As a product of the 90s, I was raised on what I think was the pinnacle of gaming. 3D titles were coming out, and the potential for the industry was on the rise. Games like Resident Evil, Silent Hill, and Dino Crisis singlehandedly lead the charge for horror titles and left a legacy to look up to. But, what if you could replicate that now?
Enter Headwear games’ own retro horror title, Chasing Static, a title that offers visuals and gameplay as close to that of the 90s as you can get. And that’s for better or worse. After having my time with Chasing Static during its modest-length story, I was left both underwhelmed but also hungry for more.
Chasing Static Review Biggest Takeaways
- Chasing Static has a superb narrative that oozes with potential.
- The tone of the game and its overall dreary, foreboding setting make it quite an experience.
- It’s a relatively short venture that doesn’t overstay its welcome.
- The majority of the controls and input feedback leave much to be desired.
- Chasing Static is a title that may work better on a PC than on a gaming console.
Final Score: 6/10
The Look and Feel of Iconic Survival Horror
From the moment you dive into Chasing Static, you really feel as if you’re playing one of the classic survival horror titles of the PlayStation 1 era. You have boxy, geometric-shaped people, greyed-out and blurred facial features, and visuals that, while low-poly, are very effective in drawing fear out of the player.
Chasing Static has very many different locations to explore, each offering a different overall vibe that makes it feel like an alien planet. And that’s for good reason. The entirety of Chasing Static is a pretty disorientating thing. There’s often fog or darkness that sweeps areas, making it feel as if you’ve been running in circles.
Even the game’s sound design does a very good job of selling its retro-feeling goal. Though the actors performed much better than many did in the 90s, the campy feel of it was still present in selling the story that would unfold over the course of the game. The music too was perfectly foreboding, making it feel as if you were always being watched.
Related: Review: Vengeful Guardian Moonrider is a Solid Throwback
A Story That’s Fresh, Yet Very Familiar
I actually really liked Chasing Static’s pretty simple story. The game is about two hours long and much of it is focused on what’s going on in the story. Luckily, it’s all told with great care, allowing you to paint the picture in your mind of the horrific events that happen off-screen. It’s a very well-executed narrative that crescendoes into a pretty cool twist ending.
There are various elements to the story that helps to drive you as a player further into the depths of the mysterious locations that have their own sub-plots to tell within them. The point of the game falls in line with the title, as you chase static until you find echoes of past events. Each one you find perfectly helps to illustrate the goings-on of what plagues this ominous town.
It’s most definitely a grotesque work of science-fiction that really hasn’t been treaded very much within the genre, adding a layer of intrigue. It actually has some elements that are even similar to that of Stranger Things, with a governmental presence that’s unseen bet very much felt.
Gameplay Worse Than The Classics
While I fully loved the narrative and the entire audio/video experience, I couldn’t stand the gameplay. For better or worse, it really did play like a retro game, and I absolutely hated it. The controls are very clunky and don’t feel well-optimized in the slightest.
Most of my time playing was me having to fight with the odd controls to work. For instance, the button to sprint has to be held down the entire time, you can’t use the d-pad for any menus, and the game would oftentimes not respond to me trying to interact with things.
It appeared that the developer outsourced to another for ports, and this could be the reason behind these issues. I’m almost certain that playing on PC instead of on a console like I did, you would have a much better time.
And really, that’s the only complaint I have for this game. Unfortunately, its gameplay is a big part of the experience, and because it was so half-baked it diminished a lot of the enjoyment I was having with the rest of what it had to offer me. And that’s a big shame.
A Good Idea That Fails to Stick the Landing, at Least on Consoles
When push comes to shove, I actually really liked what Chasing Static had to offer in such a short amount of time. Its story was compelling and engrossing, the environments and audio were perfectly 90s, and the core gameplay, at face value, warrants a playthrough.
The problem is, I played this game on an Xbox Series S and not a PC. Had I played it on PC, the results may be different, but I don’t know that for sure. But because Chasing Static only costs $15, I’d definitely say it’s worth checking out, so long as you’re a PC player. Playing on PC is probably the only viable way to actually enjoy this game to its fullest
And I wholeheartedly believe that Chasing Static really does offer an experience worth seeking out. It captures exactly what players these days miss of the 90s, so for most, this may be worth exploring even on a console. Though, I just wouldn’t recommend it.
Chasing Static is available now for $14.99 on the Nintendo Switch, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, and PC.
So, let’s our take on Chasing Static! If you liked this review, then consider checking out some of our others, such as “Review: Children of Silentown Will Mess You Up in the Good Way”. And be sure to like Gamer Journalist on Facebook for all of the latest reviews, guides, and news!
