On Air

Any new survival horror game is going to get my attention so as soon as I saw, On Air, I knew that it was a game I needed to keep a close eye on. Please note, as I am writing this, the game is not yet officially out so please consider this more of an extended preview of the things that have me excited about this game, rather than a review. If you love horror, this is a game you need to take a closer look at, I also like how it has some sci-fi elements too and I am very excited to see how this all turns out.

A Strange Set Of Circumstances

I will admit that I do not know a great deal about the ins and outs of On Air as far as the story goes, but the premise sure does sound cool. Taking place in 1969, we play as a guy called Ray Smith. Ray is a mysterious man whose past is missing, but he has a contact or an informant if you will (if you are a wrestling fan, I hope you read that in a Dusty Rhodes voice) and this informant has agreed to meet Ray at the mysterious ALGOL Hotel. Ray arrives and after a little nap, finds that he has awoken to some kind of nightmare that he needs to fight his way out of.

A Shady Tech Company?

From what I have gathered, the story of On Air has Ray as some kind of investigator as he is at this hotel to investigate the mysterious disappearances of people who work for this tech company. However, after his nap, it is like he has awoken in hell as there are all these horrific creatures that are trying to stop him. However, thanks to a radio device, there is someone who is willing to help him and themselves try and escape this nightmare. This part of the story has me pretty excited as it kind of reminds me of the whole Atlas thing from BioShock, although, hopefully, this guy won't turn out to be a psycho mobster!

Checking In And Checking Out

You have this large hotel and the surrounding swamp to explore in On Air and you are tasked with solving puzzles, finding items, and getting away from enemies. The enemies in the game are pretty unique in that there are different types that require different strategies. For example, you have your typical angry and violent enemies that just attack on impulse and go to wherever there is noise. You also have enemies that are smart and require a bit more brain power from yourself to deal with. I already mentioned Bioshock, but if you take away the whole Plasmid thing from that game, I think the gameplay that we have here is very similar in that you have some action, stealth, puzzle, and problem solving and it is all wrapped around an interesting narrative.

The Horrors That Await

Granted, I have not seen all of the ins and outs that On Air has to offer as far as the visuals go, but the little that I have seen so far looks fantastic. The game has a realistic look to it and I love the whole creepy vibe that this old ass hotel has. They have managed to make the hotel have a very unnerving look to it which as this is a horror game is pretty awesome. From what I have experienced so far, there are some areas that the game forces you to go and you really do not want to as you know there will be something messed up there. The enemy designs are a lot of fun too! At the end of the day, if you are into horror, you are going to like what they are doing with this game.

Pros:

• I love the creepy hotel setting
• The visuals are very well done
• The story here is very interesting and looks to have many twists and turns
• You will need to think about how to approach these monstrous creatures!

Cons:

• This game does have some stiff competition
• I have not heard too many people talk about this one