'The Scourge' Game Melds Horror and Choose-Your-Own-Adventure

Light and shadow have always played a vital role in artistic mediums, and last year saw the emergence of several games that utilized light in profound ways. 'Alan Wake', 'Amnesia: The Dark Descent' and 'Lost in Shadow' not only steeped themselves in ghostly atmospherics, but also used light as a core gameplay mechanic. This week, we'll take a look at several shadowy games that will leave you crying for your flashlight.

'The Scourge' (free PC download) is a manic combination of survival horror and choose-your-own-adventure imbued with an incredible sense of tension. Trapped in a small, dark room, you must survive an unending horde of ghouls long enough for an eerie fog to lift and, hopefully, bring salvation. You begin the game unarmed, and must avoid your attackers by moving about using the arrow keys. Once you get a weapon you'll aim using the mouse. The choose-your-own adventure aspects of the game appear when you're periodically prompted to choose between two possibilities using numeric keys. These options include what type of weapon you'll stumble upon, what kind of enemies will attack you, and whether you choose to sacrifice certain key items in order to keep your pursuers at bay. It provides a twist to the game, moving your role beyond mere survival to actually shaping the events that occur each time you play. Even without this novel element, 'The Scourge' provides one of the tensest atmospheres we've encountered in a game, thanks to a steadily intensifying soundtrack that left our nerves wracked by the game's final, pulse-pounding moments. Each round is fairly quick, but the many optional choices provide plenty of replay value. Whether you'll be willing to revisit this horrific nail-biter of a game is up to you, though.
Download 'The Scourge' here

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'The Scourge' Game Melds Horror and Choose-Your-Own-Adventure originally appeared on Switched on Thu, 13 Jan 2011 18:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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