The Pale Man

About

"The Pale Man" is a suspenseful survival game where players wake up in a dark park at night, with an unknown captor lurking. The objective is to escape the park without getting caught, using stealth and cunning to evade the searchlights and alarms of "The Pale Man." With a focus on strategy and a haunting atmosphere, players must navigate a labyrinth of shadows to earn their freedom.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player Play through the game's story or campaign solo

87%

Audience ScoreBased on 59 reviews

story5 positive mentions

gameplay3 negative mentions

The game offers a unique blend of driving and horror elements, creating an enjoyable and tense experience.
The retro PS1-style graphics and atmosphere are well-executed, adding to the game's charm.
For its low price, the game provides a compact and entertaining narrative that leaves players wanting more.

The game is very short, lasting only about 30 minutes, with little to no replay value.
The linear story lacks meaningful choices, making player actions feel inconsequential.
There are technical issues such as input lag and glitches that detract from the overall experience.

story
8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
63%
38%
The story is primarily linear, with little impact from player choices, leading to a sense of inevitability. While some reviewers appreciated the simple narrative and its surreal atmosphere, others felt it lacked depth and coherence, suggesting that it could have benefited from additional content or development. Overall, it is described as an engaging mystery/ghost story with enjoyable elements, despite its shortcomings.
- “I'll give this a positive rating just because the little 'story' or what there is of it, was a nice touch.”
- “I really enjoyed the simple story and the surreal atmosphere of hell.”
- “Still, it was a good mystery/ghost story and I really did enjoy it.”
- “It's a linear story and your actions (or inactions) don't change anything no matter what you try.”
- “I keep thinking 'oh, this should be good' but then it wasn't... like the town hunt, there's a good build up, but it's all a set up for a bit of backstory the lead doesn't even get.”
- “But like the other reviewers, it was missing something, like there were more parts to the movie/story that they had to cut to make it all fit into a certain amount of time.”
gameplay
5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
20%
20%
60%
The gameplay is characterized by a linear structure and predictable twists, with driving as the main focus. While some players appreciate the tight controls, particularly the braking, others criticize the input lag and poor sound design, leading to a mixed reception overall.
- “Main gameplay is the driving, which has tight controls and is at times rapidly responsive, especially the brakes.”
- “Linear, obvious twist that was basically spoiled within the first minute of gameplay; the driving is mediocre, too much input lag, and the sound design is dreadful.”
- “Gameplay: retro”
- “Main gameplay is the driving which has tight controls, if not at times rapidly responsive (especially the brakes).”
graphics
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
67%
100%
The graphics are generally well-received, featuring a mix of appealing visuals that transition from expansive highways and desolate cities to a haunting, hellish environment reminiscent of 'Hellraiser.' While some elements may be unsettling, the overall aesthetic enhances the game's exploratory and immersive experience.
- “Good audio, nice graphics, occasionally unsettling but in general not creepy.”
- “The game effectively changes from an exploratory escape game where the player is driving through highways and desolate cities, to avoiding obstacles and hauntings as the player creepily delves into a hellish world that draws visuals from a 'Hellraiser' twisted world.”
- “The graphics are outdated and lack the detail expected from modern games.”
- “The character models look stiff and lifeless, making it hard to connect with the story.”
- “The environments feel bland and uninspired, failing to immerse players in the game world.”
humor
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game is noted for its humor, with players finding comedic elements even in scary scenes, suggesting a blend of horror and comedy. The visual hauntings and ghost appearances are described as well-executed yet occasionally amusing, contributing to an overall lighthearted experience despite the intended scares.
- “Very funny game.”
- “Personally, I found some of the scary scenes quite funny!”
- “While I did not find the game particularly scary, there were some good visual hauntings, and the appearance of the ghosts was done well, if not a little funny on occasion.”
atmosphere
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
50%
The atmosphere is highly praised for its surreal depiction of hell, contributing to an enjoyable experience despite some twitchy controls and a desire for more activities beyond driving. Overall, the simple story complements the engaging environment.
- “The atmosphere is pretty great, and while the controls feel kind of twitchy, it's not bad.”
- “I hoped for a better driving experience and some more things to do besides actual driving, but after all, I really enjoyed the simple story and the surreal atmosphere of hell.”
replayability
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game is considered very short, leading to a consensus that it offers little to no replay value.
- “The game is very short, and I'd say it has little to no replay value at all.”
music
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
300%
The music in the game is generally considered decent, providing a satisfactory auditory backdrop without standing out as particularly memorable or exceptional.
- “The music is decent, but it lacks variety and gets repetitive quickly.”
- “While the soundtrack has some good tracks, overall it feels uninspired and forgettable.”
- “The background music doesn't match the game's atmosphere, making it feel disjointed.”
stability
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
300%
Users report that the game's stability is compromised by frequent glitches, which detract from the overall experience and contribute to a perception of it being shorter than intended.
- “I get that it's short, but it's made shorter by the glitches.”
- “The game crashes frequently, making it nearly unplayable.”
- “I experienced constant frame drops and stuttering, which ruined the immersion.”