Scary Games: Slender - The Arrival

 

Three or so years ago, everyone was talking about this new indy game called Slender. The objective of the game seems so simple that a toddler could accomplish it. All you do is go around the woods, collecting various amounts of pages. Although the idea seems pretty dull, there were some factors going along with collecting these pages. 

1. It's night time. 

2. You have a flashlight that shows only a small circle of what the hell is in front of you. 

3. You have a weird tentacle creature coming after you. 

Now that toddler that I mentioned has crapped his diaper and must endure years of therapy. Nice going mom and dad. 

 But where Slender was extremely popular, his popular went down very fast. I mean, with such survival horror games as Amnesia and Outlast, the bar has been set too high for poor Slendy. 

But come on, just because some new, more exciting horror games have come out doesn't mean that there is no place for Slender in our hearts ... or fears. Maybe a revamp will do just fine for him. And that's what Parsec Studios decided to do. Slender - The Eight Pages would finally get a sequel. 

What's It About: 

Please note that I did not play this game, so this review is more storyline based than gameplay. 

Right away you notice something different from the previous Slender game ... it is daytime! Well, actually, dusk, but still. It won't last long though, because a few moments after that you're sucked back in the familiar darkness. You find the house that belongs to a childhood friend and once entering the door that is slightly ajar, you see these weird drawings on the walls of Slenderman. Seems like your character's friend has gotten well acquainted with him.

You don't find your friend in the house, but what you do find is the first paper and that's where, and for a lack of a better term, shit goes crazy! The ominous drum beats and the tone is set ... you're screwed if you do not find those eight pages. Soon it becomes a race between finding your friend, staying the hell from Slender, and a new enemy! Yes, Slender has a friend. 

Take a look at Slender's new friend in this video below. There may be some spoilers, so watch with caution.

My Review: 

For an indy game, it was quite impressive. Have I seen better? Yes. But I'm not going to be a negative Nancy, Parsec Studios did great with this sequel. It opened up more about the mystery of Slender through letters that you find in the game, though no as much as I wished it would. The excited part is that they used a lot of mythos from the actual Slenderman folklore, such as people who draw him end up going sick and insane. My favorite chapter of the game was the video you saw above. With the new fearful addition to Slender, as seen in the video, there's more they can do. Maybe the third game should have more about this new creature? It also raises the question, are Slender and this new creature working together? Time will tell! 

My Verdict: 

You know I don't what rating to give this. Was it better than the first one? I think so. Slender "powers" have been updated so he can teleport and also, well, I'll let you figure his other power out by either watching or playing the game. It's quite interesting he can morph in size ... damn it, I spoiled it! But rating wise? Gosh, this is difficult! There WAS a story, but I wouldn't say it was groundbreaking, but it did keep you interested; the very little voice acting was good; the atmosphere was creepy. You know what? I will say this, I was very favorable of the game and would like to see a third one, but I let you decide on the rating. Besides, I'm getting a bit too crazy with my 8/10's and yes, that was the rating I was going to give this! Anyways, check the game out, it is definitely worth the watch.