Killer Frequency Review (PS5) | Push Square

Killer Frequency is an odd concoction that just about delivers on its unusual premise. Playing as Forrest Nash, a smooth-talking DJ on a small town’s local radio station, you’re in charge of a late night call-in show. On top of that, though, a serial killer is on the loose, and the tiny police department is in disarray. Somehow, it falls to you to take emergency calls while you’re on the air, helping callers evade the frightful Whistling Man.

This is a first-person adventure game, played almost entirely from within the broadcast room. Producer Penny is there to inform you about incoming calls and help with rescuing callers, but it falls to you to play music and adverts and, most importantly, save the lives of each citizen. Callers will tell you their situation and, using somewhat contrived documents and items found in the radio station, you’ll need to talk them through what to do to escape the clutches of the killer.

It’s all delivered with personality and a tongue-in-cheek sense of humour, and the over-the-top premise and voice acting will keep you interested to see what happens. Based on the advice you give, characters will live or die at the hands of the Whistling Man, which can lead to some tense moments. You might need to direct someone through a corn maze, or help someone hot-wire a car to get away. When you manage to keep a character alive, it’s pretty satisfying — it’s just down to the execution, and sometimes the answers can be a little unclear, leading to some unnecessary deaths. Additionally, gameplay is largely unremarkable; controls can be quite finicky when you need to press a small button or highlight certain objects.

The presentation is also just a bit flat. It looks fine, but the combination of a purposely dingy setting and block colours isn’t particularly eye-catching. Initially developed for VR, it’s also a shame PSVR2 isn’t supported, as we feel it would alleviate issues with the controls.

Despite our complaints, though, Killer Frequency is lifted by its daft charm. It’s an intriguing, unorthodox murder mystery that fans of narrative-driven games will certainly enjoy — it just needed a little bit more tuning.