Paranormal HK (PHK), released by Ghostpie Studio, indie dev from Hong Kong just last year to critical acclaim! This is probably one of the fewer, most reviewed horror games I've featured. The other being the likes of The Evil Within, Layers of Fear but then those are AAA projects! I digress, what kept me glued to PHK was its penetrating, feel-good throwback to the Cantonese but to a wider extent- Chinese brand of horror I grew up watching!

It also helps that the objects and decoration, from the profane to the sacred are literally so close to home. I've never felt more perturbed by a work of horror!! The only other game I've played that had something on par was Detention. Even if it's all so foreign to you- not to worry as fear is a cross-cultural response! Its many well-deserved jumpscares, ear-piercing haunting sounds/voices say as much!! Alas, I must distance myself, warm up them chicken feet and hopefully live to tell the tale~ So... action!!!


https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2440497035

The Gist:
You are Ah Lok, cameraman for the occult expose "Beyond The Invisible". While shooting an intro for the spoOoOooOkkky show in the Kowloon Walled City, the new equipment malfunctions and host Kathy inadvertently goes missing. Going further in, members of your crew resurface and a deranged Kathy attacks and hunts you down. CUT!!

Wǒ hàipà ! I'm afraid...



(a) Hell of A Show...
PHK does a terrific job at making you lose your top. With the first few minutes alone setting false expectations for you to cling onto only for the rules to get dropped with make-or-break scenarios! Then have that alternate between chases, stealth sequences, boss encounters across the five chapters and you'll end up one paranoid SOB!

A plethora of intriguing and stumped-worthy puzzles to solve; which require diligent examination of diagrams and other reference point. Others are simply finding items, operating levers to progress but all while hiding from the instant-kill g-g-ghosts(?)!! It has one just 1 ending, which eliminates confusion, right? Yeh, that's what I thought so too.

(b) Watch Out for Red Eye...s?
My shoulders were tense the whole way through. This is why I usually avoid jumpscare-riddled games... But PHK is much more playful and that it has you jump without actually doing anything, but just the impression. With the heavily populated chilling sound effects ranging from a brief, lasting sharp "violin-equivalent" sting, to more classical, oldie distortions.

The varied settings feel lifted straight from the notorious HK flats, office interiors to the more run-down, weeping bleeding deep red areas. Also, the antagonists are just so visceral... I can't deal.

(c) Beyond Comprehension.
The story starts out with a hint of RE7 guilty pleasure (there's even an identical key item); from the purpose of the filming, the possession and one of the character is basically MIA, another is ring-ring-ring, Zoe! PHK is also similar thematically, stylistically to Rigor Mortis (2013) and traces of The Ring.

Voice-acting is above average, except maybe for Kathy- whose squeaky voice doesn't quite suit in some bits. But it quickly bounces back with its own eerie identity on family, tragedy and things never seem to look up... :'/

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2443437889

(d) Answer. The. Calling.
SCARY: One, there's the dealing with the unknown and the uncertainties that accompany. Several high profile haunted places were featured. But are spirits real? How well do we understand them?? Certain rituals provide hope but when it comes to some of the seedier practices, desperation takes over...

Two, there was a subtle, compelling debate- whether it was orchestrated or all real!!? Believing in ghosts, urban legends is a stretch, I get that. But, I liked that it left it open-ended at least for some of them.

Three, to make ghost-hunting a career and profit from a form of exploitative journalism. Especially with the lack of preparation, credentials with regards to the occult which is just begging for bad things to happen. Given the "Hungry Ghost Month" too, it does beg the question- shouldn't some precautions have been in place but also... which spirit is accountable!?

Lastly, the shaky trajectory of whatever follows not only echoes the first point but also that they may have long-standing effects. Perhaps, sealing one's fate without even realizing it and that there may be nothing to be done.



(i) Out-of-Body Sensation?
I don't let graphics sway me but the facial expressions just couldn't deliver, except if they're corpses. The same goes for some of the animations, looking choppy and skipping some frames-ish. And for character models, specifically the first-person body you control it's obvious they get reused even for different male, female characters! Whoops~

NITPICK: Stealth isn't broken (not logically anyway), but inconsistent with real "should've been caught" eyes making contact moments being overlooked and then some where I was hidden for sure, yet still targeted.

(ii) Technical Hiccup..?
BUG(S): Many instances of me floating or ending up where I shouldn't be. Easy fixes but just to poke good fun. There's also grueling ones like enemy patrol being stuck and I have to die to retry again. Furthermore, the stealth sections have like fixed programming whereby say when you get to point b, the tension just cuts off even mid-chase, rather than a proper resolution.

TIPS: Walking is pretty quiet and better than crouching and there are no repercussions for bolting to closets even if you're caught red handed going in.

(iii) No Good Signs!
The English translation left me shaking my head with countless sporadic misspelling, spacing incongruency and just inability to get their point across. Of course, there are Chinese characters left to the imagination and it makes me sad and lost.

NITPICK: Like when first booting up, finding the English option proves difficult. Just accessibility-wise, not off to good start. So when you factor in the already convoluted plot, it turns into a major brain bash!


https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2443434879

PHK’s the best of both worlds; be it spiritual-physical or movie-game. The one shot & linearity doesn’t hurt it as you'll hope it ends sooner. Think of it as a viral video you can't take your eyes off~ Though jumpscares are like my pet peeves, there are some top-10 worthy ones here!! It just comes together with the hair-raising and haunting what can be described as oriental sounds. The equal parts mystical puzzles and balls to the wall chase sequences make this just an absolute showstopper...

The convoluted plot prevalent in the source material also gets carried forward here and the language barrier is daunting. Localization feels skimped on which did nothing to help my understanding of the game's events. Other slip-ups like the half-baked stealth, robotic facial expressions and stiff-jointed animations hurt the overall production. But, with the makings of a franchise, though I'd argue for moderation please; PHK is a must-have for hardcore and scare-easy players!!! It gets loads of things right and all of which only builds up the hype for the sequel~


Stick around for PHK2 for some much-needed closure.

Thank you to my mum, who's scared af too- for aiding with the interpretation XD

[code]Curator page here-->[url=https://store.steampowered.com/curator/37670120/] DaRevieweD #80[/url]<-- [i]New review every Sunday[/i][/code] [b]Paranormal HK (PHK),[/b] released by [b]Ghostpie Studio[/b], indie dev from Hong Kong just last year to critical acclaim! This is probably one of the fewer, most reviewed horror games I've featured. The other being the likes of [url=https://steamcommunity.com/id/DeadeGuard98/recommended/268050/]The Evil Within[/url], [b]Layers of Fear[/b] but then those are AAA projects! I digress, what kept me glued to PHK was its penetrating, feel-good throwback to the Cantonese but to a wider extent- Chinese brand of horror I grew up watching! It also helps that the objects and decoration, from the profane to the sacred are literally so close to home. I've never felt more perturbed by a work of horror!! The only other game I've played that had something on par was [url=https://steamcommunity.com/id/DeadeGuard98/recommended/555220/]Detention[/url]. Even if it's all so foreign to you- not to worry as fear is a cross-cultural response! Its many well-deserved jumpscares, ear-piercing haunting sounds/voices say as much!! Alas, I must distance myself, warm up them chicken feet and hopefully live to tell the tale~ So... action!!! [h1]"Get Me The HK Out!"[/h1] https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2440497035 [u]The Gist:[/u] You are Ah Lok, cameraman for the occult expose "Beyond The Invisible". While shooting an intro for the spoOoOooOkkky show in the Kowloon Walled City, the new equipment malfunctions and host Kathy inadvertently goes missing. Going further in, members of your crew resurface and a deranged Kathy attacks and hunts you down. CUT!! Wǒ hàipà [spoiler]! I'm afraid...[/spoiler] [h1][+] PROS;[/h1] [b](a) Hell of A Show...[/b] PHK does a terrific job at making you lose your top. With the first few minutes alone setting false expectations for you to cling onto only for the rules to get dropped with make-or-break scenarios! Then have that alternate between chases, stealth sequences, boss encounters across the five chapters and you'll end up one paranoid SOB! A plethora of intriguing and stumped-worthy puzzles to solve; which require diligent examination of diagrams and other reference point. Others are simply finding items, operating levers to progress but all while hiding from the instant-kill g-g-ghosts(?)!! It has one just 1 ending, which eliminates confusion, right? Yeh, that's what I thought so too. [b](b) Watch Out for Red Eye...s?[/b] My shoulders were tense the whole way through. This is why I usually avoid jumpscare-riddled games... But PHK is much more playful and that it has you jump without actually doing anything, but just the impression. With the heavily populated chilling sound effects ranging from a brief, lasting sharp "violin-equivalent" sting, to more classical, oldie distortions. The varied settings feel lifted straight from the notorious HK flats, office interiors to the more run-down, weeping bleeding deep red areas. Also, the antagonists are just so visceral... I can't deal. [b](c) Beyond Comprehension.[/b] The story starts out with a hint of [b]RE7[/b] guilty pleasure (there's even an identical key item); from the purpose of the filming, the possession and one of the character is basically MIA, another is ring-ring-ring, Zoe! PHK is also similar thematically, stylistically to [b]Rigor Mortis (2013)[/b] and traces of [b]The Ring[/b]. Voice-acting is above average, except maybe for Kathy- whose squeaky voice doesn't quite suit in some bits. But it quickly bounces back with its own eerie identity on family, tragedy and things never seem to look up... :'/ https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2443437889 [b](d) Answer. The. Calling. [/b] SCARY: One, there's the dealing with the unknown and the uncertainties that accompany. Several high profile haunted places were featured. But are spirits real? How well do we understand them?? Certain rituals provide hope but when it comes to some of the seedier practices, desperation takes over... Two, there was a subtle, compelling debate- whether it was orchestrated or all real!!? Believing in ghosts, urban legends is a stretch, I get that. But, I liked that it left it open-ended at least for some of them. Three, to make ghost-hunting a career and profit from a form of exploitative journalism. Especially with the lack of preparation, credentials with regards to the occult which is just begging for bad things to happen. Given the "Hungry Ghost Month" too, it does beg the question- shouldn't some precautions have been in place but also... which spirit is accountable!? Lastly, the shaky trajectory of whatever follows not only echoes the first point but also that they may have long-standing effects. Perhaps, sealing one's fate without even realizing it and that there may be nothing to be done. [h1][-] CONS;[/h1] [b](i) Out-of-Body Sensation?[/b] I don't let graphics sway me but the facial expressions just couldn't deliver, except if they're corpses. The same goes for some of the animations, looking choppy and skipping some frames-ish. And for character models, specifically the first-person body you control it's obvious they get reused even for different male, female characters! Whoops~ NITPICK: Stealth isn't broken (not logically anyway), but inconsistent with real "should've been caught" eyes making contact moments being overlooked and then some where I was hidden for sure, yet still targeted. [b](ii) Technical Hiccup..?[/b] BUG(S): Many instances of me floating or ending up where I shouldn't be. Easy fixes but just to poke good fun. There's also grueling ones like enemy patrol being stuck and I have to die to retry again. Furthermore, the stealth sections have like fixed programming whereby say when you get to point b, the tension just cuts off even mid-chase, rather than a proper resolution. TIPS: Walking is pretty quiet and [spoiler]better than crouching[/spoiler] and there are no repercussions for [spoiler]bolting to closets[/spoiler] even if you're caught red handed going in. [b](iii) No Good Signs![/b] The English translation left me shaking my head with countless sporadic misspelling, spacing incongruency and just inability to get their point across. Of course, there are Chinese characters left to the imagination and it makes me sad and lost. NITPICK: Like when first booting up, finding the English option proves difficult. Just accessibility-wise, not off to good start. So when you factor in the already convoluted plot, it turns into a major brain bash! [h1]"Behold The New Para-NORM-al~"[/h1] https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2443434879 PHK’s the best of both worlds; be it spiritual-physical or movie-game. The one shot & linearity doesn’t hurt it as you'll hope it ends sooner. Think of it as a viral video you can't take your eyes off~ Though jumpscares are like my pet peeves, there are some [i]top-10[/i] worthy ones here!! It just comes together with the hair-raising and haunting what can be described as oriental sounds. The equal parts mystical puzzles and balls to the wall chase sequences make this just an absolute showstopper... The convoluted plot prevalent in the source material also gets carried forward here and the language barrier is daunting. Localization feels skimped on which did nothing to help my understanding of the game's events. Other slip-ups like the half-baked stealth, robotic facial expressions and stiff-jointed animations hurt the overall production. But, with the makings of a franchise, though I'd argue for moderation please; PHK is a must-have for hardcore and scare-easy players!!! It gets loads of things right and all of which only builds up the hype for the sequel~ [h1]8.5/10[/h1] [b] Stick around for PHK2 for some much-needed closure.[b] [i]Thank you to my mum, who's scared af too- for aiding with the interpretation XD[/i]