October 31st looks a lot like New Year's Eve or Ferragosto: no one ever knows what to do, everything is organized strictly up to 16 hours before and on time you forget to call someone. And if that someone happens to be you, your good Neidra is here to offer you a list of 10 horror games that will keep you company during the night of the spirits. Aren't you afraid yet? You should, trust me!
We will divide the games according to categories, starting with 4 recent titles that have managed to assert themselves in recent years, then we will cross the world of indies, often underestimated games that know how to terrify, and we will conclude the journey with the nostalgic side given by the world of retro games, to remember the sleepless nights spent shaking due to the dual shock that caused a heart attack with each vibration. Let's not waste any more time and let's start our exploration!
Resident Evil VII
How not to start with the latest title of the horror saga par excellence on consoles? Resident Evil VII it is a must for all those who love survival experiences, with a totally revisited gameplay compared to the previous chapters of the saga and which greatly affects the perception that the player has of the surrounding environment. With significantly slower gameplay than the fifth and sixth chapter, Resident Evil VII it is also highly recommended to all those who do not know the saga and want to try their hand at an adventure among zombies, mysteries and abandoned places.
The title certainly stands out from the previous ones, but it maintains all the characteristics of the plot. For those who want to immerse themselves completely in this terrifying work, to say the least, the experience with the PS VR is strongly recommended: the game, speaking from personal experience, gives its best with the viewer and a good pair of headphones, since the player's movements, first-person view and the characterization of ambient sounds play a fundamental role in the experience to say the least.
Outlast
Surely one of the horror games that made the most talk about itself at its release. Being a brand new title, Outlast is a perfect cohesion of anxiety and fear: the game combines a gloomy, dark and mysterious atmosphere with numerous jumpscare, which will surely make you raise the pressure. Everything is also seasoned with survival game mechanics made ad-hoc and that manage to send the player into total paranoia who is in his first experience and does not yet know how to move and manage the famous batteries. The beauty of Outlast is to play it in a group and get scared anyway, or apply the usual strategy of letting the unsuspecting friend or girlfriend play (both cowards to make the most of your plan) and enjoy the exaggerated reactions that the game will unleash in them.
In this case I felt like inserting the first title and not its sequel due to the huge gap between them: the first was made with an inspired artistic component, not aimed at seeking profit, but the appreciation of players, and so it was; the second chapter, on the other hand, resulted to everyone as a bit "forced", not obtaining the approval of the mass that placed it below its predecessor, much more valid, original and terrifying.
The Evil Within
Here instead, unlike Outlast, we recommend to those who want to enjoy some healthy fright to play both chapters, since The Evil Within, despite the various flaws, it turns out to be a title appreciated by most of the public, and the same goes for its sequel. Produced by Bethesda and under the direction of Shinji Mikami, the game winks a lot at nostalgics, with a return to true survival horror, the one that characterized the first titles of the genre and which had been absent for a while now. The games of the last generation were lacking from this point of view and the saga of The Evil Within has managed to bring back, albeit not without imperfections, these aspects in the contemporary videogame world. The feeling of anxiety transmitted by the game is different from the previous ones listed, since it transmits more a survival instinct than a real fear that makes us run away.
Between rivers of blood, gory scenes in full anime style and a perfectly flowing plot, The Evil Within it is an experience that must be enjoyed alone, away from stimuli and disturbances: in fact the game is full of details, details and nuances that must be seen, understood and analyzed to enjoy the experience at 360 degrees, both from the narrative side and from that purely horror.
Until Dawn
Let's finish the latest generation games with this interactive drama: I know I've only put survival-horror on this list so far, but they are different in survival genre, game modes and features, as well as being the horror games they most deserve of the contemporary gaming scene. But let's not get lost in small talk, and let's talk about why Until Dawn is on this list. Having tried the title myself, I have no doubts in saying that the game perfectly conveys a feeling of unparalleled tension as, after several failed attempts, we will realize that our every single action can lead to consequences.
Accompanied by an intricate storyline and compelling storytelling, Until Dawn certainly it is the solution for all those who have the desire to enter the spirit of a group of young people struggling to survive and whose destiny is guided solely by "their" decisions, which leave no room for second thoughts or errors.
Slender: The Arrival
So let's enter the world of indies with a character that you will surely already know, but that must be disdained. Slender: The Arrival is the first real title about the Slender, curated in detail and divided into levels. The storyline itself is very simple, and the gameplay doesn't vary from section to section, still remaining on finding items and continuing to the next level. Also in this case the real game takes place in the mind of those in front of the screen, since the tension and anxiety are palpable around us, and this is also due to the influence that the sounds and interference of the camera have on us.
Surely the game offers a very lean gameplay without complex mechanics, but maybe played with some support friends it is more than enjoyable and fun, between screams, scares, hysterics and getting lost in very large and intricate maps.
Ib
Ib, which does not read "Ib" but "Iv" (only Asians know why), is a game known to those who hang out at least in environments dedicated to independent role-playing games that deserve attention. This one in particular stands out from the crowd for its plot, for some mechanical particularities and for the settings. Ib is a more than classic style role-playing game, which preserves the graphic genre, commands and features such as fixed control points, but adds some peculiarities from the puzzle point of view, or the mechanics that pushes the story forward, finding every aimed at having to solve various paths and puzzles.
With four different endings, Ib it is by no means a game to be underestimated for its "humble" origins: in fact it has a lot to offer, particularly in the narrative sector, with characters perfectly characterized from a psychological and behavioral point of view, which make them much closer to a series animated than a video game.
Little Nightmares
We conclude our indies with a fairly well-known title (our Jan-Meister had already talked about it in his review). Little Nightmares certainly knows how to create a "particular" and different from usual context, placing us in front of the infantile fears magnified from the point of view of our protagonist, who must continue within this platform adventure avoiding the dangers that will appear in front of him. On this occasion, I would like to praise the art department of the team, since the monsters are made with truly obsessive care and manage to fully convey the concept of fear at first glance.
The play of light and shadow, the shots, the arrangement of objects, the materials ... everything is perfectly in harmony with the environment that surrounds us and this allows the viewer to be completely captured by a pseudo-dreamlike vision of the world seen through the eyes of a child.
Dino crisis
This game, personally, terrified me. Dino crisis was one of the must have horror games released on PlayStation and it is with him that we want to start the category of long-standing horror games. The basic idea of the game is to create a Resident Evil based on dinosaurs instead of zombies. The game presents itself as a very dark Jurassic Park, where our beautiful protagonist, Regina, is sent as a special agent to the island to investigate the disappearance of an agent.
This work immediately became a classic and today is iconic in the world of games of the first PlayStation for the success it enjoyed. Although the mechanics are a bit dated, once you get carried away with this survival-action horror you can be sure that there will be no lack of action and tension, all seasoned with an artistic direction of those of the past.
Silent Hill 2
The sequel to one of the great classics of horror and the first generation Sony in general. Silent Hill 2 it cannot be missing in the repertoire of horror fans and gamers in general. With a solid storyline, tons of mind-boggling intrigues, and supernatural creatures that are nothing short of fantastic, the game is virtually flawless, and despite many years having passed, it still gives its best.
Whether it's played in a group or alone it doesn't matter, Silent Hill 2 he will always be able to put anguish and terror in the mind of the player, but at the same time he will keep the player glued to the television in an attempt to discover the events of that perverse world.
Parasite Eve
Let's go back to the scientific with Parasite Eve to conclude this Japanese-style retro horror series. Those unfamiliar with the game should know that it is inspired by the light novel of the same name which was later the basis for the realization of the manga and the film. Compared to the other two titles listed above, the latter is much more action and implements some important RPG mechanics, despite maintaining an atmosphere that is not scary, but still gloomy and full of mysteries.
In fact, we wanted to include a more niche game as the last one, and we therefore decided to focus on Parasite Eve given its popularity at the time of its release; despite this, this game has not remained in vogue like Silent Hill or Resident Evil, remaining relegated to the realm of the catchphile. It therefore seemed only right to reward him with this position.
