The Chant (2022)

Spooktober Game #11 Complete!

While I had my issues with it, I loved the refreshingly unique approach this game brings to its subject matter, matched by really evocative and vibrant art direction. The graphics look awesome and really sell the world portrayed. Most of my issues came down to some of the gameplay being frustrating but funny enough, I realized during the last session that I have apparently been playing on hard mode? I started the game early in the month and set it aside for a bit so I totally forgot. Kids, don't start challenging games when heavily intoxicated! I'll get more into it in my in-depth review later, but a pretty cool game!

So I spent some time with the new DLC, The Gloom Below... And it's honestly pretty great. It's basically a big final dungeon with a roguelike structure. If you unlock a shortcut or one of the 6 crystals, they stay unlocked. But all your consumables and upgrades die with you.

I like the puzzlebox structure of the levels here. A lot. But the roguelike stuff... Eh. It makes the whole experience more tedious than it needs to be. Even on Story difficulty, you can get cheapshot by some spotlight enemies and have your equipment erased. I don't find that fun.

I think I would have preferred this as a final dungeon in the base game, without the roguelike stuff. It would have been better that way. But this game is great, and I'll take what I can get for free extra content.

I present to you, in reverse order, my 5 favourite games released in 2022:

5. Pokemon Scarlet While often feeling like a woefully unoptimized alpha build, Pokemon Scarlet still manages to present the most compelling single-player campaign the series has offered in a decade.

4. Teenage Mutant Ninja Toitles: Shredder's Revenge Simply, the best Turtles game since Turtles in Time, and an incredibly well-polished beat 'em up that, while perhaps a bit overlong, is a great time.

3. Sonic Frontiers While it has its problems, Sonic Frontiers is the most pure fun I've had with a video game in a long time, and the new focus on navigation puzzles vs. twitch platforming is a welcome innovation for the 30+ year old series.

2. The Quarry Well not the absolute best Supermassive title, it's an incredibly polished and engaging "choose your own adventure" horror flick with fantastic world building and top-notch acting.

1. The Chant A worthy addition to the pantheon of truly great Survival Horror games, The Chant honours established genre mechanics while introducing an incredibly refreshing setting and rarely-seen spiritual themes - all with gorgeous graphics, to boot.

Most Disappointing: Horizon: Forbidden West For those who listened to the excellent Cane and Rinse episode where I (under the name Magical Isopod) gave commentary, you will know that the original Horizon: Zero Dawn is almost a sacred game to me. Instead of building on that incredible world, Sony and Guerilla have decided to present a narrative that is louder, dumber and utterly absurd, even for a world with robot cows. A ludicrously overlong, padded and outrageously dull game, Horizon: Forbidden West is the epitome of outdated game design and derivative SyFy Channel storytelling.

What did you think, lads, and ladies, and none-of-the-aboves? What games were your top 5 releases (and 1 least favourite) GOTY nods amongst 2022 releases?

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.