Week of 20 Oct 2024
“Sorry I made you such an un-fun turkey.”
Achievements Earned In:
- Killer Frequency
- Murder House
- Madison
- Buried Alive: Breathless Rescue
- Infliction: Extended Cut
- A Little to the Left
To begin this week, I figured I’d start with a game I was actually wanting to play: Killer Frequency, an interesting job simulator where you play as an ‘80s radio DJ while handling a serial killer on the loose in town. Through a hazardous chain of events, you’re soon in charge of taking late-night 911 calls for the entire area to help the citizens in need remotely. I’ll be honest, it’s kind of boring during the scenarios as the people talk and talk and talk and you can’t do anything besides stand in the broadcasting booth. You get to venture around a little now and then around the radio building to collect clues and information to maybe help a caller hotwire a car, or help another caller navigate a hedge maze. The actual voice acting and writing are very good, so while it’s a but dull standing in a booth as a radio play is acted out, it’s engaging and I wanted to reach the end to see the conclusion of the story. Definitely a highlight!
Achievements unlocked: 27 (+27) | Completed
Better get used to seeing this room.
I wanted to do another Puppet Combo game on Monday, but this time one actually developed by them, not just published. Murder House, one of their more recent and most critically acclaimed titles. Similar to the rest of their fare, it’s styled like an 80s slasher film on VHS, though I turned off the visual filters pretty quickly. The story of this one is you find yourself in an old house where a serial killer had once resided as part of a new crew, but soon something is hunting you and your coworkers. It’s a survival horror, and you traverse the house looking for a way out. Honestly, I barely saw the murderous mascot hunting me most of the game. It’s a short game, too, with a final achievement requiring you to beat the game in only 25 minutes, just to give an idea of how speedy it can be completed. It was certainly more enjoyable and a better game than Bloodwash from earlier in the month, and I look forward to playing more of these!
Achievements unlocked: 10 (+10) | Completed
Oh hello, sir. Can you… not disembowel me, please?
The first “real game” I played this week was Tuesday’s Madison. With an obviously higher budget and better tech behind it, this game was much scarier. You’re exploring your grandparents’ old house looking for answers to a tragic event, when things get increasingly spooky as the story progresses. Even better, the game implements 3D audio, and is not afraid to constantly have odd knocks and clangs and bumps occurring around you as you, say, walk down an empty hallway. Visually, there’s plenty here, too, and often little creepy sights will pop into frame (if you’re looking in the right direction) and add some extra discomfort. For the completion, you namely have to beat the game in under 2.5 hours and take no more than 40 pictures with the game’s camera mechanic. I got the former my first playthrough without much trouble. There are also a couple “don’t die” segments when you’re being hunted by a monster, but they can be done in conjunction with other achievements that facilitate an easier time overall. Heck, if you what you’re doing you can skip practically all of the danger during the cathedral section! That limited photography playthrough can be tight, but the key is to know which pictures are necessary or not to proceed, and try to limit your combat in the Blue Knees section. Even better if you already have the achievement for clearing that section without getting got, so you can let Blue Knees getcha and not waste any photos on him since dying just spawns you back in the beginning room. It’s a very cool game, though on the longer side compared to most of the games I’ve played this month. But it’s definitely recommended.
Achievements unlocked: 30 (+30) | Completed
I hate your decor in here.
I wanted to do one I knew almost nothing about, and there are pretty much no guides, so I went with Buried Alive: Breathless Rescue on Wednesday. While a bit more involved, this is essentially a series of escape rooms that you have to navigate and exit from. There are collectible notes tied to a few achievements, but they’re mostly easy to find, which is good because there are no guides to find them. It’s very short and not exactly well-designed, so this was mostly for the novelty.
Achievements unlocked: 10 (+10) | Completed
Just gonna hide here and watch ya sleep…
Apparently also a good game, I did Infliction: Extended Cut on Thursday. Another spooky game in a house that gets weirder as time goes on, it’s very creepy and stressful at times, though not quite to the level of Madison. There’s also collectibles, again, but at least I had a guide to walk me through it this time. Pretty short and easy! And don’t forget to catch some “Cooking with Masimo!” while avoiding the consequences of your hellish choices.
Achievements unlocked: 19 (+19) | Completed
This is a weird art piece, honey.
Over the weekend, I was invited along on an adults-only couples retreat. Even though I’m single. But they’re all good friends so it was a great time anyway. Being gone meant no horror games for a couple days, so I leaned on the still-incomplete A Little to the Left via Cloud to keep my streak going. I simply beat Chapter 4 using a guide on Friday before hitting the road, then went back for a full 100% completion on that chapter Saturday morning. I don’t have the DLC yet, nor is it leaving Game Pass imminently (that I know of), so I’m not in any rush to work on this more for now.
Achievements unlocked: 37 (+2) | Completion: 57%
Highest ratio: 3.94
Out of film (Madison)
Lowest ratio: 1.00
Coffin escapist (Buried Alive: Breathless Rescue)
