Calling is a horror survival game developed and published by Hudson Soft for the Wii. It is a masterpiece that includes classic Japanese horror haunts, psychological mind games, and a storyline that keeps you reeled in every step of the way.
The Black Page
The story of Calling centers around a website called “The Black Page” that is shrouded by rumors. Some say that the website has led to the deaths of its visitors while others say it allows you to communicate with the dead. When entered, curious seekers find themselves in a chatroom with only a “strange” visitor counter visible. The counter that shows is said not to show the number of guests on the site, but rather the number of victims “The Black Page” has claimed. As people pop on, they are able to speak to others who have dared to venture into the room as well and at some point begin feeling very foolish at falling for this “obvious” hoax ….but then the phone rings.
This is the story of how four people who had only just met on “The Black Page”, later awake to find themselves not where they were….after they answered “the calling.” Will they survive this horrific encounter? And what is the truth behind “The Black Page?”
Gameplay:
Calling takes you through the game from a first-person perspective. Slowly through the dark, you will explore various places depending on the chapter and the character you control. For this game, you use both the Wii Remote and the Wii Nunchuck to navigate through the game and menu. One of the neat aspects of the Wii Remote is that it ties in with the game as a cell phone. There were several instances I had to laugh at myself for suddenly jumping when the phone rang or when I felt chills running up and down my spine as a voice came crackling through the Wii Remote’s speaker.
Anything could happen at any time. A lot of times, not in the most obvious places you’d suspect.
Ghosts do attack and players have to run as fast as they can from the ghost. If caught, shaking the Wii remote and following commands can help to free you. But caution! Some ghosts have the ability to kill you instantly.
Throughout the game, you will come across a little black cat doll that resembles a kuroi neko (meaning black cat). A kuroi neko is a black cat sculpture that is the opposite of a maneki neko. Unlike the maneki neko that is said to bring good luck, money and fortune, the kuroi neko symbolizes bad luck. (Kind of fitting when you’ve found yourself where you have.)
The kuroi neko is your save point. When you save, your horror meter will reset. The horror meter is the equivalent to a life meter. Once it maxes out – it’s game over!
I fell in love with Calling because of the little details and tactics they used throughout the game. The signature strangled hair with eyes peering out obake (ghost) look and the use of the Japanese dolls in the story seriously creeped me out, especially having grown up in a predominantly Japanese cultured home complete with experiencing their scary stories and horror films.
Some other cool details were when you are in the school as the character, Rin, one of the lockers in one of the classrooms will have hiragana etched into the back. In romanji it is “kowai”, meaning scary. And also when you are in the school, you will find yourself on the 4th floor – which in Japan is bad luck because it means death.
The storyline for this game has the feel of some previous done horror films and stories, but I find that it was able to really re-energize the horror genre. Bringing back the classic suspense rather than relying on the way overdone (in my opinion) gore.
In the past, I have felt that when it came to graphics compared with other consoles – the Wii is just lacking. I’m not changing my opinion of this overall – but I feel optimistic that with games such as Calling, the Wii just might have a chance to claw its way up in the competition in that regard. The graphics were a big surprise to me when I started playing the game. Just beautiful, detailed, and crisp. The textures used were not overdone. Although the game was dark, it wasn’t so dark as to where you just wanted to turn it off because there was nothing to enjoy as you played it.
With the story, character reactions, haunting, and the effortless flow of the game, coupled with the choice of sound effects and track, everything works together in complete harmony allowing for a unique and amazing experience.
Camera movement is slightly touchy, but I found that for me, it helped bring more of a realistic feel. Walking, crawling, just plain feeling your way through the dark is not going have you steady on your feet.
My only gripe with this game is that I sorely wish that this was a multiplayer game and online. In my humble opinion, this would be the perfect game to play with a group of friends!
Review Conclusion:
Overall, if you haven’t been able to tell throughout my review, I love this game and would highly recommend it. These days, it is hard to find anything dealing with horror that has the same “energy” from “back in the day.” A lot of things related to horror nowadays are so filled with gore…but where’s the suspense? The thrill? The – well, horror? Calling is a most definite welcome for this long time horror fan!
