9 replies to this topic

[Commander Loony]

http://slendergame.com/

So in case you haven't heard or seen, Slender is a free-to-download 50mb game where you're plunged in a dark (and I do mean dark) forest, all alone to find 8 notes scattered throughout. No weapons, no health or other quirks, just you, your flashlight (that drains over time) and your frustratingly slow walking pace. And some degrees of sprinting for quick getaways, but that drains too.

And you're mercilessly hunted by the "Slender Man" who will both creep you out and terrify you to breaking point. The last time I played a legitimately scary game was Aliens vs Predator (the first one) on PC when I was in my early teens. Every horror game after that has been not-so-scary, and just throws loads of action and supposedly shocking scenes at you. But not Slender. You're vulnerable and you're never safe.

It's a quick and simple game too, but dear satan did it make me fear the dark again.

Has anyone played it? Anyone who says they played this and didn't feel remotely frightened/creeped out or swore at the monitor is lying! LYING!!!

[Erix]

I have avoided that game on purpose. I'm in a dark room. I don't need these things piled on top of me too.

[Cheeseinator]

I want to finish dead space first, I can only take so much scariness.

[Sean_Seanston]

I played Dead Space a good while ago. I found it surprisingly enjoyable. I was expecting some kind of typical AAA borefest from EA, but actually enjoyed it quite a lot.

Still, was hardly scary. Maybe the odd jump here or there.

Not going to play Slender though

Still do have the Penumbra Collection and Amnesia The Dark Descent to play though... eventually

[Cheeseinator]

Dead Space is the first scary game I've ever played. And it scares the cheese out of me. And it's HARD. I'm only playing on medium and I get my ass handed to me all the time. You move so slowly especially when you have your gun up, and it's hard to break the habit of aiming for the head and chest. It's hard to hit their spindly little legs and arms and other unspeakable appendages.

[Sean_Seanston]

Yes, that's a good point... there certainly is a sense of tension and panic with the combat system. Cutting limbs off can be kind of... fiddly and confusing and that adds to it.

Still, it's never really horror is what I mean. It can be scary in that "OMFG, my character is going to die! WTF do I do... /panic" way. But I never found it to be scary much in a creepy/spooky/disturbing way.

I dunno if I ever have really played a properly scary game. I think I've mostly avoided them.

Did rent Resi 2 some time in the late 90s. Never got very far, possibly from being scared. I remember the police station was pretty scary, then again, so was everything. Apart from the new games obviously almost abandoning survival horror completely, I think the static camera angles really made the originals (well, I only ever played some Resi 2...) scarier.

[clue]

NOPE

[Commander Loony]

Good horror elements are extinct in this day and age. The Dead Space games were great, but not frightening. As Sean said, they only really make you panic when you're being swamped and low on health and ammo, and when doesn't that happen in any other game? The Dead Space devs even said they dropped the horror/creepy aspect in favour of more action instead.

But Slender goes right on ahead and makes you vulnerable again. It likes the taste of your fear.

& I actually got the Penumbra collection a few weeks ago. Aside from Aliens vs Predator, it has been a pretty scary game. The atmosphere is unnerving, coupled with a true depiction of a pitch black mine where the only sources of light are more scary to be around than safe. Episode 2 doesn't even give you weapons - at least I haven't found any yey, and I'm pretty deep into the game!

But c'mon guise, check out Slender - just once! Remember what it's like to be afraid again!

[Thunder]

I saw some video of the game in that link in your OP Loony when you first posted the topic. The video seems to be gone now though. I don't know if it was in-game footage or some pre-rendered stuff but I do know it was bloody creepy! Especially when the Slender Man himself briefly flashed by I was like "oh no, no more of this f*cking sh*t, this is too much!" and I had to turn it off. If a simple short video was able to do that on me I'd genuinely hate to see what the actual game would do, especially given your decription of it.

I may try it out sooner or later, but I'll have to get ready for it first methinks.

[Commander Loony]

A fifty megabyte, free download is a pretty sweet deal! But once you've played the game a few times, it gets a little stale. But it's a good example of making horror elements work properly in games/movies instead of resorting to keeping people interested with excessive action and Arnie dialogue.

I've played it once since I posted this article. Still scary as balls.