Slender: The Arrival

Post-Launch Review

Slender: The Arrival (PC)

Developer: Blue Isle Studios

Released: March 2013 (PC) / September 2014 (PSN/XBLA)

Played: complete in 1h:40min

About 

Lauren's friend Kate has gone missing, and Lauren visits the house to investigate. Inside, she finds scribbled drawings and warnings about a tall faceless man. It seems that Kate is still nearby, so Lauren rushes into the woods to find her friend, following a trail of clues. But something out there is following Lauren...

Mechanics and Narrative: Horror

Horror games face a tricky conundrum: how do you make the player feel vulnerable and scared - and how do you do it without making the game seem unfair?

The most obvious method is to use darkness. Most people are scared of the dark at some point in their life, and for many people that fear takes a long time to fade. For some, it never does. The reason is simple: we can't see in the dark. Our intelligence and imagination are a weakness here: when we can't see what's there, anything we imagine could be there. For this reason, most horror games put you in the dark and give you a limited source of light - a flashlight or lantern, for example. 

Of course, just because everyone does it doesn't mean that everyone does it well.

Slender

Kotaku just informed me of a game called Slender, which is currently in a playable beta. It's a simple but extremely effective short horror game based on the Slender Man.

I'm playing outside, in the middle of the day, and DAMN, I almost shouted when I was exploring a small building, realized there was only one way out, and turned the corner to find the Slender Man. The darkness is much deeper than in most video games, and having the only audio being the sound of your footsteps and breathing (and occasional soft music) is very atmospheric.

It's a nice touch that the program closes when you... lose? Die? It's not entirely clear what happens, which is also excellent.