MapFriend

About MapFriend

MapFriend is a small horror game by Adam Pype, the maker of No Players Online and SPOOKWARE. Its own page sums it up in four words, a Google Maps horror game, and dresses itself as an advert for free mapping software from around the turn of the century: a cheerful yellow mascot, a spinning globe, and the promise that exploring is fun.

The whole game happens in that program. You look down on satellite photos, zoom in, and drop into a grainy street view to stand in the places you find. Points of interest tell you a little about each location and give you orbs, and the orbs unlock new places to visit. A counter in the corner keeps track of what you have found.

The horror is quiet. It comes from the feeling of wandering a map of real-looking places alone, late at night, on software that is slightly off, and from what turns up when its bugs start to show. Reviewers compared the unease to idly browsing Google Maps and called it non-standard horror, the kind of creepy thing you come across at night rather than a monster chase.

It takes around a quarter of an hour, which makes it a one-sitting game. It suits players who like horror told through old computers and found software, such as No Players Online or KinitoPET, and anyone who has ever felt uneasy in an empty street view.

How to play MapFriend

1. Download MapFriend from its itch.io page (pay what you want, or nothing) and run MapFriend.exe on Windows.
2. Drag the satellite map to move and use the scroll wheel or the zoom buttons to get closer.
3. Drop into the street view at a place to look around it.
4. Click the points of interest to read about them and collect orbs.
5. Use the orbs to unlock new locations and keep exploring.

Tips

• Play at night with the lights low and the sound on, as it is meant to be found late.
• Read what each point of interest says before moving on.
• Keep an eye on the orb counter by the globe to see how many places are left.

Questions