Brace yourselves.
Sequel to the unprecedentedly popular Slender: The Eight Pages, and consequently one of the most highly anticipated horror games of the year, Slender: The Arrival is terrifying gamers worldwide for good reason.
Holding onto the torturous fear surrounding the mysterious Slenderman’s pursuit and capture, the game takes what is best from the very basic original and places the protagonist in an electrifying narrative.
There are five new maps including a house, an abandoned mine and 3 sets of scary woods. The music is fierce, the graphics are much improved and the horror is magnified.
Curiosity killed the cat, and anyone who wants to find out about Slendy.
Throughout the game there are countless obvious and hidden collectible clues that flesh out the story, but search for them at your own peril, for Slenderman is never far behind. It’s enough to put the gamer off browsing the scenery, even if it is beautifully detailed.
The final stages of the game are spent frustratingly running through caves and corridors lined with Slender-scratched graffiti, and while it is tempting to stop and read it, pausing is not an option with the anti-social perpetrator on your tail. Use the bathroom before you begin playing!
Additions to the original include the previously mentioned maps, a Slenderman that doesn’t look like a 2D Microsoft Paint creation, and a creepy little masked figure that is not explained entirely in the game’s narrative, but draws links with the amazing online series ‘Marble Hornets’ from which the Slender series took its inspiration.
Players familiar with the Youtube series and the original game will notice a lot of the similarities: the maps are very similar to some of the places explored in MH, you’re forced to play through the original agonising 8 pages, and while you keep your dodgy flashlight you’re also viewing everything through a sometimes fuzzy video camera which again harks back to the Blair Witch style of the online series.
It’s not without fault, however. The game is prone to crashing, and opening doors is a nightmare.When you’re rushing to hide this can cause you to smash things, namely your poor keyboard, in sheer desperation.
Another criticism that can be fairly ascribed to the game is its annoyingly short length. While each map has its own sometimes lengthy challenges (you’ll be retrying A LOT), once you’ve played it through once the next try can be done in as little as thirty minutes. But,considering the game comes in at under ten pounds, its hard to complain and its obvious that any more additions will go further in terms of narrative and length.
Despite some annoyances, though, it’s difficult to believe that such a stunning horror game could gain so much attention from a developer that boasts only the original game and another ominously named ‘Pancakes’.
It involves stacking pancakes and adding syrup.
Slender: The Arrival is neither comfortable or satisfying at any point, but I think this is part of its appeal as a horror. You’re never in a safe zone, you never find out exactly what you want to know, and you’re constantly aware of being watched or followed.
Pack your torch, your camera and your extra underwear and download it now!
4/5 Stars
Gemma Joyce
Though the original Dead Space might not have been pure horror (compared to, say, the Fatal Frame series), it was still certainly a horror game, emphasising isolation, resource management and maintaining a strong sense of narrative, and managed to make a decent return.
exeposedev 