Strobophagia is a new horror survival title by the developer and publisher Green Tile Digital. It is a completely new take in survival horror where it mixes elements of rave music and its trippy environment with horror to make an interesting game altogether. Right from the start, Strobophagia feels like a psychedelic trip or a dream that never make any sense, having you question its premise, background, and what you are supposed to do exactly. This is my review of Strobophagia, a word that I don’t know if it actually exists, but it is catchy, to say the least.
Strobophagia is unlike your typical survival horror, although it does have its fair share of jump scares and creepy moments. But since it is Halloween, it is certainly an interesting title to have a look at, especially if you are a fan of rave or just love some groovy music. When I say it’s not like the typical horror game, you can instantly notice that it stays far away from the traditional scary environment setting that most horror games like to portray right from the start. Not taking away anything from the game, the initial introduction of mysterious black figures with comical faces look creepy, but not in a terrifying way.
Nothing quite makes sense in the game, except that you have to piece your way together and figure things out from everything that is available to you. You start off your character with a first-person view, in a dream-like sequence, heading towards some noise of a silent vibrating mobile phone. Following that, you are immediately transferred into a weird rave festival that we soon learn to be called the Headless Festival. Before you enter the festival, you find yourself in the line of the entrance to the rave festival, where your requirement to enter is just to take a phone. The phone is the main item in the game which not only helps you navigate but also to converse with the people.
One of the main gameplay features is to use the phone to connect with the Wi-Fi. Scanning the code for Wi-Fi will connect your phone and you to the network, introducing you to the Festival and allowing you to converse with the various but similar empty looking black figures that can only be called the audience or rave lovers. As mentioned before, the phone is granted to you as your main instrument to find your way, and to communicate. The only other tip other than how to use the phone is to return the phone when you leave the Headless Festival.
Heading into the main festival area and you realize that it is set in a dense and foggy forest, filled with countless dark figures, decorated with paint and neon lights like in any typical rave party or concert. One of the early tasks in hand is to follow the signal and locate the Wi-Fi devices which not only lets you connect but also to converse with the character for more clues and more Wi-Fi locations. You can, however, explore the main area, get in line for free beer, and even start the music, which immediately brings the crowd near the music, and begins what can only be said to be a bizarre cult dance.
Following the clues given to you by the characters after you have complete simple tasks set by them, like taking their picture, tossing beer bottles, or finding out about certain writing on the wall, will open up the story even further. While your early task is to find more Wi-Fi boxes, it transforms a little complex task that has you solving puzzles, looking for new paths, and finding certain objects to progress in the story. This is the basic way of uncovering more areas, heading deeper into the secrets of what is happening, revealing, and solving the mysterious rave festival.
As you uncover more areas, you soon learn about the sinister background of the Headless Festival, and how the organizers of the event have you and every one of the oblivious characters trapped by paying for their lives to attend it. As this becomes clear, your ultimate goal starts to take shape, which is to get the hell out of this weird dream that you are trapped in. Without any spoilers for anyone interested in the game, yes there are horrors lurking in the forest that will are looking to hunt you down. Whether you find comfort in the empty souls trapped in the rave festival, you will have to face the horrors if you want to keep hold of your sanity and find any sort of escape.
One of the biggest things I have noticed about the game is how much the developer has put in to fix the game and to make it look better than ever. Comparing its state with what it was in the alpha version makes it feel more refined, whereas it looks completely transformed in the latest version with its visuals. The game ran pretty smoothly on my PC, without encounter any real issue with the gameplay. A few minor bugs can always be expected from indie titles, but honestly, they were negligible.
Final Verdict:
Strobophagia promises a unique style mixed with survival horror to produce a game that might sound confusing but it actually works together quite well. The unique style and trippy atmosphere with groovy music makes everything that much more trivial and begging the player to look for answers and uncover the mystery. The game is undoubtedly something that has never been seen before, and has a great premise, despite a few bugs here and there. The survival horror elements remind you that you are lost or rather trapped in an otherworldly rave music festival, and your only escape is to press forward. For a more different spooky experience this Halloween, Strobophagia is definitely worth a shot.
8/10
