Now that's what I'm talkin' 'bout. All I can say, honestly, is thank God for the internet, because every now and then, something rises from the pools of porn and, at least in Slender's case, scares the living shit balls out of you.
I didn't know much at all about Slender going into it. A random link on the internet promised scares, and that did it for me. I had no idea who, or what, the Slenderman was or just what this game had in store for me. Taking the advice of the poster, I skipped the readme and jumped straight in.
Collect the pages.
A nice, simple objective, I think, recalling my experiences with the convoluted puzzles of Silent Hill and Resident Evil. I'm in a forest, rendered very nicely, and very densely, with the Unity engine. some mucking around leads me to discover I also have a flashlight, the ability to run faster, and I'm a girl. How do I know I'm a girl? The game is first-person and the protagonist is silent, I cloud be anyone. True, but the panting that issues after you run is unmistakably female. This is just the first of Slender's many clever nods and winks to classic horror movies. Exploring the forest reveals it's massive size. There's no map, no real sense of direction either. The occasional landmark is your only way point, but they are few and far between. It's just trees, and more trees. Finally, I stumbled on to a house and carefully creep inside. The fine white tiles remind me of a public washroom, but it's been long abandoned and moss and fungus overrun the walls. There's no pages here, so on I continue.
It's maybe three or four minutes until I stumble onto my first page, stuck up against a rock formation. DON'T LOOK, OR HE TAKES YOU. The chilling message is scrawled in a child's hand and accompanied by some hurried pictures. My mind instantly springs back to Blair Witch Project, and my heart races. I grab the page.
Boom.
A deep, pulsating sound, repeating over and over. Something has awoken. I turn, and catch a glimpse of a silhouette in the trees, so close. Blindly, I run, flashlight swinging wildly. Now, the level design really shines. With no sense of direction, you find yourself madly running in circles, desperately searching for any kind of landmark. The fear is real, there is no escape. You feel claustrophobic, even in the massive space. 5 pages later, and no sign of the silhouette since the first page. Still, the thrumming comes and goes, the deep vibrations shaking through my body. The music is picking up now, from a subtle whine ton a quietly intense theme. I can't shake this feeling that he's somewhere close by. A wrecked car and shack greet me ahead, as well as the telltale shine of a page. So close to my goal now, I rush behind the car and grab it. Confident, I step back around the car, straight into the Slenderman. The screen fills with static, I should have run but fear has rooted me to the spot. Also, the shock caused me to jump, which sent my mouse flying and I'm now helpless as he devours my soul.
HE'S ALWAYS WATCHING.
It's amazing watching others play this game, just to see how truly divergent the gameplay is. Some playthroughs last tens of minutes, some barely make it to five. I've yet to see anyone get all the pages, yet. Their locations are randomized, too, so there's no sense of familiarity. Slender is a pure experience. It's wholly focused on scaring you shitless. Like Amnesia, you are completely helpless against your foes, your only hope is to run. And run you will, endlessly pursued by something beyond your understanding. This is why Slender is scary, every time. The chase is not linear, or scripted. The Slenderman can come from anywhere and relentlessly pursues you. But he is still bound by rules, seeing him is not instant death and he can only move in a straight line. There is always a hope of escape, but not of ending the pursuit. Not until you completely your goal. Every aspect of this game is designed around making you feel afraid. Best of all, it's completely free and a tiny download. So crank up the sound, put your headphones on and turn off the light. Just remember, DON'T LOOK, OR HE TAKES YOU.
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