White Noise 2 – PC Review

Genre: Action, Adventure, Indie, Strategy
Developer: Milkstone Studios
Publisher: Milkstone Studios
Release Date: Apr 7, 2017
Edited by KnightAvenger

White Noise 2, developed and published by Milkstone Studios, is a multi-player horror survival game released on April 7, 2017 and is available on Steam for $9.99. Like Dead by Daylight or Friday the 13th, it is made to be played with multiple people, killer versus investigators. It has support for both mouse/keyboard as well as full controller capabilities.

The game centers around a group of ghost-hunter type investigators and a monster. The investigators are in charge of inspecting several different areas (maps you can select when playing the game) to investigate hauntings caused by the monster. These maps include a camping site, a deserted college campus and an old shrine, among others.

Playing as the investigators offers several choices. The game starts with a handful available, all with different skill levels (bravery and battery management are two examples) but with the opportunity for the player to unlock more characters as they progress through the game and level up. They each also have two special abilities that can help or be a hindrance. For example, the investigator I played as most of the time was a “medium” and this made her more in tune with the monster but less able to use her flashlight battery. The investigators are loaded into a lobby, and, once the killer is ready (played by another person or an A.I. if wanted), the game begins. The job then is to search the spooky and very dark areas, looking for a series of clues in the form of recordings. All the while, the monster is in hot pursuit. Investigators have a few tools in their arsenal to try and ward off the monsters. These come in the form of flashlights (also fully customizable and unlockable), flares/glow-sticks and flash-bangs. All of them stun most of the monsters long enough to make a hasty escape if being chased.

The game offers full support of both voice chat with your fellow investigators and also a set of pre-made chat lines you can use if your party decides not to use voice chat. These can help if you get separated from the rest of the investigation team.

If you successfully find all the clues before each investigator is devoured by the monster, then you win the game. A unique perk is that, if you are killed by the monster, you come back as a ghost and can still aid the remaining living investigators by using your compass to find more clues and also by ruining shines. Shines are devices the monster can lay like traps throughout the map to confuse and reveal the investigators’ locations. I died a few times and found playing as a ghost quite enjoyable, as your character moves a bit faster and cannot be hurt by the monster anymore.

Playing as the monster offers a different take on the game but one that is just as fun. There are several to choose from, and, just like the investigators, they each have pros and cons. As you sneak about the different maps, you can set traps that fool the investigators into thinking they are near a clue or build shines to reveal the locations of the investigators. Investigators that run or shout (an in-game mechanic for players who get separated from their group) are more easily found. Also, as you get closer to them, their footprints become visible and you can sneak around behind them and pounce when the moment is right.

This game can be very enjoyable if you get a good group of people to play with, and I would imagine even more fun if you have five friends to play with, all taking a role. You can also play a quick match or even a solo match, if need be. I played several solo matches as an investigator with an A.I. monster to get used to the controls and maps before I joined others for some ranked game play. Having a nice group who understood I was new to the game helped greatly when I first started, as they helped me along the way and encouraged me to get involved.

At the end of the match, you get points depending on the actions taken by your player and can see an overhead map of the match which details where everyone went, what they did and where the monster attacked. I quite liked this feature and looked forward to it each time.

The animations are well-done, the monsters are very scary looking, and the atmosphere in the game is spot-on for a horror title. This is most certainly enhanced if you play at night in a dark room with headphones. There are many creepy sound effects, such as creaking floorboards, ghostly phones ringing, and footsteps echoing about. They all add to the horror feel.

The game comes complete with full tutorials, both written and video. They are lengthy, but the developer does advise you to watch them and read them in full before playing. I would fully agree, as there is a bit of a learning curve at first.

My only complaint for White Noise 2 is that there just are not enough people playing the game. I think the most I encountered was just over 120 worldwide. In order to get into a game lobby with others, there has to be people playing the game. I hope more people find this hidden gem on Steam. I have encouraged a few friends to pick it up and look forward to playing with them soon.

Pros:

• Very fun horror game play
• Support for multi-player or solo games
• Voice chat available
• Full tutorials
• Steam achievements

Cons:

• Needs more players

FlipFloppie gives White Noise 2 a Drastik Measure of 8.5 out of 10 (85)

White Noise 2 is available on Steam for $9.99 (USD).