In The Tall Man, a first-person horror survival game set in a dark woodland at night, players must collect nine cryptic pages before a terrible monster captures them. Exploration, stealth, and a torch that never has enough battery make it a suspenseful, slow-burning game.
All of The Tall Man is about risk management. Use of your torch, your lone tool, consumes its battery. Keep it on too long, and you're lost. Turn it off, and you may encounter something you don't want. This ongoing trade-off makes horror games skill-heavy.
Pressure is always apparent on a HUD. A countdown timer for the Tallman's arrival, a page counter, a battery indicator, and a mini-map are visible. The mini-map aids but does not save. The thing is constantly hidden in the dense fog and huge woodland.
Progress hurts you fairly but cruelly. Each page increases complexity and soundscape. By page eight or nine, the atmosphere has changed from scary to aggressive.
Get all nine hand-drawn notes before the spooky monster chases you. Move with W/A/S/D, scan with the mouse, and sprint with Shift in emergencies. Pages and hazards are hidden in darkness, so use your torch cone carefully-battery drains fast.
High-contrast deep blacks, navy blues, and chilly greys give The Tall Man a gritty, realistic 3D image. The only heat comes from your flashlight's harsh yellow beam. Smart choice - the images create more atmosphere than other web horror games.
Tall, spindly trees, fog, and rotting architecture evoke urban legends you'll never really understand. Your character scarcely appears. Players only see a pinkish-sleeved hand grasping the light, which maintains the focus on what's ahead, not who you are.
