A Short, Chilling Horror Experience
How up to date are you with your Bible study? Well, if you’re anything like us, you might be a bit rusty. But when I looked up Psalm 5:9-13, it wasn’t all sweetness and light, I can tell you. There wasn’t a passage about forgiveness, hope or everlasting peace. “Not a word from their mouth can be trusted; their heart is filled with malice. Their throat is an open grave; with their tongues they tell lies” was more the takeaway.
Perfect fodder for inspiration for a horror game on Xbox. And that’s what we have with Psalm 5:9-13.
The game is described by its makers as a self-proclaimed short experience. They weren’t lying either, as I completed the whole thing over a coffee at breakfast – not necessarily the best time to play a horror game. It takes around 30 to 40 minutes to complete, and in that time you are going to get an easy 1000 Gamerscore, mopping up the achievements with ease, for those who are into that sort of thing.
In that amount of time, it’s hard to tell a full story, so the game instead goes all-in on atmosphere and horror. You play as someone, or something, who wakes up in the dark. There is nothing to tell you who you are or what your purpose is. You find yourself in a house, moving from room to room, and you simply need to keep moving forward. There is no handholding and no instructions, so it’s entirely up to you to explore.
The house takes you through familiar spaces, from living rooms with TVs to bedrooms and children’s playrooms. Each time you enter a new area, you are trapped inside and need to perform certain actions or find something that will open the next exit. As you progress, you start to piece together a sort of narrative as the horror slowly creeps in. But you will ultimately end up with more questions than answers, I’m afraid. For me, though, that is part of what makes it work. This is an unnerving horror experience.
Exploring The House And Uncovering Its Secrets
The action is played in first person, with you slowly moving through the environments and examining everything you can find. There are only a couple of other controls to worry about too – the interact button will occasionally appear when you come across an item, allowing you to collect something that might be useful later, and then there is the B button, which is used to focus on an item or monster.
The focus mechanic is particularly important. Hold the button down and the camera starts to shake while the noise builds towards a breaking point. It is often the key to unlocking the next section of the house, making it an important part of progressing through the experience.
Some rooms are easy enough to unlock, simply requiring you to explore and look at everything. You might suddenly spot a head appearing in a box file – yes, you heard me right – focus on it, and the next route will unlock. Other moments are more puzzle-focused, such as finding a series of cuddly toys in a children’s playroom and placing them on seats around a table in the correct order.
There are a few jump scares too, but they are used sparingly. Because of that, they are all the more effective when they do arrive.
Short And Not Quite Sweet Enough
While I enjoyed what I played, Psalm 5:9-13 is a very short experience, and I felt that the ending came a little too suddenly. I expected a bit more from it. That’s not to say short experiences are invalid – I enjoy playing a game that can be completed in a single sitting – but this one could have been just a little longer.
Visually, the game uses its VHS style to great effect. It is all about atmosphere, and Psalm 5:9-13 has oodles of it. Like all great horror games, it mixes domesticity and horror perfectly, taking places and objects that should feel familiar and safe before turning them into something much more sinister. The lighting is used fantastically and makes the world you are exploring even more unsettling. The monsters are horrific and, like all good horror creations, are used sparingly.
The sound is immense and oppressive throughout. When the jump scares happen, the game uses sound so effectively that you might scream and possibly need to change your underwear. The score is built around an ominous drone, while the effects are excellent throughout.
A Brief But Effective Horror Experience
As a horror experience, Psalm 5:9-13 doesn’t shy away from matters, providing an abstract narrative that refuses to give you all the answers. It feels a little like you are walking through a really good horror attraction at a fair or an immersive experience. I liked the lack of instructions, the VHS visuals work brilliantly, and there are some effective jump scares. My main issue is that Psalm 5:9-13 feels too short, with an ending that doesn’t feel entirely satisfying.
But overall, horror fans should give Psalm 5:9-13 a chilling playthrough.
Important Links
Psalm 5:9-13 – A Short, Unsettling Horror Experience On Xbox And PlayStation – https://www.thexboxhub.com/psalm-59-13-a-short-unsettling-horror-experience-on-xbox-and-playstation/
Buy from the Xbox Store – https://www.xbox.com/en-GB/games/store/psalm-59-13/9nkfp38qc4mw
