Slender: The Arrival

 PC
Metascore
65

Mixed or average reviews - based on 30 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 7 out of 30
  2. Mixed: 20 out of 30
  3. Negative: 3 out of 30
  1. PC Master (Greece)
    Jun 5, 2013
    74
    A great example of what horror can bring to gaming- especially when not even a handgun is used. [May 2013]
    All this publication's reviews
  2. 3DJuegos
    Apr 9, 2013
    74
    Slender: The Arrival is a great horror experience although is far from perfect. Its level design could be better and is very short, but it is a fun game that will terrify us, and that's what matters.
  3. DarkZero
    Nov 14, 2013
    70
    The overall experience may be familiar, but hasn’t grown tiresome yet to affect its scare-factor. Grab some headphones, turn off the lights, and try not to wake up anyone living in the same household with your screams of terror.
  5. Eurogamer Italy
    Apr 22, 2013
    70
    Gameplay repetitiveness could be a nasty monster to deal with, but after playing Slender: The Arrival you will remember why, when you were a child, you used to sleep with the lights on.
  6. Gamer.no
    Apr 19, 2013
    70
    While Slender: The Arrival is by no means a perfect game, it excels in inspiring the creeping sensation that danger is lurking around every corner, that something is out to get you. It succeeds in making me afraid to check what’s behind me, but also afraid not to check what’s behind me. That’s the mark of a good horror game.
  7. Meristation
    Apr 11, 2013
    70
    A symphony of pure horror, Slender: The Arrival make its official entrance in the videogames world with an short experience very limited in the gameplay aspect, but truly scary as hell. Every single apparition of the Slender Man and its Proxy is completely unexpected, and always make us jump run trying to escape from them, but the level design is like a rollercoaster: a few really memorable moments and other very uninspired.
  8. GRYOnline.pl
    Apr 4, 2013
    70
    Slender: The Arrival is the most intense interactive horror I've had the opportunity to play recently. It's terrifying, extremely atmospheric and difficult enough to make encounters with Slenderman and his ally really satisfying. Unfortunately - the game is really, really short and a tiny bit of randomness doesn't fix that. I think it would be wise to play the still free Slender: Eight Pages and then decide if it's worth it to pay for a better, but equally short sequel.
  9. PC Gamer
    Jun 18, 2013
    65
    Minimal game mechanics with no depth whatsoever, but a tense, well-made survival horror game just the same.
  10. IGN
    Apr 3, 2013
    65
    Slender: The Arrival manages to deliver some truly impressive scares, but you’ll have to wade through the muck of repetitive tasks and unfair enemies in order to experience them. I found more enjoyment in playing the free original installment, which delivers a powerful horror experience without the annoyances and filler.
  11. GameTrailers
    Apr 15, 2013
    61
    Slender: The Arrival is an atmospheric package relying too much on one admittedly terrifying trick that overstays its welcome far too early in an already short series of events.
  12. GameWatcher
    Nov 5, 2013
    60
    If you want to be scared out of your mind for an hour or so, feel free to get Slender: The Arrival. If you consider that the only prerequisite for a horror game, it gets top marks. Trouble is video games have to have more than that, and this is where The Arrival falls down.
  13. Everyeye.it
    May 6, 2013
    60
    Slender: The Arrival confirms the many doubts emerged during the preview, showing obvious limitations dictated by the lacks of a gameplay structure that deviates from what we saw in "Slender: The Eight Pages", its predecessor.
  14. Gamer.nl
    Apr 13, 2013
    60
    Like every previous Slender-game, this one succeeds in frightening you and making you very paranoid with intense scares. The atmospheric, detailed environments set the tone very well. Unfortunately, repetitive gameplay and frustrating artificial intelligence keep Slender: The Arrival from being anything above average.
  15. Digital Spy
    Apr 11, 2013
    60
    The Arrival is worth experiencing if you're craving some really good scares. As a game, it falls a little flat with its repetitive nature and short length, but play it with the lights dimmed and you will have some memorable moments by the end.
  16. Metro GameCentral
    Apr 4, 2013
    60
    The scares are still there but in gameplay terms the experience is far too… slender to justify the repetition and frustration of this sequel.
  17. Multiplayer.it
    Apr 10, 2013
    57
    Slender: The Arrival is a repetitive game which lives on a single mechanic. Graphically well done, it's a longer version of Slender: The Eight Pages, with all its limits multiplied.
  18. Riot Pixels
    Jun 10, 2013
    55
    If you’re lucky, you’ll be done with Slender in less than an hour. The game does make you feel uneasy (which every decent horror title must do), but never goes above cheap scares. Don’t waste your money on this and play the original game for free.
  19. God is a Geek
    Nov 18, 2013
    50
    Sadly, it devolves into a tedious, irritating scavenger hunt that fails to keep up the momentum and burdens the player with repetitious busy work that makes the short playtime seem merciful rather than miserly.
  20. games(TM)
    Jun 28, 2013
    50
    Heavy on parlour tricks but lacking any real substance. [Issue#136, p.112]
    All this publication's reviews
  21. Games.cz
    May 9, 2013
    50
    Even though Slender uses the most primitive horror elements, initially it works for him. However, after a lapse of time he's losing his breath, and at the end of the game instead of being thrilling he's just boring.

Awards & Rankings

89
#89 Most Discussed PC Game of 2013
93
#93 Most Shared PC Game of 2013

User Reviews

All reviews »
User Score
6.2

Mixed or average reviews- based on 289 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 118 out of 289
  2. Mixed: 96 out of 289
  3. Negative: 75 out of 289
  1. DaveFace
    Apr 13, 2013
    3
    Undoubtedly the scariest part of this game is the optimisation but if you're into bland atmosphere and shaky AI jump-scares then boy, you'reUndoubtedly the scariest part of this game is the optimisation but if you're into bland atmosphere and shaky AI jump-scares then boy, you're in for a treat. It's a shame because the game starts out well, then descends into the same tedium of the original. To it's credit, this is better than the original by a reasonable margin if only for the slightly improved graphics.

    But you can only polish an awful game so much, and the underlying mechanics are still rubbish.    … Full Review »
  2. UnbiasedOne
    Mar 30, 2013
    1
    As usual, Mr. Big 'n' Motionless goes to the top of charts for one reason, and one reason alone, because of his name. He makes an interestingAs usual, Mr. Big 'n' Motionless goes to the top of charts for one reason, and one reason alone, because of his name. He makes an interesting fictional myth to tell stories to children and even art work., but as a game, he doesn't deliver. While I do like the bigger areas with more exploration and the back story, it is just ruined by the same boring jump scares that have been done since the mid 70's, along with the usual "let's suddenly turn the volume up 600% for reason." Then the, placing things that were not there before thing. The house would be fantastic if set up in another type of game. The time change from day to night is liked but through all the flaws, the stupidity of page locations let alone the need to do it is pointless and holes in the story, it's not worth it.… Full Review »
  3. Nand
    Mar 27, 2013
    9
    This review contains spoilers, click full review link to view. A wonderful successor to the original Slender game. Gorgeous graphics, incredibly immersive, interesting plot (though explanation of it is somewhat scant), and, surprise surprise, utterly terrifying. What I really liked is that this game provides some context for why the pages exist. However, it still doesn't explain why exactly you're collecting them. The plot that is there is certainly intriguing, but there is still a lot that has yet to be explained and the ending definitely left me wanting more. This isn't necessarily a bad thing though because some of the best storytelling simply doesn't tell you everything you want to know and leaves readers/viewers/gamers with something left to discuss and speculate. That said, there were parts of this game that truly terrified me, and I absolutely loved it because I enjoy getting scared (call me an emotional sadist if you will). The detailed environments, spooky music, vague but interesting narrative, and Mr. Slenderman himself all culminate into one hell of an experience. Sadly but understandably due to budget constraints and a relatively small development team, the experience is very short (though definitely worth the price of admission). But this frustration is merely owed to the fact that I enjoyed this game so much and did not want it to end.

    If you have the expendable cash, throw a little extra when you purchase this to support the developer so we can see an even bigger and better third installment. I know I can't wait for it.    … Full Review »
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