Resident Evil Village
Spooky games list wouldn’t be spooky at all without an appearance from good ol’ Resident Evil. Resident Evil VILLAGE (aka Resident Evil 8), picks up after the events of Resident Evil 7. So if you haven’t played 7 yet, stop reading this article and go pick it up: it’s great. Both of these games play a little differently than is normal for the series, due to the decision to make these first person games. This decision, in our opinion, greatly enhances the horror experience of the game, though some purists may not like the departure from the series’ normal 3rd person experience. In Village, the story kicks off with your character, Ethan Winters, having his wife killed in front of him and his baby kidnapped. To make matters worse, you are once again lost in backwoods terror – navigating a snowy village built near a foreboding gothic castle. While the game certainly has its share of slow-burn true horror-type moments, like the classic Resident Evil 4, it also has lots of bombastic action. You’ll fight through intense creepy environments, taking on Lycans, giant vampire ladies, monstrously large fish, and more. Meanwhile you’ll have to juggle limited(though just the right amount) ammunition and supplies. So, through both combat and slow burn horror segments, Village strikes a nice balance between the style of gameplay seen in RE7 and RE4, filling each moment of gameplay with palpable tension. Of course with these kinds of games it’s hard to talk too much about them without spoiling anything, so we’ll leave it at what we already said. There is a reason RE games continue to dominate this genre, and Village is no exception. Try it out this Halloween, you can’t go wrong!
The Medium
If you have ever played a Silent Hill game, the Medium will feel fairly familiar one spooky games to you. You’ll experience slow burning psychological horror as you journey through the worlds of the living and the dead. The game leverages this unique “dual world” mechanic to great effect, requiring you to manage exploring both for clues and solving puzzles, sometimes simultaneously. The Medium is a slow burn for sure, but elements of physiological thrillers enhance the brief 10 hour experience you’ll have with the game.
Phasmophobia
Boo! Probably didn’t scare you, but the ghosts of Phasmophobia rated as one one of the most spooky games to play, sure will. In Phasmophobia you take on the roll of a paranormal investigator who will go to various typical horror settings – such as the classic abandoned asylum and creepy old houses. Your goal is to try to identify the kind of spirit that has taken residence in the building, and make it out. The experience can be shared with your friends, with a 4 player coop system. You’ll explore these locales, equipped with various ghost-detecting tools, attempting to piece together just what exactly is haunting the area. As your investigation unfolds, so does the horror. The spirits will really begin messing with you: a breath might pass by one ear of your headphones, maybe you see the brief silhouette of “something”, or maybe the ghost will attempt to kill your character. There’s tons of ways these spirits can interact with you, and the whole experience can really be a thrill. If you are looking to explore some haunting locations with some friends, Phasmophobia will scratch that Halloween itch just right.
Tormented Souls
Tormented Souls is a love letter to the horror games that many grew up on. It plays exactly like how the older Resident Evil and Silent Hill games handled back in the day. Moody, old-school survival horror with fixed camera angles is the schtick here. While nostalgia is a clear inspiration here, Tormented Souls delivers on some superb horror. In fact, even if you don’t have nostalgia for these older horror titles, you’ll still have a spooky good time. The atmosphere of the game is well done, setting the mood with creepy halls of an abandoned hospital that you slowly make your way through. You’ll have to manage a limited amount of resources, and solve puzzles, just as you would in those older titles. It can come off as a little rough around the edges, but Tormented Souls delivers an intense horror filled experience well worth your time.
Dead Space
In space, nobody can hear you scream. On the other hand, people can hear you scream when this spooky games Dead Space spooks you while you are playing. In Dead Space, you play as space engineer, Isaac Clarke, who is sent to investigate a rogue mining vessel. The last communication coming from the ship is a distress call for a repair and rescue operation. When you arrive for what should be a normal job, you find that everything has gone, quite literally, to hell. You are thrust into a ship overrun with a terrifying species known as Necromorphs. Despite releasing back in 2008, the game has aged wonderfully. The lighting and sound design go above and beyond to enhance the atmosphere. With a full remake arriving soon from EA, now is the perfect time to see what makes the original game a true horror classic, prepare to be spooked.
