It has often been said that the games based off the urban legend the Slenderman have either died out, or turned into god-awful games with little to no work put into it. While I agree with this, there is that Slender game that will get my attention once in a while. One of these was the game Slender: Rising. It was one of the quality Slender games I've played, but, sadly, it too died out, as the objective was always the same.

After about a year, the developers of this game have sprung back into action with their new horror title: Slender: Rising 2, and I must say, they hit this one right out of the park.

First off, this game has a story. The story goes like this:

After escaping a forest in which he was stalked, a man tries to clear his head of a ghastly figure he saw in the forest. He had escaped this figure, but not his fear, and until he could do that, the thing would follow him, and wait until it was ready to pounce. Now, the tall, thin man has returned. Will the man escape his fear?

Pretty sweet, huh? I was so psyched when I saw this had a story.

However, there is another story. I'll get to it later.

Now into the gameplay.

this game has four different maps, never before seen in a Slender game. These maps are:

Ghost Town- an 1800's style abandoned town, complete with gallows and taverns

Mansion of the Damned- A 3 story haunted mansion. With hidden corridors and twists at every turn.

Ice Castle- A forgotten castle grounds, not used since the 1500's.

Forgotten District- A modern abandoned town, with the spirits of the dead around every turn.

In addition to this, there are 5 environment settings.

Daytime- self explanatory

Nighttime- self explanatory

Storm- it is the middle of the night, and it's pouring. Hard. And with each flash of lightning, a figure is seen...

Blizzard- exclusive to the Ice Castle map, this puts you in the middle of a large-scale blizzard.

Next, there are two gameplay styles:

Signs Of The End- Collect all 7 signs, and escape the map.

The Lost Souls- an exclusive new style with its own story. See below.

In this gameplay style, 7 spirits of the dead wander the map, seeking to be found. You must take pictures of all 7 to free them from their wandering on earth. But, someone doesn't want them to be freed. Someone tall, pale, and slender...

Next, there is the shotgun. Yes, this game gave you a way to defend yourself. It can only be found on the Signs Of The End gameplay style. Here's how it works.

The shotgun spawns at a random point on the map, where you can find it. Once you discover it, you can wield it. However, it only has one shot. To use it. When you see the Slenderman, pull out the gun, and fire it when he stares at you. It will make the Slenderman despair for 3 minutes, so you can feel safe for that amount of time. When you have the shotgun, you can either keep it holstered, or armed. Both have drawbacks and advantages. When it's holstered, you have more stamina and run faster, however, if the slander,an stares at you with the gun holstered, you cannot grab it. If you have it armed, you are ready to shoot the Skenderman. However, your speed and stamina are decreased, and the Slenderman can make you point the gun at yourself, from which you have to escape.

Lastly, there are 3 different endings, one for each difficulty. All are satisfying and tie up the story, but the last two reveal more about the story.

So, in short, Slender: Rising 2 restored my faith in makers of Slender horror games. With so many original concepts, it just works.

Game grade: A

9.5/10

Here are some pictures of the game.

NOTE: these may cause nightmares.

This is the Slenderman up close:

This is the Mansion Of The Damned Map:

This is a Lost Soul on the Blizzard setting:

This is the Slenderman from afar:

This is a Lost Soul up close:

Sweet dreams, everyone, and I'll see you in the next post.