Ronald for Windows

Avoid Ronald McDonald

Ronald is a free adventure video game wherein you must escape the clutches of a demented fast-food chain mascot. Developed by Something Something Games, this first-person 3D indie game is a psychological horror parody that features the popular Ronald McDonald as the monster.

Similar to Slenderman, your goal in Ronald is to find and collect all Happy Meals on the map before you get caught by the titular antagonist—who will consistently chase you down the closer you get to victory. While the game performs well enough, take note that its download file size is bigger than most indie games.

He’s lovin’ it

In Ronald, you are immediately dropped into a creepy location without much explanation—just like in Slenderman. The map consists of a car park that’s surrounded by a gas station, a store, and a restaurant that clearly parodies McDonald’s. You must find all 8 randomly placed Happy Meal boxes to win the game. However, an unsettling “Ronald McDoogal” will be stalking you all throughout.

Unlike in Slenderman and other similar games, you’ll be chased much more aggressively than usual right from the start. Plus, sometimes, Ronald’s behavior is unpredictable—he’ll either stop once you’re far away or continue to pursue you. The game is challenging enough, however, there are some instances wherein he doesn’t spawn right in certain sections and end up giving you an easy win.

Graphics-wise, the game looks beautiful thanks to the Unreal Engine. Everything is dim and foggy, setting up a great horror atmosphere for you to delve into. Ronald’s in-game model is also disturbing in how it looks like a cheap knock-off but will immediately charge at you once you see him. However, the beauty of this game comes at a price as the file size is a whopping 15 GB.

A creepy fast food parody

All in all, Ronald is an interesting parody and horror game if you loved the Slenderman games. The gameplay mechanics are easy to understand even without a tutorial—although that still would’ve been a welcomed feature. This is a game you can easily finish within a few minutes. However, the size of the game files can be off-putting to some who are just expecting a small indie horror game.