Anxiety: Lost Night

If we stop to think about it, most of the scary things that keep us up at night cannot actually hurt us, but it is sometimes difficult to tell the difference between a real threat and one conjured up by your imagination.

Anxiety: Lost Night is a short puzzle horror game that tells the story of a character trapped in a stalled car, in the middle of nowhere. You have to help them escape, but you will soon find that not everything is as it first seems.

It becomes evident right away that the character does not have a lot of time at their disposal. While the nature of the threat might not be entirely clear, you will quickly understand that time is of the essence.

The game does an excellent job of replicating the anxiety a person would feel in such a scenario, regardless of the reasons behind it. Just like in an actual nightmare, you will get the impression that you are doing the same thing over and over again, without actually making any progress.

Starting a car should not be terribly difficult, you will soon learn that certain factors can make even a simple task very challenging. While the puzzle is not at all complex, focusing on the task at hand is far from easy.

Without giving away any plot elements, it is safe to say that, while short, the game’s story is one of the best I’ve ever come across in a point-and-click puzzle game. It is mostly told indirectly, and there are several possible endings, depending on your actions.

The only reason I cannot give Anxiety: Lost Night a better rating is its length – the game can be completed in five to ten minutes, although you will probably need a couple of playthroughs to make sure you haven’t missed anything.

From the moment you first notice something is not right, the game will keep you in suspense until the very end. The gameplay cannot be criticized, and there is a truly unsettling mystery for you to solve.