Granny is a survival horror video game developed and published by Dennis Vukanovic, under the name DVloper, as a spin-off to the earlier Slendrina series. The game features an unnamed protagonist trapped in a house, needing to solve puzzles while avoiding the titular “Granny” to get out of the house in a time period of only five to six days.
Reviews for Granny were positive, who praised its tense atmosphere and gameplay, but some criticized its graphics. The game gained heavy traction following its release through various media platforms, such as YouTube, Twitch and other sources of media. The latest update the game received was on January 20, 2021.
Gameplay
The game is centered on using a variety of items in a time period of only five days to escape the house whilst avoiding the only active stalking threat. The player can either escape by removing the locks on the front door, or by repairing the car in the garage, the latter of which requires an additional set of items.
Granny searches the house for the player, using any loud sound to her advantage and setting traps to hinder the player’s progress. If the player is caught, Granny will knock the player unconscious, which ends the current day. The player can also get knocked out by several other environmental hazards found throughout the game. If the player is caught on the last day, one of 4 “game over” cut-scenes play, and the player is sent back to the title screen. The player can knock Granny unconscious, or blind her temporarily by using a variety of different traps and weapons.
Plot
The game’s plot is left intentionally vague from the start. In the Steam version, the game starts with a cutscene of the player walking through the woods before being subsequently attacked by Granny. The player awakens in a bed, which starts the game. According to a note found inside the basement and evidence scattered throughout the house, the player is not the first person that Granny has trapped.
Clues that alluded to the developer’s previous Slendrina series of Slender fan games had implied that both Granny and Slendrina series are connected. This implied connection was directly confirmed with the release of Granny 3, which in the description it states that Slendrina is Granny’s granddaughter,[5] tying both series’ families together.
Sequels
Granny: Chapter Two
A sequel, Granny: Chapter Two, was released for Android on September 6, 2019, iOS the following day, and on Microsoft Windows on December 30 of the same year.
Similar to the first installment, the player is once again trapped in a house. Granny: Chapter Two also introduces a secondary antagonist, Grandpa, who has limited hearing capabilities and will not be alerted by most sounds. The player also has the option to choose between Granny or Grandpa on lower difficulties, as opposed to harder difficulties, in which both are automatically forced on.
There are several new items and weapons in this game, and in addition to the front door escape, the player can also escape via helicopter or a motorboat. Two new monsters also pose a threat to the player, the giant octopus, and Slendrina’s Child. It initially received positive reviews.
Granny 3
The second sequel, simply titled Granny 3, was released for Android on June 3, 2021, and on Microsoft Windows on August 22 of the same year.
Due to Apple’s publishing policies, Granny 3 is currently unavailable on iOS. Series developer DVloper explained via tweet that Apple considers the game as “spam” due to its similarity to the two previous games. So unfortunately, DVloper announced that the new version 1.1 Granny 3 will never be available on App Store once again, due to Apple’s policy.
Like the previous installments, the player finds themselves kidnapped again by Granny and Grandpa. This time, they are joined by their granddaughter Slendrina, a new antagonist with behavior shared from her home series. The basic gameplay is identical to that of the earlier entries, albeit with a new map, new items, and new puzzles, as well as some minor changes in enemy behavior, such as Grandpa wielding a shotgun that functions as a ranged weapon, and some new gameplay mechanics, like lock picking. There are now 2 ways to escape the mansion. The front gate and the subway train. The crow from the first granny game makes a return, while an alligator in the moat is lurking. It also received positive reviews.
Reception
The game became a viral hit on various media platforms, becoming the second most viewed mobile video game on YouTube in May 2018. It is rated 4.2 out of 5 stars on the Google Play Store, and 4.4 out of 5 on the App Store. The game also spawned numerous clones, many made with malicious intent, such as Scary Granny, a scam game designed to infect player’s devices with malware. The game had received over 100 million downloads as of June 2019.
William Lewinsky of Indie Game Critic gave the game 10 out of 10 stars, praising its controls as “very well implemented” and its sound effects as “stellar”, while also stating that it was effective at scaring the player. Neilie Johnson of Common Sense Media gave the game a negative review, giving it 2 out of 5 stars, declaring that it “feels like a prototype for a more finished app”, and criticizing its graphics as “bland”, while nevertheless finding that it was frightening.
