Summary
Whenever it seems like horror games have hit their apex, they prove there’s still a lot of creative mileage left in the genre. AAA, indie, and even AA devs find new ways to subvert expectations and terrify players. Somehorror games are set in open worlds, while others incorporate surprisingly deep and fun combat in their game designs — it’s all thanks to the innovative geniuses working behind the scenes.
Some scary games will tap into the fear of the unknown to make players question whether to progress ahead or not. They rely on a dark atmosphere and instill an unnerving sense of dread with creepy visuals, spooky sound effects, and suspenseful build-up. Some might even throw a cheap jumpscare or two to keep players guessing, but not always.
Leave it to indie devs to make a fishing game that ties to forbidden arcane artifacts and demonic presences.Dredgebrings unsettlinghorror under the guise of a colorful aesthetic. The game stimulates the imagination and keeps players guessing what devilish entity awaits in the darkness of the sea.
The true scares start during nighttime when the fear meter begins filling up, which triggers hallucinations. If players aren’t careful, the controllable sea trawler might sustain damage from gargantuan life-forms straight out of an HP Lovecraft novel. Upgrades and intuitive skill tree bonuses allow players to survive supernatural encounters.Dredgeis a horror game with deeply ingrained exploration, and the more players progress, the more chaos it brings into the world.
Gamers who enjoy seamless open-world exploration are in for a treat inSubnautica… except the exploration is a nightmare. Players have to jump into an alien ocean and scavenge for resources to build an airship in their attempt to leave the planet. The game offers no explanation at the beginning, except that the original spaceship has crashed into the alien ocean.
To figure out everything elseand survive the horrors of the depths, players must do literal deep dives into the surreal underwater biomes. The core gameplay involves crafting and base-building — making stop points for the night, then continuing exploration the next day.Subnauticais a sandbox grind-fest, except its isolating sense of dread and colorfully bizarre marine life make it fun yet absolutely petrifying.
Dead Space (2023)is a faithful remake of a classicsci-fi horror game where most of the horroris tied to exploration. A huge chunk of the gameplay is a tense investigation of a decrepit spaceship enveloped in darkness — not wise, is it? Yet that’s whatDead Spaceputs players through.
But that’s not all, as the spaceship — the USG Ishimura — has an infestation of mutated, reanimated corpses, prowling around every corridor. They can sneak up on players without a sound, and the constant growling noises through the vents will keep players constantly on edge. Piling on the scare factor are disturbing data logs that will provide additional backstory and lore, deepening the mysteries of what exactly happened to the Ishimura.
When it comes to horror, few can competewith the scares and thrills that Japanese devs can bring.Silent Hill 2 (2024)faithfully reimagines the original classic but adds more polish and is more spine-chilling. Players are trapped in the titularSilent Hill,with strange occurrences and hellish creatures everywhere. The combat is awkward by design, which shows that the main character isn’t invincible.
TheSilent Hill 2remake is a game chock-full of horrors, but progression requires thorough exploration to solve puzzles and riddles. The gameintentionally nurtures player anxiety through its impressive sound design. Dark areas and interiors with dim lighting create the perfect level of unease. A dense fog engulfs the open spaces, and demonic silhouettes keep players guessing what’s real.
The Evil Withinwas Mr. Resident Evil’s — akaShinji Mikami’s — attempt at a return to horror games, and what a glorious return it was. With its morbid and occult visuals, the game takes horror and reluctant exploration to new heights. Players have to rely on stealth and scarce ammo to pick their battles with twisted monstrosities that won’t stay down, even if killed. They literally have to be lit on fire to ensure they don’t resurrect.
The boss fights are intense and varied, each requiring different strategies and constant movement to survive. Throughout it all, there are backstories of various characters and personal accounts of the protagonist that fill in the curious details. However, to get those, players must be willing to venture out.
Darkswoodis amagnificent indie horror gamewith a top-down perspective and grainy aesthetic, and exploring it will make players’ skin crawl. From the get-go, there is a foreboding sense of hopelessness and doom. Players will have to comb every inch of the available section of the map during the day to scavenge for resources. It is vital to gather as much as possible while exploring to set up a defense against evil, hostile creatures.
There’s a mystery to uncover inDarkwood,and the game’s quests have player choices that determine the fates of NPCs. The game deeply touches the body horror aspect and takes it to the extreme — everything from the characters to the world itself is infected with it.
Amnesia: The Dark Descentput indie horror gaming on the map, and its exploration-centric horror is phenomenal from start to finish. The main character wakes up in a manor with no memory of how he got there. The core gameplay revolves around discovery andexploring the mansion’s medieval-era corridors and wings. Along the way, there are notes and journal entries to find that help players to piece together the story.
The musical score and the intensity of the stealth segments are spectacular high points of the game. With no means of combat, the monsters chase the players, and hiding without being seen is the only means of escaping pursuit. The depleting sanity mechanic that distorts vision, and the accompanying musical score, makeAmnesia: The Dark Descenta fantastic horror game.
Capcom’spremier survival horror franchiseisResident Evil,but their most niche and underrated outing wasHaunting Ground.This horror game’s uniqueness is primarily due to making exploration a frightening prospect. The lead character is a young girl trapped in a gothic castle, trying to survive her relentless pursuers. All of them are unhinged castle inhabitants uncomfortably obsessed with her.
The trick is to learn the castle’s layout through exploration and use the environment to trap enemies. Haunting Ground also gives players a wolf-dog companion they can command, pet, or scold to help with puzzles and create breathing room from enemies. The game’s unsettling tone, especially the sudden panic mode, adds to the vulnerability and tension.
