Imscared - A Pixelated Nightmare

Imscared: A Pixelated Nightmare is an indie psychological horror title with minimalist 3D graphics and a first-person view.

In Imscared, you have nothing to guide your way except for the ever-present desire to press onward in a game – a desire that Imscared will play with, providing you with places of safety and comfort and then having you leave them to venture onward, to places where fear will dance in your peripheries. Never death, but fear – constant and ever-present!

In Imscared, your protagonist has no identity except that which you ascribe to them. The twists and turns and even creatures of Imscared's 3D labyrinths do little to tell you who you are, or even to tell you what they are – they leave what little information they give you to expand to the far corners of your mind. In essence, Imscared plays on one's natural fear of the unknown.

Of course, being more realistic, as a game Imscared is quite fun. It features puzzles that must be solved to progress, some of which use its mind-bending tenets as a feature. It is 3D, with first-person movement (and graphics) similar to but distinct from those of any Minecraft world. As there are very few constant, chasing presences to run away from, the controls and so on barely even matter.

Of course, Imscared is what it is, and you'll find that it occasionally does rely on tactics like jump-scares to get a rise out of the player. This doesn't happen often, but you'll find that the game isn't above using every tool in a horror game's toolbox to attempt making the player sweat a little bit! As such, it's best to be on your guard, and play cautiously if you're looking for something truly "beyond" conventional jumpscares.

Overall, Imscared is a fun puzzle-horror title and quite quick to finish. It won't leave you wanting more, but what you'll have had by the end should be a worthy experience for anyone looking to play an unconventional horror title!

Pros

• Surprising, full of twists and turns
• Slow-paced and easy to play

Cons

• Not very visceral
• Somewhat disappointing and confusing later on