Cosmic and Lovecraftian horror Survival horror Horror

The Chant

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A spiritual retreat's chant opens a dimension of cosmic terror.

Platforms: PC, PlayStation, Xbox
Stores: Steam, GOG
Price: Paid
Rated: Mostly Positive on Steam (75% of 1,279 reviews); 3.85 of 5 stars on the PlayStation Store; OpenCritic top critic average 70; Metacritic 71 on PC
Length: about 5 hours
Players: 1
Made by: Brass Token
Released: 2022

On PlayStation: one of the PlayStation horror games.

Get it on Steam GOG (DRM-free)PlayStation Store (PS5)Xbox (Series X|S)

What frightens A group chant at a remote island retreat opens the Gloom, a psychedelic dimension that feeds on negative energy; as the other guests are consumed by their own darkness, you craft spiritual weapons, fight or flee prismatic creatures and cultists, and keep your mind from panic.
Content: gore, violence, drug use, strong language, occultism, mental health and trauma themes.

The Chant is a third-person horror action-adventure game by Brass Token, published by Prime Matter. A weekend at a remote island spiritual retreat turns to dread when a group chant opens the Gloom, and you craft weapons from sage and salt, fight or flee its creatures, and keep your mind from breaking while you uncover the legacy of a 1970s cult.

About The Chant

The Chant is a single-player, third-person horror action-adventure game by Brass Token, published by Prime Matter and released on November 3, 2022 for PC, PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S.

You play Jess, who arrives at a spiritual retreat on a remote island to meet her childhood friend Kim; both hope to work through old trauma. A group chant goes wrong and opens the Gloom, a psychedelic dimension of terror that feeds off negative energy. The other members of the retreat are slowly consumed by their own darkness, and prismatic creatures and cultists come out of the Gloom.

Play is a mix of exploring, puzzle solving and close combat, built on three meters. Mind falls inside the Gloom and in frights; when it runs out Jess has a panic attack and is open to attack, and lavender or meditation brings it back. Body is health. Spirit, raised by meditating, powers abilities tied to the coloured prisms you collect. Jess starts with one melee tool and adds more as she explores; salt and essential oils can be thrown or combined into traps, and a bestiary you find page by page says which tool works on which creature. Reviewers found supplies scarce, Jess slow next to her enemies, and groups dangerous.

Along the way you piece together the history of the island and the legacy of a cult from the 1970s. The documents you collect shape which of three endings you reach. Its look draws on 1970s psychedelic horror, with coloured lighting and an electronic rock soundtrack by Paul Ruskay.

Next to cosmic-horror investigations such as Call of Cthulhu, The Chant puts more weight on fighting and resource juggling, and its threat is less madness than a wellness retreat turned cult. A first run takes about five hours, which suits players who want a short third-person survival horror game with a strange, colourful setting.

How to play The Chant

Buy it on Steam or GOG for Windows, or on the PlayStation Store or Xbox store for PS5 or Xbox Series X|S.
Explore the island retreat as Jess and talk to the other members.
Collect herbs, salt and oils, and craft them into weapons, throwables and traps.
Fight the creatures of the Gloom or flee them, keeping mind, body and spirit in balance.
Read the documents you find to piece together the island's 1970s cult and find how to reverse the ritual.

Screenshots

A woman with a backpack stands in a green-lit misty clearing at night, facing a lantern tower and tentacled plant growths under a starry sky

A woman with a smoking sage bundle faces a glowing, bloody crouching creature in a dark blue-lit wooden barn, with meter icons on screen

A short-haired woman in a red-lit, fern-filled rocky ravine looks up at a giant tentacled mass with one staring eye hanging overhead

A woman swings a burning torch at a flaming humanoid creature beside log cabins in a dark forest at night, with health and sanity icons

A woman with arms outstretched and a blue glow fends off two horned, bloody creatures beside a night-time log cabin in the forest

A woman with arms raised stands in a dark cave, facing a shimmering blue-green rift beside a large boulder, with status icons at lower left

A backpacked figure in a foggy night forest, glowing rings circling their head, a strange floating flower-like orb nearby, in black and white

Tips

Step out of a Gloom area when your mind meter drops; it drains while you stay inside, and an empty meter brings on a panic attack.
Keep lavender for the mind and meditate with spirit when you run out, rather than letting panic catch you in a fight.
Read each bestiary page you find: it tells you which tool works best on which creature, so scarce supplies go further.
Watch for an enemy starting to glow: it is about to make an attack you cannot block, so get out of the way rather than start a heavy swing.
Use your prism powers against groups, where Jess is easily overwhelmed.

Questions

Is The Chant on PS5 and Xbox?

Yes. It is on the PlayStation Store for PS5 and the Xbox store for Xbox Series X|S, as well as Steam and GOG on PC.

How long is The Chant?

About five hours for the main story by HowLongToBeat's figure as shown on GOG, and around seven and a half with side content. Seeing all three endings and every achievement takes several runs.

Does The Chant have multiple endings?

Yes, three. Reviewers note that the lore you collect and how you play decide which one you get.

Is there combat in The Chant?

Yes, close combat with crafted spiritual weapons, thrown salt and oils, and prism powers, though you can also choose to flee.

Is The Chant scary?

It is tense rather than relentless: creatures, gore and a mind meter that can tip Jess into panic, with more fighting than hiding. It is rated M by the ESRB and 16 by PEGI.