Psalm 5:9-13 Anmeldelse (Xbox Series X|S & PC)

Psalm 5:9-13 doesn’t split the Red Sea or do anything that you would describe as biblical. With time against its favor and a lack of faith in its own existence, it falls short of a true work of art. In less than thirty minutes, it finds all of the right studs to strike, but then sadly fails to manufacture the backbone for a perfectly good psychological horror. On the one hand, it has an idea of what it wants to be and what message it wants to convey to its audience. But on the other hand, it loses sight of what makes a good horror game great. Aside from it being too short, it unfortunately falls into that same trap of being a generic walking simulator that, while universally popular among streamers, lacks the grand-scale depth of a dynamic experience.

Psychological horrors are a bit of a mixed bag. Psalm 5:9-13, as one of the many, many children to hoist the holy grail of biblical wisdom in a darker world, opts to take the beaten path—a road that lacks a proper plot, but bathes in an abundance of jump scares and well-orchestrated moments of terror. If there is a story to it, then it’s a difficult one to pluck out of the bag. See, Psalm 5:9-13 isn’t one for setting a scene, nor is it one for fleshing out vast character arcs or establishing a world of biblical continuity. Rather, it’s a brief spell that prefers to use shock value as its primary crutch. If it’s just that, then one might describe it as a perfectly serviceable horror. Yet, the fact remains: it just doesn’t stick around long enough to make an impact.

Speaking of runtimes and story beats, Psalm 5:9-13 spins a simple tale—a story in which the player awakens to a dark and gloomy home with little more to go on than a sense of intrigue. With an old VHS-coveted camera and a 3:2 aspect ratio, the game invites you to follow the breadcrumbs in a linear fashion, all whilst using the camera at your disposal to decipher peculiar happenings. In short, that’s all that Psalm 5:9-13 is: a game in which you examine the environment, spot abnormalities—a figure in the corridor, for example—and tow the line as the world gradually drip feeds you small passages of information to tide you over.

I could quite easily praise Psalm 5:9-13 for its creative jump scares and atmosphere. Taking these two points and only these points into consideration is a great way to make the game a lot easier to sell. Because, if I’m being honest, the game does feature some brilliantly executed moments, with several chilling jump scares and unnerving sequences that help to balance out an otherwise lackluster experience. Streamers, naturally, will adore it, as it harbors plenty of scream-worthy gems and unsettling segments that will get the sweat flowing and the heart racing. But it’s the other crowd— the folks who enjoy a meaty campaign with vast twists and turns, puzzles and multiple endings, that is—that will struggle to find a memorable place to call home.

To say that I wanted more material to satisfy my desires would be an understatement here. Like most brief walking simulators, I found that the best moments were those that came along at the last minute. As the mood was set and the world eventually found its foothold, it all sort of came to an abrupt halt. The jump scares, while effective and gracefully executed, just weren’t enough to shift the balance. I wanted more, and I wanted another reason to step back into the hallway to take a second stab at the supernatural. Unfortunately, though, it just didn’t deliver.

The problem with Psalm 5:9-13 is that it asks for a lot, but gives very little in return. Unlike The Cabin Factory—an anomaly-hunting psychological horror that provides an equal amount of depth and scalability at an affordable price—Psalm 5:9-13 rubs its fingers together, only to then give you a pittance in return. There are no hidden endings to unlock, no convoluted plot threads to unravel, and no alternate ways to experience the same story several times over. Frankly, its brief appearance just doesn’t justify the price tag. On sale, however — that’s another matter.

If you can bite your tongue and happily part ways with your wallet, then you might just find a pleasant horror indie here. As I said, it delivers a great concept with a genuinely enthralling atmosphere. Mechanically, it’s a sound affair that compliments the overall tone and presentation remarkably well. Even with a handful of generic puzzles and a small pocket for a world, it brings a lot of suspenseful sequences to the table, with some jump scares that, while not always perfect, deal a great blow to the head and give you something to quiver about. Again, it’s just a shame that it chooses to abandon its post and leave you hanging before you can even muster up the courage to ask it any questions.

With all of the above said, Psalm 5:9-13 is a surprisingly good psychological horror that gets most things right. It’s short, simple, yet above all, an effective love letter that hits the nail on the head more often than others of its kind could dare to comprehend. If you can accept it as that, then you shouldn’t struggle to convince yourself that picking it up is a good idea.

Verdict

Psalm 5:9-13 provides suspense and hard-hitting jump scares in spades, yet sadly fails to accommodate a substantial plot that can keep you as its guest for longer than a brief thirty-minute interval. While evidently masterful in its approach to capturing a bleak VHS ambiance and a trove of unpleasant supernatural happenings, its disappointingly short runtime is, regrettably, what drags it down ever so slightly. And that’s a shame, as there could be a brilliant psychological horror with a lot of potential here. Unfortunately, it doesn’t stick around long enough to tap into its greatest strengths. Even still, hopefully a lesson was learned through all of this.