Horror games have several subgenres that invite players to venture into their ominous world. However, supernatural horror represents one of the purest ways to scare an audience.
The traditional formula of ghosts and the paranormal still works its demonic charm on fans looking for a spooky time.
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Games that go bump in the night.
Many video games have attempted a take on the genre, but these few games have carved out a space for themselves as theundisputed masters of terror.
If you’re in the market to get your scare fix, it won’t get much better than these picks. Especially if you dare to test your mettle against creatures that go bump in the night.
10The Evil Within
Manifested Nightmares Become Reality
The Evil Within
The Evil Withincomes as another horrifying brainchild from the director of the originalResident Evil, Shinji Mikami. As such, you’re able to draw comparisons to olderResident Eviltitles. But whereEvil Withindiffers fromResident Evilis the supernatural and eerie atmosphere it throws you in to.
That’s important to note because the story itself isn’t special, but it’s the environment that the game is set in that makesEvil Withinworth playing. You have got your run-of-the-mill, grumpy protagonist who drinks his problems away, thrown into a nightmare of a world after investigating a mass murder crime scene.
From then on, it’s all about surviving and trying to make sense of the dark and apocalyptic world you are thrown into. Even traversing through the world will keep you on edge as you never know when a monster might pop out of the corner.
For a game that’s almost a decade old, it’s surprising to see the direction and graphics still hold up. It’s one of those games that have aged like fine-wine.
Top-Down Terror
In the midst of highly anticipated 2017 releases likeResident Evil 7andOutlast 2,Darkwoodflew under the radar. As such, many players missed its nightmarish top-down approach to subverting traditional horror game mechanics.
Darkwoodthrows you into its semi-open world and provides no clues about what malevolent entity is haunting you or where you are.
Your only hope is to grab enough supplies and weaponsduring the day that will help you last through the night.
Even though the true source of terror comes out at night, you never truly feel like you’re going to be okay as youscrounge for your survivalin the day.
My advice: As night falls and the woods grow darker, remember Murphy’s law is in effect and do whatever it takes to keep the light from going out.
Darkwood Review — Help Wanted
attempt to escape a haunting forest with an intriguing cast of characters in Darkwood.
Where’s The Creepy Little Girl?
Horror and action don’t always go hand in hand, butF.E.A.R. is one of the few exceptions. The supernatural elements might seem toned down at first, as all you’ll do is fight a few soldiers in traditional FPS style. However, the tone of the game flips over once “Alma Wade," the scary little girl, appears.
The creepy child trope is often overused in horror games. However, this particular black-haired ghost girl keeps you on the edge of your seat.
Like all supernatural-horror game antagonists, Alma relishes playing mind games as she pops up and vanishes at several points, leaving you scared and confused.
Even with an extensive arsenal of weapons, you and your tactical team can’t help but feel helpless against her overpowered psychic abilities.
7Layers of Fear
Art Meets Madness
Layers of Fear
Ever wonder what it could be like inside the mind of a spiraling creative artist trapped inside a creepy mansion? No? Yeah, me neither. But humor me for a moment if you’d be so kind.
Layers of Fearcaptures that brand of insanity and invites you to join in the madness of a painter haunted by his past.
It puts its story andcreepy atmospherefront and center,sending you on a doomed journey through the chilling manor. The quest plays out in six chapters for the unnamed painter as we uncover a narrative filled with twists and turns.
The Victorian mansion feels reminiscent of a haunted house from a supernatural novel by Shirley Jackson and forces you to confront the maddening truth at its core.
Overall,Layers of Fear offers a truly mind-bending experience.
Layers Of Fear (2023) Review: Laying It On A Bit Thick
Let’s go mad together, one last time.
Keep Your Camera Charged
Some horror games adopt a steady and subtle approach, working their brand of supernatural magic. Well,Outlastdoes the total opposite of that.
It doesn’t take too long forOutlastto reveal its hand, and once the camera starts rolling, it won’t give you many breaks to catch your breath.
You take on the role of journalist Miles Upshur, navigating a mental asylum filled with homicidal patients and supernatural threats.
Your only hope as a weaponless journalist is to either run, hide, or die from one of its many monstrous enemies that will chase you down.
The game’s night-filter vision also enhances the scares as you navigate the dark environments with a camera that always seems to run out of batteries.
In short, helplessness will be one of the most recurrent feelings you’ll be experiencing throughout the game, as you don’t have any weapons to defend yourself.
5Amnesia: The Dark Descent
Memories Come back to Haunt You
Amnesia: The Dark Descent
Sometimes, running away from your problems is the best option, especially if your problem happens to be grotesque monsters in a castle searching for you.
Amnesia: The Dark Descentis one of the firstindie-horror gemsthat blazed a trail for many supernatural horror games to follow in its path.
You take charge of Daniel, an amnesiac protagonist who you help keep safe from the countless evil creatures roaming around Brennenburg Castle. However, thatjob is easier said than done as you encounter several puzzles and keep your hands from shaking.
All you can do is try your best to make sense of this living nightmare you’ve been pushed into and watch out for any creatures around the corner.
4Phasmophobia
Encounter Ghosts with Friends
Phasmophobia
While getting scared alone might not be as fun, watching your friends screaming in terror is.Phasmophobiaoffers that experience and dares you to step inside with a group of about four players as paranormal investigators.
You investigate massive mansions, dimly lit suburban houses, old schools and hospitals in search of the presence of supernatural entities. While the premise of the game is quite simple, the learning curve is not. Be prepared to die, get scared and, overall, lose your mind, as the game does not offer a lot of information.
Instead, it throws you directly into the game and leaves you and your friends to fend for themselves. This confusion kind of adds to the horror aspect of the game, as you are pretty much clueless in a potentially haunted environment.
However, the game is very intuitive with its mechanics and allows the player to learn at their own pace, understanding the various detection gadgets you have and how to effectively use them.
Phasmophobiais not a game that you can play once or twice and be done with it. It has learning curve and the more you understand the game the more fun and scary it becomes.
3Alan Wake 2
Shine a Light on Darkness
Alan Wake 2
Alan Wake 2.The story stands out with a narrative approach that feels distinctly original for video games, drawing inspiration from Twin Peaks and Stephen King.
The best part about the game is the immersive, dark, and terrifying atmosphere it’s set in. Every location you navigate through leaves you unsettled, confused but also in awe. Everything from the graphics, to the sound effects and cutscenes are crafted to perfection.
But the best part aboutAlan Wake 2is that it beautifully blends supernatural and psychological horror.
At one end you have Alan Wake figuring out how to escape the dark dimension and, on the other, Saga Anderson, who is scratching her head trying to figure out the ritualistic murders happening in the Bright Falls.
Both stories, although separate at first, bleed into each other slowly as the game progresses, creating a captivating narrative that keeps you hooked.
Not to mention, the attention to detail the developers have put into the game, every puzzle or blockade you face in the game is somehow connected to the narrative.
In short, if you are a fan of games with a focus on story and atmosphere, thenAlan Wake 2is a must-play.
P.T. Eat Your Heart Out
Still can’t get the experience of playingP.T.out of your head and want more of the same? Well, the good news is thatVisageisoneof the horror games thattook that formulaand made the most out of it.
It may appear confusing, but if you stick with the game, it will become apparent that sinister things are happening all around you.It’s entirely up to you where to start the game from, asVisagedoesn’t follow a linear approach for its separate chapters.
Playing as Dwayne Anderson, you will piece together clues from the house as it takes you through the life of its past inhabitants. The paranormal phenomenon also comes in many forms in the ever-shifting corners of this house that you’re doomed to traverse.
1Fatal Frame 2: Crimson Butterfly
Say Cheese
Fatal Frame 2: Crimson Butterly
Horror games thrive on the tension of making players feel vulnerable to the lurking evils that threaten its central protagonist.Fatal Frame 2: Crimson Butterfly providesyou with an ingenious weapon to ward off these evils but heightens that tension even further.
The game provides you with a special ‘camera obscura’ to capture them, withmany horror games taking inspirationfrom this mechanic. In short, you are thrust into a horrific environment and all you have for defense is a camera that can ward off evil spirits.
The nature of these spirits is unpredictable, as you hope they don’t become aggressive while you look for them on your camera.The series is famously known as ajumpscare factory,andFatal Frame 2still manages to hold up on that front even after all these years.
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