“The Clearing” – Interesting Narrative Horror!

While browsing IndieDB the other night, I came across a newly-released horror game from Undead Scout called The Clearing. The group calls the game their “game zero,” meaning that this was more of an experiment in game design and won’t be representative of their future first commercial release. That said, though, they said they had a lot of fun designing this game and wanted to share it with the general public completely free.

The Clearing tells the story of a young man who travels to a remote cabin in Montana to enjoy some peace and quiet and work on his first novel, following in his father’s footsteps. Yet, it is in this very out of the way setting that he learns about his father’s dark and sordid past, and uncovers more than he probably ever bargained for. The game features full voice narration, and all journal entries you find are also narrated. Yes, there is sort of a collection element to be had, but really the game is more about the atmosphere and what you uncover. It’s creepy and unsettling, and even if this video didn’t have too much in the way of “jump scares,” it certainly had its unsettling moments to be sure.

You can find the game completely free at Undead Scout’s main website, so please feel free to check it out! Oh, and if you want to see me try and finish it, please let me know!