Spencer Smith ’19 / Emertainment Monthly Staff Writer Let’s face it; there aren’t a ton of truly great horror games. Not to say that they don’t exist, but there’s also an overflowing amount of “diet horror”: Resident Evil, Five Nights at Freddy’s, Dead Space and beyond. Diet horror is good for certain things: Five Nights at Freddy’s is good for parties, Dead Space for gory fun, and Resident Evil for the horror of the inventory screen. The kind of horror game that lasts and is far more interesting is the actually good, scary horror game, but that game is hard to find. While there’s plenty of great horror games you should play that at least evoke that sense of terror, here’s a different kind of list. There are plenty of games that you can find scary in some way but you wouldn’t necessarily call them horror games so in the spirit of Halloween, here’s six games that, while not exactly horror games, can disturb, horrify, or at the very least put you in the right mood for the glory of Halloween!
Bioshock
(c), Irrational Games, 2KOne of the best examples of video game writing, BioShock is a sprawling tale of science, philosophy, and manipulation. It gives a disturbing look into a decaying society and player perspective. Its gameplay takes the best aspects of System Shock 2 and enhances them, blending both together into a glorious mix of gameplay and story that’s intellectually challenging and infinitely fascinating. Though the gameplay leaves you too capable to be scared of Rapture’s insanity, its story can be mortifying and disquieting; the world of Rapture you explore can be one of the most horrifying examples of the downfall of humanity. It’s only enhanced listening to Rapture’s story through audio logs and hints in the architecture leads to a disturbing look into society and just how close we all can be to tearing ourselves apart.
The Walking Dead Season 1 (c) Telltale Games, Square EnixNow we go from one of the most intellectually challenging games of all time to one of the most emotionally challenging games of all time. TellTale’s The Walking Dead is one of the greatest storytelling pieces of modern art, a deeply emotional experience about humanity. It’s so good that it got this stone cold hearted gamer to almost bawl like a baby (not quite though). It’s so fantastic it can make AMC’s The Walking Dead fall completely flat by comparison (sorry, fans). The game is a deeply emotional experience, but it’s also perfect for Halloween. It’s a look at the more personal part of societal downfall that asks you to make the difficult choices you might have to make in a situation like this. You’ll be praying that you’ll get your group through the night, you’ll be fighting off paranoia from your companions and the undead while experiencing a deeply personal narrative full of emotion and horror; a perfectly different Halloween delight.
Dark Souls (c) FromSoftware, Bandai Namco EntertainmentNow here’s a game that scares even the most veteran of gamers (actually, maybe the more desensitized of the bunch). Yeah, yeah, Dark Souls is widely known for its harsh difficulty, but it’s always fair. Modern gaming audiences are so desensitized from the difficulty of older games (or, ahem, better designed games); that’s why you should play Dark Souls this Halloween season. Taking out the horror of having to fight those bosses over and over again, Dark Souls is deeply rich in atmosphere with storytelling more about showing not telling. It’s the kind of horror you might find in Silent Hill, deeply atmospheric and uncompromising in how it treats the player. It’s not about outright telling you the world is doomed, it’s about you figuring it out for yourself. It can crush you both physically and mentally in gameplay as you trudge on to make your way to the end. Also check out Dark Souls II and BloodBorne, though they still don’t match up to the classic.
Spec Ops: The Line (c) Yager Development, Darkside Game Studios, 2KNow some may have never heard of this game, but it’s an underappreciated gem. Spec Ops: The Line could almost be considered a pure horror game about a terrifyingly real situation: war. The game is actually loosely based on Heart of Darkness, and expectedly is riddled with horrifying sequences. Disturbing moment after disturbing moment drives forth the excellent narrative. The gameplay might seem like your standard third person shooter, but Spec Ops: The Line is supposed to shine a disturbing spotlight on modern gaming and modern ethics. Spec Ops: The Line is an often misunderstood gem that disturbs and challenges. Play it this Halloween season for a very disturbing, very relevant experience.
This War of Mine (c) 11 bit studios, Deep SilverThe newest of games on this list, This War of Mine is another societal apocalypse game, but this one’s a bit different. Instead of the personal story of The Walking Dead, this game takes you a bit further from it, even into a 2D view. This War of Mine has you manage and help your group survive for as long as possible. You’ll have to keep them fed, rested, warm, and even morally sound. You manage your base in the day and scavenge for supplies at night. Along the way you’ll have to make some tough choices, such as deciding whether to rob an elderly couple blind. Now the game isn’t exactly perfect, but This War of Mine is still an interesting take on an apocalyptic game that’s definitely worth checking out for a sadder kind of horror.
The Forest (c) Endnight GamesThis game hasn’t even been released yet, and it should be in everyone’s game queue this Hallow’s eve. The Forest is somewhat like Lost if only one person survived and was hunted by the cannibalistic tribe of an island; in other words, the better version. The Forest is still in the technical development stage, but it’s among the early access games worth your money to play. The Forest is an open-ended survival game where you must survive to find your son after he is abducted by the cannibal tribe. You build shelter, hunt for food, stay healthy, create fuel, and all the while the naked cannibals periodically attack you. As is, it still manages to keep you on your toes in the game of survival; you can be alone in the middle of the night with nothing but a torch, and it’s some of the scariest feelings of isolation. The game could be considered horror, but it’s also a very different kind that isn’t always scary, but often thrilling, and it relies on your own innate ability to survive.
