The word “calling” is awesome. That simple word conjures up various actions. I could simply call for help or to a friend. I could be referring to what lead me to my profession, or I could be referring to the act of making a phone call. All of this was swimming in my mind as I played through a horror game for the Wii aptly named Calling.
Calling follows four different characters as they attempt to figure out how they were dragged into the Mnemonic Abyss. You’ll control each of the four characters over the course of the game. First, there’s Rin, the 20-something college student who’s looking for someone she met in a chat room years ago. She’s the main character, and it shows. Shin is a 17-year-old occult-obsessed high school boy. Chiyo is a 60-something grandma who learned to surf the Web. She’s searching for a way to meet her dead husband. And there’s a reporter who’s trying to follow his late partner’s footsteps.
The goal of the adventure is simple: Figure out what in the world is going on. One thing the characters have in common is that they all visited a Web site known as “The Black Page” at a certain time. Oh, did I mention you have to worry about ghosts?
It’s a simple premise, to be sure. And I found it to be rather spooky, even though lots of things were still in Japanese. It’s a little weird to open a cabinet door and find symbols that I didn’t understand. I know I should be disturbed, but I don’t know why. At the very least, I would have known what was in the cabinet.
Calling is played in the first-person perspective and is an adventure game at heart. You’ll hunt and peck for the proper bit of information to move forward. At times, a creepy black cat gently guides you. Spooky messages are found in particular places. One of the earliest parts in the game has Rin answering a cell phone four times in a row. The person who owns the cell called Rin on it and let her know her position. First floor ... second ... third ... finally the fourth floor, where Rin was at the time. Even though I knew something bad was going to happen, my heart rate quickened.
The control scheme in Calling is rather responsive. You can quickly turn around at a tap of a button. Your characters can crouch. Cell phones are used via the d-pad and A button. The red pointer changes forms whenever there are items of interest around. The weird thing is, the Wii motion controls work. It adds an interesting connection to the world. No matter what happened, it felt organic. I worried about avoiding the ghosts and figuring out where to go far more than I did about the controls. The downside of all this is though you’ll clearly see a note or something else that you know you’ll need to pick up, the game won’t let you pick it up without light. It won’t let you find the proper journal until you’ve found another in the series. Ghost attacks also feel scripted, though the first time through you never know what’s around the corner. This makes the pacing very deliberate, allowing for some subtle moments. This is something that Calling wears on its sleeve.
Graphically, Calling is dark and a bit grainy. The darkness isn’t too bad as you can see what’s ahead of you and useful when you‘re hunting down recording spots, but it makes your character more anxious. Ethereal ghosts haunt the various locales: two traditional Japanese houses, a school and a rundown hospital. Cell phones have different wallpapers and looks. Sometimes things go “bump” in the dark or shadows quickly glide across the screen. The only major problem I have with the graphics is how often the game loads. Any little cutscene or traversing to a new area brought up a loading screen. It seemed a bit much.
Sound wise, everything is very solid. While there isn’t much music — and what’s there is highly atmospheric — the ambience is downright awesome. Footsteps are heard as your character wanders around. Doors and cabinets and drawers all squeak when you open them. Water drips can be heard when you’re wandering about the school. The flashlight clicks on and off. Cell phone buttons beep whenever you “punch” a number. Voice acting is also present. While it feels a bit “too ethnic” or strained (excellent for realism, not so much proving their humanity), it’s pretty darn solid. Sadly, voices are not heard during every scene. That little lack of presentation draws the experience down a bit.
But whatever you think, don’t dismiss this call. Calling is a solid horror adventure game. Presentation is strong, though not as potent as other horror games. It’s kind of like Hudson is experimenting. If there’s a sequel (and I hope there is), I hope the developers improve some of the problems and give the horror genre a real run for its money. Calling is enjoyable, even though it only lasts about six hours. Remember, though: Not everyone is going to enjoy or even appreciate the ideas presented in Calling. But, if the idea interests you, go rent it. Figure out if you should obey its call. I did, and it certainly gives a lot to think about the next time you make a call.
