This week I had a lot of interviews for a big boy job, so I wanted to play a spooky game to wind down and that is how we got to this week’s game. Spooky games are something that I enjoy a lot because there is a lot of themes that devs just haven’t explored yet. This is why I like Puppet Combo Games because their games are based around the theme of 80s horror movies. While looking for a spooky game to play this week I stumbled upon a game that labeled itself as a “Rave Horror” game.

Obviously, I jumped on it.

This week I go to a rave and find out that people are being sacrificed to a being far beyond my comprehension; this week I played Strobophagia.

Strobophagia is a first-person horror game developed and published by Green Tile Digital. it is available for PC and retails for $20.

In an attempt to not butcher the hell out of the main story of the game, the developer has given a small excerpt that makes it quite easy to understand:

“Following a promise of the ultimate expression of freedom, you find yourself at the Headless Festival. However, that freedom comes at a cost as the organizers announce that the price of admission is the lives of all attendees.”

The player enters this Headless festival with nothing and is eventually given a phone that allows newcomers to chat with each other about what will be known as “the rites.” It gets dark and then the actual party begins. Bodies litter the floor and your phone is blowing up with scared and concerned initiates.

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Essentially, you need to get out and save yourself.

The emphasis on having nothing but a phone is an interesting concept and Green Tile really ran with it. It is the main mechanic in the game; everything you do can be, in some way, related to the phone. Puzzle hints are given to you through your phone, and information about lore is given through the phone. It is all very intuitive.

Even though the puzzle hints are some of the vaguest explanations I have ever encountered in a video game.

Nothing special here in terms of mechanics: You can walk, you can run and you can interact with a lot of things. There are pirate boxes to connect to different Wi-Fi to progress to the next section.

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The amount of neon is on point.

The music is on point.

The game looks good and when it gets spooky, it is even better looking.

Honestly, I have no issue with Strobophagia. I think it is a good game, BUT I wish it was longer. It really had me with this rave shit. They really nailed the rave atmosphere, especially when the deep forest area is introduced.

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The story was pretty good even though I did not fully understand it the first time around. The game ran me about an hour the first run and thirty minutes the second.

For $20, though, it’s concerning.

It was spooky in only a handful of spots. it tries to be more of a rave than a horror game. Though, when the spooky gets going, it can be good for at least a scare or two.

At the end of the day, I wish I didn’t spend $20 on it… If it was cheaper I would have felt better about it. Strobophagia is fun but nothing to write home about.