The Chant

The Chant brings a few interesting ideas into the modern Survival-Horror-Genre, but stumbles as much as it succeeds. The setting and story have their moments, but a lot of the characters feel too two-dimensional and predictable. Combat has some depth, especially with the introduction of roleplay elements, but ultimately the lack of diversity turns combat to a chore outside of a few especially well-made bossfights. Nonetheless, The Chant is a game well worth checking out for fans of the spooky and supernatural and deserves more attention than it currently got.

Aside from a few issues and a single voice actor, I had a great time with The Chant. It has a good atmosphere, simple mechanics and a fun overall story that kept me going for the six to seven hours it took. This is going to be one of those games that will be looked at in a few years as a hidden gem that people didn’t play. Let me at least be one of the people to tell you, play this one. You’ll have a pretty fun time.

The Chant gives off old school survival horror aroma. It doesn't stand out graphically or offer revolutionary gameplay, but it has all the necessary elements to dazzle horror lovers.

The Chant offers a thrilling foray into the survival horror genre. The acting and crafting elements make Jess’ plight feel incredibly dire, while the story remains gripping throughout. Despite some technical limitations, this grim island teeming with tension is still an eerie paradise worth exploring – especially when confronted by the mysterious Gloom!

The Chant is by no means a great game, and there are plenty of sketchy aspects. Combat is iffy and clumsy, and there are a lot of fetch quests. Just the same, The Chant is mostly enjoyable thanks to a solid story and lush environments.

The Chant is a fun horror adventure with its own personality, but it fails to reach 100% of its potential due to a too predictable script and a technical compartment plagued by several shortcomings.

The Chant has some really interesting new game mechanics, and a structure and story which are both very original. However, there is a sense that the narrative is rushed through and the horror feels low budget rather than something stranger.

The Chant is a surprising and impressive experience. It runs tight and brief; rarely wasting time but allowing enough breathing room for the player to explore at their own pace. It looks amazing, has excellent acting and a compelling narrative that explores some unconventional topics for a horror game. It is too bad it rarely is scary and is too easy. Making Jess a terrible fighter would probably be a worse design choice, but The Chant really needs to have more threatening foes and redesign them to be scarier. Fighting a massive toad that has a shark-like head feels more like something out of an off-brand Resident Evil than a 70s-inspired horror game with a new-age mysticism bent to it.

Despite some teething problems, The Chant is certainly worth a playthrough for those who appreciate the survival horror genre. More importantly, this debut title has me excited for what’s next from Brass Token.

The Chant has an intriguing premise and setting that set it apart from its cousins in the horror/action adventure sphere. While it doesn’t break any new ground with its mechanics or combat, and it’s definitely not very scary, its exploration of psychological states adds a bit of specific narrative color. Budgetary limitations in character models, lack of refinement, weak combat, and inelegant animations aside, The Chant is just unique enough to make it appealing to fans of the genre.