The clanking of the fence and the chirping of crickets are the only noises to be heard. Clicking on the flashlight, you find yourself in a forest; everything looks the same. Walking around, there are ten unique places to visit, all scattered throughout the map.

In the silence, you collect the eight pages placed at eight of the unique places, but no one knows who placed them there and why. As each page is collected, the more creepy sounds may be heard. Quickly you learn you are being hunted by a mysterious being, with a humanoid appearance, extremely long arms and legs, and no face. He always watches you, yet he has no eyes. He lurks closer and closer, yet his intentions are unclear. You must collect the eight pages before he takes you, and in doing so, win the game.

Slender is an experimental horror game created by Mark J. Hadley (AgentParsec) through Unity Engine, a 3D game engine.

The game Slender provides instant horror for all ages, because it contains a level of simplicity that adds to the horror of the game itself. From the silence of the forest, to the lurch in the stomach at the sight of the Slender Man as he suddenly appears out of nowhere.

The game highly exceeded the expectations set by the explanation of my friends. So, what makes the game gut wrenching? The audio and the lack of knowing when Slendy would be waiting for you just around the corner.

From the moment you gain control of the character to the first time you play Slender to the seventeenth time playing it with a friend guiding you through the map, you still never know what to expect. One minute you find the note in the Linoleum room and the next you are cornered with the Slender Man waiting for you at the exit.

On top of all of the unique game experiences, you have the audio. Without the amazing audio, Slender would be incomplete. From the silence, crickets, and the crunching of the ground beneath you to the gut-wrenching slam of the piano at the sight of the Tall Man, the audio makes the game.

I cannot count how many times I was playing the game, scared out of my wits, just to find that when I turned off the audio I found myself at complete ease, as if I was playing an everyday round of Angry Birds. At the confrontation of the Slender Man, only one thought enters the mind: run!

From the ten places, the pages can only be placed at eight of the ‘areas of interest’ on the map: The Silo, The Crosswalls, The Large Rocks, The Cut Trees, or often referred to as ‘The Totem Poles’, The Tunnel, The Single Tanker, The Small House, The Dead Tree, The Tankers and The Linoleum Room, commonly referred to as ‘The Bathrooms’, or ‘The Bathrooms of Despair.’

The Linoleum Room is the toughest section of the entire map, because of the tight corners and the Slender Man’s likelihood of appearing around the corner and trapping you in the room with no escape. Surrounding the map is a fence, similar to a fence you would find around a school playground, which keeps you enclosed in the map.

Throughout the game, you will never experience relief; I constantly found my stomach clenched hard. The game provides the most simplistic storyline and gameplay, yet it has the ability to easily scare the toughest people out of their wits. Whereas other horror games rely on stunning graphics, most not suitable for children, Slender relied mostly on the games audio.

The sound is usually the aspect of a horror game that is not done correctly, but Slender contained erie audio, using silence and sudden crescendos, to create the effect of the game in the first place. I often found that when I turn my computer’s sound off, the game isn’t quite so horrifying after all.

With some of the best gameplay seen on the free video game community, Slender rates highly amongst my top 25 games, and reaches the spot of the number one game of early 2012. Slender has become an internet phenomenon.

Currently, Hadley is working with Blue Isle Studios on the next game of the series: Slender: The Arrival.

For more reviews, read the Nov. 6 article, Professor Layton’ game creates complex plot (VIDEO).