The Chant (v2022.12.22 & ALL DLC)

A failed ritual transforms an idyllic spiritual retreat into a gaudy, nightmarish fight for survival, mixing cosmic horror with the uneasy self-help culture of the 1970s. You play Jessica Briars, a woman looking for peace on the isolated Prismatic Science retreat, only to watch a group chant tear open a gateway to the Gloom: a hostile dimension shaped by fear, guilt, and emotional turmoil. The result is a third-person horror adventure with an unusually psychedelic identity, where glowing colors, distorted landscapes, and bizarre monsters replace the expected abandoned-asylum gloom. Its mood is tense rather than relentlessly grim, balancing personal trauma, cult history, and increasingly strange supernatural revelations.

Jessica searches the island for answers, speaks with the other retreat members, and investigates notes, recordings, and environmental clues that reveal what happened here decades earlier. Combat centers on improvised spiritual tools, from sage-based weapons to ritualistic abilities, while scarce crafting materials force you to decide whether a confrontation is worth the cost. Survival depends on managing three connected states: body protects health, mind resists panic, and spirit powers meditation and supernatural techniques. Enemies range from mutated Gloom creatures to hostile cultists, and fleeing remains a sensible option when resources run low; combat is deliberate and vulnerable rather than power-fantasy action.

The Chant stands apart through its colorful “psychedelic horror” presentation and its willingness to treat negative emotions as literal dangers that affect both story and mechanics. Branching character interactions and multiple endings give repeat runs some appeal, while the island’s lore rewards players who enjoy reading documents and connecting occult conspiracies. Its melee encounters can feel rough around the edges, so players seeking the polished gunplay of Resident Evil may need patience. Fans of The Medium, Alan Wake, or slower supernatural horror adventures with a B-movie edge are likely to get the most from it, and newcomers can handle its approachable structure if they respect its resource management.