Posted on: July 12, 2024
trachea
Verified ownerGames: 296 Reviews: 19
Mixed bag
I really, really wanted to like The Chant more than I did. For myself, I do feel like 3 stars is a bit too low but 4 stars is really overselling what's here. I think the storyline and settng is actually kind of novel. I don't think it's really something I've seen in many other games. Maybe I would say it's a bit like Silent Hill meets The Descent by way of Annihilation - though that description probably gives it way too much credit. At its core, The Chant is a melee-focused survival horror game and the plot seems to largely serve that more than anything. And while the combat is its focus, I don't know if it feels that great to play. It does feel clumsy and awkward like many survival horror games - which is something that you probably want in a survival horror game. That being said, there's a fair number of options when it comes to the combat. You have many more tools at hand than you might expect for a game like this. You've got 3 melee weapons, 3 throwables and 6 different powers - opposed to Silent Hill's progression of slightly stronger pipes and handguns. Most of them serve different purposes and switching weapons on the fly is relatively easy. Additionally, there's an upgrade system that feels kind of superfluous. But overall, I feel like the core of what the story wants to be about - facing your grief - really gets lost in all of the monster fights. It ramps up quite quickly and doesn't seem to resolve itself particularly well. That being said, I did largely enjoy my time with The Chant and it's nice to be able to choose whether you want to fight or run & hide. Also, it's not really particuarly scary so if you're looking to get into the genre, with multiple difficulties, this probably wouldn't be a bad place to start.
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