Call To Summon
review and description
by Dsibe top

Call To Summon is a super cool and unique indie game that was made in just 72 hours for the Ludum Dare 55 game jam. The theme for that jam was "Summoning" and this game absolutely nails that concept with its clever phone mechanic.

The basic premise is that you're trapped in this old, creepy complex that has a very distinct liminal space/backrooms kind of vibe. To progress through the levels, you have to use an ancient cell phone to literally summon objects by taking pictures of them and then calling them to make them appear. It's such a creative gameplay hook!

The atmosphere is on point too. The visuals have this gritty, low-poly look that reminds me of the original PlayStation games I grew up playing. The environments are dimly lit and quite unsettling, filled with weird symbols and quasi-Lovecraftian imagery. The sound design also helps sell the creepy, isolating vibe with unsettling ambient noises and effects. While not an outright horror game, it definitely nails that tense, uneasy feeling of being somewhere you shouldn't.

Using the phone mechanics is really satisfying too. You have to switch between different "contacts" which let you summon different categories of objects - office supplies, food items, electronics, animals, etc. Taking the photos has a neat camera UI and summoning feels very tactile and physical, like you're actually pulling these objects into existence. Figuring out what you need to summon and in what order to solve the puzzles is very engaging.

The comments from other players seem to be glowing too. People are raving about the unique premise, nail-biting atmosphere, and impressive amount of content for a 72-hour game jam project. There are a lot of calls for the developer to expand this into a bigger, full-fledged release because the core idea has so much potential.

Technically, it's a very polished experience for such a short development time. It runs smooth, controls well with simple mouse/keyboard inputs, and has great graphics/audio design. It's currently only on PC via the itch.io store but seems very well-optimized from the footage I've seen.

My only real critique is that the ending did feel a bit abrupt based on some comments. But for a free game made in a crazy short timeframe, there's shockingly little to complain about here. Call To Summon offers up a fresh, ingenious concept that's executed incredibly well with a hauntingly effective atmosphere. It's the kind of boundary-pushing experimental experience that makes you excited about the future of indie games. If you're looking for a short but思-provoking supernatural mystery to delve into, I can't recommend Call To Summon enough. Just make sure to charge your phone first!