Sons of the Forest

Sons of the Forest is perhaps one of the best-realized fusions of survival sandbox gameplay and horror. At first glance, it seems like just another in a long line of sandbox crafting games. Yet it executes both elements so well that the experience eclipses expectation. Between the uncanny swamp mutant abominations to the unpredictable scenarios and clever diegetic crafting menus, Sons of the Forest is not to be missed.

Layers of Fear (2023)

If you prefer more subtle horror with psychological leanings, Layers of Fear may just end up being a new favorite. Labyrinthine creepy mansion: check. Mysterious past to uncover: check. Heaps of atmospheric storytelling and puzzles to solve: check. This game hits all the marks of classic survival horror from days past, with echoes of Resident Evil, Silent Hill, and even The Shining. Fans of the Silent Hill 2 remake should especially consider checking out this gem from Bloober Team.

Ghostwire: Tokyo

Ghostwire: Tokyo takes a more unconventional approach to horror, ditching the ‘survival’ aspect and replacing it with some good old karate….with magic. The atmosphere of the game is a highlight. Shibuya is haunted and desolate, with nothing but neon lights and abandoned belongings of those who went missing. Your adversaries are modern-day interpretations of Yokai from Japanese folklore. These take the form of blank-faced salarymen and headless schoolgirls to name just a few. The fast-paced action of the magic karate doesn’t take away from the unsettled nature of the empty Tokyo streets or the creative enemy designs.

Resident Evil Village

Resident Evil does all the things excellent survival horror is supposed to be. It situates players into a vulnerable position with lack of resources, and the atmosphere and zombies are downright terrifying. Resident Evil Village does the classic formula and vibe well, filling the journey with a blend of slower-paced exploration and puzzles with tense set-piece moments and boss fights. Village does a particularly good job with its contrasting environments and themes. The baroque Castle Dimetrescu feels so distinct from Heisenberg’s industrial factory. And it’s all framed through an interesting folktale lens to boot.

Amnesia: Rebirth

The Amnesia series does one thing better than pretty much every other horror series: instilling vulnerability to the player. Like previous Amnesia titles, Rebirth features no combat. Encounters must be overcome through escapes, puzzle-solving, and exploration. But unlike other past games, Rebirth takes place out in the desert instead of a factory or other claustrophobic interior. You play as Tasi, a pregnant woman searching for her missing crew within the vast Algerian desert. You’re still sneaking through interiors such as pitch-black caverns and creepy abandoned ruins though, so it retains that dark atmosphere despite its unique setting.

System Shock Remake

For those itching for deep choice-driven gameplay mechanics, System Shock Remake is a sure bet. The original is a seminal classic in the survival horror space, being one of the first immersive sim games to reach broad appeal. The ship’s AI, SHODAN, remains one of the more engaging villains in the genre. The sci-fi ship almost feels haunted by SHODAN, with the persistent monitoring and sabotage of various ship systems engaging the player’s every move. The game’s atmosphere compliments her constant presence with eerie rattles and distorted sounds almost too well, and the modern remake polishes those scares to a beautiful and terrifying shine.

Choo-Choo Charles

Taking a different turn is the indie game Choo-Choo Charles. This is the ideal horror game on the list if you don’t have a lot of time to invest as it only takes around 3 to 4 to go through. The premise is both unique and simple. You collect eggs and do tasks for NPCs in order to summon the villainous train, Charles, to defeat him. It’s a unique and charming concept and Charles’ jump scare attacks provide ample scares.

Visage

Visage is another indie horror game but this one is often lauded as a spiritual successor to P.T. You’re stuck exploring a 1980s suburban mansion, one that’s both haunted and filled with locked doors. Aside from the numerous puzzles to solve, you must keep your sanity in check by avoiding dark zones and ghost attacks. Those looking for an unpredictable P.T.-like experience owe it to themselves to play Visage.

The Mortuary Assistant

Ever want to inspect dead bodies and exorcise demons in a video game? Well, This solo-developed indie horror title provides that and then some. The Mortuary Assistant puts the player into the shoes of a newly trained assistant at a morgue, tasked with performing her job of preparing corpses for burial. However, it isn’t just another mundane job; demons regularly inhabit the corpses and Rebecca must exorcise them out in-between her paid work. The story is somewhat procedural as well, providing a good amount of replayability.

Ad Infinitum

Ad Infinitum represents yet another creative premise on this list. Players take on the role of a World War 1 vet coming home to take care of an ailing father. The horror takes form from the trauma suffered  in the trenches. This trauma is represented by monsters scouring the house through the mind of the veteran. In gameplay terms, this means solving puzzles around the large house while overcoming the threat of monsters.

Phasmophobia

Phasmophobia is perhaps the most widely played game on the list, which may come as a surprise for some. Social deduction games have been popular of late, and Phasmophobia channels that chaotic premise into a terrifying horror atmosphere. Investigating ghosts as a team may not sound like the most terrifying thing compared to other horror games, but the slow unraveling and eventual reveal of the ghost, and the player’s possession by it, can be a shock, even in a group setting.

Still Wakes the Deep

Described as “The Thing on an oil rig”, Still Wakes the Deep is another game on the list with no combat whatsoever. Players must rely on stealth and avoidance when it comes to monster encounters. The oil rig evolves as the story progresses, with previously explored areas becoming flooded or wrecked. The lack of a HUD helps sell the atmosphere even more. If you enjoy traditional explorative horror, give Still Wakes the Deep a try.

Nightmare of Decay

For those on a tight budget, this $4 indie horror game just might do the trick, especially for fans of old school action horror titles. Nightmare of Decay plays a bit like a first-person Resident Evil 2 with its generous ammo supply and healthy number of zombies infesting the mansion. And there’s plenty of mansion to explore here with puzzles and numerous weapon types scattered about. This is a hidden gem for the Resident Evil 2 fans.

Stay Out of the House

You didn’t think we’d get through this list without a slasher themed horror game, did you? Stay Out of the House is a straight-up cannibal escape simulator. Your goal is simply to survive from the serial killer cannibal stalking the house and surrounding neighborhood. It’s done on a budget, but with tasteful retro filters to make the PS1 aesthetic charming rather than a detriment.

The Outlast Trials

The Outlast Trials is a clever take on cooperative horror gameplay. The game follows a structure that updates the player’s abilities upon successful trials. It’s one of those titles with superb gameplay/story integration. Set during the Cold War, recruits are sent to compete in trials against failed recruits who have become psychologically deranged and dangerous. There’s plenty of lore through radio recordings and environmental details that enrich the experience beyond that of just another horror game.

Still Wakes the Deep

A shoo-in for scariest game of 2024 so far, Still Wakes the Deep duties you as electrician Caz aboard a bleak, ocean-rusting North Sea oil rig before an accident occurs and situations go awry. It’s best not to know too much before stepping aboard, but safe to say The Chinese Room have delivered an atmospheric horror for the ages, replete in equal measure dread and mystery.

]]> 601622 https://gamingbolt.com/15-absolutely-scary-moments-in-video-games Fri, 03 May 2024 11:23:33 +0000 https://gamingbolt.com/?p=583245 There’s nothing quite like a game that can elicit actual, genuine scares out of you, and thankfully, there’s no shortage of those in today’s day and age. There are, of course, many different ways of going about terrifying the player, but the games that perhaps get the loudest reactions from their players are those that suddenly throw intense, focused scenes or sequences of unexpected horrors at you out of nowhere. Here, we’re going to talk about a few such moments that have etched themselves into our memory.

HOUSE BENEVIENTO – RESIDENT EVIL VILLAGE

Resident Evil Village was a theme park of horror, but no area of the game was quite as startlingly scary (especially on your first playthrough) as House Beneviento. Starting out as a quiet but creepy house full of dolls, it quickly devolves into a sequence where you’re running through the darkness while being chased by a giant, horrifying baby that wants to swallow you whole. It’s an absolutely terrifying sequence, and nothing in the game quite matches up to that focused intensity.

THE FRIGGING WORKBENCH – THE LAST OF US PART 2

The Last of Us Part 2 excels at keeping players on the edges of their seats, but while encounters against Stalkers or the boss fight against the Rat King are certainly heart-pounding moments, nothing in the game is as scary as that one damn workbench. You know the one we’re talking about. Throughout the entire game, workbenches are supposed to be a safe space where nothing will attack you, but just as Ellie begins tinkering with her weapons at that one particular bench, she’s quickly ambushed by attackers. It takes a while for your heart to stop trying to pound through your ribcage, and afterward, you never quite look at workbenches the same.

ANIMA ENCOUNTERS – THE EVIL WITHIN 2

The Evil Within 2 delivers a very distinct brand of horror throughout its runtime, and though the game is full of plenty of unforgettable moments on that front, it’s probably at its best when you’re faced with Anima. The haunting creature roaming the streets of Union is perhaps the game’s most terrifying enemy, from her ghastly appearance and the bone-chilling melody she sings to the fog that she brings with her and the fact that she can phase through walls and doors.

GETTING CAUGHT BY THE XENOMORPH – ALIEN: ISOLATION

It’s nearly impossible to think of many enemies in horror games that haunt players’ nightmares as vividly as Alien: Isolation’s Xenomorph does. The stalker foe is a menace for the vast majority of the experience, and having to avoid its attention is never anything short of being a harrowing ordeal. Always quick to react and shockingly intelligent, the Xenomorph is sure to make you jump right out of your skin every time you’re unlucky enough to be caught by it.

MR. X THROUGH THE WALL – RESIDENT EVIL 2

Speaking of stalker enemies that we still have traumatic flashbacks about, the Resident Evil 2 remake’s Mr. X is another iconic survival horror villain that has brought us dangerously close to several heart attacks. The game is filled with such moments, and none of them will catch you off-guard as violently as when the brutish Tyrant smashes through a wall to catch you unawares while you walk through the halls of the RPD building.

LISA ON THE BALCONY – P.T.

The fact that P.T. is considered to be one of the scariest games ever made in spite of the fact that it’s essentially just a demo should tell you something about how good it is at unsettling players. And that’s putting it mildly, honestly. A lot of that tension comes, of course, through Lisa, the ghostly apparition that haunts you every step of the way throughout the experience. Every appearance she makes is blood-curdling, but spotting her staring down at you from her perch up on the balcony is particularly horrifying.

AYUWOKI ENCOUNTERS – ESCAPE THE AYUWOKI

There’s a good chance that you haven’t heard of Escape the Ayuwoki, but as those who’ve played it will tell you, this is a genuinely nightmare-inducing game. It places you inside a haunted mansion where your goal is to explore your surroundings and solve puzzles so you can find a way to escape, all while constantly being stalked by a creature known as the Ayuwoki. From its unpredictable behaviour to its terrifying appearance to the game’s chilling atmosphere, every encounter with the Ayuwoki is sure to make your pulse shoot right up.

MEETING THE HUNTER – DEAD SPACE

From beginning to end, Dead Space keeps finding ways to make you jump out of your seat (or at least keep you on the edge of it), and nothing exemplifies the effectiveness of its brand of horror than your first encounter with the Hunter. Created as the result of a twisted experiment, the Hunter serves as a stalker enemy for brief sections of the game, and is, to say the very least, the stuff of nightmares. Watching it burn to a crisp later on in the game is quite a cathartic moment.

MARGUERITE BAKER – RESIDENT EVIL 7

Resident Evil 7 delivers more potent horror than any other game in the series has ever managed to do, thanks in large part to how intimately terrifying it makes every single one of its encounters feel. The Marguerite section is a great example of just that. Creeping through the old, decaying house while she roams its halls is scary enough as it is, and things only take a turn for the worse once she takes her hideous, spidery form. She’s also quite fond of jumping out at your out of nowhere when you least expect it, when is never pleasant, to say the very least.

GHOSTS THROUGH THE CAMERA – FATAL FRAME SERIES

Fatal Frame games hinge around one central concept- they force you to look directly at their scariest enemies in order to even know where they are. As a series, Fatal Frame has been inconsistent, but that one idea never quite loses its luster. Using the Camera Obscura to see what ghosts are in your vicinity is always terrifying, and it’s made even more so when you’re faced with the particularly gnarly foes.

CYNTHIA AND THE NURSING HOME – ALAN WAKE 2

Alan Wake 2 is brimming with sequences that can get your pulse racing (including plenty of jump scares), but no part in the game is as chilling as the nursing section. From the palpable atmosphere to the eerie environments you go through to how things progressively get more and more twisted as you progress further, this is where the game is at its absolute peak. Encountering Cynthia serves as an appropriately horrific crescendo for this sequence.

DON’T TURN AROUND – FROM THE DARKNESS

From the Darkness is another game that you may not have heard about, but boy can it get you to scream in terror when it really wants to. Throughout its short runtime of an hour and a half, it delivers plenty of those moments. One that stands out in memory sees you walking through dimly lit environments in search of tools, and just as you start believing that there might not be anything too dangerous around you for the time being, you turn around and are faced with a horrifying creature staring you right in the face. It’s… not pleasant, let’s just leave it at that.

LUCY ENCOUNTERS – VISAGE

Visage really came out of nowhere when it launched a few years ago, but was instantly recognized by many as one of the scariest games you’re ever going to play. That’s abundantly clear even in the very first chapter, which focuses on Lucy, a girl who died when she ripped her own jaw off after being tormented by a demon. Her backstory is a chilling one (which is putting it mildly), and encounters with her even more so.

KITCHEN SCENE – HELLSEED

Another lesser-known game, and one that’s probably more flawed than the vast majority of titles in this feature- but one that can surely get you to jump up in terror from time to time. One particular moment that is hard to forget sees you exploring a kitchen in the calm darkness, only for the music to suddenly grow startlingly intense out of nowhere. As soon as you turn around, you spot a ghastly, decrepit woman slowly walking in your direction, only for lights to completely go out for a second, before coming back on and showing you the scene of a calm and empty kitchen once again.

THE JEFF SEQUENCE – HALF-LIFE: ALYX

Despite not being a horror game, Half-Life: Alyx can be scarier than the scariest horror games out there. The sequence where you’re shuffling through cramped corridors while the undead monstrosity known as Jeffs lumbers around is probably the best example of that. This entire chapter is filled with moments that can make you jump right our of your skin, because no matter how many times you lay your eyes on him, nothing dulls the sheer terror of watching Jeff angrily advance in your direction.

Viewfinder 

Viewfinder comes from the masterminds at Sad Owl Studios, and it’s a puzzler with a very unique premise. The game allows you to take pictures and place the polaroids anywhere in the level, which magically meshes up with the level to open up new paths. Viewfinder does a great job of taking that core concept and exploring a vast number of possibilities with its set of puzzles, and while the story could have been better in a few aspects – Viewfinder is definitely worth your time. 

Resident Evil 2 Remake

Resident Evil 2 Remake is an excellent re-imagining of the survival horror classic, and it stands tall as one of the best remakes of recent memory. The game presents a striking rendition of the familiar Raccoon City, complete with new puzzles and third-person shooting mechanics that make this experience a lot different than the original. While the campaign is definitely on the shorter side, plenty of side content, including but not limited to Ghost Survivors, should keep you occupied for a long time.

Darkwood

Despite having over 12,000 user reviews on Steam and good critical acclaim, Darkwood is still somewhat of a niche survival horror title. Its open-world structure changes during the day, presenting eerie characters and various secrets as you scavenge for materials. At night, nightmarish creatures roam, prompting you to fight for survival. It’s frantic and doesn’t provide too much guidance, but Darkwood is worth sticking with for its unique aesthetic and extensive lore.

SadSquare Studio has announced Visage – Enhanced Edition with a new trailer. It is available right now on Xbox Series X/S, and will be coming to PS5 some time in November (though an exact date hasn’t been confirmed). Visage will run at 4K and 60 FPS on the new consoles, and will also boast faster loading times and support for the DualSense’s haptic feedback on the PS5 for what should (hopefully) be a more immersive horror experience. Meanwhile, anyone who already has Visage on last-gen consoles gets the next-gen upgrade for free.

In addition to Xbox Series X/S and (soon) PS5, Visage is also available on PS4, Xbox One, and PC.

Craving more horror, even after the spooky Amnesia: Rebirth? SadSquare Studio’s Visage might be the answer. The first person horror title has been in early access since 2018 and it’s now set for a full launch on October 30th. Check out the announcement trailer, which provides a small tease of some of the expected horrors.

Drawing comparisons to P.T., Visage also relies on psychological horror with more methodical pacing. It sees the player exploring a large house which a dark past, including the memories of families who died there. In terms of subject matter, there’s suicide, insanity and gruesome murders so steel yourself before thinking of jumping in.

On top of that, there are “entities” that will pursue the player. Since there are no weapons, however, you’ll need to think quickly. Or accept your fate, try again and attempt to find a way to escape the house. Visage will be available for Xbox One, PS4 and PC at launch – stay tuned for more details in the coming days.

Golem

Highwire Games’ Golem follows the tale of a child who uses magic to navigate the ruins of the Endless City. The actual combat, which is 1:1 with player reaction in terms of blocking and attacking, and movement look interesting. However, it’s the talent involved, namely former Bungie composer Martin O’Donnell and designer Jaime Griesemer along with former Valve artist Travis Brady, that has us interested. Golem has recently been delayed but we’re looking forward to how it turns out.

Layers of Fear, Allison Road and now Sad Square’s Visage – the number of games seemingly taking inspiration from P.T./Silent Hills, the cancelled horror project from Hideo Kojima and Guillermo del Toro, seems to be increasing each year.

That being said, Visage is no ordinary clone. The developer recently launched a Kickstarter for the same and along with Silent Hill and P.T., it named Phantasmagoria and Penumbra as influences. The crowd-funding campaign is asking for $35,000 and has a targeted release date of January 2017. Check out the early alpha footage below to see exactly how the game plays. There certainly appear to be as dark fantasy undertones along with horror.

Visage is currently in development for PC but could make its way to PS4 and Xbox One if the right stretch goals ($45,000) are met. What are your thoughts on the gameplay? Let us know in the comments below and stay tuned for more information.