Slender: The Arrival is the sequel to the free to play horror smash hit Slender which went viral in 2012. It is currently in beta and only available if you pre-order the game.
Note that unlike the original, Slender: The Arrival is not free, although the developer Parsec has priced it very reasonably with various payment options depending on how generous you feel. Until March 26th 2013, it is available as a beta download which you must pay for but which will entitle you to a free version of the full game when it is released.
Both Slender and Slender: The Arrival are based on the obscure myth that somewhere out there, there is a tall thin, faceless freak called "Slenderman" who not only abducts people (mainly children it seems), but mashes people's brains telepathically with his mind when he gets near.
It might sound like madness, but it's a myth that's become increasingly popular over the years with low budget horror films like The Blair Witch Project loosely based on it. Slender was one of the first games to be based on it and went on to become a phenomenon in 2012, inspiring several spin-offs and countless "Watch how scared I get playing Slender at midnight" YouTube videos.
As soon as you start Slender: The Arrival, its clear that its a more polished game than the original which is to be expected. Slender: The Arrival has a far more detailed environment than Slender although the basic gameplay remains disappointingly similar. There are more levels (Easy, Medium and Hard) in Slender: The Arrival but the basic aim is the same i.e. collect eight pages saying creepy, cryptic things like, "Don't look, it takes you", "He's out there" and "He's got massive limbs". The more you collect, the more the heartbeat music ramps up and the closer the sickening beast that is Slenderman is to suddenly appearing in his tuxedo and mashing your brain telepathically.
To control your character, the keyboard controls are:
W=Walk forward
S=Walk backwards
A=Walk left sideways
D=Walk right sideways
T=Turn Flashlight On/Off
SHIFT=Turn HUD display On/Off
Initial impressions are that it's hard to see what's radically new in Slender: The Arrival. I've already seen one walk-through where the player collected all eight pages and nothing happened. It seems that if there is a more complex plot as promised by the developers, it's not exactly clear what it is.
Slender: The Arrival is more polished than Slender with a richer world to explore but initial impressions are that it doesn't add much to the original.
Notes
The download link takes you to the Beta purchase on March 28th when the game is released.
Review last updated: 21/03/13
Pros
Bigger forest and environment to explore
Better graphics and sounds
3 different difficulty modes
Cons
Not a major innovation on the original
Not clear what you have to do other than collect notes
"Everything and more to get you out of your seat."
Besides the fact of who the writers are, they put this game into a hard mode perspective.. a Real perspective. There is more than just Slenderman in this game who you will face, but I will not spoil that.
The graphics are insanely well done, and it is no shy of jumpy parts.
I have to give this a pure 10, especially for only being a 10 dollar game.
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