Arrive. Slender. Repeat.
Story
Slender: The Arrival is a survivor horror game that acts as a sequel to Slender: The 8 Pages. The story of Slender Arrival actually takes place after Slender: The 8 Pages and revolves around two childhood friends.
The two friends are Kate – the owner of a house outside of Oakside Park where the original game takes place – and Lauren, the protagonist. Lauren returns to Kate’s house after receiving some strange letters from her. She arrives to find Kate missing.
Kate’s house has crazy scribblings drawn on the wall as soon as you enter. You search the house for clues when you hear a scream off in the distance. Lauren goes into the forest to investigate the noise, feeling dread as she continues deeper and deeper. As if someone, or something, is watching her. And all of this is just the first Chapter.
There are 9 Chapters in all, including a prequel-esqe stage that revisits Slender: The 8 Pages. Each area has a creepy atmosphere which really accentuates the scares when they pop out at you.
The stage where you need to power up generators can really test your resolve. You think you’re in the clear and a hooded character pops up and tackles you. Or even worse, Slenderman comes out of nowhere (sometimes leading to an automatic game over).
Playing through this game has become an annual event in my household and I can say the generator level causes the most tension. There is also a level that explains what happens to a missing child that is very unsettling.
Gameplay
This game is played in a first-person perspective. You’re only armed with a flashlight and the ability to run and focus the flashlight. Focusing the flashlight is used to temporarily stun the hooded figure so you can escape. There is no way to stun Slenderman that I’m aware of. If Slenderman pops up in front of you, you turn around and run.
There are also lots of collectables scattered throughout the game that provide lore for the Slenderman mythos. It’s an interesting game that has a lot of replay-ability. Different difficulty settings provide unique challenges and there is even a hidden game mode that looks like it came straight from a creepypasta story.
A few criticisms I for this game are somewhat minor but they still get on my nerves. The character seems to run no faster than she can walk. The environments can be too dark at times, making it hard to see anything. Certain areas have Slenderman insta-death spots that are kind of annoying. There’s also a lack of ingenuity in terms of tasks to complete before a level is complete.
For example, like the previous game, there are two levels where you collect the 8 pages, but there’s also a level where you turn on multiple generators as well as a level where you close 8 windows. The game is also very short. It can be completed within a day.
In the way of achievements, there aren’t many. I enjoyed randomly stumbling across some of them by doing the silly things I would normally do in these types of games. For instance: sliding down a slide. I’m definitely not a fan of the PS3/4 trophy list. All the trophies are mostly bronze, with the one exception of a silver trophy.
This game is available for download on most major consoles and Steam. It normally goes for pretty cheap so, if you’re looking for a quick scare and a quick game, give this one a try.
Leave a Reply