Norwood Hitchhike — The Scenic Route Was a Mistake

Hi my creepy cadavers,

As mentioned previously, my gorgeous husband bought me the second episode in the Fears to Fathom series, this one’s called Norwood Hitchhike.

In this episode you play as 19-year-old Holly Gardner, who, after realising the traffic is grim, decides to take the long way home from a gaming convention she’s been attending. Once again, the mechanics are fairly simple, although this time you do have to drive a car (something I have historically been atrocious at in games). When I used to play L.A. Noire, I drove so badly the game would regularly offer to skip the driving altogether (thank fuckle). ANYWAY, I digress.

Holly stops off for gas and is warned by a somewhat creepy station attendant to not offer a woman in a blue dress a ride “just put your foot down and go” are his words. He also mentions people have gone missing near the bridge. Naturally, suitably freaked out, we continue on our journey and of course, run straight into car trouble.

Do all gas station clerks just creep out young girls for the lols?

Creepy bridge!

This is where my pulse really started racing. With the gas station attendant’s words echoing in my mind, being broken down in the middle of nowhere as a woman genuinely felt terrifying.

I won’t give everything away, but eventually you manage to hitch a ride to a motel and things get even weirder from there. I genuinely jumped out of my skin at one point. Also fair warning: there’s a section where all the controls become inverted, so if you want to walk forward, you’ll need to press the button to walk backward. Patience is very much required here and maybe something to steady your nerves.

Honestly, this looks like a motel where murders happen!

This episode definitely lasted longer than the first and had far more “what the hell?” moments. What really amped up the fear, though, was the story itself. Playing this as a woman, the believability and the uncomfortable sense that this could actually happen, made it all the more unsettling.

Another great episode from the development team at Rayll. I can’t wait to play the rest of the series, so watch this space for more reviews.

Would you give this one a try? Let me know in the comments.

Stay spooky!
👻SG👻

Just Me, Some Lasagne, and Pure Dread

Hello Horror Fiends,

You may recall that a couple of blog posts back I talked about horror games and how some of them can be really impactful. I mentioned not only games I’ve played and loved, but also a few I’m itching to dive into, plus some sitting patiently on my wishlist.

And this is where I talk about Fears to Fathom – Home Alone.

This is Episode 1 of an episodic psychological horror game developed by indie studio Rayll Studios. In the first episode, you play as 14-year-old Miles, whose parents are out of town on business, leaving him home alone. This seems a little weird to me, I don’t think my folks would have left me home alone for a few days all by myself! Anyway…

Right off the bat, I absolutely loved the gritty VHS aesthetic. The sound design combined with the dark, empty spaces really amps up the tension. I played this with headphones on and the volume turned up, and there were moments where my pulse quickened.

Who knew that sitting down and eating some lasagne your mum made could have you thinking, “Holy shit… did I just see that? Should I check?”  and immediately set your heart racing.

I don’t want to give too much away in case you want to play it yourself, but for a short game (around 15–20 minutes), this one really packs a punch. There was a moment where I knew I had to make Miles leave his bedroom, and I was genuinely giggling nervously while saying, “I don’t want to!”

Gameplay is simple point-and-click with standard WASD movement, so you should pick up the mechanics quickly enough, even if you’re new to PC gaming.

Who knew eating Mum’s lasagne could be so terrifying?

I know some of you might be put off by the runtime, but the first episode is free to play. And, from what I can gather, the episodes that follow are longer and more involved. You can buy them individually (ranging between £4.29 – £8.50) or you can save 10% by grabbing them all as a bundle on Steam. Each episode tells a short story narrated by the person who survived it, so the characters and situations are all different!

If the first episode is anything to go by, this series is scarily fun to play alone or with friends watching your every terrified reaction. My husband had the pleasure of witnessing mine, and I think he was surprised by just how much it spooked me.

Short but engaging, smart and impactful, this is a great game for horror fans. I cannot wait to download and play the rest. My husband actually bought me the second episode to play (thanks love). It’s further proof that with the right talent, care and vision, indie studios can create something with more substance and heart than some of the bigger AAA titles!

Have you played this series? If so, I’d love to hear from you. If not, I highly recommend at least giving the first episode a go.

Stay Spooky!
👻SG👻