THIS GAME IS A CLEAR RIPOFF OF FEARS TO FATHOM IRONBARK LOOKOUT

Kinda boring, youre walking for 50% of it. The horror relies on overdone cliche tropes and jumpscares. I wasted my time.

Missing Hiker is a free, remarkably short indie horror game.

The game revolves around the player's brother, Ethan, who coincidentally goes missing while hiking in some woods, hence the name. Since Ethan hasn't been missing for more than 48 hours, the police aren't willing to file a missing persons report and initiate a search. The player decides to take matters into their own hands and look for Ethan themselves, which is where the game begins. I'll try not to spoil major story aspects, which admittedly isn't much, but I will say that I found the ending quite disappointing, especially for what the game was building up to.

First, I'll start with the positives. Missing Hiker is heavily inspired by the Fears to Fathom series—which inherently isn't a bad thing, it just sets some unrealistic expectations if you go in expecting a similar experience. The grainy, VHS-style filter and low-poly character models help provide a similar visual experience. In horror, I feel this visual style is a bit oversaturated, but in this case, I think it works well and is aesthetically pleasing. The sound design is nothing special in the world of indie games, but it is well done and helps create a compelling atmosphere. I found myself enjoying the game's atmosphere throughout, although the ambience is a bit loud. The looped sample of synthwave music during the driving section (Heart of Night by Karl Casey) was a nice touch as well.

The gameplay itself is simple, only using a few buttons: 'WASD' for basic movement controls, 'Shift' for sprinting, 'E' for interacting, and 'F' for toggling the flashlight. I thought the driving controls were weirdly jerky, but realistically, it doesn't matter that much. When I first stopped the car, I couldn't leave because the exit prompt didn't show up. I then backed up, and it appeared on my screen. I'm not sure why that is. Maybe you can only get out of the car in a certain area, or it was just a bug. The game has three easy achievements that can all be earned without detracting from the overall experience. The game is very short, being around 20 minutes long. Thus, there's not much of a time investment.

Now, I'll discuss the negatives. Perhaps my largest gripe is that the game is just too short. For a large chunk of the playtime, you find yourself driving to the gas station and walking through the forest. This wouldn't be that big of a problem if there were any stakes before reaching the final area of the game, but there aren't. Instead, the player moves forward until reaching the next point of interest, interacting in some way, and so on. Missing Hiker doesn't incentivize the player to explore, which it shouldn't have to. However, since the walking section is so long, the game gives the impression that there's more to see. If the game were longer, the time spent walking would have been more worth it. It feels almost as if the developer was aiming to create a longer game and then decided at the last minute to throw in a screamer just for the fun of it and end the game right then and there. 

I thought the premise was a bit generic, but overall, it was very inoffensive. The story and dialogue is technically sound, with a few minor grammar mistakes here and there. Creatively, however, is where the writing falls a bit short. First of all, there are a few lines that no human would ever say, which I understand; developers aren't writers, so I can't really blame them. However, each of the three NPC's you can talk to refer ominously to the danger of this area, meaning it was a bad idea for Ethan to go hiking in the first place and an even worse idea for you to go and search for him. Additionally, I found the jump scares to be pretty cheap. One of them I expected, and the other I did not, so take that how you will.

Considering the game is free, there's almost no reason to complain excessively. Overall, Missing Hiker is a short, atmospheric experience that delivers exactly what you expect it to. If you have 20 minutes to spare, there's no reason not to pick it up.

Gemezl, this game's developer, released another game titled Mimic Search almost two months ago. It's much more complex and dynamic than this game, so I recommend checking it out. I look forward to seeing what else this developer can do.

NOTE: This is my first ever genuine review of any game ever ever. So, take this review with a grain of salt, because I'm really good at overanalyzing things that shouldn't be overanalyzed.