The Most Terrifying Game Isn't A Horror Game...

One of the games ever made. Rated game.

But, seriously, it has so much details. The story was deep and the graphics look remarkable even 10+ years after released. The guys pushed UE3 to it's limits. Color correction, being one of the "cheapest" ways for post processing, was done astonishingly perfect. The game had a lot of arcadey elements but it managed to subtly laugh at them. Subtlety is what a lot of games nowadays really miss. If developers wanna milk money they won't bother, but if they're some cheap ass indie team they'll shove everything right into your face, which is pathetic.

So sad it failed commercially. Developers were honest men and weren't planning to milk it for DLCs even if it did fire because they wanted to show something and they did it, making a complete product. "Here's a story, and it's finished. Think what you want. Buy it for a fixed price and enjoy. Period."

It also captured perfectly the 4th wall break not only with all stuff mentioned here but with how gameplay contrasts the story and characters. Some later levels are really pain in the ass, almost sadistic, making the player just as angry as Walker to better suit the character. By the time you're given a choice to shoot civilians or not most players shoot them out of sheer frustration, giving no shit to even a thing called "ammo conserving" (not even to mention you're not greeted with a text saying "choose to shoot them or not").

The game says there's an ammo shortage, which is correct. During the early levels playing on hard you really notice it. The locals even try to make some using hand-made powder and bullets cast from silver jewelry. Yet we know that silver is what is used to kill the "evil" stuff like demons and vampires. Were people really so desperate, or did they just try to show what they think of foreigners fucking with them? The game doesn't answer this question, and it shouldn't.

Plus, the "weeping angels" scene (with mannequins and heavy gunner) is one of the best horror moments in games from my opinion because it breaks the default pacing and concepts of horror itself. Like, the dude LITERALLY teleports. It's not a hallucination, because his bullets are very much real. You try to shoot through his plates and then realize you're shooting a mannequin. This isn't a sci fi game, and this scene is not a walker's hallucinatory cutscene where you can just sit back and "enjoy the view". You're in a middle of a firefight (stressful enough) and something REALLY STRANGE is happening, which cannot be explained and it breaks all staples of any game rule set.

The "heavy gunner" enemy itself also says a lot. If you look closely his suit is hand-made using AR500 plates and an EOD suit. Yes, such armor will give remarkable survivability in a firefight, yet in such hot climate it will eventually boil you alive over time. Guys were so desperate they accepted this trade.

The "STOP" signs you meet being more and more damaged as you progress through the game is a nice detail. It's not shoved into your face (probably because devs mentioned it wasn't intended at all rofl) and i like it.

The «Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star» melody plays during the death cutscene in the last level with the blurred burnt lady painting in the background probably says that this is what the woman hummed to her child just some seconds before they were burned to a crisp by Walker.

Being a war game it has a really nice subtle detail: there isn't a single date, or even time of day mentioned during whole game. I played a lot of war games and all of them mentioned some dates of events (in-game or real) for historic and realistic value. You know where time as we know it doesn't exist? In Hell. Yes, it does mention afghan war, but there were plenty, and (knowing the "explosiveness" of the whole region) it could be a new one in a near future.

Near the end the survivors of 33rd, being clearly not the "good" guys (there are no good guys in this game, but STILL there are no really "evil" characters, which is surprising), collect all their manpower with the only intention to stop Delta squad that became literal demons. Their deaths at your hands start to look heroic at this point. Like, the guys sacrifice themselves trying to stop maniacs that destroy everything in their path. While the maniacs also truly believe they're trying to unravel and fix all the shit that's happening.

My girlfriend loved this game and also did some ironic cosplay of Walker.
*"Where’s all this violence coming from, man? Is it the video games? I bet it’s the video games."*

Pretty sad

Kinda wished you touched a little on collectibles you find in the game, cause they add nicely to building up characters and city itself.

Nah man, playing Star Wars republic commando, ghost ship recon mission was scary as fuck when I was a kid.

As a Dubai born and raised, this is exactly how Dubai is no doubt

Incredible game. Story is such a horrific tragedy.

yes. this game is deep. very deep story.

I think the games story is mostly a critique of the macho hero troops we see committing war crimes.

Shoutout to the people saying stuff like "Omg game bad because game tells me me evil over unavoidable choice!!!" for communicating how little you understand a simple message.

The game is not calling you evil, it's calling war evil (well obviously) and questioning/being a satire of the whole genre and the glorification of war. I bet the developers are actually happy you are playing the game. 💀

God yes I remember

Nobody cares. This game its awesome and go back to make useless kids content anyways.

Steam has removed this gem of a game idk the reason behind it but, unless you already own it you won't be able to buy it from Steam.

Bruh i thought it was Volgograd becuase of that kid statue.

Huge shout out to Nolan North for his wonderful performande as Walker. You'd never guess Walker shares a voice with Nathan Drake.

it got removed on steam

I don't remember how I first learned of it, I think I saw some screenshots and though I'd give it a shot. I'm not a fan of military shooters where 'Murica liberates the Middle East, but, as mentioned, the visuals drew me in, and the combat was pretty fun. Never beat the game, don't remember why, but I admit, I liked it.

Jacob’s Ladder plot

Kinda sus that Spec Ops The Line gets delisted right around the time some themes of this game can be applied to the discourse about a certain current event 🇵🇸


Especially with regards to the use of White Phosphorus by a country that's an ally of the US 🇮🇱

Don't you dare go hollow.

Uh no, there is no split 33rd. Theyre all the same. Konrad is trying to evacuate the city, walker is destroying it. A transmission can be heard where a guy is pleading for help, saying the damned 33rd, Expendables, have been holding the line for 10 years and need help. Konrad failed to evacuate the city because they were left behind for whatever reason and struggled for years to maintain order and help the survivors of the sandstorm. Enter Walker, a delta operative, who was in a small security detail. They were supposed to get outside the storm wall and evac, but walker hallucinates that his orders are to help survivors.

And thats how i discovered me and my friends are psychopaths
We laughed our ass off at the civilians gun down part 🗿

The most Horror game is REALITY

Well folks, The Line has been delisted from all digital platforms. They crossed the line unfortunately.

One of the scariest things about the white phosphorus scene is that phosphorus will burn until it runs out of fuel. Dousing it with water or kicking dirt onto it does nothing, cutting off its oxygen will stop it for a time but the moment it gets oxygen it'll keep going, even fire extinguishers won't stop it. It'll keep burning until it runs out of things to burn.

The title is weird af

I really wish that if this game got a remaster, there would be an option to not to use the white phosphorus motar, which would lead you to a better ending. Same with choosing not to kill the lynch mob later in the game. Or perhaps, what if there was a harder, but non-lethal method to play the game that would get you a secret ending?

Maybe it'll defeat the purpose of the game, but I prefer getting a better end instead! I really want a better end.

I was trying to find this video again

Gaslighting : the Game

CARRY POTTER ÇAKMASI, ONDAN ÇALMIŞSIN EZİK

"War...War never changes"

There will never be another shooter like this one. At a time where fun, heroic, high-octane military shooters were king, this game slipped in, took away the smoke, and left the mirror. This is what war really looks like. This is what "heroes" really look like. Not so fun anymore, is it?

My favourite war crime simulator.

Huh, I never thought of it as him literally dying and going to hell, more that his actions made the world around him into it. Even the “who says I did” at the end works either way because there really isn’t anything left of him by the end, even if he did make it out. Interesting to think about either way though.

My favourite not-horror-terrifying-game is Captive Audience - I could not stop thinking about that one for ages after I finished it.

Far cry 3 has similar mechanics where the main character goes crazy and it really makes u think

this game are classified as PTSD
It is more terrifying than horror games

The white phosphorus scene was the most disturbing part of the game.

Another disturbing detail I found a long time ago was that you can find a child’s drawing that drew soldiers taking away his mother and the child is crying. ( this is on wall at the execution , it’s not containable item)

Why do we continue playing, well developers.......because I bought the damn game, spending $60

Horror is genre terrified by entities, this just goes on to show what humans are capable of.

The game is actually asking the player why they bother buying these kind of games in the first place after showing them what doing that sort of thing in reality would actually look like

Nope... You play games to feel like a hero, i play shooters to relax and feel like a mercyless SOB because games are not real.

The most ironic thing is that if Walker had just followed his orders, assess what's happening and then immediatley go back to report, nothing of this would have happened. Instead Walker acted like a stereotypical action hero and pressed on guns blazing.

The loading screens in this game be like:
Early Game:
"White phosphorus is a common allotrope used in many types of munitions. It can set fire to cloth, fuel, ammunition, and flesh."
Late Game:
"White phosphorus is a common allotrope used in your slaughter at The Gate. It can set fire to soldiers and the innocent civilians they are trying to help."

I just finished the game today, and it was a horrifying memory for me. Other games, I wll always saves the day. But not this. So many things I have missed to observe after I watched this video.