Slender: The Arrival (2023) Review (Xbox Series X|S & PlayStation 5)

Rewind the clock back to 2013, and you’ll likely recall the first time streamers got ahold of the Holy Grail of flash horror, otherwise known as Slender. Well, it’s been a good decade since Blue Isle Studios and Parsec Productions released its follow-up chapter Slender: The Arrival, which means the virtual arrival of a tenth anniversary edition was almost inevitable. And boy, I’m beyond pleased about that, as once again I’ve had the opportunity to rekindle a few memories by slipping back into those same grubby shoes, and into the ominous realm of the octopus-armed killer for another episode of tongue-in-cheek cat-and-mouse chases and bone-shattering shenanigans. Finally.

Of course, it isn’t exactly a new thing, Parsec Productions’ Slender: The Arrival, but it is, in some ways, a new experience, and not to mention one that’s been given a whole lot of TLC and other technical and graphical overhauls since its 2013 inception. For this reason alone, it’s easy to recommend the latest iteration of the game as an ideal starting point for newcomers to the series. Question is, is it worth returning to as an older, more experienced Slender fan? Curious to know what it’s like to play in 2023? Then let’s dive right in.

Hello, Old Friend

Slender: The Arrival lays the foundations for a souped-up version of the ever-popular Slender: The Eight Pages—a flash game that, while awfully simple and without any real lore outside of the aforementioned pages that players must collect, went on to become one of the most sought-after cult classics in the indie horror world. Well, The Arrival is, more or less, a beefier version of that, only it includes additional lore, puzzles, environments, and even new enemies to face. Simply put, it’s as if The Eight Pages received the funding needed to transform itself into a full-fledged standalone game for consoles and PC.

To put you in the picture, Slender: The Arrival follows the story or Lauren, a girl who, after some time away from her childhood home, returns to the wooded region to help her friend up sticks and relocate from her former estate. However, on arrival, Lauren discovers that Kate, her wayward buddy, is no longer in the vicinity, and that her home is the latest staging grounds for an unusual series of horrifying events. With nowhere to turn but into the woodlands, Lauren sets out find Kate, thus bringing forth an episodic nightmare that puts her in the scope of the infamous legend , Slender Man.

As far as storytelling goes, the tenth anniversary edition isn’t all that different from the source material. That said, 2023’s version does have an extra chapter to work through, making it something of a more well-rounded and fully integrated experience. So again, while it is, in some ways, a remastered version of the 2013 original, it’s also a bigger, better, and more comprehensive game, in general. And that’s good, because it gives returning fans an excuse to return to the roots and fill in the missing pages, so to speak.

Old But Gold

So, bar a new chapter, what else is new in Slender: The Arrival? Well, to put it short — the graphics. Thanks to Parsec Productions utilizing the latest tech and optimization tools, the latest iteration performs a lot better this time around, which means less frame drops, and a cleaner, better-looking UI and character animations. What’s more, the devs also went ahead and redesigned the antagonists’ appearances, thereby giving them more of a modernized look and traits that are vastly superior to their former counterparts.

As far as the actual gameplay experience goes, The Arrival still delivers all the same puzzle-solving mechanics and atmospheric effects as the original. There are pages to collect, generators to activate, and a whole lot of hidden rooms and secrets to unravel — all of which take up a solid portion of the overall experience, which can take anywhere from two to three hours to see through to the bitter end. Not a lot has changed there, though the added chapter that was thrown in definitely makes an otherwise bog-standard rehash a more worthwhile read.

So, having caught up with the latest developments, what more can I say about the gameplay—the breadth and beating heart of the IP? Well, it’s still as equally as repetitive as it was back in 2013, for starters. And not just that, but it’s also in possession of the same trial-and-error moments that made the original the occasional slog that it was. Can’t complain too much, but it is worth pointing out that, like a lot of puzzle-obsessed survival-horror games, to make an omelette, you need to break a few eggs. And when I say eggs, I’m mostly referring to my ever-crumbling emotional frame of mind. Point is, you will die — a lot. But then, that’s part of the fun…isn’t it?

Repetition Is Key…Sometimes

Slender: The Arrival utilizes a blueprint that we’ve seen dozens of times before: include a fairly large maze, and have players rummage around in the dark looking for switches, pages, or in this case, generators. Unfortunately, each of the collectibles’ locations in The Arrival are randomized in each new turn, which means you either need to memorize each map — or consume some Liquid Luck to locate each item before being bested by one of several enemies. You can’t fight, and you’ll often struggle to outrun your pursuers, so realistically speaking, your best bet is to, you know, be lucky. And that’s pretty much how each scenario works in The Arrival: you die trying to uncover a new portion of the map, and then eventually rely on your memory to complete the objectives quicker.

It’s a tough pill to swallow, but the fact is, nobody will have the luck needed to romp through the campaign without dying at least a handful of times. Nevertheless, due to the compelling sound design and overall ambience being substantially more appealing than it was in The Eight Pages, for example, I for one didn’t mind having to replay the same segments thrice over. Having said that, the fourth or fifth attempt to complete the same puzzle was rarely enjoyable, to say the least. Swings and roundabouts — you know how it is.

In spite of every minor setback you’re forced to tangle with in The Arrival, the game itself is digestible enough to keep you coming back for another round. And to be fair, given the fact that it’s also a relatively short game, it never overstays its welcome, nor does it rely on the same obstacle to generate an unfairly drawn-out story. It’s short, balanced, and entertaining — three power nodes that comprise an award-winning horror.

Verdict

Returning to the gloomiest neck of the woods to relive my worst nightmares with the dapper foe felt like coming home after a decade of readjusting to modern times. The only difference this time around, of course, was that said nightmares were no longer drowning in flash-locked pixels and minor performance issues, to name just a couple of small inconveniences that, in all fairness, strike me as nothing more than nostalgia fodder in this day and age. But to see Slender: The Arrival back at the helm with an entirely new set of wheels and a brand-new necktie to boot, really, was the pre-Halloween gift I never knew I would need — if only to rekindle that long-lost memory of scavenging for pages and broken generators in the dark.

To answer the question, is Slender: The Arrival worth picking up in 2023? Yes, yes it is — and not just for the sake of scratching that post-2013 itch, either, but simply because it’s a darn good, albeit slightly short horror game, in general. Plus, with thanks to the devs going above and beyond to revamp the visuals and tweak a few of the components whilst also keeping the heart and soul of the original blueprint, it’s hard to pass it up as “just another remaster” of a former favorite. So, whether you’re returning to the mythological humanoid’s neck of the woods after several years, or just scrubbing the barrel looking for a top-shelf horror experience to play this Halloween season, take it from me — you needn’t search any further.

When all’s said and done, you can do a lot worse than Slender: The Arrival. Therefore, if you’re a fan of the cult figure, or anything that’s even remotely related to Creepypasta, for that matter, then you’re in for a real treat.