A free horror game anthology
Fears to Fathom: Home Alone is a free adventure video game wherein you must try to survive a night alone. Developed by Rayll, this 3D indie psychological horror game features a creepy atmospheric environment thanks to its photo-realistic graphics, VHS-style aesthetic, and narration-driven game progress in the form of an online horror story.
Similar to the Real Stories from the Grave series, Fears to Fathom: Home Alone offers episodic updates with story-rich content—letting you become fully immersed in its first-person POV storytelling. While each episode’s release doesn’t follow a set schedule, they are standalone games that can be appreciated enough on their own.
Home alone horrors
In the first episode, Fears to Fathom: Home Alone, you play as the 14-year-old Miles. He starts off by recounting the harrowing encounter while he was home alone. Throughout the story, you can freely explore Miles’ home—although you’ll always trigger narration text when you reach certain areas or do certain actions. You also get phone messages from NPCs to add to the immersion.
What’s interesting about this game is that it’s already a given that the protagonist will survive whatever horrors await him. This is due to how it’s technically a flashback—the narration of the online horror story he’s recounting immediately establishes that he got out alive. This is also what makes the game more than a short horror experience, as you actually go about reenacting the events as it’s narrated.
However, this limits your free will and locks you into one linear path, so don’t expect any ending other than the Good and Bad ones. Additionally, the game is short and can be finished in under half an hour. That, coupled with the lack of any critically player-driven choice gives this game a low replay value. It’s highly stylized with its graphics and atmosphere, though, making it a memorable experience.
Stay vigilant for more
All in all, the Fears to Fathom series is a great collection of horror games that you can play without any chronological order. While each episode is pretty short and highly linear, the atmosphere and build-up to the jumpscares are still quite effective and make it a highly creepy short horror story that you’re reliving. The Fears to Fathom: Home Alone episode is a great introduction, too.
