A Haunting Descent into King in Yellow Madness
When we think of horror, or terrible situations of peril, we naturally think of a disused hospital or an abandoned fairground. When we feel anxious or fearful, we usually want to go home to be safe. However, statistically, most murders in the UK and USA actually happen in the home.
And there have been some games in recent years that have played with this idea of domestic horror; games such as Luto.
Chorus of Carcosa joins this genre, set in a small apartment within a huge block. But here, everything isn’t what it seems.
Chorus of Carcosa is a classic horror adventure inspired by the fiction stories, The King in Yellow by R.W. Chambers. First published in 1895, these stories set the scene for a legion of horror and fantasy writers, even if they remain relatively unknown to the general public.
You play as a sculptor living in a run-down apartment block that is falling apart. Your flat contains a small living quarters and a workshop for your large statues in the back. The game begins with a knock at the door; a delivery is waiting for you downstairs. It turns out to be a book – The King in Yellow – and soon, things start to act strangely all around you. The apartment block begins switching between an alternate universe and the current one. When a neighbour arrives at your door with her eyes gouged out, you know it is time to escape.
Puzzles in a Shifting Reality
The story and atmosphere are very intriguing, keeping you interested throughout the 3-hour runtime of Chorus of Carcosa. There are some great characters to meet, such as the musician next door, a mysterious stranger on a walkie-talkie, and an annoying neighbour who hates you. I enjoyed the setup of the different realities and the horrors that lie within the alternate one. I also appreciated how confusing and bewildering the story becomes, leading to an ending where you aren’t entirely sure what has happened. I liked this ambiguity a lot, though it might upset those who prefer their stories to be more straightforward.
Gameplay is entirely in the first person. You control your sculptor by walking, running, crouching, and interacting with items. There isn’t a traditional inventory either; once you pick up an item, you know you’re going to be using it very soon. The early game is quite straightforward, tasking you with going from A to B to fetch packages or find your way back to the apartment. However, when the strange reality kicks in, the puzzles and stealth sections begin.
The puzzle sections involve unlocking codes by gathering information from your surroundings. One solution involves counting constellations viewed through a keyhole, while others require solving mosaics by rotating pieces. There is even a time-loop section where you must repeat a sequence to work out the best route forward to break the cycle.
Facing the Statues
Several moments of stealth are required. Some involve being hunted by the eyeless musician, where you must not make a sound, only distracting them by turning on noisy objects. In another section, you are stalked by stone statues that freeze if you look at them but move towards you the moment you look away. I liked the statue sections but hated the musician encounters, as the mechanics sometimes felt a bit unfair. Overall, though, there is a good range of gameplay mechanics packed into the short runtime.
Breathtaking Decay
Visually, Chorus of Carcosa is great, presenting a brilliantly realised apartment block with crumbling walls, graffiti, and old furniture everywhere. The apartments themselves are superbly detailed. When you shift into the alternate universe, some sections are breathtaking. My only criticism is that there are too many loading screens, which can take you out of the action.
The sound design is extremely good as well, with a great score accompanying the thrills. There are some brilliant sound effects, with a special shout-out to the strange footsteps of the moving statues. Voice-over work is solid; the main sculptor does a good job, as do the supporting characters.
A Single-Sitting Slice of Arthouse Horror
The older I get, the more I appreciate games that can be completed in a single sitting or two, and Chorus of Carcosa quenches that thirst. It has a mad but intriguing story, good gameplay, and excellent visuals, and it’ll be interesting to see what the team behind Chorus of Carcosa come up with next.
Important Links
Ready to Embrace the Madness of Chorus of Carcosa on Xbox and PlayStation? – https://www.thexboxhub.com/ready-to-embrace-the-madness-of-chorus-of-carcosa-on-xbox-and-playstation/
Buy from the Xbox Store – https://www.xbox.com/en-gb/games/store/chorus-of-carcosa/9pbxg065m988
