One thing that a lot of people love to do is scare themselves. Whether someone is going to a haunted house around Halloween,watching a scary movie, or ghost hunting, people want to be scared for the fun of it — the thrill of it!
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Perhaps the best medium for the horror genre, however, is video games. The added interactive element adds an extra layer of tension and dread since you’re the one in danger and making choices. While theNintendo 64didn’t have a large selection of these games, it did have some stand-out worth revisiting. Here are the best horror games on the N64 ranked by a mixture of review scores and what makes them so horrifying.
10Perfect Dark (2000)
Golden Eye 007’s Darker Sucessor
What Makes This Game Horrific:
Perfect Darkis one of those N64 games that truly stands out in the N64’s library of games. This game, known as a spiritual successor toGolden Eye 007, follows Joanna Dark, a secret agent at a research institute, as she works to stop an alien invasion and conspiracy that is being spearheaded by a rival corporation.Despite being billed primarily as a shooter, this game had a number of frightening elements that players really gravitated toward. From the creepy alien invasion elements to the real-life locations and the nail-biting tracks, Perfect Dark’s more frightening latter half kept players on the edge of their seats.
Perfect Dark (2000)
9Turok 3: Shadow Of Oblivion (2000)
The Turok Franchise’s Darkest Game
Turok 3: Shadow Of Oblivioncomes from the franchise Turok, and just like the games before it, is a pretty great example of the horror genre. Providing a gory mix of survival action and horror, the game features a number of dark events, including the main character’s brother blowing himself up to protect his siblings.The game also boasts a number of creepy environments, like haunting laboratories and shadow-bathed corridors, along with ghoulish enemy designs that’ll stick with you from the many different hell-spawn that haunt each level. The sporadic save points ratchet up the tension when you’re on your last bit of health, desperately searching for that next checkpoint, wary of whatever might be lurking around the next corner.
Turok 3: Shadow of Oblivion
N64’s Lovecraftian Shooter
Quakeis one of those games that stuck out to players as being one of the best horror games on the N64. First and foremost, the music is truly what setsQuake 64apart from other games. The music is absolutely terrifying and makes the game all the better.
Nine Inch Nails actuallycreated the music with the specific intent of scaring players.
Paired with the creepy music, you’ll frequently hear enemies long before you see them, causing players to fear what might be coming. With their otherworldly sounds, you never quite know what you’re about to run into. In addition, the enemies themselves look like they came right out of a Lovecraftian novel due to the fact that the main antagonist, Quake, is based on one of Lovecraft’s “Old Gods.”
7Castlevania 64 (1998)
Castlevania’s Forgotten Gem
Castlevania 64is a Castlevania game that a lot of fans don’t give enough credit to. While the game is known to have deviated from the norm, it was still a pretty popular horror game. What made this game so well-done on the N64 is that it nailed the creepy Gothic setting perfectly. The design of Dracula’s castle, twisting and labyrinthine, nurtured the feeling of being lost in a dangerous place.Additionally, the multitude of boss fights with bosses that were pretty unsettling in nature also added to the thrill factor of the game. These bosses litter the castle, all trying to stop the players from reaching Dracula. The built-in time-limit to achieve the game’s good ending is simply the cherry on top of the game’s masterful use of tension, forcing players into a sometimes reckless pace to achieve the game’s true ending.
Castlevania 64
WHERE TO PLAY
6Shadowgate 64: Trials Of The Four Towers (1999)
Shadowgate’s Darkest Entry Yet
The most obvious unsettling element in Shadowgate 64’s design is the design of the castle within the game, which hosts plenty of doors with unknown entities behind them. Considering the player must travel around the castle to stop the resurrection of the Warlock Lord, most of the time is spent wandering the castle’s dark halls.When you do get a break from the castle’s cramped corridors, you will be roaming countless graveyards and caverns that truly use the dark ambiance to their advantage. These areas play off fears of darkness, claustrophobia, and death. The ghostly specters you’ll encounter only ratchet up the terror in these already spooky environments.
Shadowgate 64: Trials of the Four Towers
5The Legend Of Zelda: Ocarina Of Time (1998)
Zelda’s First Dive Into Horror
Ocarina of Timeisn’t a game that most people think of when they think of horror games. However, this game deserves a place on this list for the Shadow Temple alone, not to mention the twisted variety of some especially spooky enemies. The first time you enter the cursed house in Kakariko Village and meet the twisted Hylian-Skulltula hybrid people… it’s enough to make you want to burn the whole place down.
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The Shadow Temple was a place that caused a lot of kids to quit the game — understandably so. Terrifying from the moment you must descend into the Bottom of the Well as a child, all the way through to when you finally traverse the lengths of the unsettling Shadow Temple as an adult, these areas are filled with creepy enemies like the Like-Likes, ReDead, and Dead Hands — not to mention the nightmarish rooms themselves, trapped with spinning blades, fall-away floors, and spiked walls ready to close in on you. Most of the game felt very child-friendly, but The Shadow Temple really pushed younger players to their horror limits.
The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time
4Shadow Man (1999)
One Of The N64’s Most Disturbing Games
Shadow Manis one of (if not the) darkest games available to players on the N64. Just like all the other games on this list, a lot of players were kids when they decided to dive into this game. The atmosphere in part of the game known as Deadside (basically hell) is dark and horrifying. You can visit an abandoned asylum in this area that is filled with unsettling rooms, such as a child’s bedroom with toys that spell out “hell,” and padded rooms splattered with blood.
The game boasts some pretty unnerving sounds to complete the horror experience. From zombies moaning to kids giggling, the sounds are out-of-this-world and have sent chills down the spines of anyone who has played the game.
Shadow Man
3Doom 64 (1997)
Perpetual Demon-Slaying In Hell
Doom 64is probably the game that is least talked about in the Doom franchise. Even though this game isn’t as popular as others in the series, it quickly gained a cult-like following on the N64 that has endured to this day. Players have cited this game as the reason that they couldn’t sleep at night. Within the game’s suspenseful narrative, the relentless uncertainty of demon ambushes persists, leaving players on edge, never knowing when the horrifying entities will strike.
The game’s soundtrack, although perfectly tailored to the game’s experience, includes eerie compositions that enhance the atmosphere. Many players have taken note of these haunting songs, saying that they intensify the overall sense of dread while playing. Also, just like in Shadow Man, the main protagonist is damned to an eternity in hell. The grim reality of this decision sets in when players realize he is doomed to spend his time fighting demons and roaming the abyss forever.
2The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask (2000)
Zelda’s Deepest Dive Into Horror
The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Maskmay seem like an odd option for a horror game. However, the game’s dark atmosphere, horrific designs, and nightmare-inducing ReDeads have a tendency to haunt your dreams long after putting the controller down. Majora’s Mask offers a twisted version of many familiar characters and elements from Ocarina of Time, taking those creepy elements a step further.
Throughout the game, the townsfolk experience some of the most disturbing events of anyZeldagame. From Romani’s descent into madness to the tragic demise of numerous townsfolk, the game embraces a truly macabre tone. Majora’s Mask, designed for player enjoyment, unexpectedly became a wellspring for many young players' future love of horror. By taking some familiar elements from Ocarina of Time and twisting them just a bit further, like turning the Happy Mask Salesman from kinda unsettling to a more sinister figure, Majora’s Mask find an incredible balance between adventure and horror fantasy.
The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask
1Resident Evil 2 (1998)
The N64’s Most Well-Known Horror Game
Resident Evil 2is one of those games that has stuck with players for as long as it has been around. It’s a horror classic! The game’s use of real-time puzzles really kicks up the tension, since you might not realize zombies are shambling toward you while you fiddle with the solution. This adds a level of anxiety to any player’s playthrough.
While many consider jump scares “cheap,” RE2 uses them to great effect, catching players off guard and intensifying the overall sense of terror. You will never know when the next one will occur. The unsettling visuals and events within the game surpass others in the N64 library, making it a standout title for those seeking an exceptionally chilling gaming experience. It’s no wonder the game was remade for modern audiences!
Resident Evil 2
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