Hmm it's less scary and more like... The game is designed to systematically wear down your psychological defenses. I find myself getting so immersed that I feel this hopelessness that whispers "you're -blam!-ed" quietly in my ear. I start feeling doomed and afraid of what's a around the next corner. But on the flip side of that I'm so psychologically immersed that when I accomplish something big, the joy is real. Edit: but I also play it with super mega surround sound headphones.