Project Songbird (PS5) Review

When Project Songbird was offered to us for review, naturally, I had to take a look at it. For what am I if not the Penitent One, travelling along my pilgrimage of indie horror games? It is a difficult journey, but one that brings both sorrow and joy—and every step, an opportunity to learn and grow.  

Project Songbird feels to me like the good version of Layers of Fear—insofar as its central premise is the existential horror of artistic expression and fear that comes from creating something niche that reflects your vision vs. creating soulless slop for the masses. Its puzzles aren’t obnoxiously obtuse, its tension-building is subtle, and while it’s not the most scary, it certainly didn’t annoy me as other “horror” games have.

The game centers around Dakota—a fairly well-known musician who is struggling not only with writer’s block, but they’re at an emotional crossroads where the music they want to make isn’t exactly the stuff that sells. Their producer offers them a... Read more