Since the game “Scratch Creek” of the “Fears to Fathom” series has been undergoing development since 2025, many fans are hoping for its release sometime soon. Started by indie developer Rayll Studios in 2021, the series has become a staple among the horror gaming community, with the first episode receiving over 5,000 positive reviews on video game store Steam.
The first game, “Home Alone,” is free to play, while the other four games all cost either $4.99 or $9.99. All of the games follow a plot-driven horror experience in which the player experiences a significant event from a character’s past through a first-person point of view.
Some elements, such as the character receiving texts from their friends and family, exist in all of the games. However, the episode plot lines are not connected, so the games can be played in any order. Ahead of the release of “Scratch Creek,” here’s a look into how successfully the first five games have created a terrifying playing experience.
Home Alone (2021)
The very first episode of the “Fears to Fathom” series follows Miles, an unarmed 14-year-old who has the house to himself over the weekend while his parents are out on a work trip. He tries to complete his usual tasks, but he soon learns that someone has broken into his house.
Despite its short playthrough time, this game excels in creating an unnerving experience, with elements of horror and thriller shining through. While the motives of the intruder could use more clarity, the ordinary-turned-haunting setting and the character’s young age perfectly encapsulate the anxieties of being home alone in a worst-case scenario.
Scare Rating: 8/10
Norwood Hitchhike (2022)
Compared to the other games, “Norwood Hitchhike” isn’t as cohesive and enjoyable. Part of the game’s faults can be traced to its irrational plot logic (especially toward the end), which ruins the player’s immersion.
The game begins with a 19-year-old woman named Holly Gardner embarking on a long drive back home when her car breaks down in a rural town called Norwood. Forced to hitchhike and spend the night in a suspicious local motel, Gardner is thrown into nerve-wracking encounters with creepy characters.
Yet even in this ominous atmosphere, some scenes are unrealistically ridiculous. For example, Gardner unknowingly buys and consumes a laced drink from a coffee vending machine, and moments later, the vending machine disappears. It seems unlikely that someone would possess and move an entire vending machine for the sole purpose of drugging one person, especially because the culprit couldn’t have known that she would even buy a coffee.
The plot also feels disjointed at times, mostly because some characters’ motives are either unclear or incongruent with certain occurrences. For example, the motel manager seems suspicious and deceptive from the get-go, so it doesn’t make sense when he tries to protect Gardner. A game can absolutely leave room for players to theorize, but when the plots in certain “Fears to Fathom” games require players to make so many guesses to understand the story, it’s easy to disengage from the horror aspects. Using the characters’ dialogue and Gardner’s narration more effectively throughout the game would be immensely beneficial.
Scare Rating: 7.3/10
Carson House (2023)
Getting paid $100 to spend your weekend house-sitting for a rich guy on vacation sounds like a sweet deal—one that 18-year-old Noah Baker gladly accepts. As he watches over the house of one of his realtor father’s clients, he gradually realizes through the house’s security camera footage that someone had broken in.
Noticeably, this game has a lot in common with“Home Alone,” as both rely on a young protagonist’s isolation during an intrusion. What sets “Carson House” apart from “Home Alone” is its extended playthrough time, which allows for a more complex and realistic build-up toward the climax.
Unfortunately, part of the horror aspect is ruined in scenes where the player is required to complete certain (irrational) actions to survive. For example, before going downstairs to turn off the oven, the player is supposed to check the security or else they’ll be killed by the intruder, even though the intruder wouldn’t know if the player had checked the cameras. Also, the story cannot progress if the player is already hiding in the laundry room when the intruder comes upstairs. Scenes like these detract from the otherwise sound plot development.
Scare Rating: 7.7/10
Ironbark Lookout (2023)
Arguably the most iconic game in this series, “Ironbark Lookout” follows the experience of 24-year-old Jack Nelson after his recent transfer to a new fire lookout tower at Ironbark State Park. When multiple people disappear at the park in quick succession, Nelson is forced to navigate terrifying situations alone. Since Nelson is only a park ranger, his dialogue makes the player feel underqualified to handle the authority they are given. For instance, the player has to tell a lost hiker whether to go left or right at a fork in the road, putting them in an unsettling situation.
What sets this game apart is the forest setting: the music, sound effects and visuals sustain the player’s looming fear of the nefarious forces creating unexpected plot twists.
Scare Rating: 9.5/10
Woodbury Getaway (2024)
Although “Woodbury Getaway” is considered by some as the least scary game of the series, it does the best job of eliciting another emotion besides pure terror: discomfort. This game is the first in which the protagonist is consistently accompanied by other characters—none of whom are comforting presences.
The protagonist is Sydney Harper, a 23-year-old who excitedly planned a weekend vacation in Woodbury with her two college friends, Mike Carter and Nora Kim. However, the game quickly establishes their awkward friendship: Kim arrives late to the rental because of work, leaving Harper alone with Carter, who constantly hints at his desire to forge a romantic relationship with Harper. To top that off, rental owner Rick is also extremely creepy, repeatedly barging into the house during the guests’ stay. No one seems trustworthy, and Harper’s anxiety-inducing interactions with the other characters make danger feel inescapable, even though the plot itself is fairly realistic—a strategy for creating fear that’s uncommon yet surprisingly effective.
Scare Rating: 9/10
