The horror game community is filled with all kinds of titles. Some games feature ghosts, ghouls, and the supernatural, while others utilize a kind of fear that’s closer to reality. Fears to Fathom falls under the latter.
First released on July 2, 2021, Fears to Fathom is an indie title that’s gained massive popularity for its haunting narratives. As an episodic psychological horror game, it features multiple stories for the player to experience. What sets Fears to Fathom apart, however, is the fact that its episodes are based on real-life stories. At the moment, two episodes are available on Steam, and the first is free. The developer, Rayll, is currently working on the third.
Fears to Fathom and "Real" Horrors
Fears to Fathom features multiple endings, with one where the main character survives. As such, players need to go through the episodes cautiously and make the right choices if they wish to achieve the best possible ending.
For example, the first episode, “Home Alone,” takes the concept of home invasion and uses it to spin an effectively chilling narrative. Despite its short run time of about 20 minutes, the episode expertly sets a dark, foreboding atmosphere. Pair that with the queues that something isn’t quite right, and players are in for an anxiety-inducing ride.
As for the second episode, “Norwood Hitchhike,” it has a much longer run time of around 40 minutes. Its narrative centers around a creepy motel where unknown people are actively trying to harm the main character. The episode also features a number of events that signal to the player that something bad is about to happen, but some of these are hard to spot — so much so that many players might only notice them during a second playthrough. Overall, it takes the unsettling elements of the first episode and elevates them, all while keeping up the eerie atmosphere.
Both of these episodes feature unlucky protagonists in very bad situations, and what makes them so terrifying to players is the knowledge that these things have happened in the past. Moreover, home invasion and stranger danger are very real anxieties. So, in short, these stories prey on very real fears, which is what makes the game so unsettling.
The Continuation of Fears to Fathom
After the second episode of Fears to Fathom was released on Steam, the game gained more popularity as gaming YouTubers, like Jacksepticeye and Kubz Scouts, posted videos of it. Many of them were pleased with how well-made the game was, praising it for telling a “grounded” horror story while still being scary. This led to more people downloading the game and boosting its popularity on Steam. Today, both episodes are generally seen as Very Positive, according to reviews.
The third episode of the series has yet to be released. Although Rayll has hinted that it could either be about a graveyard shift, or a house-sitting situation. He also encourages fans of the game to send him their real-life horror stories to help him build on the game’s future episodes.
According to an article by Input Magazine, these fan-submitted stories have greatly affected the narration style of Rayll’s games. The developer also goes on to talk about how reading such stories gives him a clearer sense of what it might feel like to be in life-threatening circumstances. The fact that he was able to translate these experiences into the video game format is a laudable feat.
All in all, Fears to Fathom demonstrates how horror games can scare players without relying on supernatural entities or malformed creatures. Malevolent people doing evil things is oftentimes more than enough. To quote the main character of episode two, “Monsters truly do exist, and every single one of them looks just like you and me.”
Fears to Fathom is available now on PC.