S: Lost Chapters — Everything We Know

If you’re able to remember Slender: The Eight Pages, the flash sensation that stormed not only Creepy Pasta, but every high school, college, and LAN party back in 2012, then you’ll no doubt have already heard that developer Blue Isle Studios is working on a new chapter in the series. Aptly titled S: Lost Chapters, the upcoming survival horror adventure will be the studio’s “most ambitious game” to date. Or at least, that’s what its creators have been claiming, anyway.

Of course, it’s been a fair few years since we last heard from the infamous Slender Man; Slender: The Arrival was the last game in the series, thinking about it, which launched just shy of a decade ago. So, to say the franchise is in need of some fresh material would be an understatement, all things considered.

Anyway, what do we actually know about this new dive into the Creepy Pasta kingpin, and when can we expect to get our hands on it? Well, here’s everything we’ve been able to scrape together on the matter since first hearing of it earlier this week. S: Lost Chapters: what, when, and why?

What Is S: Lost Chapters?

S: Lost Chapters is a survival horror game by Blue Isle Studios, and ultimately, the next chapter in the Slender saga. According to the devs, the latest venture will boast a “captivating narrative where the events of the past merge with the mysteries of the present, creating a web of interconnected stories that will keep you engrossed from beginning to end.” What’s more, it won’t be your bog-standard rehash of The Arrival, either, as it’ll introduce new enemies, settings, and another web of backstories that’ll help flesh out the origin story of Slender Man.

Similar to the last two entries in the series, it’ll be a first-person survival horror game, with the emphasis placed on the horror more than anything else. A narrative-driven experience at heart, players can expect to unravel even more lore as they take new steps into its world and thread together tales that connect the past with the present. In other words, the lost chapters that never made it into the original story way back in 2012.

Story

While the actual story has yet to be revealed in full, we do know that it’ll be centered around, well, Slender Man. As the unfortunate soul who’s tasked with digging into the rumors and secrets that shroud the pale-faced tentacled monster, you will need to “uncover secrets within familiar locations while discovering new and haunting truths in brand-new locales.”’

Apparently, the roster won’t just feature Slender Man, either — but a whole new range of characters and unholy creations. “In this relentless nightmare, expect to encounter not only the iconic adversaries you once faced, but face off against a new cast of terrifying beings. Who, or what else is out there?” the description elaborates, rather mysteriously.

Gameplay

If there was one particular element that missed the mark in Slender: The Arrival, it was the sheer lack of survival-based gameplay. Turns out, the next leg of the journey will aim to rectify that, mainly by bringing “new survival mechanics that go beyond mere hiding and evasion, challenging your strategic thinking and decision-making skills.” To this end, players can expect to see new features, including inventory management, scavenging, and survival-based tropes.

“Experience cutting-edge gameplay that leverages sound and light to create a truly immersive atmosphere,” the blurb continues. “Utilize these mechanics to your advantage, but be careful as your adversaries can do the same, making each encounter a nerve-wracking test of skill, timing and intuition.”

Let’s not forget that this is also a Slender game, too, so the likelihood of it having numerous stealth segments and the odd puzzle is pretty high. Chances are, it’ll rely on these two things to steer the overall narrative, so again, don’t expect to see any combat. You’ll be able to run, for sure — but don’t put your hopes on finding a revolver and a case of ammunition in the thick of the woods, though.

Development

10 days left to go.#slenderTA pic.twitter.com/LP0Rhl0yfl

— Slender: The Arrival (@PlaySlenderTA) July 17, 2023

In ways, it’s been a long time coming — a sequel to Slender: The Arrival. And while the fire surrounding the once-renowned franchise has since settled ever so slightly, the player base and general interest has remained positively high. Therefore, S: Lost Chapters making its way into the light seems rather fitting, all things considered. What’s more, it’ll be a fitting extension to the ten-year anniversary edition of Slender: The Arrival, which is currently scheduled to launch in October 2023.

In case you missed it, the latest entry in the series is being developed by Blue Isle Studios, the same team that created Slender: The Arrival back in 2013. From what’s been said to date, the studio will be aiming to release S: Lost Chapters at some point in 2024. As for whether or not it’ll shed its PC exclusivity has yet to be determined. If it’s to follow in the same footsteps as The Arrival, though, then we can expect to see it hit Xbox and PlayStation at some stage in the aftermath of its initial launch on Steam. Only time will tell on that one.

Trailer

Unfortunately, Blue Isle Studios has yet to formally release a trailer for S: Lost Chapters. Having said that, you can get your hands on a preview of the ten-year anniversary edition of Slender: The Arrival. You can check that out for yourself in the video embedded above.

Release Date, Platforms & Editions

S: Lost Chapters will be heading to PC via Steam at some point in the not-so distant future. If what we’ve been hearing is on the money, then we can expect to see it launch at some stage in 2024. However, until Blue Isle Studios shed light on it in a future update, we can’t really say for certain.

Interested in staying up to date with S: Lost Chapters? If so, then be sure to check in with Blue Isle Studios over on their social handle for all the latest pre-launch updates here. If anything changes ahead of its release, we’ll be sure to let you know all the details right here on gaming.net.

So, what’s your take? Will you be continuing your journey into the bleak world of Slender when S: Lost Chapters finally drops? Let us know your thoughts over on our socials here.