We’ve all been in the situation where a game has scared us stiff or or startled us to the point where we jump out of our skin. These are the titles that keep us going back for more and the ones that we simply must tell our friends about the next day. To celebrate Halloween, here are our top five horror games of all time.
Slender: The Eight Pages is a free first-person survival-horror game based around the urban legend of the Slenderman: a tall, faceless, suit-wearing guy who abducts children for God-knows-what reason. In the middle of a dark wood, you have to collect eight cryptic notes explaining the true terror of the monster before succumbing to his horror. It’s a chilling game with an incredible atmosphere that greatly succeeds in furthering the terror spread by the myth. The pure tension of potentially seeing Slenderman anywhere you walk keeps you on the edge of your seat.
The 1001-Up.com team tried to play this game in the dark and I’m not ashamed to say it freaked us all out: we lasted one play-through and had to turn it off! Slenderman is definitely someone I’d hate to bump into in a dark forest.
He don’t look like much but believe us, he’s very scary.
4. Dead Space
Set in a dark and distant future, mankind has the ability to ‘crack’ planets: to literally open a planet and harvest its resources. When a religious artifact related to a twisted cult is discovered on Aegis VII, the Ishimura mining ship goes dark. Isaac Clarke, whose girlfriend is stationed aboard the Ishimura, is part of the engineering team sent to uncover what’s really going on. What follows is, in our humble opinion, one of the best and most terrifying gaming experiences of ever; your attention is never off this title, and you’re always wondering if that motionless body on the floor is really dead or just lying in wait for you to get closer.
The deformed monsters keep coming in Dead Space.
3. Resident Evil
A mysterious corporation has secretly been performing ungodly biotech experiments in the sleepy little town of Raccoon City and when reports of gory attacks come in from nearby areas, you’re sent in to investigate. Players take on the role of either sharpshooter Chris Redfield or demolitions expert Jill Valentine to track down the source of the town’s problems – specifically, something in a decaying mansion that’s mutating animals into grotesque killers and turning humans into bloodthirsty zombies. Supplies and ammunition are scarce, so you have to know when to fight, when to run and how to keep your wits about you. You can’t afford to waste a single shot and every door opened is met with fear and anxiety; whether it’s zombie dogs jumping through windows or monstrous snakes and spiders, this game terrifies players like no other before it.
Where our zombie fascination began.
2. F.E.A.R. 2: Project Origin
This classic is the follow up to F.E.A.R, the highly-rated survival-horror game of supernatural suspense and pulse-pounding action. Players once again encounter Alma as they explore the city that was destroyed at the end of the first title as well as other large outdoor environments. The storyline actually starts half-an-hour before the end of the first, so the final scene and destruction will come roaring back in all its glory.
Are you sure you want to go in there?
1. Amnesia: The Dark Decent
Amnesia: The Dark Descent is a survival-horror from Frictional Games, the same developer behind the Penumbra series. Players take on the role of Daniel as he awakens to find himself in a mysterious castle with no memory about his past. Not only will you explore through the physical building, you’ll also experience the protagonist’s tormented memories as he slowly regains them, not knowing what is real or imaginary.
It’s a horror game that uses the environment in its favour, all along making use of simple mechanics at the base. It’s among the few titles where you feel totally helpless throughout the campaign in which you are forced to run away, hide or solve puzzles against the clock. And all this while something is chasing you! This is hardly a forgiving game, especially if you’re fainthearted; but if you want a horror to make your knees tremble then Amnesia is the one for you.
Why aren’t you running?
If you haven’t had the chance to try these games then the Halloween period is the perfect time to give them a go. They’re classics of the horror genre and must be played (just not on your own).
