The Pursuit of Scariness
In my never-ending pursuit to find the best horror games that feel truly scary or are reminiscent of the 90's and early 2000's horror but actually play well, I took upon myself to gather up all modern horror games that are worth playing. What defines a horror video game? Most people typically assume that there are simple answers, such as ghosts, zombies, space, or any other single word category. While it's difficult to pin down and categorize horror into a single genre, or even sub-genres, what makes horror games keep us up at night is the fear of the unknown. We can characterize this as a basic uncertainty, ranging from the unknown lurking around every corner to the never ending pursuit of the antagonist. Humans have harbored fear of the unknown since ancient times, and video games can provide us with a glimpse into this terrifying realm. Games can give us a glimpse into this abyss. While some gamers may not consider Doom a scary game, its release likely frightened many kids and adults, and it may still do so today. Everyone's fear is a scale or spectrum. There's not one set number you can place. P.T. was one of the scariest things I ever experienced, and some people laughed the entire time. Some may consider this just a coping mechanism, and others may be able to easily overcome their own fears.
Rather than doing this chronologically, I have broken this series up into multiple categories. These games may also fall into other categories, and some may think a single game feels like something else to them while playing it. Horror has also made a comeback over the last five years. Just looking on SteamDB shows that indie horror titles are at an all-time high; however, there is also an onslaught of utter garbage in every storefront.
I hope to sort these out, as good modern indie horror is hard to come by. It's like sorting through the bargain bin at Wal-Mart. Do you really need to play Hitler: BDSM Bunker or another "creepy" Hentai game only to discover it's complete garbage? While a lot of these games play off of current memes and satirize political issues, they aren't "real" games. For every 10 P.T. clones, there's a single good survival horror out there trying to be something different. For every 20 Five Nights at Freddy's or Poppy Playtime clones there's a hidden gem of a text adventure buried under the heaping steaming pile of crap.
My reading of "From Ants to Zombies" by Alexander Chatziioannou inspired this entire idea. It completely transformed my viewpoint and understanding of horror games. What I won't include are obvious AAA titles from the Resident Evil series or games like P.T. We all know them; everyone has played one of these, and you already know if you love them or hate them. I won't incorporate any Early Access games or titles released before 2014, unless they belong to a series that has seen a release within the past decade. I will also not include remakes or remasters such as the most recent Dead Rising, Silent Hill 2, or Dead Space games, for example. I wanted to mostly highlight indie horror and games that may have had a larger budget but were easily overlooked or forgotten.
The 10 Categories
New Retro: These are games that try to bring back the feeling and nostalgia or horror games from the 90's and early 2000's. PS1 and Nintendo 64 style graphics, older visual effects, maybe even older play styles like tank controls. This category will be last as to highlight the future of horror gaming.
Psychological: This is one of the most common categories in horror. These games usually play a lot of tricks on the mind, have heavy use of music, ambiance, jump scares, or heavily use the story is scare the player.
Zombies, Ghosts, and Creatures, Oh My!: These games are usually considered not as scary to some, but usually still have creepy monster design or mostly use monsters to terrify the player.
Space: Space is a great factor of "Fear of the Unknown". Games set in space or use the vast void or outer space to scare us.
Relentless Pursuer: Games that constantly keep you on your toes with antagonists that just won't let off. These games aren't as popular as they once were.
Fear of the Abyss: These games use phobias to usually scare the player. This doesn't completely excludes space, but mostly includes games that take place in the ocean.
Eldritch: Lovecraftian horror is the easiest way to describe this, however this can also describe games with entire art style devoted to bio-mechanism, gross organics monsters throughout, and overall giving a feeling of uneasiness or a larger than life monster or being that you can't ever see, but it lets you know it's there.
Survival Horror: The most popular genre and what most people think of when they think of horror games. These usually have the player using resource management to survive whatever baddies that come at you. These are also more on the atmospheric side.
Boomer Shooter Nightmares: There has been a huge surge of Boomer Shooters in the ire of Doom in the last five years. While Doom itself doesn't make the list there are so many great indie shooters out there that it needed its own category.
Errant Children: This category includes both protagonist and antagonistic children in the game. These are very uncommon, and have mostly dropped out of favor over the last decade, but a few still exist.
Fear & Hunger (2018)
Fear & Hunger 2: Termina (2022)
Platforms: WIN, MACFear & Hunger isn't just a turn-based RPG. The first game has heavy influences from Silent Hill. The haunting atmosphere and otherworldly creatures mess with your head. As you progress, the story unfolds, and every open door feels like terror and dread. The second game, Termina, intensifies this feeling of dread by giving you only three days to explore a gloomy town. These games are challenging, particularly the first one, which features roguelike elements. JRPGs and horror, then these games are for you.
^ Fear & Hunger 1
Endoparasitic (2022)
Endoparasitic 2 (2024)
Platforms: WIN, MAC, LINWhile at the surface level it seems hard to distinguish between the two games despite being released two years apart, the fantastic and unique control scheme is what will keep players moving through this game. With only one limb remaining, you control the game with your mouse. Guns are manually reloaded one bullet at a time; you must inject yourself with various vaccines to stay alive. It's a heart-pounding experience, and staying on the edge of your seat makes you jump at every sound and enemy that crawls towards you. The sequel is mostly the same, but with slightly improved visuals and mechanics.
^ Endoparasitic 1
Tormented Souls (2021)
Platforms: WIN, PS4, PS5, NSW, XB1, XSXThis game is the closest you'll get to a new Silent Hill game. It has the same vibes, atmosphere, aesthetics, and overall gameplay, but slightly less janky. While Tormented Souls introduces its own problems, it wouldn't be copying a 1990s survival horror if it didn't. Despite the lackluster plot, the monster designs, atmosphere, and music are enjoyable. Look forward to the sequel in 2025.
Darkwood (2014)
Platforms: WIN, PS4, NSW, XB1, PS5, XSX, MAC, LINThis is more of a roguelike survival horror. You must play a cycle of day and night with randomly generated levels. By day, you explore the woods, gather items, weapons, and ammo, and craft what you can. By night, you bunker down in your cabin and defend yourself from the monsters outside. There is a narrative, and you can discover, converse with, and determine the fate of various inhabitants of the world. It's a very intense game and has a terrifying atmosphere for a top-down game.
The Evil Within (2014)
The Evil Within 2 (2017)
Platforms: WIN, PS4, 360, PS3, XB1Despite being a "AAA" title, Bethesda cancelled the entire series because the second game didn't garner much attention. While Bethesda still owns the IP, they have done nothing with it for the past 8 years, and it's quite a shame. This is Shinji Mikami's (Resident Evil) baby, and the first game got a lot of attention. Although it didn't achieve the same level of success as Resident Evil, the game's focus is primarily on horror rather than action. Sadly, the action in the game can't decide if it wants to be a straight-up third-person shooter or a survival horror game. It's best to play this game in easy mode first. The monster design is fantastic, and the atmosphere is great despite the story making zero sense. The second game took a more open-world approach and has refined gameplay. Sadly, Microsoft shut down Tango Gameworks this year so I doubt we will ever see this series again.
^ The Evil Within 1
Nightmare of Decay (2022)
Platforms: WINHeavily inspired by the first Resident Evil, Nightmare of Decay sees you waking up in a nightmarish manor full of zombies and cult members. You must manage your resources carefully and fight your way through. The story is by the numbers, but the action feels like a first-person Resident Evil title—graphics and all. The game just feels good, and while not insanely scary, the atmosphere is quite haunting and will make you cautious and watch whats around every corner. The UI is a bit underwhelming, but it gets the job done. This is just a "feel-good" horror game that feels like it would be right at home on the Nintendo 64 or PS1.
Stay tuned for Part 2 in a few days! Psychological Horror!
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