White Noise 2

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Four investigators, eight tapes, and a creature hunting them in the dark.

Platforms: PC, Mac, Linux, Xbox, PlayStation
Stores: Steam
Price: Paid
Rated: Mostly Positive on Steam (80% of 2,857 reviews); 4.21 of 5 stars from 961 ratings on the PlayStation Store; CyberPowerPC's 2018 review gave it 72%
Length: about 10 minutes a match
Players: 1 to 5 (online, or solo with bots)
Made by: Milkstone Studios
Released: 2017

Get it on Steam Xbox (One and Series X|S)PlayStation Store (PS4)Milkstone Studios

What frightens Four investigators with flashlights search a pitch-dark map for eight tapes while a creature, played by a fifth person or the computer, stalks them unseen. Light stuns it, batteries run down and sanity slips, and whoever strays from the group is picked off first.
Content: blood and violence (esrb: blood, violence; pegi 16: violence, online play with strangers.

White Noise 2 is a 4 versus 1 online horror game by Milkstone Studios. Four investigators search a dark map for eight tapes with only their flashlights, while a fifth player controls the creature that stalks and devours them. It can also be played solo against bots.

About White Noise 2

White Noise 2 is an asymmetric multiplayer horror game by Milkstone Studios, the sequel to White Noise Online. It was playable in early access on Steam from late 2016, came out in full on Steam (Windows, Mac and Linux) on 7 April 2017, then on Xbox One on 1 September 2017 and on PS4 on 13 October 2017. It costs $9.99 on each store, with six small character packs sold separately.

Each match puts four investigators against one creature. As an investigator you explore the map with your team and look for eight tapes, which give off a noise when you are near them, while you watch your flashlight battery and try not to lose your sanity. A compass points the way to the next tape. Get separated and you are easy prey. Being caught is not the end: you come back as a ghost who explores more freely, can break the creature's totems and guides the others, though ghosts cannot see the creature. Players describe a last step in the current version: after the tapes, the team has to break a set of sigils.

As the creature you hunt without being seen. Light stuns you, so you use your powers, such as turning invisible or causing a blackout, to slip past the beams, scatter the team and grab whoever strays. You place totems that warn you when investigators come near or trouble them. The developer notes that a well-organised team can collect the tapes in five to ten minutes, so the creature has little time to waste.

The maps are dark graveyards, crypts, forests, ruins, tiled corridors and, in one review, an abandoned mental ward with bloody gurneys. You unlock more investigators, creatures and flashlights as you level up, each with different strengths, and a replay screen afterwards shows how the team wandered in circles. The fear is being hunted in the dark by something you can only hold off with a beam of light, with grabs that splash blood across the screen.

Against bigger games of its kind it is cheap, short-matched and simple. Recent Steam reviews say few people still play online, so it suits a group of five friends best; solo players can still play as an investigator against a computer creature, which reviewers find more fun than hunting computer investigators.

How to play White Noise 2

Buy it on Steam (Windows, Mac, Linux), Xbox or PS4. Online play on console needs Xbox Game Pass or PlayStation Plus.
Start a match with friends through the matchmaking, or play solo against bots.
Choose a side, or let the game pick for you.
As an investigator, stay with your team, follow the tape noise and the compass, keep your flashlight charged and collect all eight tapes.
As the creature, avoid the light, place totems, use your powers and catch the investigators before they finish.

Screenshots

Four investigators with flashlights run through a dark graveyard while a pale, grinning creature chases close behind

A blonde investigator with a flashlight looks away as a pale, bloody creature crouches in the doorway behind her

Two investigators with flashlights walk down a dark library aisle of old books, an arm-shaped shadow on the wall beside them

A pale, bloody monster claws at a recoiling blond investigator in a dark, overgrown greenhouse

Three investigators with a lantern, a glow tube and a spotlight walk under foggy ruined gothic arches at night

An investigator in a blazer holds a flashlight in a dark crypt beside a tomb carved with a reclining marble figure

An investigator walks through a grainy forest at night toward a hulking creature with a glowing green light on its head

Tips

Investigators who wander off alone are the easiest prey; keep the group close, and if you get lost, shout so the others can answer.
Tapes make a noise when you are near: follow it, and look on equipment racks at the map's landmarks first.
Tell your team when you use the compass so you do not all use it at once.
As the creature, do not spend too long placing totems: a good team can find all the tapes in five to ten minutes.
If you are caught, keep playing as a ghost: scout for tapes and break the creature's totems.
Bring your own group: players report the public matchmaking is quiet now.

Questions

Can you play White Noise 2 alone?

Yes. There is a solo mode against bots. Players say playing as an investigator against the computer creature holds up better than playing the creature against computer investigators.

Is White Noise 2 still active online?

Recent Steam reviews say only a few players are left, so it is best played with friends.

Is White Noise 2 on consoles?

Yes, on Xbox One (also playable on Xbox Series X|S) and on PS4. Online play needs a Game Pass or PlayStation Plus membership.

How many players does White Noise 2 have?

Up to five per match: four investigators and one creature.

How long is a match of White Noise 2?

Short. The developer says a coordinated team can collect the eight tapes in five to ten minutes, and there is an achievement for winning as the creature in under four.