Protocol Games has released a playable demo of its third-person survival horror game Song of Horror that shows off its basic mechanics (and doesn’t represent the final game). It’s available for Windows only and can be downloaded here (or, if you prefer Spanish, you can download it here).
In Song of Horror, you play as one of a group of 16 people as they attempt to investigate and quell sources of what you might call evil. If a character dies they are gone for good and you return to the location with a different character until you either complete that chapter or run out of characters.
If it sounds intimidating it’s meant to be. In fact, Protocol Games has given a bunch of tips for anyone who checks out the demo of Song of Horror…
First off, you can use a keyboard or gamepad to play and the latter is recommended. You’ll be shown the controls in the loading screen but consult the pause menu to get a better look (“M” on a keyboard) by going to “Settings” and then “Controls.” The other three tips are better read in full:
- Song of Horror does not play like most games. Let’s just say many assumptions we all make as gamers can be wrong. Try to think as the character would, instead of as the videogame player.
- The demo is hard. There is no previous tutorial nor any lengthy explanation. You get thrown into it and are left to fend for yourself. We have included some tips whenever you die and whenever certain major events with the Presence happen, but the rest is up to your reaction and observation skills. The patterns are there, you just need to work them out to get to the end!
- Expect to die. Expect to die a lot. That’s what happens to most people who have played one of our previous demos. Death is part of the Song of Horror experience. Try to be more careful next time! Besides, you only have Daniel to play as, so no extra lives.
Finally, if you like what you play, consider backing Song of Horror on Kickstarter so it can be developed in full for PC and consoles.
