Killer Frequency – Review

It’s time to tune in to 189.16 The Scream with Forrest Nash, where our radio host has moved over from the windy city, to the small town of Gallows Creek.
Forest might be used to millions of listeners in Chicago, but moving to KFAM’s few dozen listeners, he’s going to have a night to die for.

Killer Frequency follows our protagonist Forrest as he gets to work at KFAM on the late-night segment known as “The Scream”. With producer Peggy to guide you, you’ll soon be choosing records to play, taking calls, and prompting listeners to take part in the cheesy “guess that scream” call-in, but you soon receive a call from one of the three local Police officers, she goes to get help and with the chief dead and her only other colleague out of town, it’s up to you, to combine 911 operator with radio host and try to save the residents of Gallows creek.

It’s little more than a coincidence that Forrest starts on a call show called the scream, on the night a serial killer is prowling the streets, because it’s also the anniversary of the Whistling man, a murderer who disappeared (believed to be dead) decades before, and this new killer donning the same mask, with a familiar whistle is now on the loose and it’s up to Forrest, Peggy and the resident of Gallows creek to get to the bottom of the returning menace or a mysterious copycat killer.

Starting off, you’ll learn to navigate your work station, by juggling records, advertisements and calls, but as the night heads south, you’ll need to help the residents over the phone by giving them advice and directions.

To assist your fellow residents, you’ll need to find clues around the radio station, such as maps, notes, or clues on takeaways in order to work out cryptic challenges in order to help the caller. Often, it’s literally a matter of life and death, so producer Peggy is always on hand to offer advice and help point you in the right direction.

The overall storyline would fit well into any typical slasher movie, but there’s plenty of 80’s vibes, from the overall atmosphere and setting, to the music tracks and local activities like the Roller Disco, sadly we don’t get chance to Roller mid-game, but at least you’ll get a nice chat with Roller Ricky and his dog Max.

To stop things feeling to familiar, there’s simple distractions, such as prank calls, or the Pizza place owner who’s trying his best to grab a few minutes of airtime to advertise, but the mixture of calls keeps you guessing and never felt tedious or repetitive.

Playing through Killer Frequency’s there’s a few loose ends but the overall flow of the game is well paced without any major issues, the actual gameplay elements aren’t setting any new standards but it’s consistently engaging and the delivery is always pretty impressive, while it’s clearly been developed with VR platforms in mind, it’s still perfectly fine to play in standard flat-D, and yes, you can still pick up random objects and leave them lying around anywhere (especially useful when you think you’ve discovered a clue you think you might need later).
As the storyline continues to unfold so does the area that’s available to explore, starting off with the main studio, you’ll eventually venture out around the radio station and the nearby alleys with each part unlocking at certain points throughout the game, it’s just about enough to stop things feeling stale, but I did wish there was a wider range of records and adverts to choose from for a more authentic radio feel.

While the overall storyline and some of the events are incredibly far-fetched and cheesy, I found myself constantly amused and continuously intrigued, thanks to some fantastic voice acting and (once you’ve heard the blood curdling screams of someone you haven’t saved) there’s a real sense of achievement every time you do make the right calls and lead someone to safety.

Finally, while the overall level design and visual atmosphere isn’t really next-generation it does still do a great job of adding to the overall feel of the game and your isolation within the station.

Overall, I’ve been constantly impressed with Killer Frequency, it’s unique, well presented and kept me entertained throughout, considering it’s under £17 price tag, it’s also fantastic value and feels very reasonable.
While it might not be enough to sway players form other genres, if you’re a fan of 80’s horror, narrative adventures or puzzles games, Killer Frequency is going to be a dead cert.

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