The Karaoke

About

"The Karaoke" is a Japanese horror game set in a high school girl's karaoke experience. The game features an immersived horror environment with a VHS film aesthetic and is designed to have a psychological impact on the player. There are multiple endings and autosaves at each checkpoint. The game is inspired by Japanese horror films and offers a unique and unsettling experience.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

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

81%

Audience ScoreBased on 492 reviews

story22 positive mentions

optimization4 negative mentions

The game features a compelling narrative that effectively tackles serious themes, creating a haunting atmosphere that resonates with players.
The addition of multiple endings (six in total) enhances replayability and encourages exploration of different story paths.
The graphics and sound design are notably improved, contributing to a creepy and immersive experience.

The game suffers from optimization issues, with reports of high GPU usage and game-breaking bugs that hinder gameplay.
Many players found the karaoke mini-game frustrating and poorly executed, detracting from the overall experience.
The game is relatively short, with some players feeling that it lacks depth and meaningful content compared to other titles in the Chilla's Art catalog.

story
110 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
20%
73%
7%
The game's story is a dark and emotionally charged narrative centered around themes of abuse and sexual assault, which some players found to be both engaging and disturbing. While the atmosphere is praised for its intensity, the integration of rhythm-based karaoke gameplay has been criticized for detracting from player agency and the overall impact of the story. Despite its flaws, the game offers six different endings that encourage replayability, though many players felt that the storytelling could have been more cohesive and impactful.
- “Excellent story, very emotionally heavy.”
- “The story is engaging, and you keep wondering what will happen next.”
- “This is by far one of my favorite games by Chilla's Art so far; the story that goes into these games is phenomenal and I highly recommend getting all of the endings. You won't regret it; the lore and small details in this game are amazing.”
- “It just doesn't make any sense, and it diminishes what is a genuinely chilling story of abuse by removing all player agency to react as a normal person would.”
- “Very distasteful story told in an awful way.”
- “There was an uncomfortable amount of naivety in the storytelling and I get the feeling that they did not really consult many victims of the subject matter before they got writing.”
atmosphere
72 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
61%
35%
4%
The atmosphere in the game is widely praised for its creepiness and tension, effectively utilizing corner-of-the-eye scares and oppressive sound design to create a foreboding environment. Many reviewers highlight the game's ability to maintain a consistently unsettling atmosphere throughout, despite some criticisms regarding depth and polish. Overall, the atmospheric elements are considered a standout feature, contributing significantly to the psychological horror experience.
- “From the beginning to end, the atmosphere did not stop and it was so creepy not knowing when the stalker would attack you, even in parts where he doesn't appear.”
- “It's got that classic Chilla's Art creepiness that works super well with just an oppressive, disturbing atmosphere, and that means a lot.”
- “The visuals and atmosphere were incredible, just as nearly all of Chilla's Art releases.”
- “Lacks a truly creepy atmosphere and any meaningful horror gameplay.”
- “Sadly, unlike the closing shift, the bathhouse, and the convenience store, the 'task' game part just doesn't really build the atmosphere like those other games' tasks do.”
- “I didn't get a sense of creepy atmosphere here; only frustration and confusion.”
gameplay
56 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
18%
77%
5%
Gameplay is a mixed bag, with players noting a strong emphasis on karaoke mechanics and a generally engaging experience, though some find it too short and simplistic. While there are improvements in graphics and voice acting, the gameplay can feel janky and relies heavily on a few core mechanics, leading to a sense of repetition. Overall, it offers a blend of new and familiar elements, but may not satisfy those looking for deeper gameplay complexity.
- “Beautiful story with fun gameplay and anxiety-increasing events throughout the entirety of the game.”
- “The gameplay loop felt a lot more engaging than the closing shift, with plenty of customization options.”
- “It was very exciting to see the improvements made such as the driving mechanic being easier to control, improved graphics, more voice acting, etc. I enjoyed getting the various endings, and it was a pleasant surprise to see that there were quite a few of them.”
- “Gameplay railroads you into prioritizing karaoke above everything else.”
- “Too short, there are two mechanics: karaoke and run away from the rapist.”
- “The stealth mechanic in the endings that require it is... finicky.”
music
52 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
44%
6%
The music in the game has received positive feedback for its catchy tracks, particularly the j-pop selections, and the engaging karaoke mini-game. However, some players expressed frustration with the forced progression through songs and issues with song synchronization, which can hinder the overall experience. Despite these drawbacks, the atmosphere created by the music is noted as effective and immersive, contributing to the game's emotional depth.
- “The music is great, the story is great, it had me replaying to see if I could get the best ending and I wasn't disappointed.”
- “There are some catchy j-pop songs to enjoy, and the mini-game of 'singing' the songs properly is clever.”
- “Great song selection to sing to, lots of different endings, very atmospheric.”
- “That being said... prepare to be frustrated if you plan on completing the songs 100%, because they are poorly synced.”
- “It was way too short; in the other games before, there was a lot more to do. In this game, you actually have nothing much to do, except play a music rhythm game which is way too loud.”
- “I also had a bug that I couldn't fix where I didn't even get any karaoke music.”
graphics
36 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
39%
53%
8%
The graphics in this game are a mixed bag, with some users praising the improved textures and shadows, likening them to titles like F.E.A.R., while others criticize the overall quality as outdated and reminiscent of early 3D models. Despite the technical shortcomings, many appreciate the atmospheric visuals that effectively create a dark and immersive Japanese environment. Overall, while the graphics may not be groundbreaking, they contribute to the game's unsettling ambiance and aesthetic appeal.
- “It's also graphically the best game of the Chilla's Art series; the shadows and clean textures are very reminiscent of games like F.E.A.R.”
- “In the same vein as past Chilla's Art games, the graphics work well for creating an oppressive, dark atmosphere and uncanny valley feeling, as does the sound design.”
- “The visuals and atmosphere were incredible, just as nearly all of Chilla's Art releases.”
- “When entering the karaoke, it uses 90%+ of my GPU at the lowest graphics and resolution, making it unplayable completely.”
- “Great idea and atmosphere, but the fact that these things happen in real life makes up for the trashy graphics this game has.”
- “In 2023, the developers resort to graphics that remind me of those T-pose models from 3D Studio Max 1999. Seriously, dev, have you heard about Unreal Engine 5?”
optimization
12 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
25%
42%
33%
Chillas' games are known for their charm and atmosphere, but they often suffer from poor optimization, leading to high resource usage and performance issues. While the latest title shows some improvement in optimization compared to previous games, users still report occasional hitches and concerns about GPU overheating. Overall, it is considered the most optimized game from Chillas yet, but there is still room for improvement.
- “The game is better optimized than their usual, but still has hitches occasionally.”
- “Fully voiced dialogue, pretty good optimization (compared to past games), and larger map sizes are a few of the big changes I'd point out about the karaoke.”
- “I've played every Chilla's Art game and this is their most optimized yet.”
- “Chillas games have a reputation for being incredibly charming, atmospheric and truly frightening, but also very poorly optimized and janky.”
- “I really enjoy these games and really look forward to playing, but I think there is an optimization issue where this game taxes my GPU to the point of overheating.”
- “Optimization is terrible; it ran fine on my computer, but I noticed it was still taking way too many resources for a game looking like this.”
humor
10 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is described as a mix of intentional and unintentional moments, with standout elements like the "funny karaoke monkey" and absurd animations, particularly during the coach's tackle scene, which elicited laughter due to its janky execution. While previous titles from Chilla's Art have been amusing in their awkwardness, this installment is noted to lack engaging humor, resulting in a more boring experience overall.
- “But when the coach catches you and tackles you, not only is there the issue that the animation plays in the same hallway no matter where you are in the building, but the animation of the coach attacking you is so abrupt, jittery, silly looking and sounding that I actually found myself laughing at the absurdity of the whole cutscene.”
- “Chilla's art games are usually not that great; however, they are often at the very least funny to trek through in a sort of janky way.”
- “Sometimes there also were some funny moments, but I think they were not intentional.”
replayability
10 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
20%
50%
30%
The game features six different endings, providing a solid level of replayability for those interested in exploring all outcomes, though some endings may feel less rewarding. However, several reviewers noted a lack of engaging content beyond the endings, with repetitive gameplay and limited activities, such as karaoke mode, leading to mixed feelings about its overall replay value.
- “With 6 endings available, replayability is through the roof in this one.”
- “This game offers a ton of different endings to discover, which adds a healthy dose of replayability.”
- “Not really a replayable game as there isn't too much to do unless you want to play the karaoke mode.”
- “I don't exactly recommend this due to the lack of replayability, the alarmingly avoidant main character, and the general cycle of repeating the same scenes over and over again just to get a slightly different ending that doesn't even take much effort to achieve.”
- “It gives the game solid replay value, although some of the endings aren't exactly ones you want to get unless you want all the achievements.”
grinding
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Users find the grinding aspect of the rhythm game to be tedious rather than engaging or challenging, leading to a lack of excitement and enjoyment.
- “It wasn't scary, it was just tedious.”
- “Rhythm game is very tedious.”
emotional
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game is praised for its excellent and emotionally heavy story, resonating deeply with players and leaving a lasting impact.
- “Excellent story, very emotionally heavy.”
stability
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
150%
The game suffers from significant stability issues, particularly during karaoke segments, where it frequently freezes, forcing players to reload and replay chapters. This has led to frustration among users, detracting from the overall experience.
- “The game freezes randomly during the karaoke segments, forcing you to reload and replay the chapter.”
- “The stability issues are frustrating, especially when the game crashes in the middle of important scenes.”
- “I experienced frequent crashes that disrupted my gameplay experience significantly.”