"There is a way to turn an entity into data..."

Between games like Undertale, Pony Island, and IMSCARED, the idea of breaking the fourth wall of the game to terrify the player directly is quickly becoming one of my new favorite tricks.

IMSCARED is the full retail version of the original, much smaller game of the same name released back in 2012. If you've heard of it or seen any gameplay videos or Let's Plays, chances are you're already aware of the game's central "gimmick". If you'd prefer to go into the game blind (which I recommend) then don't read any further. IMSCARED is a good game for a very cheap price. Worth the play.

If you're curious, then read on: IMSCARED's main idea is that the game will mess with your computer itself to deceive, attack, and scare you. Essentially created a horror game acting like a malicious, haunted virus. Right off the bat the game automatically creates a folder on your desktop where it will send you messages, sometimes to aid you, and other times to taunt you. The ways the game requires you to think outside the box and the ways it uses your computer become more creative and more clever as the game goes on. For a gimmick, it's a well implemented gimmick.

It should be noted that when I say the game's tricks get more clever as you go along, the entire game really is the same way. The first gameplay section of IMSCARED (past the short tutorial) is the original 2012 game in it's entirety with one or two very minor changes. Compared to the rest of the game afterwards, the beginning segment feels amateur, and it's not a great testament to what the game had up it's sleeve. It feels very much like the developer took the original game and has been building and improving on it since 2012, leaving the segment feeling a tad uneventful and slow (not that the segment is bad, mind you, but the rest of the game just feels a lot better).

You're probably going to either tolerate or hate the graphics. It's VERY low-res and can make finding small object sprites hard. On the flipside, it does help push the idea that "this is a video game that's acting very wrong". Movement can be annoying, as the game has a tendency of having you get stuck on objects or even in narrow corridors, especially when running.

The game's no Silent Hill 2, but it has some fun, creative scares and incredibly creepy atmospheres, especially when it incorperates the gimmick of a haunted video game. Even the least subtle parts are still better than many cheap indie horror games.

Much of the gameplay consists of puzzles, which get better as the game goes on and it fully utilizes the central idea to it's potential, even if there's a bit overreliance on keyhunting, usually there's more than just backtracking to keep it interesting.

Overall, for four dollars, IMSCARED is a good game to check out. Maybe it won't for your style if you can't suspend some disbelief at times, but if you can, then I believe you're in for an enjoyable and scary ride.

[i]"There is a way to turn an entity into data..."[/i] Between games like Undertale, Pony Island, and IMSCARED, the idea of breaking the fourth wall of the game to terrify the player directly is quickly becoming one of my new favorite tricks. IMSCARED is the full retail version of the original, much smaller game of the same name released back in 2012. If you've heard of it or seen any gameplay videos or Let's Plays, chances are you're already aware of the game's central "gimmick". If you'd prefer to go into the game blind (which I recommend) then don't read any further. IMSCARED is a good game for a very cheap price. Worth the play. If you're curious, then read on: IMSCARED's main idea is that the game will mess with your computer itself to deceive, attack, and scare you. Essentially created a horror game acting like a malicious, haunted virus. Right off the bat the game automatically creates a folder on your desktop where it will send you messages, sometimes to aid you, and other times to taunt you. The ways the game requires you to think outside the box and the ways it uses your computer become more creative and more clever as the game goes on. For a gimmick, it's a well implemented gimmick. It should be noted that when I say the game's tricks get more clever as you go along, the entire game really is the same way. The first gameplay section of IMSCARED (past the short tutorial) is the original 2012 game in it's entirety with one or two very minor changes. Compared to the rest of the game afterwards, the beginning segment feels amateur, and it's not a great testament to what the game had up it's sleeve. It feels very much like the developer took the original game and has been building and improving on it since 2012, leaving the segment feeling a tad uneventful and slow (not that the segment is bad, mind you, but the rest of the game just feels a lot better). You're probably going to either tolerate or hate the graphics. It's VERY low-res and can make finding small object sprites hard. On the flipside, it does help push the idea that "this is a video game that's acting very wrong". Movement can be annoying, as the game has a tendency of having you get stuck on objects or even in narrow corridors, especially when running. The game's no Silent Hill 2, but it has some fun, creative scares and incredibly creepy atmospheres, especially when it incorperates the gimmick of a haunted video game. Even the least subtle parts are still better than many cheap indie horror games. Much of the gameplay consists of puzzles, which get better as the game goes on and it fully utilizes the central idea to it's potential, even if there's a bit overreliance on keyhunting, usually there's more than just backtracking to keep it interesting. Overall, for four dollars, IMSCARED is a good game to check out. Maybe it won't for your style if you can't suspend some disbelief at times, but if you can, then I believe you're in for an enjoyable and scary ride.