Qu’est-ce que c’est?

My experiences with Torture Star Video/Puppet Combo and its affiliates over the years have been tumultuous, to put it lightly. At their best they’ve been earnest but awkward attempts at excellent concepts, at their worst they’ve struggled to function on a technical level. While they’ve always nailed their aesthetics I’ve never quite found one of their games that I’ve loved.

Until now! Ladies and gentlemen, we got ’em. Sniper Killer isn’t just head and shoulders above its contemporaries from the label, it’s a legitimately excellent horror title in its own right that delivers on all the pent-up potential Torture Star’s ludography has had up until this point. From its mechanics, to its visuals, to its absolutely gonzo plot somehow managing to stick the landing despite all odds, this thing fires on all cylinders and never loses a bit of momentum.

The core conceit here is one we’ve seen in other mediums, but rarely attempted in interactive media. Sniper Killer sees you playing both sides of its conflict: a serial killer armed with a long gun and a walkie talkie squawking increasingly deranged orders, and the people investigating said killings. The gameplay is divided roughly 50/50 between the sides and both are executed well, figuratively and literally. Investigation scenes are less deduction and more tense horror walking sim as you interrogate witnesses and the situation grows increasingly dire, but don’t think they won’t cash in on that suspense without a moment’s notice. By contrast, the sniping sequences ramp up in complexity to the point where levels start to resemble a more linear Hitman by the end. You’ll plan, execute, and extract like the professional you are. You’re on a mission for the good of your country, after all.

I would normally digress to plot here, but I, uh, can’t. Or more accurately I won’t. I refuse to ruin this one for you. What I will say is that you aren’t prepared for where this game’s story goes. I first played this with some friends along for the ride. All four of us had different predictions for how things would resolve, who would live, who would die, and the killer’s very nature. I am happy to say that every single one of us was dead wrong. We got this game as a review code, but I’ve already purchased one gift copy for my co-writer because it’s just that bonkers. If that ain’t an endorsement I don’t know what is.

Look, I’m one of those freaks that consumes horror media all year round. I am thoroughly desensitized, deadened, and respond to most genuine attempts at horror with “ha, nice”. It is incredibly hard to get me, especially with jumpscares. So when I tell you that Sniper Killer got me more than once, understand that’s only possible because it knows what the fuck it’s doing. The pacing of scenes, camera tricks, and some genuinely solid writing make for a tense experience that keeps applying more pressure until the very last moment, explodes, then boots you back to the title screen post credits, mouth agape.

None of that is to say SK is free of rough edges, most of which work in its favor. Schlocky VHS horror remains the core inspiration here, and it comes through in every aspect. Voice performances are all over the place: some legitimately great, some awful, and most cheesy enough that they should come with a warning for lactose intolerant players. The graphical style resembles 5th gen models, think Goldeneye, but animations range from as stiff as you’d expect to jarringly smooth depending on the scene, which ends up adding to the unsettling vibes. Sniping can feel a bit weightless, but it means you can take snap shots far more easily which you’ll very much need in later scenes. The titular killer is intended to be unnaturally good at this, and I very much appreciate that this effect is achieved without the use of bullet curve or lock on (though you can swing your camera angle as the bullet flies, which I highly recommend doing). Most great horror flicks of the era were making the most of what they had despite limitations, and you can very much feel the same here.

That said, some of the roughness does cut the other way on occasion. I ran into missions not quite completing properly twice, but none of these blockers remained upon restarting the chapter and checkpoints are frequent. The CRT filter is crunchy to the point where I could barely read the text on screen with it on, much less actually play the video game. You’ll note from the screenshots that I largely played without. This ended up not presenting an issue for me, as the models really got to shine when I could stare inches from their lovingly textured faces, but I’d like the option to play with a lighter filter. Lastly, it looks like not all of the achievements are triggering correctly as of yet. Not something that matters to me, but worthy of mention.

I could spend more time on these criticisms, but none of them matter. It’s spooky season, the optimal time to play something that’ll chill your bones and brown your pants, and I recommend Sniper Killer for that purpose without hesitation. It wants to shock you, and it will, but its twists and turns will stick with you for far longer than its feature-length-film runtime. It’s exactly the kind of horror flick you excitedly discuss in hushed tones with folks in the know and recommend to those who aren’t. At long last the promise of Torture Star Video has been fully realized; this is primo cult hit material and I finally want to join.

8/10

Review code provided by publisher. Game completed twice, once on a prerelease build, once post-release.