Fears to Fathom is now in the second season, and with it, the first season went on summer sale. If I were to compare the franchise to Chilla’s Art, I would argue Fears to Fathom relies more heavily on the urban legends of the 80s and 90s, revived as creepypasta. In my previous review of the first episode of Fears to Fathom, I remarked on the fact that the episode largely rests on anachronistic horror tropes. Norwood Hitchhike doesn’t escape the path.

The game is set in the full-blown smartphone era — past the BlackBerry days. Holly, the teenage protagonist, was on a 12-hour return trip from a gaming convention. Her car broke down. She was stranded in the middle of nowhere. She hitchhiked. She was dropped off at a nearby motel. If none of that raises a plot-device red flag, I don’t know what will. She has a smartphone (she receives texts) but doesn’t use its GPS. When she is in a seemingly safe place, the motel, she doesn’t get in touch with her family first. She doesn’t even complain that the motel has no WiFi.

Without delving into spoiler territory, the written fear in the game is not the one most gamers would walk away with. Norwood is a creepy town filled with dubious individuals, but each and every one of the supporting characters does their part to stay civil. In other words, the central claim behind the fear is rooted in the presence of predators. What remains is a rather general fear, not uniquely tied to hitchhiking or a rural town.

Gameplay-wise, I would argue much of the execution does the narrative a disservice. The protagonist often declares her intention in a monologue before committing to it. As her future self, she often invalidates her immediate action. For example, on one occasion she finds the circumstances suspect but follows through on the given task anyway. For a player who already shares that future vantage, the quest marker directing you to comply is counterintuitive at best. The game also has a sound problem. For a game that leans on audio as an interaction mechanic (the microphone system), I found the lack of attention to audio output rather disheartening.

Conclusion: Neither Norwood, nor Hitchhike, nor a Fear

Fears to Fathom is a series that trades on realism — or so I’d like to interpret its title. Norwood Hitchhike is a clear outlier. Much of the horror relies on coincidence, if not the playbook of adventurous protagonists in 90s horror movies. It tries to evoke the dread that this could happen on a long road trip, but good intentions alone do not make the cut. If the game wants to lift the veil on the unpreparedness and randomness of misery, it certainly delivers that.