Welcome to The Attic, prepare to Vanish…

“I hate this game, I hate this game, I hate this game… I fucking love this game.” Those were my thoughts when I first started playing Vanish. This is a small, indie horror game that you can download here for free from the developer 3DrunkMen. It may not look like much at first glance, but I assure you this one is absolutely amazing. I cannot believe that I spend $60 on new AAA “horror” games such as Resident Evil and Silent Hill when I can get something so much scarier and original for free. That, folks, is the beauty of the internet. It is also why I jump to show off indie games when they’re good, because they deserve the praise so much more.

Now, why do I hate it, you ask? I don’t. And I do at the same time. Within 10 seconds of playing this it made me jump out of my skin in a way no game has in months, maybe even years. Yes, it was a jump scare, and those definitely exist in Vanish. But the greatest part of this game is the tension. The unnerving, gripping, stifling fear that exists within you when there is absolutely nothing happening is what makes this one stand out among so many others. You see, horror fans love to be scared, yet even we have our moments of “what the fuck am I doing to myself?” But that is when you know a game is being done right. I want to be terrified or I wouldn’t touch the horror genre, and Vanish is truly terrifying.

You start off with a very disturbing sight: you are being dragged by someone (or something) into an underground tunnel. It is dark, dank, and you have no clue where to go or what to do. A large door slams shut behind your assailant, and you are left alone to find a way out. You aren’t equipped with the usual flashlight or anything else that you might have come to expect. The only items you really come across are notes. You do not need to collect these like in Slender, but they are helpful to read, as they give you a better idea of what to expect and how to escape. There were workers down here and one of them got lost, leaving notes behind to mark where he is and what was happening to him. There are hints at something else being down here with him, walls that seem to close in on him, and paths changing out of nowhere.

The brick walls are barely lit with the occasional light fixture as you move along… but that’s about it. It’s just enough to see, but never enough to see that far ahead. You are constantly heading towards darkness in this game and that is what really lends itself to the suffocating fear. At one point you manage to pick up glow sticks that help a bit, but the soft green glow actually makes me more scared. I’m not even sure if this is the case or not, but I fear that the creature will see me more if I use them. Oh, sorry, I haven’t really mentioned that yet… You are not alone in these underground tunnels. There is a creature lurking anywhere and everywhere and can appear at any time.

That brings me to the greatest and more frustrating part of this game: it is completely random. Many games like Left 4 Dead tout that they have real “replayability” because the action changes up every time you play it. But all they are referring to is that the horde of zombies will rush you at different times. The levels are still the same and you still must get through it the same way each time. But with Vanish, the game itself changes every time. Literally. Every. Time. The paths, the intersecting tunnels, when the creature shows up, where you find notes and what they say. Sometimes the few lights you do have blow out. Sometimes your vision tunnels and you feel like the ceiling is lowering above you. All different. Every time. This makes it both very difficult to finish, but also incredibly fun. With most horror games, the fear leaves you after a bit of time because you get used to the enemy and the level; you learn where to go. This game doesn’t have walkthroughs, because it can’t.

They say that some people have finished the game in 10 minutes and others have in 40. Both myself and our very own Vega Goose have been playing this, and after hours neither of us have been able to finish it. I’ve died so many times and ordinarily this would frustrate me, but because the game changes so much each time, it still feels like a fresh adventure into fear itself. Youtuber Markiplier has played this game, and it is said that it took him almost a year of numerous attempts before he could finish it. I have not been this impressed with a horror game since Alien: Isolation and I cannot rave about Vanish enough. I strongly suggest that you all go download it immediately.

Stay scared,
Dark Princess