History VideoGame / SongOfHorror

%%(ZCE)* CosmicHorrorStory: Very inspired by Lovecraftian Horror.

%%(ZCE)* DraggedOffToHell: This happens to any character unable to escape from the abyss.

%%(ZCE)* EndlessCorridor: Daniel winds up in one by the end of the fourth episode.

* ForWantOfANail: If you're unable to find [[spoiler:the bolt cutters]] in the first half of episode 3, the character selected for the next section is guaranteed to die. If it's Daniel, [[HeroMustSurvive the only one required to remain alive]], there's no point in even going; you may as well restart the entire episode. Subverted if you play as officer René: he uses his pistol to ShootOutTheLock.

* ThePenIsMightier. Discussed by René if you examine a mechanical pencil[[note]]a key item in chapter 3[[/note]] while playing as him. Once in the past, he was almost stabbed by a perp brandishing one.

''Song Of Horror'' is a SurvivalHorror game by the Spanish studio Protocol Games. They [[https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1139999460/song-of-horror-by-protocol-games sought funding]] on Website/{{Kickstarter}} in 2015 but failed; undeterred, they spent the four following years working on the game until the first two episodes were released on for [[UsefulNotes/IBMPersonalComputer PC]] through UsefulNotes/{{Steam}} on October 31st, 2019. Episode 3 followed on Friday the 13th December, 2019, and the last two episodes came out in March 2020, while the "Complete Edition" hit UsefulNotes/PS4 and UsefulNotes/XboxOne on May 27, 2021.

The game plays primarily like an old-school Survival Horror game such as ''VideoGame/AloneInTheDark'', ''VideoGame/ResidentEvil'', or ''VideoGame/SilentHill''. However, instead of traditional combat, while exploring each location the player will instead be randomly attacked by the Presence, which attempts to kill you in various quick-time events. The key hook is that The Presence is also the A.I. that the game runs on, which switches stuff up every now and then depending on how you play the game, ensuring every play through is different.

* ThePenIsMightier. Discussed by René if you examine a mechanical pencil while playing as him. Once in the past, he was almost stabbed by a perp brandishing one.

* PressXToNotDie: The game has its share of moments that require you to mash buttons to keep [[PlayerCharacter your character]] alive. One of the first instances you're faced with involves slamming a door shut while The Presence tries to force its way into the room.

* CreepyCrosses: The Christian Cross appears, but never reassuringly because it is scratched in a haphazardous way into the walls, or in the ruin of an abbey tainted by the Presence.

* FakeTrap: A lot of things will kill you if you interact with them, so you have to be very vigilant, but in Episode 3, there is a door that is suspiciously ajar. Normally, you wouldn't want to open it, lest you be attacked. However, if you don't go in and [[spoiler:take the item inside, one of characters is guaranteed to die in the next segment]].
* ForWantOfANail: If you're unable to find [[spoiler:the bolt cutters]] in the first half of episode 3, the character selected for the next half is guaranteed to die. If it's Daniel, [[HeroMustSurvive the only on required to remain alive]], there's no point in even going; you may as well restart the entire episode. Subverted if you play as officer René: he uses his pistol to ShootOutTheLock.

* ForWantOfANail: If you're unable to find [[spoiler:the bolt cutters]] in the first half of episode 3, the character selected for the next half is guaranteed to die. If it's Daniel, [[HeroMustSurvive the only on required to remain alive]], there's no point in even going; you may as well restart the entire episode. Subverted if you play as officer René: he uses his pistol to ShootOffTheLock.

* AwesomeButImpractical: René is the only character with a weapon, in the form of his policeman's service pistol. However, it's not terribly useful as the Presence is an eldritch force and isn't something you can just shoot. All it really does is save René from a couple of instant-death traps (caused by interacting with a trapped object), and [[spoiler: become a threat to ''you'' if he gets turned into a ghost, since he can now shoot the other player characters dead.]]

* DownerEnding: [[spoiler: Daniel is taken by the Presence and becomes one of the countless lost souls trying to escape.]]

* FaceMonsterTurn: Should a player character die, there's a chance that they will appear as a hostile ghost in the chapter they died in, where interacting with them will either result in their ghost killing you, or the ghost giving up their personal item for you to use. [[spoiler: René]] is a special case where the player ''absolutely must'' leave the area if a sound of a gun being cocked is heard. Failing to leave right away will result in another player character's death.

* AncientEgypt: A seemingly throwaway paper in the library in Episode 3 explains that pharoah Akhenaten founded a new religion and ordered the formerly badly lit temples to be open-air and well-illuminated. The same paper mentions that sun-disk Aten (Akhenaten's newly appointed top god) is opposed to a "dark, anthropomorphic figure" that bore arms in a radial manner.

* BlobMonster: The Presence starts off as a largely formless black mass, which is what allows it to evolve to better face your characters.

* ForWantOfANail: If you're unable to find [[spoiler:the bolt cutters]] in the first half of episode 3, the character selected for the next half is guaranteed to die. If it's Daniel, [[HeroMustSurvive the only on required to remain alive]], there's no point in even going; you may as well restart the entire episode.

* CameraScrew: The game uses fixed camera angles to create a cinematic feel, much like the original ''Franchise/ResidentEvil'' and ''Franchise/SilentHill'' titles. However, this can sometimes impair your character during the chase sequences, as a camera angle suddenly shifts to a perspective where it's difficult to find the hiding spot in time.