Calling Review

You might find it pointless of me to even argue over this. However, considering that these are my more popular gameplay videos and I keep getting asked this (despite that if you actually watch the videos you’d know my answer) which game do I prefer: Ju-On or Calling? My answer might be surprising to some, but it’s the other way around that surprises me. Oh, and this is a long one. I have a lot to say and I’m going to say it. Also, a quick spoiler warning for both games.

I have received some flak for this game and doing a playthrough video. Keep in mind, I was uploading the game while I was recording. Meaning I started recording and uploading the moment I had the game. I had no idea on how the game was going to be until I played it. I could find absolutely nothing review wise on this game in Japan. I was a bit nervous of that and for good reason. The game was terrible.



The story to Calling revolves around The Black Page, a chatroom rumored to be cursed. Those who visit the page are never seen again. We take turns playing four characters who have all visited the website and are now stuck in another dimension after receiving a call on their cellphones while on the page. Our heroes are not alone as there are ghosts roaming throughout the dimension. Through notes and ghostly messages, you learn more about the world and the origin of the place.

I found the story to be absolutely boring and nothing new in j-horror. Calling pulls all their ideas from various j-horror sources. From the Grudge to One Missed Call and even Fatal Frame, one of Japan’s successful video game horror titles. Is it a terrible story? No, it’s not terrible, just not interesting. The story plays out like a lot of common j-horror films do. I have received comments that since I played the Japanese version, I am admittedly not fluent in the language, I must not have understood the story. However, from what I could understand, I knew exactly what was going on and how the world came to be. Nothing proves this more than months later, someone posted an English walkthrough (with bad dubbing). I watched it just in case I did miss something and it turns out my Japanese was better than I thought. I learned nothing new from reading it in English. So don’t tell me I didn’t understand the story in my channel!!

The graphics are sub-par, but on the level of expectation for the Wii. Instead of the detailed and moody environments of Ju-On and Fatal Frame, we get just drab everyday environments with only what looks like actual buildings with only the floorlights being on. Your flashlight only allows your character to examine things, but the game is not that dark to where it is truly useful.

In Chiyo’s chapter, you see mist and some glowing figures in the area. It is an improvement, but gives off a rather calming atmosphere, which I think a horror game should not have. Chiyo is never attacked and you never feel threatened in that chapter. Chiyo is also the only character that cannot run (as she is elderly). And her walking is even worse than in Ju-On! In Ju-On, not only could no one else run, but environments were much smaller and walking was not an issue to get from point A to point B. In Calling, let’s put in three people who can run and one who can’t. And the one who can’t run, let’s put her in a large environment. FUN.

What Calling boils down to is that it is not scary. You are constantly being told something is coming at you. The game has a habit of pointing out creepy things to you. One example would be when you are first in the hospital. When you go to the third floor, a bunch of faces appear on the wall. This would be way cooler if the game didn’t widescreen shot itself and point it out to you.

The game has the tendency to do screen flashes going off constantly on your screen. You will often get a cat, a man, or the antagonists eyes that will automatically appear on your screen as a sign of that you need to pay attention. It becomes annoying and tiresome. You can also trigger subtler screen flashes by running, doing a quickturn, or by doing absolutely nothing. While not as predictable, it is still rather cheap. They also have random sound bits that play constantly, mainly glass breaking. This doesn’t add anything to the atmosphere and means nothing in regards to the actual game.

While people playing the North American release of the game will not have this problem, others will. You will first receive a fake ending and then when you upload your save file, you will be able to play as Makoto, chief of exposition. While playing these games, US gamers will be prompted to skip a chapter with the sacrifice of finding “secrets”. These are all chapters that you have already played. In Europe and Japan, you have no choice but to replay every single one of them. This is also the only time you can skip cutscenes. It comes across as a cheap tactic to make the game longer. This time, you can get the true ending, but you only need to play Makoto’s chapters for that to be obtainable. Nothing was more fun than me replaying chapters, adding even more to the tedium that Calling had to offer.

Calling comes down to being just boring. The game offers nothing new to the survivor horror genre and is on par with some of the weakest Japanese horror films I’ve seen. I recommend playing Fatal Frame for the Wii so much more over Calling. Calling was nothing but a waste of my time. I posted a video on Youtube which is more or less a condensed version of this post.