Slenderman

Pros

• Part of the Slenderman stories
• Free to play

Cons

• Uninspiring graphics
• Not scary
• Dull

In 2009, an Internet meme contest created Slenderman, a faceless, hairless figure, unnaturally tall and thin, wearing a black suit. For the past five years, Slenderman has held the starring role in the Fear Mythos. This is an Internet-born mythology that centers around supernatural creatures stalking and frightening people, killing them or making them disappear. Along with fiction, art, music and videos, Slenderman has also featured in indie video games. One of the earliest of these is Slenderman.

What Is It?

The game is one of the earliest to feature Slenderman and the concept is simple. You are in a dark building, and you are being stalked by Slenderman and his child minions. You are not looking for a way out. Instead, you are looking for the tools that will allow you to fight and kill the Slenderman and his child minions. The game play is rather basic. You must wander until you are either killed or have killed off the things that are chasing you.

Gameplay

There is nothing too innovative about Slenderman as far as gameplay goes. As you wander through the game, you will be more or less helpless until you find the weapon that allows you to defend yourself. If you have the weapon in your hands, you can kill your attacker. However, failing to deploy or draw weapon fast enough will result in death. The game mechanics are not difficult, but after a certain amount of play things can feel rather repetitive.

Scare Factor

The figure of Slenderman seems lifted straight from the nightmares of the collective unconscious, but the truth is that this game isn't too scary anymore. When it came out, it definitely received points for its storyline, but as they say, the world has moved on and we expect something a little more atmospheric at this point. This game is not nearly as terrifying as it would like to be, something worth keeping in mind if you are thinking about whether to try it.

Who Will Like It?

This game is one that will appeal to people who love the Fear Mythos and who cannot get enough of it. It is definitely a piece of the Slenderman fan culture, and it has its place for helping to create some of the atmosphere for the culture as a whole, but as a game, it is lacking. It is not as atmospheric as some of the later games, and the scares are pretty underwhelming. When you are looking for a scary atmospheric game for the Fear Mythos, think about picking up Slender: The Eight Pages instead. Slender owes a great deal to Slenderman. However, for people who want to be fanatic about their Slenderman experience, this is a good addition to their collection.

Pros

• Part of the Slenderman stories
• Free to play

Cons

• Uninspiring graphics
• Not scary
• Dull