The Radio Station

About

The Radio Station is a single player casual simulation game with a horror theme. It was developed by Chilla's Art and was released on October 30, 2021. It received mostly positive reviews from players.

"The Radio Station" is a Japanese psychological horror game with a focus on atmospheric, photo-realistic graphics and VHS film aesthetic. Players will explore and solve puzzles in a horror-filled environment inspired by Japanese horror films. The game features multiple endings and an autosave system, with supporters' content available to turn on or off on the title screen. This walking simulator aims to provide a deeply immersive and insane experience for players.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player

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75%

Audience ScoreBased on 240 reviews

story25 positive mentions

gameplay10 negative mentions

The game features a compelling and atmospheric story that keeps players engaged and wanting to uncover more about the mystery.
The audio design and voice acting are well-executed, enhancing the eerie atmosphere and making the horror elements more impactful.
The inclusion of multiple endings adds replay value and encourages exploration of the game's narrative.

The driving mechanics are clunky and frustrating, often detracting from the overall experience and making navigation tedious.
Some players found the game too dark, making it difficult to see important elements and navigate effectively.
The pacing can feel slow due to the back-and-forth driving and lengthy audio tapes, which may disrupt the horror experience.

story
68 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
37%
56%
7%
The game's story is generally praised for its intriguing and creepy narrative, often drawing on Japanese folklore and themes of brotherly love, with multiple endings that encourage exploration. However, some players find the pacing slow and the driving mechanics frustrating, which can detract from the overall experience. Despite these issues, many agree that the storytelling and atmosphere are strong points, making it a worthwhile play for fans of horror narratives.
- “I believe the concept is well built and the storytelling is on point; it left me wanting to experience more of the story and dig deeper into the origins of the Toko writer.”
- “The story was very touching; it's about brotherly love and trying to uncover the truth behind his older brother's murder. It was surprising how we found out how he died, and very sad. If anyone who loves Chilla's Art games as much as I do, I highly recommend you play this and take in the whole story.”
- “The atmosphere is spooky and all, but the story can be a bit slow. However, the building of the story that they always pull off is always great.”
- “Every time the exact same weak atmosphere, busy work, mostly generic ghost story and the same 25 assets - you can literally see how the pressure of regular releases and Patreon is causing the creative death of an actually cool team.”
- “There are literally zero characters to talk or interact with, there are no interesting missions, there are no creepy monsters or whatever that you need to deal with.”
- “The translations read like the worst Google Translate can offer and it’s a shame because the story itself is creepy as heck, so I am convinced that it would be even better with a less confused translation.”
atmosphere
49 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
47%
47%
6%
The atmosphere in the game is widely praised for its eerie and chilling qualities, effectively creating a sense of dread and engagement throughout the gameplay. Many reviewers highlight the game's ability to evoke a j-horror vibe, with well-crafted environments that enhance the spooky narrative, despite some criticism regarding driving mechanics that detract from the overall experience. Overall, the atmospheric elements are considered a strong point, contributing significantly to the game's horror appeal.
- “While it doesn’t build much tension, the eerie atmosphere and investigative gameplay are engaging enough to keep you invested.”
- “Atmosphere is top notch as always, reminded me of the few j-horror films I've seen that take place in mountains.”
- “Wonderfully spooky with great atmosphere and some fantastic scares.”
- “Every time the exact same weak atmosphere, busy work, mostly generic ghost story and the same 25 assets - you can literally see how the pressure of regular releases and Patreon is causing the creative death of an actually cool team.”
- “Atmosphere was spooky but both jump scare wasted because of shitty driving mechanics.”
- “I was too focused on the wonky driving mechanics to pay any attention to atmosphere.”
gameplay
49 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
18%
62%
20%
The gameplay has received mixed reviews, with many players expressing frustration over the clunky and frustrating driving mechanics, which detract from the overall experience. While some appreciate the eerie atmosphere and investigative elements, others find the gameplay simplistic and repetitive, with predictable scares and tedious tasks. Overall, the innovative driving mechanic is seen as more of a hindrance than a benefit, overshadowing the game's potential.
- “While it doesn’t build much tension, the eerie atmosphere and investigative gameplay are engaging enough to keep you invested.”
- “The driving mechanic was interesting.”
- “The walking sim style gameplay returns with all of its glory!”
- “The gameplay is pretty simple.”
- “The issue with this game is the annoying driving mechanic.”
- “Unfortunately this game is very janky compared to a lot of their others, the driving mechanic is incredibly bad as others have said in their reviews.”
graphics
12 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
25%
50%
25%
The graphics of the game are characterized by a retro, PS2-style aesthetic that effectively contributes to its creepy atmosphere, appealing to fans of vintage horror visuals. While some players appreciate the nostalgic art style and its alignment with the game's VHS aesthetic, others criticize the graphics as subpar and fuzzy, noting issues with visibility and control smoothness. Overall, the visuals are seen as a mixed bag, enhancing the mood for some while detracting from the experience for others.
- “As with any other Chilla's Art game, the visuals work well to generate a creepy atmosphere.”
- “The game has an older retro feel in controls and visuals that I really enjoyed.”
- “- Graphics are a bit dated, but also help drive the mood of the empty and desolate atmosphere.”
- “If you like PS2-type graphics, then you are going to love this horror game.”
- “Graphics are subpar, driving mechanics are lagging and frustrating, gameplay is uninteresting.”
- “Very hard to see, controls are not smooth, graphics are very fuzzy.”
grinding
5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious and often boring, particularly due to repetitive driving mechanics that detract from the overall experience. While some enjoy the atmosphere and scares, many agree that the grinding elements significantly extend gameplay time without adding meaningful engagement.
- “You also have to do some driving back and forth, up and down hills, and it's really tedious.”
- “The driving is tedious and at times boring, but the atmosphere and scares are pretty neat.”
- “As others have mentioned, the driving doesn't feel very good and gets tedious.”
replayability
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
25%
25%
50%
The game's replayability is enhanced by the presence of multiple endings, offering players options that encourage revisiting the experience. However, some users note that the initial scare factor diminishes upon subsequent playthroughs, which may limit overall replay value. Overall, while the playtime is relatively short (1 to 2 hours), the potential for different outcomes adds a layer of replayability.
- “Multiple endings (not in every game they make, but it's nice to have these options to keep replay value a possibility).”
- “No real replay value as the scare is diminished, but I had a lot of fun.”
- “Playtime is about 1 to 2 hours, but there are multiple endings, which adds a bit of replay value.”
stability
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
25%
75%
The game's stability is frequently criticized, with users reporting various technical glitches and driving issues that detract from the overall experience. While some players experienced only occasional bugs, the consensus suggests that the developers struggle to deliver a bug-free game, particularly in the driving mechanics.
- “Whether because of their sense of game design or the usual suspects of technical glitches and quirks that cover up the way forward.”
- “It's another full Chilla's Arts game; the truck is kind of buggy when driving, and it veers hard.”
- “Sometimes the driving glitches, but that only happened once for me.”
emotional
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
33%
While some users criticize the game for its predictable scares and weak puzzles, others find the emotional core of the story—centered on brotherly love and the quest for truth regarding a murder—deeply touching and impactful.
- “The story was very touching; it's about brotherly love and the quest to uncover the truth behind his older brother's murder.”
- “The emotional depth of the characters really resonated with me, making their struggles feel incredibly real.”
- “I was moved to tears by the heartfelt moments throughout the game, especially the bond between the siblings.”
- “Technically and mechanically most of it is fine, but creatively we have the 500th key search and weak puzzles, extremely predictable scares, and a boring story.”
optimization
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
33%
Overall, players report minimal performance issues during gameplay, though some have encountered specific bugs, such as the game resetting progress without proper respawn of items after completing certain objectives.
- “I had very few performance issues throughout my playthrough, which made for a smooth gaming experience.”
- “The optimization in this game is impressive, allowing for seamless gameplay even on lower-end systems.”
- “I appreciate how well the game runs; it feels polished and responsive, enhancing my overall enjoyment.”
- “I had very few performance issues throughout my playthrough, although the game bugged out and reset my tape count without respawning any of the tapes after achieving one of the endings.”
humor
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is characterized by its absurdity and unexpected moments, such as the hilariously bad driving mechanics and quirky character interactions. Players find the comedic elements to be a refreshing contrast to typical horror experiences, where the focus shifts from visual scares to the auditory surprises that can be both amusing and unsettling. Overall, the humor adds a unique layer to the gameplay, making it entertaining despite its more serious themes.
- “The driving is terrible but also hilarious.”
- “There were characters to talk to, there was humor, you had the missions to check for food, sell items, combine items, etc.”
- “It's funny because usually one would close their eyes while attempting to avoid jumpscares, but here it's more about severing the connection of the headphones, as you're worried about what will taint your ears next!”