Lone Survivor

Normally, when I play a game with the intention of posting about it afterwards, I take a few pages of notes while I'm playing. That way I get my initial reactions down and don't forget little things I want to mention. I wasn't able to do that with Lone Survivor because I played it on the computer and I could only play it for about fifteen minutes at a time before I would have to turn it off because it started to overheat. (Remember, my computer is practically dead.) I didn't want to waste time writing notes when I could be playing the game, so this is not a full review.

In Lone Survivor, you play as an unnamed man who is trying not to get the virus that is turning everyone in the world "inside out." Your end-game goal is to find a way out of the city, but first you'll need to find a way to escape your apartment building, which is crawling with monsters. Along the way, you'll have to find items to aid in your escape and also look for food so you don't starve.


At first, Lone Survivor is definitely a bit scary. Whenever a monster is around, you'll hear a noise almost like static (similar to Silent Hill). You'll wonder if there is anywhere to hide from them, and if not, will you have enough ammo to shoot them? Is there more than one monster? Because if so, they'll hear the gun go off and they will run after you, too. Once you figure out the best way to deal with them (hint: it is not a gun, trade your ammo), things become a little less nervewracking.

Does this monster look familiar?

The monsters in this game are very similar in appearance to the Lying Figures in Silent Hill 2. Lone Survivor seems to reference many games, including Resident Evil and Maniac Mansion. It's a nice homage to classic horror series.

In fact, Lone Survivor was so similar to Silent Hill in certain ways that after a specific event, I wondered if they were even inspired by Vincent's "They look like monsters to you?" line in Silent Hill 3. I started to think that I was killing people rather than monsters. Whether or not that is the case, I can't say. The game, like Silent Hill, seems to be open for interpretation. It would be fun to get an intelligent debate going about it.


It took me less than five hours to complete Lone Survivor, which is a decent amount of time for a horror game. I really enjoyed the retro feel it gives off, the references to other horror series and the overall experience of the game itself. It is never too difficult, but it does provide a challenge and there are many different ways to play it.


After the jump, there are screencaps, including the ten pages you are given upon completion, explaining what led you to the ending you received.

I see what you did there.