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Slender: The Arrival

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Slender: The Arrival
Developers
  • Blue Isle Studios
  • Parsec Productions
PublisherMidnight City[a]
DirectorAlex Tintor
ProducerEric Knudsen
Writers
  • Joseph DeLage
  • Tim Sutton
  • Troy Wagner
Composers
  • Mark J. Hadley
  • Brenden Frank
Engine
Platforms
Release
March 26, 2013
  • Windows, OS X
    • WW: March 26, 2013
    PlayStation 3
    • NA: September 23, 2014
    • EU: September 24, 2014
    Xbox 360
    • WW: September 24, 2014
    PlayStation 4
    • NA: March 24, 2015
    • EU: March 25, 2015
    Xbox One
    • WW: March 25, 2015
    Wii U
    • NA: October 22, 2015
    • EU: October 29, 2015
    Nintendo Switch
    • NA: June 20, 2019
    • EU: June 20, 2019
    Android, iOS
    • WW: October 13, 2021
    Remaster
    • WW: October 18, 2023
GenreSurvival horror
ModeSingle-player

Slender: The Arrival is a 2013 survival horror game developed by Blue Isle Studios and Parsec Productions. It is based on the Slender Man, a creepypasta character created by Eric Knudsen, who served as a producer. The Arrival is a sequel to Parsec's Slender: The Eight Pages (2012) and incorporates a remake of that game. The plot revolves around a young woman who ventures into the woods to investigate her childhood best friend's disappearance. Equipped only with a flashlight, players explore abandoned locations and complete objectives while avoiding the Slender Man and his proxies.

The developers of Slender: The Arrival, Alex Tintor and Brenden Frank, who co-founded Blue Isle Studios, collaborated with Joseph DeLage, Tim Sutton, and Troy Wagner, who are the people behind the YouTube web series Marble Hornets and helped write the script. Blue Isle Studios also collaborated with Eric Knudsen, who served as a producer. Originally released for Windows and OS X in March 2013, the game has since been ported to various video game consoles, followed by versions for Android and iOS in October 2021.

Slender: The Arrival received mixed reviews from video game journalists, who praised its soundtrack, atmosphere, and jump scares, but criticized its short length and repetitive gameplay. A 10th-anniversary remaster was released for Windows and macOS, the PlayStation 5, and the Xbox Series X/S in October 2023. Virtual reality versions were planned for release in May 2025, but were delayed until a later date. A sequel, S: Lost Chapters, is in development.

Gameplay

[edit]

Slender: The Arrival is a survival horror game played from a first-person perspective.[1][2] It takes place in abandoned areas and structures such as forests, buildings, mountanious areas, and a mining facility, each with different objectives.[3] Like its predecessor The Eight Pages, the player is equipped only with a flashlight.[4][3][2] Sprinting depletes the player character's stamina, after which it takes time to regenerate, forcing players to conserve their energy.[5][2]

The player wanders around the mines, attempting to power an emergency lift, while Kate–under the control of the Slender Man–attacks the player.

Enemies include the Slender Man, who can teleport from place to place with the only option for the player to run away.[6] The player is also chased by a masked, hooded figure controlled by the Slender Man.[6][7] The only way to subdue her is by focusing the flashlight on her face.[8] The game features three difficulty modes: 'Easy', 'Normal', and 'Hardcore', with the last one being unlocked after completing the game.[9] In hardcore mode, the flashlight's battery can deplete,[9] and enemies behave more aggressively.[10]

A secret level is unlockable by collecting a missing child poster near Kate's House, then restarting the game, and repeating this procedure three times.[11] The level takes place at Kate's House and tasks the player to play a hide-and-seek from the Slender Man.[12][11] In version 1.3, a level called "Genesis" was added which remakes The Eight Pages[11] and is unlocked after the campaign.[13]

Plot

[edit]

A woman named Lauren arrives to help her childhood best friend Kate sell and move out of her childhood home in Oakside Park. The road to Kate's house is blocked forcing Lauren to walk to the house. Upon arrival, Lauren discovers Kate's belongings disheveled. After finding a flashlight and unlocks Kate's bedroom to see the walls filled with scratchings and messages about the Slender Man, a tall, faceless entity who can be seen through the video camera. Lauren hears Kate's screams coming from outside and heads into the wooded park behind the house.

On her way, Lauren searches the park for clues as to Kate's whereabouts, and finds eight scribbled drawings. As Lauren ventures deeper into the woods, she is attacked by the Slender Man, slips down an embankment and passes out. She regains consciousness in the morning, and continues her search for Kate, stumbling upon an abandoned coal mine.

Lauren attempts to power a emergency lift in the abandoned mine, but is attacked by a masked, hooded figure known as the "Chaser", who seems to have an aversion to light. Evading the Chaser and the Slender Man, Lauren powers and uses the lift to escape the mine. She continues up the mountainside towards a radio tower and reaches a storage outpost with a television and two tapes. The first one shows Kate hurriedly scribbling upon papers before learning that the Slender Man is trying to get inside her house. Kate closes every door and window, but the Slender Man appears in her bedroom and she jumps out of the window as the tape abruptly ends.

The second tape shows Kate's childhood friend Carl "CR" Ross investigating a farm where he collects evidence about Charles Matheson, whose son Charlie disappeared in a nearby beach after following a trail of toy trains that led him into the woods, where he was caught by the Slender Man. While Investigating. CR finds a chapel where he discovers that the Matheson family were responsible for accidentally summoning the Slender Man to Oakside Park. Charlie, revealed as a deformed child-like figure, pursues CR and eventually chases him away from the farm.

After watching the tapes, Lauren continues onward to the radio tower. Upon leaving the outpost, Lauren finds herself emerging into a forest fire, where the Slender Man aggressively pursues her. Lauren enters the radio tower building, where she discovers a dead end corridor and CR's burnt corpse. She finds a camera with a recording of Kate's and CR's panicked screams. Suddenly, the corridor goes dark and Charlie runs towards Lauren, blacking her out.

Lauren wakes up in the burnt farmhouse's basement, with Charlie blocking the way out. After she finds two documents, Charlie disappears. Lauren hears Kate's crying upstairs and finds her, but Kate reveals herself as the Chaser and attacks her. Lauren's camera briefly turns back on to show her legs being dragged away by the Chaser as the camera dies.

Remaster-exclusive chapter "Nightmare"

[edit]

After watching the tapes, Lauren continues onward to the radio tower and finds another storage outpost with a box of files. She learns that sometime after Charlie's disappearance, Charles saw him in his proxified form before being attacked by the Slender Man. He wakes up in a derelict hospital which he explores while facing many of the Slender Man's hallucinations. Charles eventually exits the hospital and finds a crying Charlie, but when he approaches his son, Charlie transforms again and attacks him. Charles finds himself back in the hospital and sees messages on the walls telling him that he can save Charlie by cleansing himself with fire and sets the hospital ablaze.

Development and release

[edit]

Slender Man is a fictional supernatural character based on a creepypasta, an online horror-based urban legend. After Eric Knudsen created Slender Man in June 2009, the character and its related lore spread on the Internet. Users began making their own stories and fan creations about it, one of which was the Marble Hornets, a YouTube channel known for its horror videos which heavily featured Slender Man content and helped shape the modern version of the character.[14][15] The Eight Pages was developed by Parsec Productions, the one-man studio of Mark J. Hadley.[16] Unlike Slender: The Arrival, The Eight Pages was freeware.[7][17][13]

Slender: The Arrival was developed by Blue Isle Studios and Parsec Productions[18] using the Unity game engine.[19] In September 2012, roughly three months after The Eight Pages' release, game director Alex Tintor[20][21] and Brenden Frank, who together co-founded Blue Isle Studios,[22] announced that they were working on Slender: The Arrival and that it would have "more levels, improved visuals, and an engaging storyline".[23] Also in this announcement, they released the first teaser screenshots showing updated graphics compared to The Eight Pages.[24][25] Blue Isle Studios cooperated with indie game publisher Midnight City to publish Slender: The Arrival.[26]

From left to right: Joseph DeLage, Troy Wagner, and Tim Sutton, the creators of Marble Hornets wrote the script for Slender: The Arrival

In December 2012, Blue Isle Studios announced its partnership with Joseph DeLage, Tim Sutton, and Troy Wagner, who helped write the script. They are the creators of Marble Hornets.[27][28][29] Blue Isle Studios also collaborated with Eric Knudsen,[22] who served as a producer.[30] In February 2013, Slender: The Arrival was opened to the public for beta testing; those who pre-ordered Slender: The Arrival were entitled to a free demo.[31]

Highly anticipated by fans,[7] Slender: The Arrival was released on personal computers on March 26, 2013,[32] through their official website.[33] In October 2013, it was released through Steam, and published by Midnight City. The Steam version included support for the Oculus Rift.[34] In 2014, Midnight City announced that they would release the game for the PlayStation 3 via the PlayStation Network, and for the Xbox 360 via Xbox Live Arcade.[35] Publisher Midnight City released it for the PlayStation 3 in North America on September 23, 2014, followed by a European release on September 24, 2014, the same day the Xbox 360 version released.[36][37] The PlayStation 4 version released on March 24, 2015 in North America, and the Xbox One and European PlayStation 4 versions released on March 25, 2015.[38][39] The Wii U version released on October 22, 2015 in North America[32] and in Europe on October 29,[40] and the Nintendo Switch version released via the Nintendo eShop on June 20, 2019.[41] On October 13, 2021, Blue Isle announced that Slender: The Arrival would be released for Android and iOS, with the first chapter being available for free.[42]

On July 27, 2023, to celebrate its 10th anniversary, Blue Isle announced a remaster of the game made in Unreal Engine 5.2 which was released on October 18, 2023 for Windows and macOS, the PlayStation 5, and the Xbox Series X/S.[43] It features a redesign for the Slender Man, a new story chapter,[44][45] and overhauled graphics,[44] including support for DLSS.[46] Alongside the announcement of the remaster, a sequel titled S: Lost Chapters was announced.[30] The game is in development, with no release date.[44] On March 11, 2025, Blue Isle Studios and Perp Games announced virtual reality versions for Meta Quest 2, Meta Quest 3, Meta Quest 3S, Meta Quest Pro, and PlayStation VR2 for release on May 13, 2025.[47][48] The ports were delayed until a later date.[49]

Reception

[edit]

Slender: The Arrival received mixed reviews, according to review aggregator platform Metacritic. Critics praised the game's soundtrack, atmosphere and scares, while criticizing its shorter-than-expected campaign length and repetitive gameplay.[10][9][56] The Arrival has been described as a bigger budget version of Slender: The Eight Pages;[10][59] Dan Whitehead of Eurogamer called it more polished and structured than the original game.[61] Edwin Evans-Thirwell of GamesRadar+ felt it was largely the same game as The Eight Pages with negligible improvements, spread across multiple levels.[60]

Slender: The Arrival's gameplay was divided among critics. Marty Sliva of IGN called the objectives repetitive and the enemies unfair.[56] Andy Kelly of PC Gamer described the gameplay as challenging but criticized the levels as repetitive and poorly paced, which he found frustrating.[10] Ben Lee of Digital Spy said that the game mechanics make for a "quite a dull game."[58] Andi Hamilton of VideoGamer.com was more negative and described the gameplay as minimal, repetitive and dull, and felt that the AI was unfair.[57]

Critics were positive to the story. Whitehead said for a horror game, it offered a different cinematic experience.[9] Daniel Starkey of GameSpot praised the "presentation of narrative".[8] When compared to The Eight Pages, Paul Goodman of The Escapist found it has "a much more robust story".[4] Sliva and Simon Parkin of Eurogamer criticized its shorter-than-expected campaign length.[9][56]

The game's graphics and soundtrack received praise. Kelly found the graphics beautiful and said they provided a welcoming break in the daylight scenes from the otherwise dark game and show the "surprisingly beautiful world design."[10] Starkey put the graphics into perspective, calling the visuals cutting-edge, while criticizing the game's constant use of "peculiarly pervasive darkness."[8] Hamilton was more positive towards the graphics and compared them to Dear Esther.[57] He also said that they helped the atmosphere.[57] According to Sliva, the soundtrack "really adds to the already creepy atmosphere."[56] Lee similarly found that the experience was helped by the sound design and soundtrack.[58]

The PlayStation 3 and Nintendo Switch ports for Slender: The Arrival were received poorly. Graham Banas of Push Square criticized the PlayStation 3 port for its awkward textures, low-resolution graphics, washed-out flashlight effect, and uncomfortable controls.[62] He did praise the audio though, calling it a "saving grace in this shudder-inducing outing".[62] Lewis White of Nintendo Life criticized the Nintendo Switch port, saying its "visual downgrades [...] are drastic."[59]

The PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 versions of Slender: The Arrival sold over 100,000 copies within one month of release.[63]

Notes

[edit]
  1. ^ Blue Isle Studios published the console versions.

References

[edit]
  1. ^ Griffin, Joe (April 1, 2015). "Slender: The Arrival | Game Review". The Irish Times. Retrieved May 29, 2026.
  2. ^ a b c Kyllo, Blaine (May 25, 2014). "Bask in the terror of the Slender Man with 'The Arrival'". The Globe and Mail. Retrieved May 29, 2026.
  3. ^ a b Braddy, T. Blake (March 26, 2015). "'Slender: The Arrival' (PS4) Review: Second Guest". Bloody Disgusting. Archived from the original on September 1, 2025. Retrieved May 29, 2026.
  4. ^ a b c Goodman, Paul (April 2, 2013). "Escapist Review: Slender: The Arrival". The Escapist. Archived from the original on April 20, 2013. Retrieved April 3, 2013.
  5. ^ Rouner, Jef (March 26, 2015). "5 Reasons Slender: The Arrival Didn't Live Up to the Hype". Houston Press. Retrieved May 29, 2026.
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  7. ^ a b c C., Luiz H. (March 6, 2023). "'Slender: The Arrival' - Revisiting the Playable Jump Scare Machine Ten Years Later". Bloody Disgusting. Archived from the original on August 29, 2025. Retrieved March 18, 2026.
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  41. ^ Doolan, Liam (May 28, 2019). "Slender: The Arrival Creeps Onto The Switch eShop Next Month". Nintendo Life. Retrieved March 12, 2026.
  42. ^ Botadkar, Tanish (October 2021). "Celebrate Halloween with Slender: The Arrival coming to stalk your mobile this month". Pocketgamer. Archived from the original on October 1, 2021. Retrieved October 1, 2021.
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  44. ^ a b c Benfell, Grace (October 18, 2023). "Slender: The Arrival Gets An Unreal Engine 5 Powered Overhaul For Its 10th Anniversary". GameSpot. Retrieved March 26, 2024.
  45. ^ Gerblick, Jordan (September 1, 2023). "Cult classic horror game Slender Man: The Arrival gets an Unreal Engine 5 overhaul and new chapter this Halloween". GamesRadar+. Retrieved May 12, 2026.
  46. ^ Newcombe, Rosalie (October 18, 2023). "Slender: The Arrival gets DLSS 3 in time for Halloween". PCGamesN. Retrieved March 12, 2026.
  47. ^ Slender: The Arrival VR - Official Gameplay Trailer | VR Games Showcase March 2025 - IGN. March 11, 2025. Retrieved March 11, 2025 – via www.ign.com.
  48. ^ Wilson, Iain (March 20, 2025). "Slender: The Arrival VR puts you directly into the creepy horror alongside the Slender Man". GamesRadar+. Retrieved March 12, 2026.
  49. ^ Hayden, Scott (May 7, 2025). "VR Version of Viral Horror Game 'Slender: The Arrival' Delayed to Later This Year". Road to VR. Retrieved July 26, 2025.
  50. ^ "Slender: The Arrival for PC Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved March 26, 2013.
  51. ^ "Slender: The Arrival for PlayStation 3 Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved September 23, 2014.
  52. ^ "Slender: The Arrival for Xbox 360 Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved September 24, 2014.
  53. ^ "Slender: The Arrival for PlayStation 4 Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved March 24, 2015.
  54. ^ "Slender: The Arrival for Xbox One Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved March 25, 2015.
  55. ^ "Slender: The Arrival for Switch Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved May 14, 2020.
  56. ^ a b c d e Silva, Marty (April 3, 2013). "Slender: The Arrival Review". IGN. Archived from the original on April 6, 2013. Retrieved April 3, 2013.
  57. ^ a b c d Hamilton, Andi (April 5, 2013). "Slender: The Arrival Review". VideoGamer.com. Archived from the original on May 13, 2013. Retrieved April 5, 2013.
  58. ^ a b c Lee, Ben (April 11, 2013). "Downloadable reviews: Slender, BattleBlock Theater, No-One Has to Die". Digital Spy. Archived from the original on April 12, 2013. Retrieved June 25, 2013.
  59. ^ a b c White, Lewis (June 21, 2019). "Review: Slender: The Arrival (Switch) - A Bland And Bare Take On Slenderman Horror". Nintendo Life. Retrieved March 12, 2026.
  60. ^ a b Evans-Thirlwell, Edwin (March 30, 2015). "Slender: The Arrival review". GamesRadar+. Retrieved March 18, 2026.
  61. ^ Whitehead, Dan (April 6, 2015). "How Slender gave gaming its Blair Witch moment". Eurogamer.net. Retrieved May 14, 2026.
  62. ^ a b Banas, Graham (October 5, 2014). "Review: Slender: The Arrival (PlayStation 3)". Push Square. Retrieved May 29, 2026.
  63. ^ Pereira, Chris (October 27, 2014). "PS4 and Xbox One Getting Horror Game Slender: The Arrival". GameSpot. Retrieved May 13, 2026.
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