Slender: The Arrival (2013)

Developer: Blue Isle Studios
Publisher: Blue Isle Publishing
Platforms: Windows, macOS
Genres: Action, Adventure, Indie
Rating: 4.4 of 5, 9,302 player ratings
Typical playtime: about 3.3 hours
Where to get it: Steam

The 3D catalog: game boxes on wooden shelves, with the cat sitting at the counter next to its greeting.

The catalog in 3D

The same catalog has a room you can walk around in. The cat behind the counter is the AI Catbot, and they pick real games from it when you tell them what you feel like playing. Nothing is for sale, here or in there. Go in from here and this game is already out on the counter, with more like it waiting on the shelf next to it.

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How it feels

A tense and atmospheric first-person survival horror experience where exploration is punctuated by jump scares and a persistent sense of dread.

atmospherictensedarkpsychological horrorjump scaredifficultsurvival horrorwalking simulator

What players say

Players praise the atmosphere, sound design, and the way it builds tension with minimal mechanics. Many finish in under three hours and feel the $20 price is steep, though the experience is effective. The story is told through exploration and scrapbooks, and one reviewer says it still gets under your skin ten years later.

Screenshots

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More by Blue Isle Studios

This page is from Underplayed Gems, a catalog of older and overlooked games. Not quite it? You can browse by platform and genre, or take this one into the 3D catalog and ask the Catbot for something closer.