It's pretty rare that I finish a game and think "I need to tell everyone about this". Or it's rare that I think this about a game that isn't wildly popular already. "Have you all heard about Breath of the Wild?" isn't something I should post.
I recently splurged on the highest PlayStation subscription tier. It was during their annual "Black Friday" sale so, I haven't really splurged until it's time to renew. I bought it to stream games to the PlayStation Portal - a concept that kinda sorta barely works a little bit sometimes. I also felt like I needed more variety after playing a lot of very similar games since the late 2010s.
There are a ton of free games available with the PlayStation (whatever it's called) tier. This is not an ad for the service. For the record I think it's overpriced and the aforementioned PlayStation Portal streaming works worse than I hinted at. It is a good way to try dozens of games quickly via streaming on the full PlayStation 5. I've said it many times on this site: "sampler disc" is my favorite genre.
I don't know what the formal definition of an "indie" game developer is. I've mostly been sampling what I think of as being "indie" games, by which I really mean games that aren't made by EA or Ubisoft. After trying quite a few, Killer Frequency was the first that hooked me. The entire game is only ~5 hours but is exactly what I didn't know I was looking for. I will attempt to explain why in this review.
Disclaimer I've used before: This is being filed under the "retro gaming" section because that's where I file all gaming articles. This site is about to turn 25, given more time everything I post will eventually be "retro" even if discussing something recent at the time.
Another disclaimer: I am not intentionally going to spoil anything important in Killer Frequency but am a bad writer and might anyway. I don't think I did. If you want to go into this game completely cold then I'll just say it's great and you can click the back button now.
Third and final disclaimer: This is not a sponsored post or ad because I will never (never never) have either on this site. This is completely my opinion of the game.
In Killer Frequency you play a former big city DJ relegated to the overnight shift in a small town after a fall from grace. You and the call screener are the only two in the building. It looks to be another mundane night when terror strikes the town. A serial killer is on the loose and through a chain of events all local 911 calls are redirected to your station.
It is your job to guide townspeople to safety. The killer is stalking their home or business. They call 911 and are stuck talking to the overnight DJ. Desperate for any help, they follow whatever advice he offers. Assuming I am counting correctly, you are responsible for saving a total of 25 lives. This is all accomplished through choices presented during the calls:
Most of the escapes require multiple steps, some of which you need to work out in advance. When giving a caller advice you need to think about what happens next. If they are on the second floor of a building you need to work them down to the exit. If you botch the first choice they are often doomed. At least one situation is complex enough to require an in-game corkboard to solve. You almost always have unlimited time to make a decision. The killer can be seconds away from the victim but you will have as much time you need to help. There are a limited number of instances where the choice has a timer because not responding is a valid option.
This is what I enjoyed most about the game - plotting out escape routes without a menacing timer.
Throughout the night you also have to fend off prank calls and other regular aspects of the job. This felt very realistic to me. Even, or especially, during a crisis people will prank the local radio station. Today they are doing it in real time online. Even, or especially, during a crisis you need to run ads. Someone has to pay the bills amiright.
These moments are often humorous and lower the tension after helping a caller. This was another part of the game I appreciated.
I would call this an interactive fiction game, others might choose survival horror. It's both and also a mystery game. You need to solve the identity and motive of the serial killer. Doing that requires learning about events in the town's past. You are conveniently a newcomer with zero knowledge of anything that ever happened before.
As the game progresses you are able to explore more rooms in the radio station. It's not a huge environment but you are not confined to a desk the entire time. It feels like you are at first and that might turn off some right away. Throughout the game you need to find items in the building that help solve a caller's current dilemma. You will also need to hunt for clues about the central mystery. Most items are easy to find.
There are three endings based on how many people you save - some, all, or none. I saved everyone in my playthrough and found that easy to do. I watched the other two endings on YouTube and they are not that different. Unless you are some kind of trophy freak, one playthrough will be enough. It's OK if you are, I'm not mocking gamers who are driven to collect every trophy in a game.
The soundtrack fits the mood and setting. Several times in the game you're required to pick an album to play. Initially you start with a small number and more are found throughout the game. Some albums are unlocked during required story events and others are hidden in the building. None of the songs at your disposal have lyrics. They are mostly relaxing synthwave inspired tracks. There's a dancier song going for a strong Amiga MOD scene feel and also a near country song. There is an achievement for playing every album in one shift if that's your thing. I did that in my playthrough simply out of wanting to hear each. It's the kind of soundtrack I would listen to while debugging code. I will buy it during a Steam sale if I can get it independently of the game.
Killer Frequency reminds me a little of two favorite TurboGrafx-16 CD games: It Came from the Desert and J.B. Harold Murder Club. Let's take these in order...
It Came from the Desert is set in a small town that normally has nothing going on ever. The only source of entertainment is the local radio station. Then there's a freak event and the radio station serves a new purpose. Both radio programs give off a weird overnight shift in the middle of nowhere vibe. As for J.B. Harold, both mysteries require digging into many characters' pasts. I suppose that is a plot device used in countless mysteries.
This game could have worked on a 16-bit CD console too. Maybe less dialog would be spoken and instead of moving through a 3D environment it's more like Myst. The game wouldn't lose much in this style. I'm not suggesting a demake, I'm noting it's a concept that could have worked 30 years before it was made.
Now for some items that sound like critiques but aren't...
Killer Frequency is set in 1987 but it is not anything like 1987. "Local radio station with a live DJ" is about all it gets right. The aesthetic could best be described as "Trapper Keeper art". It's what we think 1987 looked like. In reality, a radio station in 1987 would resemble something from the 1970s or whenever it was built.
All the callers seem to have cell phones. Not one of the calls would have worked from a landline unless a very long cord had been involved. Generously, one call could have come from a payphone. In most of these calls you are navigating the caller through many rooms without losing the connection. The only way that works is with a cell phone. Although the cell phone technically existed in 1987, virtually no one in a small town had one. Actually, strike that. No one in a small town had one because network coverage was limited to major cities.
The latest single releases are on 45 LPs. I can't even with that. In 1987 vinyl was dead dead. Yet I never saw a headline like "GenX is killing the LP". I’m genuinely envious of Millennials only for all the "Millennials are killing [this thing]" headlines. Maybe, maybe, radio stations used 12" single 45s. I did not work in a radio station in 1987 and accept that some industries use old technology well past the shelf life. Vinyl singles are not what is pictured in Killer Frequency. All the songs are on full LPs.
Flipping this around - people expect games set in the 1980s to have this exaggerated setting, like Grand Theft Auto: Vice City had. The actual 1980s was smokier and blander than we want to remember, video games are an escape.
The mechanics of Killer Frequency wouldn't work at all if the callers were bound to a landline. That could be solved by setting the game in a time period with cell phones being common. Doing so introduces a host of new issues though. Some of the puzzles would be solved in seconds if the internet was available. Also a true crime forum or podcast would have figured out the mystery 10 years before the events of the game occurred. 1987 is a good year for this game and suspension of disbelief is required.
Anyway, I recommend trying Killer Frequency. If you can play it for free with one of the online subscriptions then you're out nothing. Otherwise I'd price it like seeing a movie. It's ~5 hours, which is what the average theatrical release feels like to me now. So if it's available for the price of a movie ticket then that's a fair deal.
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