Don't fear the Slender Man

Hope you didn't need to go to the bathroom.

It's pitch black, your flashlight is running out of batteries and this is the fourth time you've seen that tanker truck sitting in the middle of the park. Of course you're lost, how could you not be after running for your life from him. The music gets louder as he gets closer and you know you're supposed to run but you can't move fast enough. Turning around, just to see how close he is, you're shocked to find that he's just outside your field of vision, much closer than you want him to be.

This is not the next "Silent Hill" game, nor is it "Resident Evil." It's in fact, "Slender," created by Parsec Productions. This survival-horror gem comes to you free of charge on the game's site while it is still in beta testing. Not only that, the team at Parsec is encouraging fans who have the game to send them feedback and help with troubleshooting on their forums.


"Slender" is not pretty, it's not complex and it doesn't introduce any new game mechanics to make it a groundbreaking IP. What it does deliver is a frightening and simple experience that is almost laughably easy to come up with, it's a wonder no one has done it before.

For those who haven't seen the viral YouTube video playthroughs by numerous internet celebrities like Tobuscus and Pewdiepie, the game's goal is to collect eight papers that are scattered throughout a park in the dead of night with nothing but the ability to jog and use a flashlight. The entire time, the player is being chased by Slender Man, the internet boogie-man created on the Something Awful Forums some years ago.

Slender Man doesn't slash you, he doesn't attack you, nor does he whittle away your health over time if you are unlucky enough to be caught by him. What he does do is end the game immediately. Done. No more playtime. Not only that, but if the player is getting too nervous and needs a break they can't pause the game to get a reprieve. If you hit the escape button the game takes you to the main menu and you must start over, ultimately forcing you to endure Slender Man's pursuit in a fresh situation no matter your progress.

Slender Man as seen in the popular YouTube series Marble Hornets.

To correctly nail down exactly what makes "Slender" so popular is hard because of the many great things about it. The simplicity behind the game is rather mesmerizing: run for your life and get what you need before Slender Man gets you. Atmosphere is built by music and lack of visibility. Slender Man's positions are always just outside of your flashlight's radius and often times players tend to see him when they do a sweeping arch to make sure that he's not behind them.

Making a game with the intent to scare a player is not an easy task. The games that tend to be the scariest and have the most successful franchises always end up using the same tricks. In "Slender," the idea that there is no escape from Slender Man except for victory or quitting is quite brilliant. It reinforces the idea that the player is really trapped in their situation and they have to stick it out. If they quit the game, it's either because they can't win or they're admitting to themselves that they are really truly scared.

I highly recommend you all go pick up this game to see how a game can be scary without monsters, violence, flashy graphics, or even story. "Slender" is a study in suspense and simplicity. Check it out, and make sure to bring clean underwear.