Is this the first horror game set in Sunderland?

Sunderland ‘Til You Die

You’ve survived Silent Hill and escaped Raccoon City, but are you ready to visit Sunderland? A pleasantly unpleasant new free horror game goes down inside the real Sunderland metro station ofPark Lane, and I can’t think of any other game set in the Northern English city. I am delighted when hyper-local mundanities appear in video games.

The game, also named Park Lane, is about waiting for your train on a late and lonely night. It’s only a few minutes long, and you’ve not much to do, but it spooked me right up. Unsettling vibes. A few good shocks. PlayStation stylings. Helplessness. A spunking cock scrawled on the wall. Yes, that’ll do nicely, ta.

Park Lane is available to download freefrom Itch.iofor Windows and Mac. Joseph Whitehead made it in 48 hours earlier this monthfor the Ludum Dare 50 game jam.

I’m just pleased to see British places in games beyond the obvious. A Sunderland train station means more to people’s everyday lives thanany London landmark.

This, unsurprisingly, brings me back to Dan Douglas and theDuke Nukem 3Dlevel he’s making which isperhaps the greatest chronicle of modern English culture. He’s been capturing all sorts of snippets as life whizzes past: seagulls stealing crisps, alpacas condemned to death, political stunts and scandals, lads,just normal men, and so much more. I cannot imagine what it means to people who don’t live immersed in this.

I’m also reminded of YouTuber “Mojo Swoptops”, who has used recreated places in Edinburgh usingFar Cry 5’s level editor, ranging from famous landmarks likeScottish ParliamentandNorth Bridgethrough to buildings only locals will know, likethe burnt-out Corstorphine Youth and Community Centreanda demolished block of flats. Swoptops has also made staple British sights likea Greggsanda Tesco petrol station during a fuel shortage. Lovely.

To return to the headline question—is this the first horror game set in Sunderland?—I suppose you could argue thatSilent Hill 2is set inside James Sunderland. But you shouldn’t, you pun-faced rotter.