The scariest time of the year is coming and the pressure becomes stronger. You start recollecting all the fears in your memory and the disturbing darkness absorbs everything around. Of course, it’s not an obligatory state of mind for everybody but nevertheless, the upcoming Halloween will add some grey colors to our lives. But if you want to feel the adrenaline rush and enjoy something creepier than a movie, we have something for you. Play top 5 scariest games and prepare your senses for Halloween!
Layers of Fear
The Bloober team created a world of psychological fear that will make your blood freeze. A player has to dive into the story of an obsessive painter who tries to find and finish the portrait of his wife. However, with every step taken through the house, you will discover more of his past and what kind of person the protagonist truly is. The real world and the world of his psyche melt together like layers of paint and create a terrifying work of art.
Everything is a fair game within the failing sanity and you cannot rely on the world to stay consistent or make sense to you. Dreadful sounds, changing reality, and unexpected appearance of monsters rise up the level of involvement, detik especially, if you play with headphones. It’s available on Nintendo Switch, PC, Xbox One, PS4.
Amnesia, the Dark Descent
A modern classic, Amnesia might be one of the scariest games of all time. The main character of the game, Daniel finds himself in a gothic castle with no memories (hence the title) and a note written to himself telling him to go into the deepest part of the structure and kill someone. Whether following the note or just looking for answers you will find yourself on one of the most bone-chilling adventures imaginable.
The castle is dark and oppressive and houses a horrific history within its walls. It is also filled with monsters, not all of which are born from Daniel’s panicking mind. And an unseen but malicious eldrich force is invading it, seeking to devour everyone within its walls. And it’s in these conditions that you’ll have to find your way, hide from monsters, keep track of Daniel’s health and sanity, solve puzzles and descend deeper into the darkness of the castle and the insanity of its host.
The Evil Within 2
The first game by Shinji Mikami was interesting but flawed – and those flaws have been all but cleaned up in the sequel. Unlike the previous titles, Evil Within 2 is on the action side of horror. The main character, Sebastian Castellanos, is not a helpless victim but the survivor of the previous game and is not afraid to face the warped monstrosities in combat. In the virtual scape of the mind-connecting STEM machine, he’s not just there to face his demons, but he has a mission to save his daughter and damned is any monster or villain who’d stand in his way.
The sequel is superior in every way. Graphically the game is gorgeous and the art style of monster is much better. Gameplay is also significantly improved. But most importantly the story is masterfully written to such degree that caught people by surprise after the first game.
Resident Evil 7
After the Resident Evil going more and more action-oriented in the previous parts, Capcom pulled a complete and genius turnaround in this surprising first-person entry into the series. Ethan Winters a seemingly everyday man is looking for his wife in the rural part of America, only to find himself trapped in a hellish household of the Bakers. Taking place almost entirely within the Baker estate it’s a true return to the survival-horror genre. The player will have to scour for limited supplies and puzzle solutions while combating the biological horrors that haunt these ground.
The game is a near-perfect blend of oppressive horror and more action-oriented horror genres. The Baker estate is masterfully crafted haunted house and always has an unsettling atmosphere, even in the safe moments. The game also fully supports PlayStation VR if you’re brave enough to try it.
Friday The 13th The Game
It is hard to create a compelling and effective multiplayer horror game. Any scary story becomes less scary if you have other people around. But this game officially based on Friday the 13th movies comes very close to that.
Players play isometric roles. Most people play counselors, nearly helpless teens who desperately try to survive and escape this slasher movie scenario, while one player gets to fill the shoes of Jason – nearly unstoppable killer of Friday the 13th franchise.
The horror in this game comes from the game of cat and mouse as counselors are trying to find tools for escape, while Jason is picking them one by one. They can try to fight, but it’s only a temporary solution – the only way to kill Jason is so convoluted and difficult it can be considered impossible in a game against a human player.
So here you have it, games of all kinds and for all tastes united by a single factor – true horror lurking within them. Are you brave enough to face them for your Halloween season?
Ellen Royce is a life-long gamer and an active part of the UK gaming community to the point where she tries to steer every conversation to video games in one way or another. She worked as a consultant for the launch of online gaming site Pokiestar and now she brings the same passion to recommend you the best of video games for you.
