The Chant (2022)

This is one of those tough games to talk about, in the sense that despite a couple of interesting and competent aspects, there really isn’t anything very unique to it. In fact, I’d go as far as to say that, a year after their playthrough, some might even struggle to remember their experience with The Chant in any meaningful way. But the fact that it isn’t memorable doesn’t mean it’s automatically bad. It’s just a bit too iterative.

The Chant is a survival horror title with heavy emphasis on narrative that tries to emulate the Resident Evil formula. At times even to its own detriment, since this draws unnecessary and occasionally unflattering comparisons. There’s an all-too-familiar structure in place here: as you progress, you gain access to items which unlock other areas, which in turn give you access to items to unlock other areas, and so on. Nothing wrong with this in a vacuum of course, but The Chant does wear its inspiration on its sleeve a bit too much in certain moments, to the point where one might be left wondering why they aren’t playing the ‘superior’ versions of this formula instead. This is because there is some clunkiness to movement that isn’t exactly enjoyable, a poor, tone-inept soundtrack at play, a story that lacks emotional gravitas (though not for lack of trying) and some slight confusion that stems from unremarkable level design that could’ve greatly benefited from a map (you sometimes end up wasting resources on pointless fights because you’re not sure if that’s the direction you need to take). These issues pile on and bring the whole experience down a couple notches, and when stacked alongside a ‘been there, done that’ feel, they actively turn The Chant into a bit of a chore every now and then, even considering its shortish 8hr runtime.

There are some positives here as well however, and when everything is clicking, this game can turn the tide and transform into a pretty enjoyable affair. The main thing that kept me engaged through it was The Chant’s solid sense of progression. As the narrative moves forward and you gain access to more items and mechanics, you tangibly feel your character becoming effectively more capable at dealing with enemies, which is something worth mentioning since this is a balancing act that often eludes games. I also really appreciated the setting: whilst not unique, the option for having a secluded spiritual retreat centre as the backdrop where the action takes place is an interesting one, though granted more probable to resonate with some more than others, likely depending on your personal experiences or inclinations. The combat, though it isn’t anything award worthy, is still more than serviceable enough, which is something that can’t exactly be said for many survival horror titles out there. Here, the most unusual aspect is The Chant’s unorthodox choice of weapons: sage sticks, essential oils, salt and fire lashes aren’t something you normally think of when planning your fighting gear, but they all make thematic sense in the game and are cool enough to use mainly due to some competent animation work.

The Chant isn’t for everyone, and its payoff - offering what I consider two underwhelming endings out of three possible ones - might not make it worth the time commitment to some. But I liked it overall. It’s a game with a cool vibe and a solid entry in the survival horror genre. It’s got some appealing aspects to it, and without trying to reinvent the wheel, it effectively does what it sets out to do, creating a somewhat tense atmosphere and a story that is easy to follow but still manages to keep you engaged. I think of it as a subdued version of the Resident Evil blueprint, one where there’s a lot less emphasis on puzzle solving and guns are replaced by spiritual tools. If you like survival horror, this is a pretty decent way to spend some hours. 7/10

While I didn't love The Chant, I was pretty pleased with it on balance. It does a lot of things quite well and manages to have a pretty interesting and unique premise, though there were a few elements of the gameplay and story that took me out of it and kept it from being truly great in my opinion.

For a non-AAA title, the general look and feel of this game is pretty impressive. While at times the appearance and color of the enemies and environments felt exaggerated beyond what fits the setting, the art direction really makes for stunning enough visuals that I didn't mind it. The characters have a very smooth realism that is emotive without feeling uncanny. The natural and supernatural environments are also super pretty and bizarre (when they need to be) and it's clear the team put a lot of attention into the details. If you didn't know better, just glancing at some screenshots of the game you might think you were looking at one of the big anticipated AAA games of the year, despite the smaller studio behind The Chant. For an immersive narrative horror game, this really serves the title well. Further, the combat is fast-paced and responsive, demonstrating a good degree of fine-tuning and polish went into that aspect as well. While I had some qualms with it, the general gameplay shows thoughtfulness and thorough design.

The premise of the game I found pretty neat and it definitely stands out. I won't go into all the details, but the short of it is, you control Jess, a woman who, perhaps against her better judgment, has agreed to go to a sort of new age "wellness retreat" type thing that's definitely not a cult. However during one of their rituals—err, wellness practices—something goes wrong and an evil force is unleashed creating monstrous vegetation and possessing people, turning them into murderous enemies. You have to fight off these enemies using a variety of tools all in line with the same kind of mysticism, crafting weapons like sage sticks using herbs, salt, essential oils, and whatever you can scrounge up. There's a background exploration of Jess's past that demonstrates how the characters' trauma is also made manifest by these forces. I've never really played a game that toyed with these kinds of new age themes and world-building to this extent and it certainly stood out as unique and refreshing in its own right. I also really appreciated the duality of how in some sense, the game is implying that, at least in the world of the game, some of this mysticism is very real—or at least somehow coincides with something real—while also criticizing those very practices, especially in "cult-y" contexts. This was probably my favorite thing about the game.

My issues with the game basically stem from the other side of the same coins as some of the things I liked. While I think the premise was really cool, the story itself I just didn't find all that engaging. The characters were kind of dull and the exploration of trauma felt a little superficial and like it was going through the motions, especially with some of the slow-reveal for Jess's backstory that fell flat to me when I was left with a "oh, that's it?" To be fair, I don't think it needed to be some massive shock-value twist by any means and in fact, her backstory does provide a rather realistic basis for trauma without employing melodramatic grimdark elements. But the way it was hidden and gradually revealed foreshadowed to me that there was a lot more going on and made me expect something with more impact. I will qualify that I certainly didn't hate the story though, the plot moves along at a decent pace, and again, the premise as explored through the story is pretty cool. It was just some of the execution I felt needed work.

Perhaps my biggest issue was I found the gameplay just kind of out of place. For one, the actual mechanics are far more action-oriented than I expected. There's some resource-management to the game but by far your success of failure is more dependent on your ability to time dodges and counters, predict enemy movements, and manage your multiple opponents. This kind of gameplay isn't something I mind at all—I've loved many games that do something quite similar—but it felt really out of place for the kind of narrative horror game this is. I really liked how the animations make Jess kind of stumble about when dodging, looking more like an average person just kind of lucking her way out of danger, but the fast pace of combat still made me feel like I was playing some kind of action hero game that doesn't fit the mostly mundane main character. There's also a skill tree that felt really out of place in a similar sense, partially because it's rather detailed for a game that isn't all that long. Again, skill trees are something I typically enjoy exploring, but I didn't really like it in this game's context where you're just an average woman trying to survive against bizarre and unfamiliar threats. As a last caveat on the combat, I didn't realize until I beat it that I was playing on the hardest setting and that probably made the game harder and more frustrating than I might've liked. I knew I'd considered playing on hard but thought I'd changed my mind and switched it to Normal and assumed throughout my playthrough that that's what I was on. Given it was my own damn fault, I've tried not to hold any frustration in combat against the game too harshly, but on hard, it was definitely pretty punishing and I wouldn't really recommend it for a first playthrough.

Outside of combat, while the environments were cool, I often found myself extremely lost. This isn't a problem I'm used to in most games, but I constantly struggled with getting where I needed to go. The woods that comprise much of the game's environments just felt like such a maze and I spent a lot of time figuring it out. There is a wealth of signposts telling you which way certain areas are but if you forget where they told you to go in the cutscene—which I found was common especially when coming back to the game after a break since I almost never found clear objective lists in the menus pointing the way—they're not much help. I really wish the game had at least a simple map and I'm not sure why they didn't at least put one in a menu. The puzzles in the game weren't overly numerous and were fine, but some of the item puzzles were more annoying because even if I remembered where a key item was supposed to go, it was hell trying to remember how to get there.

Ultimately, I left The Chant in a weird state of being both impressed and disappointed. Basically everything I've described I felt pretty strongly about in either direction. The art and graphics and general feel of the game were outstanding, and I loved exploring the premise. But some of the story and its interplay with the gameplay just took me so out of it (especially when I got lost) that while I still enjoyed it, I never felt that in love with the game. Still, I'm a big fan of games trying new things and this one certainly does that. Even if I wasn't as into it as I hoped to be, I'm really glad I played it and I'd recommend to anyone intrigued by the stuff I've said above to at least give it a try.

Well this game came out of freaking nowhere and impressed the heck outta me.

The Chant is a Canadian-made horror game created by former developers from Rockstar Vancouver (Bully) and United Front Games (Sleeping Dogs). This game had absolutely no press, and I only know of its existence from a passing mention on a "games coming out this week" list. But I was thrilled to be surprised.

This is a survival horror game, not disimilar to a Resident Evil sort of game, with a big space to explore, locked doors, cabinets and chests to loot ammo and healing items... It's a solid formula. What this game does different, however, is its subject matter - it's not about zombies, or demons, or one's inner trauma... It's set on an island in British Columbia, and it's all about cults and new age spiritualism. Without spoiling too much, the island's cult screws up a prayer ritual, and unlocks the gateway to a power beyond their control. You don't fight with guns and knives though - these are spiritual threats. You fight with burning sage, salt, and magic crystals.

Everything here is certified organic, in a great way. The narrative is a harsh indictment of cults, new age mysticism, and groupthink, but it's also not afraid to speculate that new age "spirit science" could be real. It's a totally different approach to horror, and something I found profoundly refreshing.

The game also looks amazing, with the high-end graphics you expect of the PS5 and a solid 60fps with no noticeable frame drops. The art direction is full of natural beauty, but also leans hard into the aesthetics of 60s and 70s new age movements (the island is home to a now-abandoned cult compound). The soundtrack is excellent, with droning 80s synth that sounds appropriately otherworldly.

The game's not perfect, though. It does suffer from some pacing issues, especially in its cinematics. Scenes cut suddenly a leave you a bit confused as to what just happened at times, and the game is not directed in a way that gives poignant moments time to breathe. It jumps right in, and it rolls at a breakneck pace. I deeply respect the restraint in limiting the game to a 6-hour run time - but I think another 20 minutes or so of additional cinematics would have let the emotional notes settle better than they did. Some may find the combat a bit clunky, and the scarcity of items will drive more action-oriented gamers insane, but if you know what you're getting into, I think you'll find the combat more than adequate.

Overall, this is a strong recommendation from me, and a serious consideration for my 2022 GOTY. It could use a bit of polish, sure, but what we have here is easily my favourite survival horror game since Resident Evil 2 in 2019. And the best part? This is a budget release. It has a $40 MSRP, but I have seen it on sale for $25. For a physical copy! And the game just came out Nov 3. Absolutely loved this one, go grab a copy if you like what you see.