The Game Which Has Captured the Minds and Souls of the World…
Slender: The Eight Pages is an ongoing project by Parsec Productions. Still claiming to be in its beta stages despite its very, very long availability as a freely downloadable beta, this game has grabbed the attention of the masses of the gaming community to become one of the most popular games currently available. Having been hailed by many as the scariest video game ever, this game may still have a long way to go before its legacy ends, but what has made it so popular so far?
The game is very simply built and has a very simple premise. Alone in the woods at night with not but a flashlight and your own two feet, you must attempt to collect eight pages relating to the legendary slender man. As you get closer to completing your task however, the man himself will try harder and harder to catch you as you attempt to find all of the pages and learn more about him. Sounds simple yes? It is most certainly not. Bringing together the challenge of a threat growing in strength and an atmosphere which is progressively becoming more frightening as you go, this game is designed to scare you and stop you from completing it. Needless to say, it succeeds, and this is probably the main reason that more and more gamers have been drawn to the challenge. Well, that and to scare their girlfriends for a laugh! In either case, it is recommended by the gaming community that the game should be played in the dark, and with headphones on full volume to get the full atmosphere. As a personal recommendation, those with a delicate bladder may wish to make a toilet trip first too, or things might get messy…
You only have to play the game once to realise exactly how difficult, tense and terrifying it can be. As you search for your first page you are lured into a sense of “this isn’t so bad really, I don’t see what all the fuss is about”. This, my friends, is not what you will be thinking after page two! The atmosphere inspires fear and tension in a way that few other games are able to. If you are lucky enough to be able to run the game at full detail like myself, even the thick fog will start making shapes in your head to startle and confuse you after a while. Sounds of a drum beating, owls hooting, wind, and other generally tense noises in a dark wood at night will play on your nerves and force you to lose your focus, which in this came can be your end in mere seconds. It is when you hear the deafening sound of static or white noise in your headphones that you know it’s time to run or that you are already doomed to your fate at the hands of the slender man. Oh, and at full volume on a pair of headphones, you won’t have to question whether or not you’ve been caught!
Visually, the game looks very basic on lower graphics settings but is pretty sharp if you can play on full detail with all of the effects active. Thick fog in game can make it difficult to actually see what you are doing and what is right in front of you at times. This can be annoying, but in a game that is all about atmosphere it is somewhat understandable why this has been done. The woodland and the landmarks within it are quite nicely drawn, and the fog plays on the mind well here making you question what it is you are approaching. The slender man himself would not be so startling if it was not for the nature of the atmosphere around him. Simply a tallish chap in a fine suit who appears to have misplaced his facial features, he either wants to steal your soul or borrow twenty dollars, it is hard to tell. In either case, he can appear in the distance of right next to you as you traverse his woodland home, and being the only other person in the frightening forest this is a scary sight indeed! For someone who cannot move if you are looking at him, although he can still catch you if you do this for too long, he is certainly one of the scarier “villains” in the modern gaming industry.
Personally I have asked a few questions of Slender: The Eight Pages from a common sense perspective. These include “why go and get the pieces of paper at night if you are going to go at all?”, “why if you are going to do this would you do it on your own??”, and most bafflingly “why in god’s name, if you know what you are going in for, would you not take a bloody gun?!?!?”. If you ignore the lack of brains that has been provided for your playable character however, Slender: The Eight Pages is a fantastic game as horrors go! Twisting the world around you to induce fear into your mind as you seek to keep hold of your soul, it is clear why so many gamers step up to the challenge only to find themselves crying in a well-lit corner of their bedroom a few minutes later. Still, apparently, in its beta stages, it will be interesting to see what more the developers have to offer. With a new instalment, Slender: The Arrival, on the horizon as well, why not grab this simple yet gripping game and see if you can make it to the end? With a healthy price tag of zero pounds, what have you got to lose? Except your soul…
The Good – It’s challenging, it’s nerve racking, it’s great for a laugh, and it’s free!
The Bad – For the best experience, playing in high detail is required which may not be an option for some.
Disclaimer:All scores given within our reviews are based on the artist’s personal opinion; this should in no way impede your decision to purchase the game.
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