m looking the opposite way!” Again, frustration is supposed to be part of the UX here.
Well, the game looks to be on its way. It’s got some backing already and will be on PS4, PC, Xbox One and Steam.
Good luck, amigos! And long live Permanent Death!