Chasing Static
- January 12, 2023
- Headware Games
- 3h median play time
Chasing Static is let down some by overused narrative tropes and a short length, but strong world design and enjoyable pacing help make it worth a playthrough.
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Get on Xbox Games Store"Chasing Static" is a narrative adventure game inspired by 80s Sci-Fi horror and contemporary surrealist cinema. After a harrowing experience in a roadside café, you explore the wilds of rural Wales, uncovering a mysterious facility and searching for missing villagers. Utilize a sonic exploration mechanic with an experimental device to hunt anomalies through lo-fi, PS1-style visuals and full voice acting.
Reviews
- story403 mentions
- 39 % positive mentions
- 59 % neutral mentions
- 2 % negative mentions
- atmosphere315 mentions
- 57 % positive mentions
- 42 % neutral mentions
- 1 % negative mentions
- graphics196 mentions
- 47 % positive mentions
- 52 % neutral mentions
- 1 % negative mentions
- gameplay179 mentions
- 36 % positive mentions
- 59 % neutral mentions
- 6 % negative mentions
- music131 mentions
- 53 % positive mentions
- 47 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
- emotional10 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
- grinding10 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
- optimization8 mentions
- 25 % positive mentions
- 75 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
- stability6 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
- funny4 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
- replayability4 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 100 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Critic Reviews
Chasing Static (Nintendo Switch)
Chasing Static is a psychological horror game in which you play a character who stumbles upon a failed research facility. These always mean trouble, this time caused by a surrounding energy field that can make a person slowly lose their mind. Recovering the equipment to fix the field and discovering what happened won’t take the player more than a few hours, but it’s a mostly fun, constantly creepy time while it lasts.
70%Chasing Static Review (PC)
Chasing Static is the kind of video game that would have worked better as a short novel or as an indie movie. The narrative does deliver some cool moments and a central mystery that’s worth exploring. But the endless walking and FDMD gameplay do not contribute much and feel like chores that need to be completed to get to the good parts. The Magnificent Truffle Pigs delivers on a similar premise, without the scary angle, much better, although it has trouble landing the narrative plane as well. The gimmick of using a PlayStation 1 presentation might attract an audience. But the game needs more than style to keep players engaged, even if only for the around three hours the story needs to reveal itself. Chasing Static has some good elements but it never manages to get the right mix for a truly engaging experience. Review code provided by the publisher.
60%Chasing Static Review - A Nostalgic Retro-Horror Let Down By Poor Narrative Choices
Chasing Static creates a strong sense of nostalgia as the appreciation of late 90's era horror games shines through. The game works well as a throwback, but it doesn't work as well as a horror game in its own right. More than that however it is ultimately let down by an abundance of overly familiar narrative choices. Minding that, fans of PlayStation 1 style horror should still find something to love.
60%
