Spooky video games

[Valigarmander]

What are some of your favorite creepy video games? I'm not just talking about gory survival horror games. I mean games that actually creep you out. Creepy games that have a lasting impression on you. I'll start the thread off by listing some of my favorites.


Resident Evil/Biohazard (GCN)



The Resident Evil games have always been fun for me. There's plenty of frightening creatures, blood and guts, and big guns to keep me looking forward to the next game. Yet when it comes fear and suspense, I feel like the Resident Evil remake for the Gamecube got it down better than any other game in the series, hands down.

Aside from expanding the gameplay, locations, and plot, the remake also does an amazing job of creating an absorbing atmosphere. The game's settings are dark and suspenseful, leaving you anxious about what could be waiting for you right around the next corner. The cutscenes and dialogue have been vastly improved, and are genuinely immersive and frightening, as opposed to gut-bustingly narmy like it was originally in RE1. The music is subtle, but does a great job of adding to the overall creepiness of the game. The documents scattered throughout the game, which add to the backstory, are probably some of the most frightening present in any game in the series. Monsters like Lisa Trevor are horrifying in sound, appearance, and behavior. And don't pretend you didn't crap a brick the first time a Crimson Head sprung up and came after you.

Overall, the GCN remake of Resident Evil is one of the best remakes I've ever played, and this iteration really nails the horror aspect. If you're a fan of survival horror games, this is one that you can't pass up.


Splatterhouse 3 (Mega Drive/Genesis)



Splatterhouse is a series of super-gory beat-em-up games which haven't really received a lot of attention. The games star Rick, a college student who has donned an ancient, sentient artifact known as "the Mask", which imbues him with superhuman strength. The games tend to focus on him saving his girlfriend/wife Jennifer from swarms of grotesque creatures sent by the Evil One.

Splatterhouse 3 is an interesting game. You play as Rick, of course, and you traverse a large mansion, pummeling your way through festering hordes of demons and ghouls, trying to save your family from death (or worse). There is typically an event occurring within the context of a level, and you must make your way through the mazelike mansion and beat the boss at the end within a time limit, or something bad will happen to your loved ones. The action is nonstop, and there's plenty of body horror.

The game is 18 years old, and the violence is so over-the-top that much of what made the game scary years ago may seem cheesy now, similar to movies like Friday the 13th or A Nightmare on Elm Street. Yet the game is still quite intense, and the design of many of the monsters in the game is genuinely disturbing. The background event of one level involves your recently-rescued girlfriend, who has been implanted with a demonic worm. You must race through the level and reach the end within an ungenerous time limit before the worm turns Jennifer into another ghoul, and throughout the level the game goes out of its way to describe to you how the worm is squirming through her body, feasting on her organs while she's still alive.

The Splatterhouse games can turn some fans of the genre off with its shallow propensity for copious blood and guts. Yet beneath all that, there's still some aspects of the game that can make your spine tingle.


Yume Nikki (PC)



Yume Nikki is a special game. Created by an independent Japanese developer using RPG Maker, the game can't really be called a "horror" game. It's just... weird.

You play as Madotsuki, a hikikomori, as she travels through the various, bizarre landscapes of her dreams. The game comes with few instructions, and there aren't any helpful NPCs to tell you what to do. You must figure everything out on your own (or consult a guide), making the game rather confusing at times. The point of the game, so to speak, is to locate and collect twenty-five different objects called "effects". The effects can be activated from the inventory, and result in various changes to Madotsuki. Some simply equip her with useful items like a bicycle or a knife, while others transform her into weird things like a devil, a disembodied head, or a stoplight. Most of these effects change certain NPCs or areas of the game.

The game is well known for its strange and sometimes frightening environments, and their inhabitants. Most worlds are populated by odd and sometimes threatening creatures called Toriningen. Some of the game's most famous characters are Monoko, a five-armed mutant girl, and Uboa, whose probability-based appearance is likely to give you a fright.

Yume Nikki is kind of hard to play, and if you do decide to play you'll almost certainly need a guide to have any fun. Yet the game is still worth at least one look from anyone interested in bizarre games.


Eversion (PC)



Looks cute, right? Eversion is another indie game for the PC, starring a little flower-like fellow named Zee Tee. You travel through various bright and cheery worlds, collecting gems and defeating enemies. The main game mechanic is "everting", which allows Zee Tee to travel between parallel realities. Each reality is slightly different than the others: certain platforms are solid in some and not in others, certain enemies are aggressive in some and mellow in others, etc.

There is a total of eight eversion levels. The first couple are bright and cheery. From there, they get more depressed, then more frightening. The happy, cheerful landscapes and enemies become more fearsome, until finally, they look like something ripped out of Lovecraft. The music matches the change in environment, moving from bouncy and cheerful, to slow and somber, to frantic, to chilling. The warning before the title screen that the game is not for children or people of "nervous disposition" isn't just for show.

The game is a fun platformer, and can be frustrating at times, but the sudden change from cheerful and colorful to dark and grim will be frightening at first. It's a great game for fans of platforming games and creepy games alike. You can download the game for free here.


Purgatory (PC)



Purgatory is a horror RPG created by an acquaintance of mine, OrchardL, using the OHRRPGCE. The game centers on a high school student named Lewis, who awakens after an earthquake to find most of her friends dead, and the school crawling with horrifying creatures.

The game mixes traditional RPG elements with survival horror. Enemies can be beaten, though due to your frailty and the scarcity of ammunition, it's often better to avoid monsters when possible. The game is scattered with numerous Resident Evil-esque puzzles that require a bit of heavy thinking to pass.

As Lewis progresses, she finds that something strange has happened to the world. The places she visit become more bizarre, and its inhabitants more disturbing, the further in she goes. The storyline is filled with suspense, and the ending is guaranteed get you.

Purgatory is a frightening game, though also quite difficult. Nevertheless, I would recommend that anyone interested play it through to the end. They won't be disappointed. You can download the game here.


Missing (PC)



Missing is another game created by OrchardL, and one I've replayed many times. Like Purgatory, it was made using the OHRRPGCE, yet through clever manipulation of the engine's capabilities, Missing was constructed as a point-and-click adventure game rather than an RPG.

You play the role of Melvin Young, an ex-cop who has come to visit an old English hotel to look for information regarding your wife and child who went missing there. During your investigation, you search for evidence and speak with hotel staff. And once the lights are off, you begin to notice some strange--and inexplicable--things happening at the hotel.

The atmosphere of the game is excellent. The characters are intriguingly mysterious, and the hotel itself is immersive and interesting to explore. The music does a great job of accentuating the mood. The game has several moments that will make you jump in your seat. As the game progresses, the things you discover further motivate you to uncover the mystery behind the hotel. Once again, the ending is stunning.

Missing is still one of my favorite games. It's fairly short, yet it's incredibly easy to get absorbed into the game. If there's any game I've mentioned in this thread that I hope one of you would try, it's this one. You can download the game here.


That's all I have for now. What are some of yours?

[SephirothKirby]

I was going to post Eversion, but I see you got that covered.

Good job, that's one of my favorites. And I've played Purgatory, you mentioned it a while back. I never did beat it, maybe I should go back and do that.

[Auron]

For the most part I tend to avoid playing creepy games (and watching creepy movies for that matter) because I guess when you boil it down I'm a complete pansy. Hell, I'm the person who gets so creeped out by underwater sections in games that I complete avoid Jolly Roger Bay whenever I play Super Mario 64 (and don't get me started on Vashj'ir in WoW).

However, I do have to say that the Scarecrow encounters in Arkham Asylum were not only creepy as hell, but they utterly fantastic. Absolutely my favorite parts in that game. Especially the first encounter.

[edit] Video contains spoilers for this part and is not nearly as creepy as playing it so don't watch it if you ever feel like playing it.

Click to view video.

[edit 2] And damn that Eversion download for being PC only. D:

[Jenocide]

I'm a big fan of scary games. I could go on forever... but there are a few games that I always remember when talking about the creepies.

Alone in the Dark
This was the first scary game I ever played when I was younger... and it was sooo creepy for me back then that I couldn't even get past the first room.

the white chamber
the white chamber is an amateur adventure horror game that's free to download by Studio Trophis. It's about a girl that wakes up on a space station with no memory of how she got there. A few of the erm... unexpected endings were creepy for me >_>

Condemned 2: Bloodshot
While I thought Condemned: Criminal Origins was a better game... it didn't have bears. I screamed like a little girl during that part.

Monster Party
This is a strange platformer for the NES... and I always get really creeped out in the first level. If you want to know what I'm talking about, here's a youtube video with the beginning of the game and gameplay from the first level.

Click to view video.

Hey, you! Yes, you! The one reading this! What are some of the games that you find creepy?

[Marilink]

Auron, sounds like you and me are two peas in a Pod.

Probably the creepiest game I've ever played is...well, Earthbound. Giygas was freaking scary and don't try to convince me otherwise!

Oh, here's one I've never played, but the concept alone creeps me the hell out:

[Antisocial]

Probably the first time I've seen Yume Nikki referenced on VGF. Odd.

I have visual experience with horror/creepy games but I generally don't play them at all because I am a gigantic wuss.

Oh, hey. Eversion. Thanks for reminding me that I wanted to do a comic on it. Gonna go do that now.

[Valigarmander]

Originally Posted by Jenocide

Monster Party
This is a strange platformer for the NES... and I always get really creeped out in the first level. If you want to know what I'm talking about, here's a youtube video with the beginning of the game and gameplay from the first level.

Oh yeah, I remember that game. You fought a giant, fried shrimp in it.

[Booyakasha]

I thought 'Alan Wake' was really creepy and atmospheric. They did a good job of making sure you never felt like a badass.

[Loot]

Originally Posted by Valigarmander

Oh yeah, I remember that game. You fought a giant, fried shrimp in it.

And a deceased crab!

Wait, no, you don't actually. Sorry, he's dead.

[Fairlight Excalibur]

Originally Posted by Valigarmander

The game is scattered with numerous Resident Evil-esque puzzles that require a bit of heavy thinking to pass.

Resident Evil had puzzles requiring thought...?




Resident Evil 2

This was the first horror game I played as a kid. It scared the living crap out of me, but then again I was eleven. And playing with the lights off. At 2am. Still, it was a good one, and led to my interest in a couple other games.



Someone mentioned this one already, but I actually played through the whole game and it gave some legitimate freakouts. The game breaks the fourth wall, aiming directly to freak out the player instead of the player character in many situations. I'm not going to spoil anything, but I would suggest playing the game without doing any further reading or research. Because of the scares the game attempts, there are literally hundreds of spoilers about the game.


5 Days a Stranger

I think AI was the one who first mentioned this game to me; I was not disappointed. While it is not a horror game per se, there are some freaky moments and revelations. Very good for an indie game. Download here.


Resident Evil 4 was amazing, but not really scary.

[Ace Mercury]

The spookiest game I've played recently is Redder:
auntie pixelante › redder (I think it's also on Kongregate, for those who like getting achievements)

It's a Metroidvania-type platformer. It can get quite lonely as you progress.

[Valigarmander]

Waxworks (Amiga/DOS)



Waxworks is a 1992 dungeon crawl RPG by HorrorSoft. The story begins many ages ago, when a witch attempted to steal from one of your ancestors and had her hand cut off as punishment. In retaliation, she placed a curse on the family, so that every time twins were born in the family, one would grow up to be good, and the other to be evil. Cut to the present day. It seems that your twin brother Alex is next in line to inherit the curse and become evil.

The hub world of the game is the eponymous waxworks, featuring several wax dioramas which you use as portals to different times and places where you must hunt down the evil twins in your familyline and kill them, to nullify the curse. Though for the most part the game is a standard point-and-click game, the gameplay varies quite a bit depending on which area you're in. One area takes place in ancient Egypt, and features mainly puzzles and traps. Another area, set in Victorian London, is mainly about stealth. The third area is set in a zombie-infested graveyard, and is like an action RPG. The fourth area takes place in a mineshaft filled with horrific plantlike mutants, and plays sort of like a primitive survival horror game.

One thing this game is famous for is its many, many, many gruesome death scenes. You will die a lot playing this game, and each time you die you'll be treated to a cutscene displaying your death in glorious gory detail. To name a few of the ways you can die, you can have your head cut off, be impaled on spikes, crushed by falling rocks, bitten by poisonous snakes, eaten by a crocodile, lynched by an angry mob, put on trial and hanged, have your throat slit by Jack the Ripper (who happens to be one of the evil twins), get eaten by a zombie, bitten by a vampire, crushed by a runaway minecart, and get flayed alive by mutants.

The game is somewhat difficult without a guide, but it's worth playing. You can download the game here.


5 Days a Stranger (DOS)



5 Days a Stranger is a point-and-click adventure game by Ben Croshaw. Yes, that Ben Croshaw. This game, the first in the Czho Mythos tetralogy, stars the cat burglar Trilby, as he breaks into the mansion of a recently-deceased wealthy gentleman, and finds himself trapped within the mansion walls along with several other people.

The game plays like a standard point-and-click adventure game. You walk around the house, talking to people, examining things, and adding objects to your inventory. As you investigate the mansion and try to find a way out, you suddenly find a masked murderer roaming the house, killing off the people trapped inside one by one. It's not long before you begin to uncover the dark secrets that the mansion hides.

As the Traveler said above, this isn't truly a horror game, although it has its share of frightening scenes. Either way, it's a fun game, and if you beat it you should try the other games in the series (which I have yet to do). You can download the game here.


Clock Tower/Clock Tower: The First Fear (SNES/PS1/PC)



Clock Tower was the first game in the Clock Tower series by Human Entertainment, released in Japan only in 1995. The game takes place in a mansion in Norway owned by a wealthy recluse named Mr. Barrows. The game stars an orphaned teenager named Jennifer who, along with her friends (also orphans), have been adopted by the wealthy family. At one point early on, Jennifer finds herself separated from the others, and before long finds one of her friends dead, murdered by a misshapen boy carrying a giant pair of scissors.

This game could best be described as a slasher flick made into a video game. There are no weapons. All you can do is run from the killer, use the environment to your advantage, and hope he doesn't catch you. What makes the game truly frightening is the way Bobby Barrows (or Scissorman, as he's sometimes called) stalks you throughout the mansion. He will follow you through doors, up stairs, and even take an alternate route so he can appear right in front of you. Occasionally he'll hide in rooms, popping out when you examine something. You will come to dread the noise of scissors snipping growing louder and louder, the telltale sound signifying his approach. If you end up at a dead end, it may be possible to hide somewhere, but there's no guarantee that he won't be able to find you and end you.

Clock Tower can be described as a mix between survival horror and point-and-click adventure. During the parts of the game where you aren't running in terror from Bobby Barrows, you are investigating the mansion, looking for clues, and trying to locate your missing friends. Just don't stick around in one place for too long.

This is an excellent psychological horror game, and the paranoia of being chased by a scissor-wielding murderer will keep you on the edge of your seat throughout the entire game. There are several endings, so try and aim for the best one. There are several places where you can download an English version of the game in ROM format.

[Loot]

Waxworks had some surprisingly graphic death scenes. The final puzzle was also rather... cruel.

[Heroine of the Dragon]

Val... I don't play creepy games... but I am seriously creeped out by Redeads, Zombies and Giant spiders in games...

[1-up Salesman]

Thanks for the links. I played through Eversion- not too creepy.

[Marilink]

Did you play it in one sitting at night with the music on?

[1-up Salesman]

No. I played it a few hours ago. Didn't get all the gems.

[X-3]

You're not exactly done with the game, then.

[1-up Salesman]

Well, I'm not sure how to get a few... what happens if I do, besides a better ending?

[Valigarmander]

...Yes.