Slender Rising is a 2012 horror and indie game by Michael Hegemann. It is based on the creepypasta called Slender Man, a tall, faceless man who hunts people down. The first-person game tasks players with collecting notes across various maps whilst trying to avoid the Slender Man.
| Slender Rising | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Developer(s) | Michael Hegemann |
| Publisher(s) | Michael Hegemann |
| Engine | |
| Platform(s) | iOS |
| Release | November 15, 2012 |
| Genre(s) | Survival horror |
| Mode(s) | Single-player |
Slender Man received mixed reviews, with praise directed towards its atmosphere, graphics and sound design. Two critics called Slender Rising the best Slender Man mobile game. A sequel, Slender Rising 2, was released early 2014.
Gameplay edit
Slender Rising is a single-player horror game played from a first-person perspective. There are two game modes. In "A Chance To Escape", the player is tasked with collecting seven pages. In "The Endless Stare", they must collect as many pages as they can and survive as long as possible. The player is alerted by sound cues when they are in a page's vicinity.[1]
Throughout Slender Rising, they are hunted by the Slender Man, who will kill them with his tendrils if the player looks at him too long. The player's vision automatically moves towards Slender Man when he is nearby, requiring them to "swipe and claw at [the] screen to tear free". This becomes more difficult each time he catches them.[2][3]
Slender Rising features several customizable options, including difficulty levels, filters that obscure or change the player's perspective and four different maps.[1][2]
Development edit
Slender Rising was created by indie developer Michael Hegemann in Unreal Engine.[1] It was published for iOS on November 15, 2012, and was released on the App Store.[4] The game is based on the infamous creepypasta of the Slender Man; it came at a time when Slender Man games were ubiquitous after the release of the PC game Slender: The Eight Pages (2012).[5] Hegemann himself admitted to being inspired by The Eight Pages.[6]
Reception edit
| Publication | Score |
|---|---|
| Pocket Gamer |   [1] |
| TouchArcade |  [2] |
David Craddock of TouchArcade and Paul Devlin of Pocket Gamer considered Slender Rising the best mobile game based on Slender Man.[1][2] Craddock suggested that it was the best Slender Man game; he believed that the variety offered by the game modes kept it "fresh" and appreciated the use of sound design to build tension.[2]
Devlin and Slide to Play's Chris Reed were more ambivalent: while he praised the atmosphere, graphics and sound design, Devlin felt that Slender Rising lacked enough originality to distinguish it from other Slender Man games in order to scare players familiar with the genre.[2] Reed similarly praised the graphics and atmosphere, but considered the actual gameplay boring and unengaging.[7] Lifewire criticized the lack of storyline.[8]
By January 2014, Slender Rising had received over seven million downloads.[6]
Sequel edit
On January 16, 2014, Hegemann released Slender Rising 2 on the App Store.[9] The sequel has two game modes and four maps, two of which are from the first game. In one game mode, the player uses visual and sound cues to locate and save lost souls; in the other, the player must collect mysterious notes — they are pursued by Slender Man in both modes.[10][11] James Paterson of TouchArcade wrote that it was a "worthy sequel" despite offering little new underlying gameplay.[12]
References edit
- ^ a b c d e Devlin, Paul (January 28, 2013). "Slender Rising". Pocket Gamer. Archived from the original on May 31, 2023. Retrieved May 31, 2023.
- ^ a b c d e f Craddock, David (September 16, 2013). "'Slender Rising' Review – Slender Man Packs on Muscle". TouchArcade. Archived from the original on December 3, 2020. Retrieved May 20, 2020.
- ^ Dutta, Meghna (April 18, 2018). "Five horror games for iOS that can give you nightmares". The Indian Express. Archived from the original on May 31, 2023. Retrieved May 31, 2023.
- ^ "Slender Rising". GameRevolution. Archived from the original on May 31, 2023. Retrieved May 31, 2023.
- ^ Cohn, Gabe (August 15, 2018). "How Slender Man Became a Legend". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on August 15, 2018. Retrieved May 28, 2023.
- ^ a b Riggall, Jonathan (January 20, 2014). "Slender Rising 2 released for iOS". Softonic. Archived from the original on May 31, 2023. Retrieved May 31, 2023.
- ^ a b Reed, Chris (January 25, 2013). "Slender Rising Review". Slide to Play. Archived from the original on January 28, 2013.
- ^ Nations, Daniel (January 13, 2023). "The 10 Best Puzzle-Adventure Games for iPad in 2023". Lifewire. Archived from the original on May 31, 2023. Retrieved May 31, 2023.
- ^ Hodapp, Eli (January 16, 2014). "Hey Slenderman Fans, 'Slender Rising 2' Just Hit the App Store". TouchArcade. Archived from the original on August 6, 2018. Retrieved May 31, 2023.
- ^ Amaris, Lian (October 26, 2015). "13 Scary Mobile Games to Play in the Dark". Gamezebo. Archived from the original on May 31, 2023. Retrieved May 31, 2023.
- ^ Priestman, Chris (January 17, 2014). "Slender Man returns in horror game Slender Rising 2 to haunt your iPad and iPhone". Pocket Gamer. Archived from the original on May 31, 2023. Retrieved May 31, 2023.
- ^ Paterson, James (January 21, 2014). "'Slender Rising 2' Review – The Best Slender Man Mobile Game Yet". TouchArcade. Archived from the original on May 28, 2023. Retrieved May 31, 2023.
External links edit
- Official trailer
- Slender Rising on the App Store
- Slender Rising 2 on the App Store