Narrative-driven indie games are hot on the PS4 at the moment and we’ve seen some great ones in the last year. Following on from the likes of Ethan Carter, Firewatch, and Layers of Fear is new horror game Kholat. Set on the bleak and freezing slopes of Kholat Syakhl, the game is based on the true story of a group of students who disappeared in 1959. Later found with horrific internal injuries yet no sign of an external struggle, some of them in their underwear and with their tent cut open from the inside, their deaths have spawned countless theories over the years. A cursed mountain? Ritualistic killings? Animals, avalanches, top secret nuclear research? Aliens? It’s highly unlikely we’ll ever know, but wow, that’s one hell of a story. That’s one hell of a frightening story. In Kholat you are told this sorry tale and then dumped on that same sorry mountainside with no idea why and with nothing but a map, torch and compass. Off you trot.
It’s worth saying straight away that although Kholat is a horror game and it is very eerie, it’s not scary, at least not in the traditional sense. It is mysterious, however, and it’s that intrigue that drives the game forward. Do expect one or two jump scares, but mostly the fear comes from the unknown and the awful panic and terror that comes from being completely and utterly lost. I do hope you all know how to read a map and use a compass, because you are actually going to need those skills. Kholat is completely open-world and you are free to wander wherever you want whenever you want. There’s no point A to point B. No ‘find abandoned boot’ objective. In fact there are no objectives at all. When I said earlier that you’ve been dumped on that mountainside I really did mean it. Just imagine you bumped your head, woke up on a mountain in a snowstorm and had no memory except for that damn story. You have no direction, no purpose and no goal other than to figure out what in the name of Christ is going on. It’s a bit like Everybody’s Gone to the Rapture, but with less pubs and a lot more snow.
Your map will show pathways, cavern entrances, bridges and, once you find them, campsites and collectable notes. Unfortunately for you, what it doesn’t show is where you are on that map. When you set out from your first campsite you’ll need to decide which pathway to head for first. Your camp will be on the map so you’ll know where you are at that point, but once you walk away you’ll have to rely on your own navigation skills. You can get your compass out to track North and a quick press of the triangle button will whip out your map. You will also need to use your surroundings. Find a central point, observe what side the moon is on, keep an eye on that that glowing red light in the distance, remember where you saw the cliffside that looked like giant skulls or the trail of rocks leading up a wide path. Observe, plan your journey in your head, look at your map often and check your compass cautiously ... then get totally lost in five seconds when something nasty chases you. Whoops!
Getting lost in Kholat is all part of fun. Even if you’ve got a good sense of direction, you will get turned around. You will also find your way again. Everything looks the same at first, but your surroundings in a particular area will start to look familiar. I have a terrible sense of direction. I get lost in Sainsburys every time they move the eggs, but even I started to enjoy the careful navigation once I realised the game wasn’t going to help me in any shape or form. It’s always a refreshing change to get games that don’t hold your hand and rely instead on motivating you to explore rather than
Review - ps4
BY SJ Hollis
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