Killer Frequency from Team17 is a horror comedy experience set during the glorious 1980s in which you play as a DJ that can help his callers escape from a serial killer. Check our Killer Frequency review!
Killer Frequency from Team17 is a horror comedy experience set during the glorious 1980s in which you play as a DJ that can help his callers escape from a serial killer. You’re DJ Forrest Nash, and during your time with this first-person narrative experience, you’ll be taking on a graveyard shift to remember! You’ll have to act fast because every caller that contacts you during your shift in this Gallows Creek radio station will need your help to escape from The Whistling Man, who is on a killing spree.
Every single call you receive during this shift will be a matter of life or death since they all need your assistance to find a way to escape from being murdered. Every choice you make will matter, and your words of wisdom – or giving someone the wrong advice – will dictate if they get to see the light of day or if they fall into the hands of The Whistling Man, a serial killer that seemed to be active back in the 1950s. It’s a journey inspired by slasher films that takes you through a 1980s-inspired world with a fully voice-acted cast, complemented by a 1980s-inspired soundtrack with songs that run the gamut from rock to synthwave.
You’ll learn the basics during the tutorial segment that has you walking through the backstreets as another character. After this, you’ll have to complete a pre-show check to make sure that everything works so that you can go on the air. Since the game is played from a first-person perspective, you’ll control DJ Forrest Nash with the left analog stick as you look around with the right one. The D-Pad will be used to navigate through the available dialogue so that you can select it with the X button.
The X button can also be used to interact, as well as to grab an object. These actions are also mapped to the R2 button. You can swap the object in your hands by using the L1 and R1 buttons and can inspect them with the Square button. While inspecting an object, the left analog stick can be used to rotate it so that you can get a better look at things. The Triangle button will allow you to throw an object. The L2 button makes it possible to place an object. Oh, and you can crouch by pressing in on the right analog stick.
You’ll have a board to work with during your time with Killer Frequency. This can be used to take incoming calls from listeners, call Peggy behind the glass to get her input, play different sounds during calls as you feel is needed, take a record from the box that is on the left side of the screen, and place it on the record player so that you can then hit play to, well, play the record, change the volume of calls and records, and more. While you were used to having a guy play any tapes during a show, you’re not in Chicago anymore, so you’ll have to do it on your own.
Once that’s taken care of, you’ll get your first call, which just happens to be from Leslie Harper, the 911 operator, and police dispatcher. It seems that the sheriff is dead and his deputies are not available – because reasons – so all 911 calls will need to be routed to the radio station so that you can field them – again, because reasons. It’s up to you and Peggy, your producer, to figure out what the best course of action is. It’s going to be a long, long shift, starting at 12:00 a.m., and you might not be able to save everyone if you don’t act fast!
The game features a full trophy list with a Platinum, and since it’s a Cross-Buy title, if you own a PlayStation 5 console, you can download both the PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5 versions of the game at an extra cost, and each one will have its own trophy list. Each list includes 7 Bronze trophies, 15 Silver trophies, and 5 Gold trophies, and you’re going to need to play the game from start to finish at least twice. Why is that? Because there are trophies that cancel each other out. Along with the miscellaneous trophies for completing this or that objective, there are trophies for saving every single caller and a trophy for no one surviving. There’s also a speed run trophy that requires you to finish the game in less than 4 hours, which might end up needing a third run if you’re not fast enough!
Killer Frequency is a 1980s-infused game with a very interesting – and out-there – premise. As DJ Forrest Nash, you have to use your time with each caller to help them survive The Whispering Man. While playing some records and taking care of some ads – because you are, after all, a radio station DJ – you’ll have to think fast to hopefully find the right answer to each of the different situations you’ll run into. Can you save all of the callers during this peculiar graveyard shift? Killer Frequency is available as a Cross-Buy title, so your $24.99 purchase will give you access to both the PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5 versions of the game at no extra cost.
Disclaimer
This Killer Frequency review is based on a PlayStation 5 copy provided by Team17.
