Hello!
and now another short horror adventure.
No wait, it is very short, or better... extremely short!
Despite this we have a coherent and immersive short horror story that takes place in just three maps (plus the one of the prologue). With just four characters including the protagonist, that are the typical four college friends already seen in many horror movies and in some other rpgmaker horror games.

In this game we play as Joe, the narrator: he is an average guy in a group of three average guys and an average gal, Celeste. Uhm, well no, the other three protagonists are sommarily characterized in the prologue, but there is not much to say or remember about them.
Then Joe explains how one of the friends suggested to go in the woods, and spend some time at a cottage that his family owns. But no, the other two suggest to camp in the woods, where there is something much worse than wolves and bears waiting for them lurking in the shadows...


Just a chainsaw armed maniac in the forest? Is this The Texas Chain Saw Massacre or The Hills Have Eyes? Thanks a lot Darren, this is VERY reassuring!

Skinwalker is a horror story or a visual novel, as I weote before this is an adventure game and NOT a survival horror (the game starts with Joe, the protagonist and narrator, telling his story, so he obviously survived! Or...not?). There are no real chase scenes and besides walking around and interacting with the three friends and the environment there are just a couple of choices... that will determine which of the two endings you will get.

What there isn't is instead the option to save, but this is a 20 minutes game there is no need for it. And there is also no need for an inventory, experience points or an indicator of health and status.

Graphically the game is pretty well done: locations are believable and realistic, (and despite the mention of fog it's nowhere as annoying as in one of the last horror game I played and reviewed) even if the cottage is pretty big (and divided into two different maps). Story is largely linear and there is little interaction with the surroundings, still the environment is immersive and well recreate the narration of that tense situation. There isn't a lot of music (but the one you will listen to is ok and fitting the atmosphere), for a large part of the game you will just hear ambience sounds (besides another weird sound that will never be explained where it does come from!). Like those annoying birds, but uhm ok, it's a game set in the wilderness, so I guess it's correct and very accurate! But it's still quite annoying!
Ok, let's and this and read the ending... of the review!


Heh, here it looks like a cute little shadow, but play the game and you will have the privilege to have a close encounter with that guy (that is not exactly a "guy" but I guess this is not a spoiler)!

Final Verdict
Ok, if you like me know what the Skinwalker is (a mythological creature) many things that happen in the game won't be a surprise, and maybe the title of the game is a sort of spoiler. Anyway I liked both endings, the bad ending is abrupt but original and the good one, while not really surprising as the bad one, is a long one with many descriptions and some visual scenes. This game in the end is a horror visual novel or walking simulator, don't expect much else, anyway it's a really well told short story.

While there is not a lot of gameplay, the dialogue and story are decent, and visually it has a lot of style (not the usual RTPs for sure!) and some interesting parts and scenes. Aside for these features it's a pretty average game, but one that will entertain for half an hour, so it's not too bad.