The Smiling Man

A short “PS1 style” horror game

The Smiling Man is a free game that uses an art style reminiscent of PS1 era graphics (referencing the original PlayStation console), a style that is popular among this type of game. The Smiling Man is a first-person exploration game set in a small town at night. The player can walk around the town, and occasionally encounters a strange character known as the Smiling Man.

This game is part of a specific genre of unsettling horror games using PS1 era graphics that includes games like Siren Head and Nun Massacre. The game is quite short but does have multiple endings.

Unsettling

The game opens with the player alone in an empty town. They are given the task of going to the market to buy food, and on their way, they encounter a strange man with an unsettling smile who just stands and stares at the player. There are no other game mechanics besides walking and running, along with the very occasional option to interact with an object.

Timeframe

The game takes place over multiple nights as the Smiling Man continues to appear in increasingly unsettling ways. Depending on the player’s actions, one of three endings can be reached. The game is intended to be scary, so the player should expect things like jump scares and unnerving imagery.

Short and simple

The Smiling Man doesn’t have much in the way of replayability, even when factoring in the multiple endings. That being said, the developer is actively working on additional content for the game. It should be noted that the game is intended to be unsettling and so may not be suitable for people of a nervous disposition.