Siren Head

Within the Horror gaming genre, there has been a trend in recent years where developers will offer gamers interactive horror experiences rather than full games. With most of the action happening over the space of 10-15 minutes. Offering a concise, short but terrifying experience that lives much longer in the memory than the time you will spend actually playing it. Siren Head is another game of this nature, offering a compelling yet short experience that packs tonnes of suspense and horror into a small package.

This game plays like other horror experiences of this nature such as Slender Man and P.T but also plays like parts of longer experiences like Resident Evil 7: Biohazard, Outlast, Layers of Fear and Plasmophobia. This game aims to offer creepypasta fans with a game to showcase the terror that is Siren Head. However, does this game do the creepy figure justice? We find out in our review of Siren Head.

The Siren, The Myth, The Legend

Firstly, lets discuss the visuals of this game. The graphics of this game are inspired by the gritty and grainy visuals of the PS1 era. Where big polygons and low render distance was standard procedure. This seems like a decision that would limit the success of the game. However, this couldn’t be further from the truth as this artistic direction only adds to the creepy and unsettling forest setting. It gives us real Silent Hill vibes and that puts this game in great company.

As for the gameplay, it’s very similar to Slender Man. There is a way to ‘Win’ the game and that is through expolation and uncovering the secrets hidden in this forest. However, the draw of this game is the Siren Head figure that stalks your every move and can appear at any point in time to ruin your day. It builds suspense throughout the entire playtime, leading to a huge payoff right at the end that is quintessential horror gaming.

Admittedly, this is a one and done sort of game. The gameplay is akin to that of a walking sim and not a particularly good one at that. From a gameplay point of view, it’s a very basic and underwhelming offering but thanks to the format in which it is presented it gets a pass, if only for one playthrough. So for this reason, there is next to no replay value.

The Verdict

Overall, we would say that this is an enjoyable horror experience that you should try for two reasons. The PS1 style nostalgia that this will bring and two, the payoff of seeing Siren Head as they close in on you.

Pros:

• Wonderfully nostalgic PS1 art style
• Builds suspense very well

Cons:

• Gameplay is basically non-existent
• No replay value