Although one particular horror movie scared the absolute shit out of me as a kid, I regrouped and came back to them a year or two later. I was definitely too young for them, at the time, but I grew up watching classic horror movies from the 70s and 80s, and even some from before. This developed into an affinity for slashers, like Halloween, A Nightmare on Elm Street, Sleepaway Camp, April Fool’s Day and Friday the 13th. That said, the original Black Christmas is my favourite.
It’s no wonder, then, that Yellowcreek Stories: The Cabin Watcher caught my eye and demanded that I play it. After all, it’s a game where you’re trying to survive a stalking slasher. A single player one, too! I’ve never really wanted to play this type of thing with others, and have been disappointed that recent games based on iconic slashers have been multiplayer focused.
Things begin as a man named Terry leaves civilization behind and drives to his family’s cabin by the lake. You could say that it’s a cabin in the woods, as it basically is, but there’s a large clearing with ample parking, a walk in shed, a secondary structure for storage and a third one that seems inaccessible due to being fenced off. There’s also a dock that’s in good shape, and provides access to a shallow lake. It’s idyllic, but it’s not as rustic as many.
Terry is a writer, and based on the old TVs, green screened computer and rotary telephone found in his cabin, this thing is set in the late 80s or early 90s. Prime slasher years! This era is also accentuated by pay-phones, older vehicles and a lack of cellular phones or Internet. Not to mention the VCR and the VHS tapes for rent at the nearby 24 hour store.
Take me back, please!
Shortly after arriving, carrying his case of possessions in and starting the generator, Terry sits down to write his latest novel. You see, he’s an accomplished author who’s under the stress of a deadline, and the people nearby all know or recognize him. However, it isn’t long before a strange truck pulls into the yard, sits there for a bit and then disappears. Terry sees this happen, but almost ignores it in favour of bringing wood in to start a fire, which isn’t an immediate necessity. That’s just one of his questionable and odd decisions.
After doing some writing, Terry goes into ‘town’ to get some supplies; those being microwaveable pizza, beer and energy drinks, as well as a movie to watch. At this point, he’s informed that the police have checkpoints and roadblocks set up, because an inmate has escaped from the local sanitarium. How cliche!
Upon getting home, eating dinner and watching a scene from what I believe was George Romero’s influential classic, Night of the Living Dead, Terry does more writing then goes to bed. During that time, though, the power goes out and must be turned back on. Then, after falling asleep, he’s awakened by a noise and sees that someone is outside — the same someone he’d seen earlier.
Thus begins a game of cat and mouse, or killer and potential victim. The slasher (who’s the escaped convict from the mental institution, and is wearing a bag over his head), comes into the cabin forcing the player to hide. Then, they must complete objectives in order to avoid death while attempting to escape. That’s easier said than done, though, because the car’s tires have been destroyed. A killer also walks loose, but in a pretty structured and identifiable pattern.
You won’t always play as Terry, as a cop comes to talk to him. The cop has the ability to not only see footprints, but distinguish who made them, meaning that his gameplay involves following glowing footprints.
On paper, Yellowcreek Stories: The Cabin Watcher is the type of game that I’ve wanted to play for decades. It’s basically an interactive slasher movie. However, the gameplay is basic, and it’s all pretty predictable. The slasher walks predetermined paths, and while it says you’re visible unless you’re in a shadow or dark room, he won’t always see you (which isn’t a bad thing since I did die several times). Furthermore, a lot of the basic gameplay revolves around waiting for him to check an area, then moving to another one, and sometimes walking a little ways behind him since he doesn’t look back. At times, I hid in the shed and he’d look inside but wouldn’t see me, even though we were about two feet apart. Granted, this isn’t entirely a bad thing. If his intelligence had been ratcheted up more, it likely would have led to a more frustrating and difficult experience.
The killer’s AI has its issues, as does its design, but it works well enough.
The bullet points state that The Cabin Watcher (which is, oddly enough, the title of the main character’s book-in-progress) requires players to be silent and avoid making noise. That is true, but the way it was written made me think that this would be a game like the A Quiet Place one from a couple of years ago. Any little sound would alert enemies in that one, and talking into one’s headset would too. This title isn’t as in depth as that one, nor is it as punishing. Then again, it seems to be been made by a much smaller team. In fact, I believe that it was developed by just one person: Carlos Azuaga. He deserves credit for making this thing alone, because it’s quite an achievement even with its downsides.
I do, however, wish that there was more to the gameplay than following patterns and fetching things. The idea is welcomed, but the execution leaves something to be desired. That said, this is an indie game from a solo developer, and I don’t want to infer that it’s bad regardless. It’s just OK. I just wish there had been more to it, and that it had been a bit more like Intruders: Hide and Seek, for example.
Like other horror games that I’ve recently played and reviewed, The Cabin Watcher is a bit dated and rough around the edges, but that’s OK. It does look and feel like an 80s slasher movie, thanks to its art design and use of filters. That really adds to things.
At times, the player is to collect items or ingredients and bring them back to a specific location. They are usually highlighted by glowing red icons that are easily visible. This extends to the spots where the game wants you to place things, like Terry’s luggage or bag of groceries. This is both helpful and a bit much, and it kind of hurts the suspension of disbelief and one’s immersion or escapism.
The sound is solid, and things are atmospheric and unnerving. They just aren’t as complex or unpredictable as one would ideally want.
Fans of slasher movies from the 70s, 80s and onward will likely enjoy Yellowcreek Stories: The Cabin Watcher. Although it’s a tad cliche (especially with the whole escaped mental patient trope) and predictable, it’s a decently enjoyable horror game. It’s rough around the edges, but a good accomplishment for a solo developer. Google tells me that it will cost approximately $10.50 CAD at launch, and that’s a pretty fair price. It won’t set folks back much.
I completed this game twice in one day before writing this review. Both playthroughs were basically identical, but the second one was a good amount faster.
This review is based on the XBOX Series X version of the game, which we were provided with.