The Man in the Park

I... what was this? The Jumpscares give that AWFUL look of bad shark movie makeup, the humor is meh, the gameplay is meh, and it does look fine, but it only makes the game feel that much worse... After "Frog Legs", I had some hope, but... This is just a fine jumpscare game you would see come 2015 ERA, as, this ain't it. If you want a game you will literally beat in 3 minutes, including reading everything, checking everything, and just waiting enough to make your review... This ain't it. 3/10

Takes <2 minutes to beat. 5 minutes to get all endings. Game isn't extremely scary, but it's definitely worth playing.

Hands down the best story, graphics, lore, and atmosphere ever put into a game.

The Man in the Park is a very short horror game, but I think it does a good job of making a simple situation feel uncomfortable. I am walking home through a neighbourhood park when I notice an old man sitting on a bench. From there, I have to decide whether I should approach him or keep my distance. That sounds like a very basic setup, but the game uses the situation to create a nice feeling of uncertainty because I never really know what I should expect from the man. The exploration is extremely simple, which makes sense considering how short the game is. I walk around the park, interact with things and investigate what is happening while the atmosphere gradually becomes more disturbing. There is no complicated inventory system or combat to distract me from the horror. I am mostly just trying to understand what is going on and make the right decisions, which I think works well for this kind of small horror experience. The different endings are probably my favourite feature. My choices can lead to different outcomes, so after finishing one route I immediately wanted to try again and see what would happen if I behaved differently. I like this approach because it gives the game a l…

W

The Man in the Park is a deliberately tiny horror game that demonstrates how a simple encounter can become unsettling when the atmosphere and circumstances are just strange enough. Developed and published by Elliott Dahle, the game places the player in an ordinary neighborhood park where a mysterious man becomes the center of an increasingly uncomfortable situation. Instead of building an elaborate supernatural universe or providing hours of exploration, the game concentrates everything into a micro-horror experience intended to last only a few minutes. This limited scope is fundamental to its identity, making it closer to an interactive horror short than a conventional full-length adventure. The setup is immediately understandable. While making your way home through the park, you encounter a man whose presence creates uncertainty about what you should do next. The question of whether to help him forms the foundation of the experience. There is something effective about using such a familiar setting for horror because a park normally represents an open and harmless public space. By introducing an unfamiliar person and allowing uncertainty to build around his intentions, the game t…