The little horror game that could

Up until I was asked to review the game, I had never heard of The Chant before. I looked at a short trailer and thought “eh, let’s give this one a shot.” I’m glad I did. Much like how I felt with In Sound Mind, this horror game left me pleasantly surprised with hidden gem written all over it.

Jess, a young woman who has been haunted by the death of her sister years earlier has decided to join one of her childhood friends on an island where a guru has set up a complex for mental and spiritual healing. It’s not all hocus pocus, though. The first night there, they do a ritual that summons otherworldly creatures and separates the commune. Jess now needs to track down the camp residents to finish the ritual and expel the creatures from their plane.

Platforms : PC, PS, Xbox
MSRP: $39.99
Price I’d pay: $39.99

The game plays on a few different mechanics seen in survival horror. There is limited resources, players will have to make their own weapons out of materials found around the complex, and they must maintain Jess’ health in both physical, mental, and spiritual aspects. It feels a bit like a horror game meets a survival game.

The game centers around trying to locate the rest of Jess’ group as they all hold a special crystal that they need to finish the ritual. These crystals can be obtained and grant Jess with special powers like a massive push back attack or even a slowdown stasis ability. She will also be fighting off the monsters with practical weapons made of sticks, twine, and spiritual medicine like essential oils and salt. All these weapons and abilities affect enemies in different ways. The game has a bestiary that details what to use against certain creatures. All of which can be referenced in the menus. Oh, but this only shows up if the players explore and find these passages. While it may be a linear experience for the most part, there is room for exploration.

The combat is simple enough. There is a dodge mechanic that is pretty much an invincibility button, and the main attacks are done though a light and heavy attack. It’s never complicated or complex, but I never thought it had to be. Is it an easy game? Possibly. I died multiple times while playing, but some of it was because I got too greedy with my attacks. Keeping up with other health bars is also a neat addition to the tried-and-true horror formula. Much like Eternal Darkness, enemies will lower Jess’ mental health and if her mental health lowers too far, she will begin having a panic attack. When suffering from a panic attack, she is unable to do anything but run to get away from the disturbing encounter. This is a neat feature, but there were a few times I would find myself stuck with no mental healing items and a monster hitting me while having a panic attack with nowhere to run. I would end up just having to deliberately get killed so I could reload and try it again.

Along with the combat, there is also the classic puzzle solving that comes with a survival horror game. The Chant has this as well. It’s not as fleshed out as some other games in the genre, but there are some good set pieces that really added to the tone and atmosphere of the game. The caves were a particularly great segment that I think handled expectations and tense situations well all the while trying to complete a puzzle with light sources and fuse boxes.

The story and characters are handled very well. The things affecting each person shows off their personality and character flaws that manifest as real things. It’s an interesting idea and one that works well in this setting. While the voice acting is great, there is one character that I feel didn’t fit well. That was the leader of the group, Tyler. His delivery of the lines just felt off for some reason. Everything else was superb.

Aside from a few issues and a single voice actor, I had a great time with The Chant. It has a good atmosphere, simple mechanics and a fun overall story that kept me going for the six to seven hours it took. This is going to be one of those games that will be looked at in a few years as a hidden gem that people didn’t play. Let me at least be one of the people to tell you, play this one. You’ll have a pretty fun time.

Review copy of game provided by publisher.