Chasing Static

About

"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.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player Play through the game's story or campaign solo

89%

Audience ScoreBased on 315 reviews

story84 positive mentions

grinding4 negative mentions

Chasing Static features a rich and immersive atmosphere, enhanced by excellent sound design and a haunting soundtrack.
The game offers a compelling narrative that unfolds through environmental storytelling and engaging voice acting.
The retro PS1-inspired graphics create a nostalgic aesthetic that complements the eerie setting and enhances the overall experience.

The gameplay can feel repetitive and lacks depth, with some players finding the walking simulation elements tedious.
The story leaves many questions unanswered, leading to a sense of dissatisfaction with the resolution and overall plot coherence.
Some players experienced bugs and issues with the game's mechanics, such as the radio device not functioning as expected.

story
215 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
39%
59%
2%
The game's story is a compelling blend of mystery and psychological horror, delivered through environmental storytelling and "echo" flashbacks that keep players engaged and eager to uncover the narrative. While the atmosphere and sound design enhance the experience, some players found the plot convoluted or lacking in clarity, with an ending that left many feeling unsatisfied or confused. Overall, it offers a unique storytelling approach that invites interpretation, making it a noteworthy experience for fans of atmospheric horror games.
- “The plot unfolds through clever environmental storytelling and voice recordings, ensuring you're always on edge, eager to uncover the next piece of the puzzle.”
- “Chasing Static is a great game that delivers a gripping story and has an incredibly strong atmosphere.”
- “The atmosphere is incredible, and the story so far is intriguing as hell.”
- “Story-wise, to say it's uninspired would be an understatement.”
- “The ending was a little abrupt, and I wished for more story.”
- “The pay-off for the story felt a bit hollow.”
atmosphere
172 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
58%
41%
2%
The atmosphere in "Chasing Static" is widely praised for its chilling and immersive qualities, effectively combining low-poly graphics, a haunting soundtrack, and excellent sound design to create a deeply unsettling experience. Reviewers note that while the game may not rely on traditional horror elements like jump scares, it excels in building tension and intrigue through its richly crafted environments and narrative. Overall, the game is recommended for those who appreciate atmospheric storytelling and exploration in a psychological horror context.
- “Chilling atmosphere, well-executed sound design and soundtrack, and a mysterious story make this a recommendation for any horror fan.”
- “The low-poly graphics and muted color palette work in the game’s favor, creating an atmosphere that’s both unsettling and intriguing.”
- “The atmosphere is incredible, and the story so far is intriguing as hell.”
- “The atmosphere is also pretty nullified by the gimmick of the game, the scanning device, which when used mutes background sounds.”
- “While this game is definitely something that you could classify as horror, it uses the atmosphere of its setting to bring chills.”
- “There is a solid effort to build up atmosphere, but some effects feel so overused over the game's relatively short runtime, and provide so little payoff, that it comes off as trying a little bit too hard.”
graphics
107 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
49%
49%
3%
The graphics of the game are widely praised for their nostalgic PS1-inspired aesthetic, effectively creating a haunting and immersive atmosphere. Reviewers highlight the low-poly visuals, muted color palettes, and retro design as key elements that enhance the eerie experience, while the sound design complements the visuals to build tension. Overall, the graphics are seen as a successful homage to classic horror games, contributing significantly to the game's mood and storytelling.
- “Visually, the game embraces a retro, PS1-inspired aesthetic that feels both nostalgic and fresh.”
- “The low-poly graphics and muted color palette work in the game’s favor, creating an atmosphere that’s both unsettling and intriguing.”
- “The graphics, videography, and soundtracks merge beautifully together to create a wonderful horror-fueled visual soundscape.”
- “The graphical fidelity seems like it's hiding something from you with its old school look, as opposed to charming you with nostalgia.”
- “Not a fan of the art style - I never played a PS1 game, so I have zero nostalgia for it, so the game wouldn't win me over with visuals.”
- “Though horror is subjective, this game really did not at any point scare me either outright, or terrorize me with strong visuals, creepy atmosphere, or psychological horrors.”
gameplay
96 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
35%
59%
5%
The gameplay of "Chasing Static" is primarily a walking simulator with simple mechanics focused on exploration, collectible hunting, and light puzzle-solving, which some players found engaging while others deemed it lacking in depth and innovation. The use of sound design and a unique echo-location mechanic adds an interesting layer, but many reviewers felt that the gameplay could have benefited from more complexity and variety, leading to a mixed reception overall. While the atmosphere and visuals are praised, the gameplay often feels linear and repetitive, with some players expressing disappointment in its execution and narrative integration.
- “The use of binaural audio not only enhances the immersion but also plays a crucial role in the gameplay.”
- “The gameplay loop itself is quite fun and leads me to the sound design which I think is phenomenal.”
- “The gameplay is super smooth and easy, so this game is also great for beginners or noobs (like me!).”
- “A lot of the gameplay amounts to collectible hunting and the initial narrative focus is watered down by this.”
- “The gameplay itself is similarly uninspiring, which is a shame because the elements of using the audio could have been much better utilized; instead, it's a mostly drab walking sim with some very basic puzzle elements thrown in as window dressing.”
- “The main mechanic of finding echoes (ghostly flashbacks stuck in an area) is quite clunky, with two button presses needed to bring up the instruments used to find them, while both 'E' and left-click un-equip it, so whenever you want to interact with something, you'll have to bring the instruments back up manually afterwards.”
music
69 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
55%
41%
4%
The music in the game is widely praised for its atmospheric and haunting qualities, effectively complementing the visuals and narrative to create a chilling experience. Reviewers highlight the soundtrack's ability to evoke a sense of dread and nostalgia, reminiscent of classic horror games, while the sound design and voice acting further enhance the immersive atmosphere. Overall, the combination of eerie and somber tracks, along with high-quality audio production, significantly contributes to the game's appeal, making it a standout feature for players.
- “The soundtrack, sparse but effective, perfectly complements the haunting visuals and narrative.”
- “The music, visuals, and atmosphere are all really good and perfectly capture that creepy PS1 era vibe.”
- “The music was amazing and perfect for the areas throughout the game.”
- “Unfortunately, while using it you won't be able to hear the ambience or music as well as I'd like to because it becomes muffled.”
- “This is the part where I'd normally cover sound and music, but for me the game came accompanied with what I can only think of as bugs and missing sound effects.”
- “The graphics are so nostalgic, the music is so creepy that adds a feeling in the game like someone is constantly watching you.”
emotional
5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The emotional aspect of the game is highlighted by its engaging story and excellent voiceover, which contribute to a deeply immersive experience that evokes strong feelings, including sadness and tension. Players appreciate the balance of spookiness and atmosphere, with some expressing a sense of belonging and curiosity despite the unsettling environment. Overall, the game successfully elicits a range of emotions, culminating in a poignant ending that resonates with players.
- “Best 3 hours game where you could be invested in the story and voice acting; the spookiness was at a perfect level with the vibe and atmosphere of the game. I also got a good ending that made me cry.”
- “Voiceover is excellent here and completes the overall wholesomeness of the game.”
- “The entire experience made me feel like I did not belong in this place and I wanted to escape, but curiosity kept getting the better of me.”
optimization
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
75%
25%
The game's optimization is highly praised, with players reporting smooth technical performance, including impressive 4K resolution at 60fps on mid-range hardware like the GTX 1660. The seamless integration of narrative and gameplay further enhances the overall experience, making it a strong recommendation for gamers.
- “The marriage of gripping narrative, captivating mystery, and seamless technical performance makes it not just a game but an absolute recommendation for any avid gamer seeking a thrilling adventure.”
- “I also got pretty good performance -- I was able to get 4K@60fps on my GTX 1660, which has not been the case with some other lo-fi style games I've played.”
- “Really solid performances from all the voice talent as well.”
grinding
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious, particularly when pursuing extra endings, as it involves repetitive backtracking through areas. While the teleportation system helps reduce travel time, the necessity to replay sections to collect all items adds to the overall grind.
- “Here's my issue, the walking sim part is great, but if you try for the extra ending it gets tedious.”
- “Areas such as the cafe were really awesome, but walking down paths or hallways was so incredibly boring and tedious.”
- “Thus, you could need to replay through multiple times which becomes a bit tedious since all collectibles must be retrieved on each playthrough.”
stability
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game suffers from significant stability issues, including frequent glitches that prevent items and echoes from spawning, as well as regular freezes. Players have reported needing to reload older saves and even restart the story due to these problems, which can disrupt the overall experience.
- “Even with that in mind, I had a hell of a time with glitches in this game: certain items and echoes wouldn't spawn sometimes (even if I completed it in the same order), so I had to reload an older save after exiting the game completely and getting back on. I had to restart the story once or twice due to the ghosts (a normal playthrough may take 2 hours if that).”
- “Stuff like that frustrated me and took me out of the loop. If I'm wrong about the glitches, feel free to beat me up, but it still pissed me off a bit.”
- “The game is glitchy and freezes regularly.”
humor
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is highlighted by unexpected moments, such as a comical jump scare involving a sneeze in an abandoned town and amusing glitches, like a stuck sheep, which add a lighthearted touch to the experience. Overall, players find these moments to be genuinely funny and memorable.
- “There’s also a really funny jump scare that absolutely ended me: in the supposedly abandoned town of Hearth, you’re just walking the streets searching for echoes when someone sneezes.”
- “Personally, I only encountered a tiny audio bug that was easily fixed with a new load, and a stuck sheep that was in its own way more hilarious than anything else.”
replayability
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
100%
The game offers good replayability due to its four different endings, encouraging players to explore multiple outcomes. While its length may be a drawback for some, it provides great value and appeals to completionists seeking to experience all content.
- “The length of the game is a bit of a downside, but the game has 4 different endings you can seek out, which enhances its replayability.”
- “Great value for your time and even some decent replayability for completionists.”
- “The length of the game is a bit of a downside, but the game has 4 different endings you can seek out, which lends itself to replayability.”
- “Great value for your time and even some decent replayability for completionists to boot.”