What would you do for creative inspiration? Would you stay in a cabin deep in the woods? A cabin that may or may not be haunted? This is the choice Project Songbird poses to Dakota. Of course, they don’t find out if it’s haunted until they arrive. The once and possibly future up-and-coming musician will have to face their past if they want another chance at success. Along the way, Project Songbird draws from surrealist horror in its indie tale of artistic inspiration among the otherworldly.
Game Name: Project Songbird
Platform(s): PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC
Reviewed On: PlayStation 5
Developer(s): Conner Rush, FYRE Games
Publisher(s): FYRE Games, Dojo System
Release Date: March 26th, 2026
Price: $14.99
Project Songbird immediately establishes its indie cred with an unconventional opening. The game begins in an apartment we might assume is the protagonist’s. When sitting down to “work,” the screen displays a welcome from Conner Rush, the game’s creator. In this opening letter, Rush explains a bit about the game’s own inspiration and walks us through adjusting settings, such as display and subtitle options. While some might find this indulgent, it spices up what’s otherwise a rote obligatory exercise in any game.
Project Songbird then begins (properly) in a different apartment as Dakota wakes up. The musician had a great debut album, but after an unnamed tragedy, they lost artistic inspiration. Their manager proposes one last-ditch solution: stay in a cabin deep in the Appalachians. How will this help? It’ll give them time in nature to step away and refresh. Oh, and it’s also reliably helped artists regain their spark in the past. And so, Dakota packs a bag and heads off the grid.
The Caw of the Wild
Arriving at the cabin, Dakota—and by extension the player—finds a small woodland to explore. There are a few trails, some of which are initially blocked off by planks. If that wasn’t foreboding enough, the game hints that we’ll need an axe to progress. And when we get one, the game provides a workbench to upgrade it. Concerning.
But first, we have supplies to gather and music to make. The cabin is old, rustic, and certainly does not come with a continental breakfast. So Project Songbird provides a few tasks to build out the world and teach the game’s systems.
The game doesn’t have any waypoints or objective markers. I commend it for not resorting to hand-holding. But at the same time, there were a few moments where I had to really root around to find what I needed. Again, I’m glad the game didn’t spell things out. But I wouldn’t have minded stronger dialogue cues or environmental clues. I occasionally passed by my objective simply because I didn’t see it, especially in the game’s darker areas later on.
Difference of Night and Day
Speaking of darker, Project Songbird alternates between days at the cabin and nighttime sections. During the day, Dakota tends to the cabin and makes music. To make music, players can use a recorder to sample sounds from the area. The game provides the perfect balance of light direction here. The recorder will ding when players are near a sound, but it’s up to them to move, point, and hold the recorder to find a given sound.
And with these sounds, Dakota can make music. There’s a fun mechanic early on where the game offers the chance to compose a track by selecting one of three style choices from several instruments. I had fun with this, though I would’ve liked it if the game let me hear the sample before selecting my choice. Still, while Dakota decried this effort, I actually kind of liked how it all came together. Additionally, each day presents the player with three records from three real-life indie bands to play. I enjoyed the various pieces, but I appreciated Dakota’s unique response to each one even more.
As for nighttime, that’s when things get spooky. There’s something primal about the fear of the woods, and Project Songbird taps into that. The sound design isn’t just limited to songs, as we hear rustling leaves and snapping twigs. Dakota investigates. Maybe it’s just an animal. Or maybe not.
And as Dakota explores the area around the cabin, we learn that this isn’t your regular cabin in the woods. Project Songbird draws liberally from such surrealist horror as the works of David Lynch and A24. But in the simplest terms, Project Songbird reminded me of a playable creepypasta. Whichever reference point resonates with you, Project Songbird draws horror from the mundane brushing against the otherworldly.
Horror Birds of a Feather
In its more horror-driven segments, Project Songbird also evokes classic psychological horror games. The game tasks you with solving puzzles along with contending with creepy creatures. I found the puzzles suitably challenging overall. A couple of them felt a bit open-ended until I realized the journal clarifies what to focus on and what to ignore. The only mixed bag came from some of the puzzles that also require navigating around enemies.
I will admit, I did find the sounds of the unseen monsters spooky until I came face-to-face with what looked like the pissed-off cousin of Groot from Guardians of the Galaxy. I still found them formidable threats as I snuck around in the dark, gathering items and solving puzzles.
And I eventually came to eat crow, as the saying goes, upon encountering the game’s second enemy type. I would put its introduction as one of the scariest moments I’ve ever experienced in a horror game. It does involve having to solve puzzles while evading it, but in this case, the intuitive puzzle works.
Rucksack of Resources
As an indie game, don’t expect Project Songbird to have the item and weapon variety of its survival horror older siblings. But sometimes less is more. As mentioned, Dakota can upgrade the axe, which can be used to attack or parry. That’s more than enough. I appreciated that I felt capable but never overpowered.
The game introduces other weapons later on, but I rarely used them, as the game encourages a stealthy approach. And with a camera, painkillers, and a flashlight, I had enough supplies for gameplay variety without getting too bogged down in what I needed when.
Project Songbird Sings
I would be remiss to not talk more about the sound and music, the true secret sauce of Project Songbird. The music and sound design during the day are the warm heart of the game, conveying the introspective emotions of Dakota in their retreat. Meanwhile, their nighttime counterparts are the spooky soul of Project Songbird. That terrifying moment I mentioned earlier? The sound design does most of the lifting. Even moments without enemies and just sound manage to sell scares.
Across the board, the voice cast does a commendable job. As Dakota, Valerie Rose Lohman made me empathize with a character whom I initially found slightly unlikable. Dakota can be snarky and standoffish, but also authentically themselves in struggling with purpose and processing traumatic events (the content warning is there for a reason). Oh, and the whole cast lending their voices to the cavalcade of whispers consistently creeped me out.
Project Songbird is the rare horror game that manages to maintain scares alongside a worthwhile story. The game conveys its narrative through multiple media. These include FMVs that occasionally pop up when loading or exiting the game, along with some cryptic text. It all gets explained eventually. The ending takes the long way around, but its emotional truth highlights the game’s themes. Project Songbird is a spooky game, but it also has a meaningful song to sing.
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Review Disclosure Statement: Project Songbird was provided to us by FYRE Games for review purposes. For more information on how we review video games and other media/technology, please review our Review Guideline/Scoring Policy.
Project Songbird soars onto the horror scene as one of the scariest indie games in recent memory. It’s also an incredibly moving title, aided by a heartfelt story and cozy compositions. Its various feathers of combat, puzzles, and traversal mechanics sometimes get ruffled, but they fly high in ambition for such a small game.
Pros
- Suitably scary, surreal, and sentimental sound design and soundtrack
- An intriguing multimedia narrative
- Uncanny puzzle design and horror elements
- A satisfying cozy day and creepy night gameplay loop
Cons
- A couple of obtuse puzzles
- Environmental affordances can be easy to miss
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Project Songbird Review
