Whether you’re celebrating the spookiest season of the year with cheesy slasher movies or spooky novels from King to Poe, sometimes nothing beats the immersion of gaming! And there’s no more fitting genre for the Halloween season, with a wealth of horror games to choose from, whether you consider yourself a retro gamer, with classics on the Mega Drive to the Playstation, or more into modern offerings. This year alone has seen some excellent titles, with the likes of the Blaire Witch and Dark Pictures: Man of Medan (from the creators behind the phenomenal Until Dawn), with more on the horizon: need I remind anyone about the incredibly hyped up Last of Us Pat II? But with so many to choose from, here’s a meagre few to pick from!
1 – Silent Hill Series
We were first introduced to this creepy little town in 1999, when Harry Mason unwittingly crashed his car, sparking a journey through purgatory and hell in search of his missing daughter. Since then, we’ve returned with James Sunderland, Heather Mason, and countless others, drawn to the mystical, psychological powers of the quiet, misty town – solving puzzles, and surviving hordes of twisted creatures that would make Francis Bacon recoil.
To say this franchise has had a potent effect on survival horror would be somewhat of an understatement, ranking up there with Resident Evil. This is a series that proudly shows off its inspirations, from David Lynch, to Stephen King, with literary names from psychological horror being used as street names around the town itself.
Any self-respecting horror fan can tell you why this is a must-see play, especially for Halloween. The immersion, sound design and score by Akira Yamaoka, unsettling nature of the story and its characters, and B-Movie references add to its creeping charm and distress. The mist that envelops the town – used by the developers to mask the lower quality graphic capabilities of the game – is arguably the most iconic feature, providing a cover which hides creatures spawned from your deepest fears, from zombie-like Nurses, to demonic hellhounds. Perhaps the most iconic creature is Silent Hill 2’s Pyramid Head, personifying protagonist Jame Sunderland’s inner recognition and desire for punishment. This, along with the town’s own occult history with demonology add a deeper occult conspiracy to the lore.
With that being said, Silent Hill 1 to 3 are easily the series highlights, becoming somewhat divisive among fans from 4 onwards. For those wishing to explore the misty town and its conversely rusty hell-scape form, the original trilogy holds up and are must plays for any gamer.
2 – Dead Space
What happens when you take Alien and the hellish nightmare landscape of Event Horizon, splice it together with a sprinkling of grizzly religious cultists, squeeze it into the tight corridors of a giant space station stuffed with not-so-dead corpses orbiting a dead planet in a dying universe, and put it in a bloody blender with John Carpenter’s The Thing? Visceral Game’s seminal space horror Dead Space, which to many did for sci-fi horror gaming what Ridley Scott did with Alien for cinematic sci-fi horror – effectively a slasher horror on a claustrophobic spaceship.
Responding to an urgent distress signal from the USG Ishimura, you take on the role of Isaac Clarke, an engineer for the Concordance Extraction Corporation turned survivor of Carpenter-esque Necromorphs. Dead Space is set onboard a massive station that may seem reminiscent of Ridley Scott’s infamous Nostromo, with dark, claustrophobic corridors, ambient clinks and hisses of “old pipes” (which are totally not skulking zombified mutant corpses of the recently deceased…), and real-world oil tanker interior design. Cozy.
With weapon upgrades, a metallic, grungy appearance, physics-based puzzles, and a distressingly eerie sound design that perpetually keeps your hairs on end, before rudely being jumped at by disfigured corpses with additional appendages, Dead Space will likely leave a lasting impression, especially when played in the dark. A little like the Marker’s psychological effect on Isaac… though it’s a shame the third entry derived so much from the series’ creepy horror roots and opted for a more action based cover shooter style, much like Resident Evil 5…
3 – Splatterhouse II
A gory tribute to Lovecraft and violent 1980s slasher horror, Spatterhouse II was a smash-hit, side scrolling beat ‘em up arcade title that received the home console treatment, being particularly popular on the Sega Mega Drive/ Genesis. As Rick, you don a Voorhees hockey mask – the reformed Terror Mask from the first game – and journey once again through a haunted mansion, split into various macabre horror themed stages, fighting and splattering your way through hordes of the gruesome and repugnant to save Rick’s girlfriend Jennifer.
Building upon the gruesome style of the first game, Splatterhouse II utilises a similar simplistic control design as the first entry, being on a two-dimensional plain with the ability to punch, kick, jump kick, side kick, and use various weapons scattered throughout the stages – including, but not limited to, a baseball bat that splatters foes against walls, adding a level of depth to each stage. While it might not be as scary or chilling as Silent Hill or Until Dawn, the grisly monster designs, grungy aesthetic and tributes to recognisable horror franchises (which caused controversy for sharing design similarities) make this a fun arcade title perfectly designed to be played during the Halloween season.
4 – Resident Evil Series
On the fateful night S.T.A.R.S, Jill Valentine and Chris Redfield investigated the disappearance of their team mates on the outskirts of Racoon City, Capcom’s ultimate George A. Romero tribute debuted on Sony’s Playstation One in 1996, sparking a series that re-animated our hunger for zombies and the living dead in popular culture. Whether you’re exploring derelict mansions, crazed villages, or apocalyptic cities, Resident Evil as a series quickly became the face of survival horror, alongside the likes of Silent Hill. Though Silent Hill takes on a more psychological approach to survival horror, Resident Evil limits ammo and health pickups and limits your game save opportunities, upping the tension and isolation with its infamous tank-controls and fixed camera angles, adding a more cinematic style that gives the impression that you are constantly being watched…
Resident Evil’s 1 to 4 and Code Veronica are recognised as being the antithesis of the series, while later entries were met with a polarising reception – particularly 5 and 6, as well as some lacklustre spinoffs. Resident Evil VII, meanwhile, managed to change up the formula, notably becoming an eerie FPS that retained the core elements that gave the original Spencer Mansion a claustrophobic, isolating tension. Resident Evil 2 remake for Playstation 4 similarly managed to update the popular Playstation classic with modern quality of life improvements to the core gameplay, while retaining familiar assets and designs from the original.
Whether you play the most recent PS4 offerings, Leon Kennedy’s ever popular “GameCube exclusive,” or revisit the PS1 classics, the Resident Evil series is a horror classic through and through, and a perfect choice to soak in the dread and atmosphere on a dark, spooky Halloween night…
5 – Forbidden Siren Series
Yet another forgotten horror gem from the days of the PS2, Forbidden Siren takes lead – again – from Silent Hill, if veiled behind the mist that made Konami’s psychological horror so infamous. The premise of Forbidden Siren was unique, taking the survival horror genre and adding a key stealth element to it, showing a broad range of influences from B-Movies to Junji Ito, with two entries on the PS2 (the second of which improved upon the base gameplay of the first), a PS3 “reimagining” (Siren: Blood Curse), and a film inspired by the second instalment, though it does not share it’s characters or story details.
It’s renowned for its unique ability to allow players to see and hear from the perspective of nearby enemies, adding a strategic stealth element in which players must make use of this ability to find hiding spaces or enemies with key items. Besides which, this upped the tension of the gameplay to horrendously tense heights, aided by creepy, ambient music and sound design, with a grungy aesthetic reminiscent of Japanese horror cinema.
Notably the first game featured a cast of interconnected characters, whose stories are told through a series of chapters – each stage usually requiring players to reach an exit while surviving against undead enemies called shibito (meaning “corpse”), or finding a key item. What’s more, they are interconnected by a butterfly effect in which one character’s actions during the events of one stage can open up secondary objectives in another, offering plenty of content and reason for replays and completionist attempts! But it is the overall atmosphere and J-Horror appeal that will strike a dissonant chord with horror fans.
6 – Fatal Frame/ Project Zero/ Zero Series
Project Zero is a series that easily takes the lead for weirdest regional naming differences on this list, being known as Zero in Japan and Fatal Frame in the States. Starting life yet again on the miracle horror machine that is Sony’s Playstation 2, Project Zero/Fatal Frame/Zero/ *insert other title*, is set in Japan during the 1980s, following siblings, Miku and Mafuyu Hinasaki – who happen to have clairvoyant abilities that allow them to see the dead. When Mafuyu disappears while searching for a famous novelist, however, Miku sets out to find her, exploring the haunted Himuro Mansion. During this time, she uncovers clues that shed light on the fate of prior guests in the house, learning the truth about a dark ritual while fending off hostile ghosts with a special antique camera… the Ghostbusters did, after all, use a glorified vacuum.
Gameplay throughout the series predominantly relies on exploration, isolation and tension heightened by slow motions while aiming with the camera, as well as the spooky interior of the traditional Japanese mansion design, recalling popular supernatural J-Horror such as The Ring and The Grudge. It is the use of traditional Japanese design and Japanese ghost stories and lore that provide this series its unique identity. Think of it as Resident Evil with Japanese ghosts instead of zombies, with Pokémon Snap.
7 – Koudelka
Quite unique for a gothic horror title, Koudelka – the first in the Shadow Hearts series – blends Resident Evil mansion exploration with a turn-based RPG style. Set in a fictional Welsh town near Aberystwyth, Koudelka Lasant explores Nemeton Mansion, a former medieval monastery – making this the perfect place for monsters and unholy creatures to terrorise unwelcome visitors. Combat is triggered by random encounters, like most JRPGs, with playable characters and enemies positioned on a grid, akin to a gothic chess board. And like chess, players move across the grid into strategic positions, using equipped weapons and magic found in the environment or earned after successful battles, though like Fire Emblem items can break after a certain amount of use.
Koudelka was created by Secret of Mana composer Hiroki Kikuta, who moved on from composing to develop his own title with SNK. While Koudelka was met with a mixed reception, with its own fair bit of criticism (especially for its slow pace and story), it is worth picking up purely for its ambience, gothic style, and unique blend of Western-inspired B-movie horror, mansion exploration, in-game graphics, and turn-based RPG combat. Suffice to say the succeeding Shadow Hearts games improve upon elements that were more harshly criticised.
8 – Alien: Isolation
Ridley Scott’s Alien remains a timeless classic, revered as an inspiration in modern cinema and gaming, with H. R. Giger’s own designs being referred to by the likes of Metroid. Ridley’s aesthetic design captured the isolation of space – where no one can hear you scream – and introduced us to the un-killable pop-culture phenomenon, the Xenomorph. James Cameron, meanwhile, followed up with the more action-oriented science-fiction sequel Aliens, which evolved the lore of Ridley Scott’s universe and the Aliens themselves, exploring the Weyland-Yutani Corporation, the Colonial Marines, and the state of human colonial exploration, itself also cited as a key influence in the shaping of future science-fiction cinema and gaming.
Released 35-years after the original movie, taking on the role of Amanda Ripley – Ellen Ripley’s orphaned daughter – Alien: Isolation acts as a true stylistic sequel to Scott’s Alien, capturing the essence and visual style of the Nostromo, elevating the sense of isolation by making use of its first-person perspective. The score and soundscape encapsulates the original, with audio and text log entries to discover, Easter eggs that reference the film series and expanded lore, and enough jump scares to rival John Hurt’s infamous Facehugger scene! Dark looming corridors hide crevices and ventilation shafts that could house hostile bipedal insectoids, as much as the hissing and distant clanging of pipes mask the distance and whereabouts of Ash’s “perfect organism.”
Isolation lives up to its title, expertly crafting one of the most unnerving experiences available on todays gaming catalogue. While this is an absolute must play for fans of the franchise, additional challenge maps retain the suspense of the campaign in shorter sessions that are perfect for instilling claustrophobic, isolating, and brutally unnerving fear in any naysayer and Nostromo survivor… Did I happen to mention, much like the fateful Nostromo crew, you can’t properly fight back? Yep. You can scare it… but it’ll be back.
9 – Dementium Series
Dementium: The Ward was originally conceived, funnily enough, as a possible Silent Hill entry, though Konami ended up rejecting Renegade Kid’s pitch, leading it to be developed as its own title instead. This first-person survival horror title is a rarity on Nintendo’s popular handheld, creatively making use of the systems dual-screen nature, receiving a sequel and later a remaster on the 3DS. As William Redmoor, players stumble through an eerie hospital ward with amnesia, searching rooms and hallways for an exit to escape, solving puzzles and defeating monsters with a flashlight in one hand, and weapons ranging from a nightstick to a revolver.
Right from the outset, the game takes a macabre tone, as William wakes up in a repulsive ward after having brain surgery. The mysterious “Doctor” (not to be confused with the kooky time-traveller) torments William throughout his escape, unleashing nightmares and loathsome creatures upon poor William. Much like its Konami cousin, Dementium’s plot hides many secrets about its characters, just as the fog hides creatures and sadistic imagery. Despite its pixelated, polygonal design, plugging in a decent pair of headphones, dimming the lights, and soaking up its creepy ambience, the Dementium series is a worthy handheld horror offering that succeeds at capturing the tone and style of the classic Silent Hill franchise that has been missing in some of its later entries.
10 – Luigi’s Mansion Series
Changing up the fright fest selection somewhat here, Luigi’s Mansion caused quite a stir back when the Gamecube launched. Imagine Nintendo launching a brand new system without Mario! What’s more, imagine the reaction people had to a game lead by his brother Luigi… set to the backdrop of a haunted mansion! Moving away from the Mushroom Kingdom, surrounded by oddly themed Desert, Ice, and Water Kingdoms, Luigi’s Mansion quickly became recognised as one of the systems must play titles, sparking somewhat of a cult following, receiving a second and third sequel, as well as a 3DS port.
Taking cues from Ghostbusters, Luigi hunts ghosts and sucks them up into a vacuum – the Poltergust 3000 – while solving puzzles, uncovering hidden items, and defeating bosses as he discovers more of the mansions hidden secrets. Perfectly themed for the season, like an animated family friendly Halloween movie, Luigi’s Mansion is one of the games that should be played through every Halloween.
11 – System Shock
Before BioShock there was System Shock, a 1994 first-person thrill ride that brought an edgy cyberpunk space station and Ridley-esque atmospheric horror together to create an unsettling genre breakthrough. As with most other games on this list, System Shock sees you explore a multi-levelled space station, combat freakish enemies, and solve inconvenient puzzles that would realistically hinder your space station experience. As a nameless hacker, you are attempting to access files about the Citadel Station, owned by the TriOptimum Corporation: Weyland-Yutani vibes, anyone? With an artificial intelligence, experimental mutagenic viruses, and black market biological weapons, System Shock’s brooding cyberpunk world will make uncovering the stations secrets a system shock all of its own, throwing gruesome futuristic settings, dark atmospheric magic, and distorted creatures at you along the way.
12 – Little Nightmares
Taking a little inspiration from the creative mind of Tim Burton (Nightmare Before Christmas, Corpse Bride), Little Nightmares is a unique puzzle-platformer horror adventure title from Tarsier Studios, published by Bandai Namco, that follows the escape attempt of Six from the Maw – a strange vessel that caters to a freakish customer basis. The further into the confines of the Maw you travel, the harsher the environment becomes, traversing complex platforms and puzzles, saving traumatised children (some of whom look more like miniature Pyramid Heads), not to mention encountering distorted figures, large and obese, called the Guests. The presence of the Guests at the Maw and the nature of the Maw itself are left to your interpretation, heightening the unsettling atmosphere. Dark environments allow Six to pop in her yellow raincoat (totally not a nod to George Denbrough), while the grotesque designs of the Maw’s inhabitants and various visitors will leave a lasting, if scarring, impression. Six’s own insatiable appetite may carry its own issues, too, as her primal hunger grows increasingly difficult to satisfy the further you progress…
13 – Eternal Darkness
Another surprise Nintendo title on the Gamecube, originally planned as an N64 release, Eternal Darkness: Sanity’s Requiem takes psychological horror to extremes thanks to its “sanity effect” which is guaranteed to mess with your mind. The basic gameplay functions somewhat akin to Resident Evil as you explore a variety of locations, with the story taking place between four main settings, time skipping back and forth between an underground Persian temple, the Forbidden City; a Khmer temple in Angkor Thorn, Cambodia; Oubilé Cathedral in Amiens, France; and the Roivas Family Estate in Rhode Island, beneath which Ehn’gha (an ancient underground city) can be found. The time spans from 26 BC to 2000 AD, placing players in control of different characters from each time period. Like Resident Evil, there are monsters to fight, areas to explore, and puzzles to stress over, though the game is most remembered for its 4th wall breaking.
Patented by Nintendo, the “Sanity Effect” requires players to keep an eye on a Sanity meter, which decreases when spotted by an enemy. The lower the bar falls, the greater the environment will change, and more random events will occur, reflecting the character’s loosening grip on reality! Awkward camera angels, animated statue heads that follow you around, unsettling noises, bleeding walls, and sudden character deaths will trigger – though they don’t hold a candle to the “game breaking glitches” and simulated TV anomalies, made to give the impression that the game itself can interact with you directly!
Just remember to turn off the lights and… who do those footsteps belong to…?
