When you’re playing alone or invite friends over for exhilarating horror games, there’s a high possibility that the game you’re playing is from Japan. Japan has contributed to a lot of successful franchises such as Dark Soul, Final Fantasy, Resident Evil, and so on… For me, Japan is the master of horror. Not only video games but horror films, like The Ring and the Grudge… you name it!
Urban myth plays a major role in Japanese horror games and movies. A phone call, a stranger waves you down as you drive down a lonely road, a cursed house, waking up in a dilapidated hospital, and more… It doesn’t matter what setting is, all in common is they all have hair-raising and chill to the spine stories; applying these to video games bestows them a unique and powerful story.
While players are still debating if American or Japanese horror games are better, I’d love to say why don’t we shut up and just enjoy them? (As long as they’re good horror games) As a hardcore horror games fan, of course, it’s my job to recommend you 15 Japanese horror games worth checking out for:
Yomawari: Midnight Shadows(PS4/PC/Nintendo Switch)
It’s supposed to be a relaxing festival event, you go up to the mountain to get a better view of fireworks and enjoy the warm summer breeze. But as the late-night is nigh, their hometown is enveloped in ominous darkness.
As two girls walk home, they’re attacked by something in the darkness and get separated. Alone and disoriented, the girl must confront the darkness, solve puzzles, and distract ghouls from finding her best friend or die trying...
Skeleton key - play as the helpless girl to find items in the wood and use them wisely.
It’s just a crab - As the flashlight stab through the thick dust, I could see a shadow slowly moving and looming...
Catherine Classic(PS4/PC)
From the team that brought you the Persona series. You play as Vincent, a man finds himself facing a difficult choice: marry his long-time girlfriend, Katherine, or choose the alluring babe he wakes up next to, Catherine.
Take up the responsibility of choice and delve into the theme of free will. Vincent’s choices are yours to decide but beware, shall you make the wrong move, you die in real life.
What’s in store? - Atlas never failed to deliver engrossing stories, want to know what happens next? Play the game, then you’ll find out.
Beauty and the beast - Vincent is still perplexed by what’s going on around him, he has no choice but to keep climbing before he could figure out.
The Coma: Recut (PC/Mac)
Trapped in a school and being pursued by a serial killer, if this is your cup of tea, then you’d enjoy The Coma: Recut.
To be honest, this is not a Japanese horror game but a Korean. You are in the shoes of a high school student who falls asleep in class, but when he wakes up, the classroom is pitch dark, and he’s alone. Now, he needs to start to explore the sinister school, solve the mystery, and most importantly, to survive.
Never again - this is a good lesson for students who love to fall asleep in class.
School sucks - I stumbled into the classroom as my head’s throbbing with pain. I lowered my head and reprimanded myself for my stupidity. What’s the point of staying up late just to study? School sucks...
Resident Evil 7: Biohazard(PS4/PC/Xbox One/Nintendo Switch)
It’s Resident Evil, what else do I need to tell you? After the sixth title with action-packed Michael Bay-style gameplay, the Resident Evil franchise finally returns to its root: survival horror. Not only that, this is the first time Resident evil utilizes first-person for players to enjoy the game.
Set in modern time rural America, the protagonist, Ethan, is on his way to the last known location after his missing wife sent him a shocking video. As first, this should only be a searching mission, but as Ethan sets foot deeper into a seemingly abandoned house, the real nightmare begins...
Go for the eye - if you’re a video games veteran, you know where to aim.
We’re not in Louisiana anymore - the familiar sensation crept up Chris’ spine as he listened to the briefing, when he took the first glimpse at the photo he knew, once again, the terror is back: bioweapons.
Resident Evil 2 Remake (PS4/Xbox One/PC)
And of course, if we’re talking about the best horror games, how can we forget the best Resident Evil game? (personal opinion)
Racoon City, one of the most iconic cities in video games, is infested with zombies, again. Leon Kenedy is about to start his first day at a police station. Alas, when he arrives, not only he is not receiving a warm welcome but needs to put his wit and strength up to test against the deadly bioweapons, and needs to find a way to escape before the whole city is “purified.”
Go for the eye - Hey! Sounds familiar?
Target practice - Just his luck, Leon was excited to meet new people on his first-day job. Well, he did meet them but he’s not sure if they’re “people” anymore...
Mad Father (PC/Mac)
No, it’s not a game about running away from your angry father after breaking a vase. If that’s the case, that would be so much better.
Instead, it’s a horrifying story of a little girl wakes up to a real nightmare that occurs in her mansion. As she steps out of her room, the girl is chased by creepy creatures and paranormal ghosts. Now she needs to muster up her courage and find out what’s really going on and what’s behind the curse that brought all these grotesque monsters into her house.
Wrong room - as the lights flickered on, the girl’s face turned pale, her eyes widening. She couldn’t believe the grotesque scene in front of her. She thought this would only happen in horror films.
Two face - from his left side, he’s a handsome and young boy. From the right, well, not so much...
Corpse Party (PC/Mac/PS Vita)
Trust me, it’s definitely not a party you want to attend.
It’s a story about a group of elementary students who decide to perform a ritual for fun. Sigh, kids these days. And of course, what do you expect? Thanks to the ritual, the students are trapped in a supernatural world filled with vengeful children’s spirits. The only way to escape is to find out the truth behind the murder of those poor kids and put their spirits to rest.
Downpouring - As rain pattered against his soaking wet shirt, his shivering body was telling him to give up and join the piles of bones.
Your decision matters - based on where the characters go and what they do, it will alter the course of the story.
PRICE (PC)
Another similar concept to most of the indie horror games, but it comes with a bitter-sweet twist. Your main character, Ivry, wakes up from an unfamiliar room and needs to look for his sister. To achieve his goal, he needs to explore and collect truths, also, realize what’s really going on.
Visual - The performance takes on the storyboard widely used in comics, which provides rich visual.
Storytime - the girl enjoyed the story read by her beloved brother, she wanted it to last forever, but...
Angels of Death (PC/Nintendo Switch)
A psychological horror-adventure game. Your main character, Ray, is taken to a hospital after murdering her parents, but the problem is, she forgot everything. Later on, another episode occurs. Ray wakes up in a basement, not remembering how she got there, then she encounters a serial killer who’s after her life.
Cat & Mouse - How far can you run? We’ll find out...
Memory - As she stood in front of the stained glasses and bathed in the warm sunlight that spilled through, fragmented of memories start to reemerge.
Death Forest (PC)
A Japanese version of slender man, you are lost in a forest and need to collect crucial documents to get the hell out of the dark forest. With limited battery supplies, you need to conserve energy and find more batteries. The concept is simple enough, but the question is: Can you survive to the end?
Nothing to see here - From a distance leaves rustle and break the dead silent forest, I jerked my head about, as the flashlight stab through the inky darkness that’s when I see that creature stumbled toward me.
Shiny teeth - Are you intrepid enough to face these creepy faces to the end?
11. Shadow Corridor (PC/Nintendo Switch)
It started as a free indie game, now on the Steam store with more content and a very intriguing story campaign. Traversing down the randomized Japanese corridor, loot as many resources as possible and use them wisely to outrun the menacing apparitions.
Apparitions of the Noh mask - When you hear the sound of jingling bells echoes the hallway, run.
The price - after refusing to serve for the entity who controls this realm, I’m thrown down an impossibly long hallway and this is what I have to outrun.
12. Ao Oni (PC)
Ao oni, a.k.a, blue demon, is a freeware role-playing horror video game. The story focuses on a boy, Hiroshi, and his friends who are trapped in a haunted mansion. As if the situation’s not bad enough, they are also stalked by a deformed blue demon. Hiroshi now must solve puzzles, save as many friends of his as possible, and most importantly, escape.
Knock knock - exploring is the key, but make sure there’s no eerie blue demon following you.
The more the merrier - I slammed the door behind me, painting, and struggling to compose myself. What the hell was that? I thought, but before my brain could process, there’s more of them in front of me.
13. Purgatory (PC)
When the courage test goes wrong, very wrong. Next time, if one of your friends dare you to do something stupid or go somewhere forbidden, make sure it’s really worth it.
You play as Enri, a timid and quiet girl. One day, her unintelligent friends decide to do courage challenge at an abandoned power planet, rumor has it a psychotic butcher lives there and will chop whoever dares to get close to the plant into pieces. Not surprising, the next moment Enri remembers is she’s running away from the blood-craving butcher.
A strong taste - the room was dimly lit, but I was able to smell something really strong in the air - iron.
Happy moment - the intriguing plot and satisfying ending manage to attract a good amount of fans.
14. The Evil Within (PS4/Xbox One/PC)
From the mastermind behind Resident Evil franchise, The Evil Within guarantees to bring you another terrifying experience.
In a downpouring city, you assume the role of Sebastian, a detective who receives an urgent call about a serial killer on the loose at a mental hospital. Now you and your partner are on the way to the crime scene. However, this is only the beginning of a worse nightmare...
Too slow - as the gigantic monster burst through the door I cocked my cock and aimed at it, but it’s already too late…
Box head - Face unthinkable horrors and cruel traps as you struggle to survive against odds.
15. Clock Tower (PC)
A survival horror point-and-click adventure game. The story follows Jennifer, an orphan from a fictional orphanage in Norway. One day, Jennifer and other children are adopted by a wealthy recluse and brought to his mansion known as the “Clock Tower”.
After arriving at the mansion, weird things start to occur. As the woman who brought the children to the mansion takes an unusually long time to come back, Jennifer decides to go investigate but only to find some children who came with her are brutally murdered, and worse, she finds herself stalked by a deformed boy wielding a pair of scissors.
A mess - As she walked into the kitchen she couldn’t believe how messy it was, but what caught more of her attention was how the wall was splattered with blood.
Grandpa, is that you? - Clock Tower is considered one of the most iconic horror games, some even call it the game responsible for horror games success
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