As you may know, I absolutely adore horror films but I’ve got to admit that there is something uniquely special about horror games. In contrast to films that’ll always play out the same way, a truly great horror game will find new ways to frighten you time and time again. Similarly, death is around every corner and a mistake on your part will cost you dearly. Taking this all into account, I thought it’d be interesting to share some of my favourite horror video games.
Let’s start with a classic. I love the Resident Evil franchise and consider many of its entries to be amongst the finest horror games every created. However, if I had to pick a favourite, my choice, based on what I’ve played as of this article, would be the 2002 remake of Resident Evil. The atmosphere is superb, the puzzles are enjoyable and the tension is palpable. Chris and Jill have enough unique qualities that playing through the game as each provides a highly enjoyable experience. Some people may think that pre-rendered backgrounds are antiquated but I truly think that the graphics of the 2002 remake have stood the test of time with superb designs, style and detail. If you’ve yet to try horror video games, I think the remake of Resident Evil would be a fantastic start.
One of the first horror games that I ever played was F.E.A.R. and I’d argue that, even today, it remains very unique and is highly worth playing. Most horror games succeed by making the player feel powerless but F.E.A.R. makes the interesting choice to make you feel incredible. The gameplay is that of a first-person shooter but incorporates bullet time which allows you to slow time down in order to be more accurate and able to dodge enemy bullets. However, this doesn’t prevent the game from feeling tense as enemies are aggressive and intelligent while the atmosphere is unnerving. If you haven’t given it a shot yet, I’d definitely recommend you try F.E.A.R.
It’s only recently that I began playing the Alone in the Dark games, the first three so far, but I can already include the original Alone in the Dark amongst my favourite horror video games. As a game from 1992 attempting 3D graphics, it’s clear that they haven’t aged gracefully. However, the atmosphere of the game continues to shine 30 years later and I love how open the house feels, allowing you to tackle puzzles in various orders. The controls are certainly a little janky but I was able to get used to them relatively quickly. If you’re ok with older video game design and graphics, I think you’ll find Alone in the Dark to have held up surprisingly well as a horror game.
My last recommendation might be a little surprising but hear me out. There is a lot of media that incorporates horror superficially but is clearly something else. Considering how most horror games are third-person or first-person shooters or adventure games, it’s easy to write other genres off as being only superficially horror. However, I fully believe that Darkest Dungeon, a roguelite RPG, fulfills the criteria to be a superb horror game. Each expedition that your adventurers embark on is a nail-biting experience where resources are limited and the penalty for failure is high. I can remember plenty of times where I would enter a room and be filled with dread at the monstrosity that I encountered, trying to figure out whether I could survive against them or if it would be better to flee. I admit that it’s an odd choice but I can definitely say that I’ve felt more fear in Darkest Dungeon than most other horror games.
Let me know what you think about some of my favourite horror video games, whether you’ve played them and, if you have, what you thought about them, what some of your favourite horror games are, how you would define when a game is horror or not and any additional information you might have on the topic.
Thanks for reading and if you wish to seek any of the titles I mentioned, don’t hesitate to use amazon.co.uk or amazon.com for all of your needs! Also feel free to follow my curator page on Steam “JRPG Reviews” for thoughts and opinions on any JRPGs that I play and my YouTube channel “Victory Achieved Gaming” where I guide my friend through challenging games.