As we get closer to Halloween I see a daily increase in the number of requests for horror game recommendations on the internet.
Please note: My tastes tend to lean towards the idiosyncratic so, while there are some blockbusters on here, I will often prefer to list a lesser known title.
Additionally, perhaps controversially, I don't play RPG's - so there are likely a few gaps in meeting expectations where games in that genre are concerned.
With that all on the record: Let’s get started, as is traditional, with the letter A...
- A -
Avenging Spirit
This fairly cute looking 1991 arcade platformer may seem an odd place to start a list themed around the doom and devilry of the witching season, but Jaleco's posses-em-up is something of a lost treasure.
As the titular spirit you are summoned and sent out on a mission to save your girlfriend by her (don't say mad) scientist father.At the start of the game you are given a choice of one of four possessees to serve as your host - but it is when that first avatar is killed that the game comes into its own; with the clock on your spirit meter quickly ticking you must quickly jump into a new host.
In the standout feature of the game it turns out that you can possess absolutely any other NPC in the game. Besides the arcade original there was a surprisingly faithful port to the original Game Boy, an emulated version of which is available from the 3DS eShop.
- B -
Bayonetta
Bayonetta
Some (perhaps justifiable) concern has been raised about the character design - but it would be a real shame if this is, or has been, the reason for anyone avoiding this masterpiece.
While the physical aspect of the lead characters design is doubtless sexualised, her personality and motivations are far more complex.
Bayonetta is the best game in its genre because it focuses on what makes games great, and I for one wouldn't have it any other way.
Play it immediately if you haven't already, unless you only have access to a PS3... In which case buy a better console (or a PC), then play it.
- C -
Castlevania: Symphony of the Night
Suffice to say that, despite its open level designs and progression method coming more than a decade after they were first seen in Metroid, Symphony of Night is why the genre portmanteau has '–vania' stapled to the end of it. Simon’s Quest had toyed with exploration in the series previously, but not as expansively or as successfully as was achieved in this, a true great of the genre to which it gives (half) it’s name.
- D -
The Deadly Tower of Monsters
Framed as a recently re-released DVD of the eponymous B-movie (complete with director commentary overlaying the gameplay) this is a glorious pastiche of low budget horror that is as much a joy for its twin-stick gameplay as it is for the aforementioned, often hilarious, voiceover.
Most levels in the game are built with an abundance of verticality, this alone gives it something of a unique feel - but when this is combined with monsters designed to look like extras in rubber suits and others that are given a superbly authentic looking stop-motion animation effect, there isn't much in The Deadly Tower of Monsters that isn't immense fun.
It isn't a long game, but it isn't an expensive one either, so f you want to add it to your Halloween games night list then head over to Steam/PSN where it's available.
- E -
Eternal Darkness: Sanity's Requiem
When it isn’t sabotaging its own excellent atmosphere with immersion breaking gimmicks, Sanity’s Requiem is a superb psychological horror that uses a non-linear narrative (a much underused mechanic in videogames) to great effect.
I should also say that until the lower limits of the Nintendo patented (no, really) ‘Sanity Effects’ are hit, the warpings of the gameworld that they introduce are clever and genuinely unsettling.
You could argue that stripped of 'Sanity Effects' the game is not exactly awash with originality, but these elements are so tightly woven into the fabric of the game that separating them - even hypothetically - is an impossibility.
- F -
Fatal Frame 2: The Crimson Butterfly
This feat is made possible by fantastic production values that allow the directors vision to be fully realised.
Indeed, creator Makoto Shibata has claimed that later games in the series have been deliberately less scary as many players were too disturbed to finish the story.
This would be a shame as the plot, centred on a phantom village and human sacrifice, is woven very cleverly through the gameplay in which spirits are despatched via the use of a magical camera.
Available on PS2, XBox, and Wii it's an experience that you'll never forget. Turn the lights and your phone off and you'll understand why this is regarded by many as the scariest video game ever made.
- G -
Gregory Horror Show
Mainly employing a mix of simplified stealth and investigative eavesdropping to liven up the lock-and-key puzzles, the game tasks you to retrieve 12 lost souls currently in the possession of various inhabitants of the ‘Gregory House’ hotel.
Following guests around and listening in to conversations may not sound like fuel for a game with ‘Horror’ in the title but GHS brings with it an Eternal Darkness-esque sanity meter that impacts gameplay and difficultly should it drop too low.
- H -
The House of the Dead: Overkill
Funded from Japan and set in America, House of the Dead: Overkill was developed in the UK by Headstrong games, a small London based outfit whose previous game was the slightly more family friendly Art Academy.
Overkill gives the House of Dead franchise the full grindhouse treatment. Its style is clearly and directly influenced by Rodriquez' Planet Terror featuring almost identical visual filters and even the same 'missing reel' gag.
The game play is the series' standard lightgun fare but in this case it's controlled with either the Wii remote or Playstation Move controller.
The PC version was ported as Typing of the Dead: Overkill, replicating the gameplay from the original Typing of the Dead from 1999.
While it is possible to play this version with a mouse if there was ever a game where this didn't feel in the spirit of the developers intentions then this is it.
- I -
It Came from the Desert!
Much to the chagrin of many a late 80's teenager, It Came from the Desert's core gameplay involves trying to get the wonderfully characterful NPC inhabitants of the small desert town for which the threat posed by oversized insects is most imminent.
This being an interactive movie it's actually impossible to die, but it's all too possible to fail.
Luckily, as with many games of this type, the real joy comes from replaying and discovering new outcomes to individual situations and indeed the whole game.
Any classic b-movie fan needs to play this game; as a love letter to the genre it is near flawless.
- J -
Ju-On: The Grudge
Ju-On: The Grudge is a movie tie-in that tries to recreate the movie a little too closely - not so much in terms of plot - but more in terms of the audience not having much control of proceedings - instead offering a very linear experience that only lasts two hours.
With that said, the 'game' is actually pretty successful at generating a creepy atmosphere and delivering a few embarrassingly effective jump-scares.
As a one-off experience it works, so pick up a second hand copy or find another way to play it without having to cough up £30-£40 and it would make a worthy addition to any Halloween party.
- K -
Killer 7
Suda51 and his studio Grasshopper Manufacture were at their height of their uncompromising punk prowess when this psychological head-fuck hit the shelves.
Touching on themes as diverse as the futility of war and childhood bullying, and as wide ranging as U.S./Japanese foreign policy and multiple personality disorder, Killer 7 is often bewildering but never needlessly obtuse.
It walks the tightrope of confusion, teasing the audience that the explanation is there, if they just look a little harder, think a bit longer, replay just one more time.
Such is the perfection of its realisation that even on its simple surface level, it’s a brilliantly creepy shooter, parred back to the minimum and presented with some of the most stylish design ever seen in a video game.
An updated version was recently announced and absolutely should not be missed.
- L -
Lollipop Chainsaw
All subsequent releases, including Lollipop Chainsaw, have been directed by other who often try to mimic his style. Of these, first time director Tomo Ikeda (whose previous career high appears to be as a writer on Rule of Rose) is probably the most successful.
The game itself is at the simpler end of the beat-em-up spectrum, feeling more like a direct evolution of games like Double Dragon than something that could be compared to the likes of Devil May Cry. Protagonist Julia Starling undertakes a rampage of zombie murdering armed with only her trusty chainsaw, the disembodied head of her boyfriend, and a deliriously upbeat attitude.
It's a short, entertaining ride that, thankfully, has replayability built into its design - and replay it you will because, a couple of missteps aside, it’s one of the most infectiously entertaining games around.
- M -
Muramasa: The Demon Blade
The hand-drawn art is, as you expect from Vanillaware, absolutely stunning; offering both the beautiful and the grotesque with equal creativity and aplomb.
The combat system is deceptively complex and, once mastered, can result in entire screenfuls of enemies being defeated without either you or them ever touching the ground.
- N -
North
It'll run on just about any hardware.
I can't say too much because it's sort of 'about' not really understanding what's going on.
Developer t7iji has imbued his excellent game with a powerfully oppressive, creepy, atmosphere and built an environment that seems to seethe with malevolence.
The blurb on his ich.io page simply states: "Apply for asylum in a city filled with strange creatures. WASD or Arrows to move / Mouse click to interact." So, in keeping with that, I don't want to say too much more.
Play it.
- O -
Onechanbara Z2 Chaos
Whichever side of the line you fall on you should understand that, generally, the Onechanbara games aren't actually very good, and it's this, rather than any deliberate concealment fuelled by shame, that has led to their relative obscurity.
Z2 Chaos is a bit different though as it actually works as a fun, albeit limited brawler.
The franchise has always had restricted, linear environments and graphics that are split down the middle in terms of quality; they are exceptional (if arguably misjudged) in depiction of the girls but never rise above bog-standard placeholder graphics for everything else.
However, in Z2 the series has introduced the ability to tag in any one of four characters on the fly - each with very different move-sets.
This single mechanic elevates the gameplay above the level of others in the series simply by giving the player so much freedom to create.
- P -
Pony Island
And I’m afraid that’s all you’re getting from me.
Much like North (above), Pony Island is another of those games of which it's difficult talk without the risk of spoiling it for others.
Luckily it’s available on Steam or (DRM free) on Humble for £4, so just have one less pint this weekend and try it for yourself.
- Q -
Quake 4
If the game doesn’t seem like your cup of tea, or if you’re reading this from a purely Halloween perspective, you could just Youtube the above mentioned sequence – but you’d be missing out on a top-notch shooter if you did.
- R -
Resident Evil
Resident Evil 2 is probably a better all around game than the original, but this is a list for the Halloween season - and Spencer Mansion is quite simply one of the best haunted house environments ever to appear in a video game.
It's a rare event in any medium when the flaws (or perceived flaws) of a piece manage to enhance it, but that is very much the case with the original Resident Evil.
Take the voice acting, subject of a million memes, there's no way anyone could claim it had genuine quality. Yet, better acting may have telegraphed plot points that otherwise remain obscured by the stilted delivery.
And then there’s the 'tank controls', whether the vagaries of movement and inconsistent aiming exist by accident or design may never be known, but either way, they add huge amounts of tension to encounters where swift action is required.
There can be no doubt that the first Resident Evil, no matter the quality or otherwise of later franchise entries, remains an ingeniously designed adventure that has permanently and single handedly reignited a stagnant genre.
- S -
Silent Hill 2
Other entries in the series may offer a more immediate kind of horror, but the first sequel (actually more of a remake) exists in a palpable atmosphere of unease that seeps every moment with dread and foreboding.
More than that though, Silent Hill 2 features such a credible, genuine depiction of loss and despair that it elevates the entire product from that a high quality videogame to something of an unmissable experience regardless of the medium.
- T -
Teleglitch
A top-down shooter with a glitchy lo-fi aesthetic and clever line of sight effect, Teleglitch offers the kind of fear that comes from not knowing what is around the next corner – or even standing right next to you.
Please note that it was a deliberate decision to not list the ‘Die More Edition’ which, as you would expect from the name, amps up the difficulty to a level that – for me – brought with it an unacceptable level of repetition.
That said, if it's the only version you can find don't let that stop you from playing an excellent the game
- U -
UFO: Enemy Unknown
In some ways the influences can be traced back further still, as it takes clear inspiration from the sci-fi horror movies of the fifties and sixties.
It was when this game was rebranded for the American market, though, that the series’ first bore the 'X-com' moniker.
Whatever you call it, X-Com or UFO, the game features a near perfect combination of management sim and turn based combat elements that ensure you’ll be hooked from the very beginning and, to my mind at least, it has never been bettered in the genre.
- V -
Vampire: Darkstalkers Collection
Well, not quite blank. One suggestion; Visage, released a couple of days ago, looks like it might be a real contender - but I don't agree with Early Access, so I will have to wait for a full release to see if it lives up to it's potential.
Other games suggested were decent enough but nothing I felt comfortable giving a firm recommendation.
So - in the end - I've cheated!
Vampire: Darkstalkers Collection is a Japan-only release that collected five different entries in the ‘Vampire’ fighting game series – far better known in the west as Darkstalkers.
If you're not familiar with the Darkstalkers/Vampire series you should remedy that immediately - and if this collection isn't an option then several entries are available on various formats in the west under the Darkstalkers name.
These 2d fighters featuring a deliciously twisted cast of monsters, villains, succubae, and various other freaks and ghouls may look a little simplistic when compared to games released since, but there's real class in the character designs and in the fight engine.
Part 3 is probably the best of the bunch, the Dark Force System it introduced was the major change from earlier instalments - a 'super meter' in all but name it brought the game in line with other 2d fighters of the era.
- W -
The Witches House
Created by a developer going by the name of Fummy in the RPG Maker software, The Witches House is presented in the traditional, top-down, RPG format with 16bit style sprites and tiled environments.
Nevertheless it manifests a pervasive sense of dread and genuine unease - and then throws in some sucker-punch jump scares for good measure.
It's an exceptional horror game by any measure, but considering its origins it is an extraordinary achievement - and considering that it's entirely free there's no excuse for not playing it.
- X -
XCom: Enemy Unknown
a) Enemy Unknown is just that good, and...
b) ‘X’ has predictably slim pickings for my purposes...
This long awaited new entry in the series changed much from the originals and while I personally felt that there was a good balance of updated mechanics and familiar elements I can still totally understand the purist point of view that some aspects were ‘dumbed down’ a little too far.
An additional casualty of the update is the movement away from any horror elements into full on science fiction.
However I maintain that an Alien invasion would be pretty damn scary… So I stand by this choice!
- Y -
Yakuza: Dead Souls
That is to say, reviewers and consumers often judge a product based on what they expect it to be, rather than what it actually is.
It could be argued, for example, that if No Mans Sky had arrived on the scene with little-to-no fanfare it would have been a monster hit. But the weight of expectation all but ensured it would never be anything more than a moderate success.
This, I feel, is the case with Yakuza Dead Souls.
The parent Yakuza series is a deep and involving expansion on the roots laid down by Yu Suzuki’s soon to be completed masterwork; Shenmue.
Each entry features a vast open world, a huge variety of missions, and side quests that range from assignations to bowling.
Even though the shadow of these are present in Dead Souls they have been simplified along with many other aspects of the core Yakuza experience. However.
Were the name 'Yakuza' not on the box I feel this game would have fared far better – it’s a huge and entertaining zombie brawler with a surprisingly deep story that will keep you entertained for many hours.
- Z -
Zombie Revenge
There aren't a great number of games that have managed to take the 2D brawling action of games like Final Fight and Streets of Rage and successfully add a third axis of movement - but 1999 arcade and Dreamcast effort Zombie Revenge is one of the few that get it right.
A spin-off from the House of the Dead franchise, the player takes control of one of three AMS agents, each with different hand-to-hand combat and weapon skills, as they battle their way through hordes of zomb... “Mutants” in each of the game’s 6 levels.
The combat in the game is largely weapon based and uses a satisfying risk and reward mechanic in which the longer you aim the more powerful your shot gets.
This in itself adds an extra layer to dealing with the endless onslaught, but alongside the firepower the unarmed combat is made equally satisfying with special and context sensitive moves.
It's all good cheesy fun with great boss designs and a relentless pace.
The difficulty is higher than the body count though so practice, and patience, are a must.
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