Killer Frequency

I do have to spoil one thing for animal lovers before I get into this because to get the Killer Frequently achievement, that storyline includes a dog death. You get a sense that it's coming and you can run to the corner of the office where the door is (it was the quietest for me but you have time to run around and figure out where it's quietest for you) so you can't hear it much and it softens the blow if you're sensitive to stuff like that. Anyway, I didn't like that you could only have one save file and that you had to play the thing AGAIN for either everyone survives or no one survives. The no one survives felt like it insulted your intelligence because nothing was overly hard to figure out so you just fail on propose. If they were trying to lean into washed up bigshot radio host who just doesn't give a ♥♥♥♥, I would have believed it if the lines were tilted more in that direction but I think the "correct" playthrough was supposed to be you win some, you lose some based on stuff in the storytelling and dialogue. But I'm gonna be frank with you, I'm NOT doing a 3rd playthrough to find out. I got the gist thank you. :P That all being said... This game was pretty ok! I enjoyed the double narrative of a radio host playing 911 for the night while a serial killer seeks vengeance over old wounds. The voice actor for Forrest Nash nailed that radio host persona so well, I had to look up to see if he had a career in it and wouldn't you ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ know he DOESN'T? Super shocked honestly! Also, it was clear they did a little research into the era because the slang that was present seemed pretty period accurate (this story takes place in 1987). It wasn't overly campy but it wasn't overly serious either. Nothing felt like they were cheesing the 80's for nostalgia or to really buff in that aesthetic. Feels like the type of thing a streamer might play on Halloween when they want a chill time with chat. I can easily see them getting feedback on choices to make stuff. So yeah, I'll rec it. :)

6/10 The first time I've reviewed a game and genuinely had to deeply consider whether to recommend it or not. I mean, as a puzzle game, it's pretty fun. Even so, it kind of struggles as a story game, as the somewhat patronizing dialogue punishes you for attempting to work the plot out on your own by having the two protagonists explain it all in painstakingly long detail after every call, and there is no option to skip the long, repetitive dialogue on replays, which makes achievement hunting genuinely painful. Moreso, the dialogue is kinda meh? Like, it has some really good moments, but sometimes it feels so flat. It's hard to explain without spoilers, but the protagonists have very little stake in the story, and it sometimes feels like they barely even care about the killer they're trying to stop - especially on any run other than the pacifist run, as the dialogue barely changes regardless of how many people die. Like, most dialogue in an all-dead run boils down to "oh no kevin and his seven orphan hamsters just ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ exploded on call with us and it was kind of our fault... Anyway, here's some banging tunes. Who's craving some cheetos right now". The protagonists come off as so apathetic that it kinda rubs off on you, and by the end you just don't really care who lives or dies. I would appreciate it if Forrest could just show a tiny bit of mental deterioration after witnessing like 10 murders in a row and being partly responsible for all of them. With all that said, the villain is really well written, and the characters (if a little two dimensional) have a lot of personality. The plot also comes together pretty nicely by the end. The dialogue is decent enough for a single playthrough, even if, on a replay, it makes a four hour game feel like a twelve hour soap opera. None of the puzzles are particularly hard, but the atmosphere makes it a stressful enough experience that every successful solve feels very cathartic. I enjoyed exploring around the house too. I would recommend this to fans of mystery series and puzzle games, but would warn any completionists that this game will get frustrating quickly. To be honest, I've probably been a little too harsh on this game since the achievement hunting left such a bad taste in my mouth, but in my opinion if achievement hunting can ruin a game, it's probably not a perfect game anyways. It's interesting enough to be worth a play, but its definitely a flawed experience.

good story, if you didn't find or fully understand the clues that reveal the killer it doesn't really make sense, and the game doesn't make it super clear unless you look closely at what seems like filler content