The Night of the Scissors

About The Night of the Scissors

The Night of the Scissors is a short survival horror game by Tomás Esconjaureguy, who publishes as selewi. It came out on itch.io in spring 2022 and on Steam on 13 May 2022, for Windows, Mac and Linux. In 2024 it came to PlayStation, Xbox and Switch as a bonus packed in with his next game, Cannibal Abduction, published there by Puppet Combo.

Encouraged by his friend Kevin, Adam breaks into an abandoned post office to find old things to sell, while Kevin keeps watch outside. The place is pitch black but for Adam's light, and it is clear at once that it is not safe: messages written in what looks like blood, strange cardboard cutouts of people, and notes about a man with giant scissors called the Snipper. The store calls him an unexpected cardboard guest, and he wears a box over his head.

It plays like PSX-era survival horror: tank controls, third-person cinematic camera angles and a VHS glitch filter, with an optional third-person follow mode. You explore storerooms, offices and restrooms, read what you find and look for codes, and when the scissors start snipping nearby you run and hide inside a wardrobe, a restroom stall or another spot. You never fight back. Small touches keep the tension up: the game will not let you pause while you are not safe, and there is no music, only noises that grow as the Snipper draws closer.

What sets it apart from the longer games it imitates is its length. Dread Central found that the thirty-minute runtime suits the hide-and-seek formula, with the Snipper showing up often enough to frighten but not so often that it wears thin, and a twist at the end. The maker says one run takes around 40 minutes and warns that it is meant for players 18 and over, with gore and drug mentions.

It suits players who liked running from Scissorman in Clock Tower and want the same chase in one sitting, at a small price. Each year from 25 to 31 October an in-game treat-hunting event returns to the Snipper's hideout.

How to play The Night of the Scissors

1. Explore the post office from the fixed camera angles, using Adam's light.
2. Read the notes and messages you find; they hold codes and bits of the story.
3. Enter codes on locks and safes to open new parts of the building.
4. When you hear scissors snipping, get out of the Snipper's way.
5. Hide in a wardrobe, restroom stall or other spot until he passes.
6. Find your way out of the building.

Tips

• Note every hiding place you pass, so you know where to run when the scissors start.
• You cannot pause while the game says you are not safe, so pick a quiet moment to take a break.
• Play with sound on: there is no music, and the noises tell you when the Snipper is close.
• Try the optional third-person mode if the cinematic cameras feel awkward.
• Play between 25 and 31 October to find the seasonal treat hunt and its achievement.
• If you want more, Cannibal Abduction and The Fear Business are the same maker's later games.

Questions