Slender Threads

One game that looks to try and follow in the footsteps of giants is Slender Threads. You take on the role of a traveling salesman who finds himself in a pretty ridiculous situation when he arrives in a strange new town. Developed by Blyts, this looks to be an interesting release for anyone on the lookout for a new adventure game to try out.

Go back to the early and mid 1990s, and point and click games were a dominant genre on PC. Being able to play out adventures fleshed out with enjoyable text, whimsical rhetoric, and stylish plots was all the rage. The development of better 3D graphics and more open world games, though, seen the P&C genre become increasingly niche. It was not until the re-release of the Monkey Island series that things have changed – now, you cannot move for seeing a new point and click adventure.

Point and click tropes aplenty, with some new freshness

From the first images you see of Slender Threads, it is clear that this is a game with something interesting to tell. While we can look beyond the pretty significant similarity in design to the main character to the likes of Guybrush Threepwood, there is something about Slender Threads that simply stands out for the right reasons.

There is something genuinely enjoyable about this game – a psychological trip that looks to build itself out with puzzles. While we will need to wait and see if it uses the whimsical writing of games like Monkey Island and Thimbleweed Park to its benefit, there is something pretty enjoyable about Slender Threads’ general theme. With a creative design style paired with a slightly more serious story, this looks like it could be an intriguing addition to the point and click industry.

The prologue for the game was released in September 2021, and we tried it out and found it really enjoyable. There was enough in the prologue to set up the new game, and we found the general theme and style pretty intriguing.

One for the point and click purists (8/10)

While we have only played the prologue so far, there is immediately enough about this game to like. we enjoyed the interface, the art style, and the writing style. Crucially, your journey with Harvey looks to be filled with more than a few moments of comedic charm – paired up with a very chilling overall plot.

However, plenty of these games do a fine job of combining a more serious plot with a comical style, so it won’t be too hard for Slender Threads to live up to some of the ideas that we already have in our heads about what it is going to be like.

Pros

• An interesting point and click adventure with a slightly more serious undertone.
• Modernised take on the art, movement, and interface of the genre.
• Interesting writing paired up with a plot that looks like it could have weight.

Cons

• How long will it be? Will there be enough? Will Slender Threads write itself into trouble?

Have you ever had a dark feeling of foreboding you couldn’t shake? Felt like something bad was going to happen to you? In Slender Threads, Harvey Green is experiencing a very bad feeling—specifically, he dreams every night that he sees his own head mounted on a wall.

Unfortunately, he’s beginning to think this recurring dream isn’t just a nightmare. It’s a fate he is unable to escape. This chilling knowledge is something he is still fighting to prevent, but it may be impossible.

Point-and-Click Adventure

For those who loved the Monkey Island series, Slender Threads provides similar humor and playstyle with a fresh new character and theme. Slender Threads is a blend between an adventure and a thriller, but it still has good laughs and easy navigation.

The game is controlled through a point-and-click style, but it also mixes in exploration and puzzles to keep things interesting. Players praise Slender Threads for the puzzles, which make sense during gameplay and aren’t there just to be an obstacle. Although the idea of the game is dark, the game is punctuated with humor to help add some brevity to the situation.

Beautiful Artwork

Along with a well-talked story, the game supports the mood with hand-drawn artwork through the entire game. The art is sinister, adding to the mystery and sense of adventure. The developers chose to combine both 2D and 3D artwork to make a diorama like appearance to the game.

Celebrated Voice Actors and Music

Finally, the game’s sound is also very well done. It features some big names in the voice acting world, including Joe Gaudet who plays Harvey. Gaudet is the same voice actor who gave life to 3 of the Five Nights at Freddy’s characters, as well as Radar in Astroblast.

Many of the other characters in the game are also voiced by notable people. Laila Berziz who plays Constance has been nominated for 3 awards, and Gavin Hammon has been nominated 4 times, won once, and has voiced an enormous number of popular characters. All this comes together to make a rich, well-developed game that has thought put into the smallest details.

Short but Spunky

The one drawback to an otherwise perfect game is that it is very short. Players can expect about 6 hours of gameplay out of Slender Threads. Although this isn’t the 60-90 hours of an epic game, it tells the story completely through and doesn’t mess around. This is perfect for a weekend game or an evening of fun, but if you want many play hours for your buck, this might not be the game for you.

Pros:

• Amazing Voice Actors
• Beautiful Art
• A Great Story

Cons:

• This is a very short game