2021 was an awesome year for horror game fans. We’ve got some brand new franchises on the new-gen consoles, and we’ve also seen some great series revived. Let’s have an overview of the year, and hope the horror genre keeps finding success like this in the coming years.
10. Chernobylite (PC)
Chernobylite - Official PC Launch Trailer
After being haunted by the thoughts of his missing wife Tatyana, Igor decides to travel to the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone. There he makes a portal gun with the special Chernobylite crystal. He has to collect resources and make a team to break through the NAR defenses around the plant to uncover the mystery behind his wife's disappearance.
Chernobylite is not a true horror game per se, but I've decided to put it on the list as number 10 because of the creepy setting that it takes place in. In a sci-fi rendition of the Chernobyl Plant, you are tasked with managing resources as well as the sanity of yourself and your crew. You will be tasked with many choices that will question your morality while uncovering the mystery of Tatyana's disappearance.
9. Forewarned (PC)
FOREWARNED - Official Announcement Trailer
In Forewarned you play as an archeologist tasked with finding the relic in the ancient Egyptian ruins with your team of fellow archeologists. Explore the ruins, find the treasure, and survive the horrors lurking in the shadows.
Forewarned is a 1-4 player co-op game in which you have to collect the relic hidden at the end of the maze, and escape the monster that starts chasing you. While you explore the ruins the "mejai" which are the monsters in this game will be leaving you hints so you can guess who they are before picking up the relic. The game is still in early access, so I'm expecting a lot of growth from it in the future, but it's still a lot of fun to play with friends.
8. Tormented Souls (PS5 / PC / XBOX X)
Tormented Souls - Launch Trailer
You play as Caroline Walker, and your goal is to find two missing girls in the halls of an abandoned mansion. "Solve puzzles and face sinister enemies in deadly combat in this relentless nightmare. Can you confront your fears and uncover the secrets of Winterlake... or will you die trying?"'
Tormented Souls is a survival horror game that serves as an homage to the original Resident Evil franchise. This game's biggest strength is the novelty it's showing by using the old fixed camera system. While you will often find yourself in a small space, the fixed camera perspective will make you feel like the space is even more cramped.
This game's main focus is on exploration and puzzle-solving which can make the game feel a bit sluggish and slow at times, but if you enjoy slower games, you'll find that Tormented Souls is a well-paced game that deserves a try.
7. The Medium (XBOX X)
The Medium - Official Story & Gameplay Trailer | Xbox Showcase 2020
The main character Marianne is in the process of grieving her recently deceased father. She received a weird phone call telling her to visit an abandoned resort where she finds out more about her past and her medium powers.
This game, much like the previous one on this list, uses a fixed camera system and is focused on exploration and puzzle-solving. But this game's core mechanic that makes it differentiate itself from other games is the split-screen that shows a whole different dimension.
While you explore the abandoned resort and interact with objects in it you also affect the gruesome "spirit world" that Marianne can access because of her supernatural powers. The basic horror game mechanic where you are tasked with collecting objects, flipping levers, etc. all around the map is made unique by always having to think about how you affect both dimensions.
6. Mundaun (PS4 / PS5 / XBOX 1 / XBOX X / PC)
Mundaun Release Trailer
You play as Curdin, going back to his hometown because he received the sad news of his grandfather's passing. Once in his hometown, he finds out his grandfather's grave is empty. He begins climbing to the top of the mountain to discover the mysteries of his grandfather's past which are connected with his ominous death.
This game has a straightforward story, but the way it decided to handle the story pacing and the atmosphere of the world is extremely unique and fascinating. Every texture in the game was made by scanning pencil drawings and applying them to 3D models. This creates a one-of-a-kind effect and makes the ominous and creepy vibe of the game all the more uncanny.
5. Fatal Frame: Maiden of Black Water Remaster (PS4 / PS5 / XBOX 1 / XBOX X / SWITCH / PC)
Fatal Frame: Maiden of Black Water - Announcement Trailer | PS5, PS4
In this game you play as 3 main characters all drawn to the paranormal events happening around Hikami Mountain, including an ancient ritual to seal away the Black Water, a malevolent force corrupting the surrounding spirits, that is tied to the fate of the shrine maiden Ose Kurosawa.
Finally, the Fatal Frame franchise has gotten a new entry after 7 years. Although this game is a remaster, the fans of the franchise were very excited to see the series possibly getting revived in the future.
The fatal frame franchise is known for and named after its main combat mechanic - photographing spirits. And if this game did something well, it's the combat system. The combat is very smooth and satisfying, and taking photos while running away from evil spirits makes for a very thrilling experience.
4. Subnautica: Below Zero (PS4 / PS5 / XBOX 1 / XBOX X / SWITCH / PC)
Subnautica: Below Zero Trailer
The scientist Robin Ayou receives news of her sister Sam's death. Sam was exploring the strange planet 4546B where she died in an accident. Robin decides to go to the same planet and investigate the events of her sister's death. While landing through a meteor shower she gets struck by an asteroid and is left stranded in an icy plane.
Subnautica: Below Zero is the sequel to the well-known exploration game we've all heard of - Subnautica. This sequel brings a lot of new improvements and keeps the well-designed ocean exploration of its predecessor. While keeping the same key elements of the first game, Subnautica: Below Zero adds a lot of new innovations that make it feel unique.
3. Returnal (PS5)
Returnal - The Tide (Launch Trailer) | PS5
You play as Selene, an astronaut, attempting to land on the off limits planet of Atropos to investigate the "White Shadow" signal. Her ship malfunctions and she is forced to make a crash landing. After exploring the planet for a short while she begins noticing corpses of herself. She soon learns that every time she dies, she begins her journey again from the place where her ship crashed.
Arguably Returnal might not even be a horror game, but I've decided to put it on this list because the game is filled with creepy and unsettling enemies and bosses. This is a fast paced roguelike-bullet hell game with thrilling gameplay that takes some effort to master. To finish things off, the story of Returnal is one that had a lot of thought put behind it, don't expect to understand it if you play through the game once quickly, there have been plenty of theories trying to decipher the game's true ending.
2. Little Nightmares 2 (PS4 / PS5 / XBOX 1 / XBOX X / SWITCH / PC)
Little Nightmares II - Launch Trailer
A boy named Mono awakens from a dream. While traveling through the wilderness he finds an old shack. Inside the shack is Six, the main character from the first game, held captive. Together they escape and try to solve the mysteries of the Pale City who's denizens are brainwashed by the mysterious figure called Thin Man.
Little Nigmaters 2 is a childish-looking horror game where the main characters are 2 kids. The art style reflects the game's vibe and the fact that you play as a kid, yet when it wants to the game can be extremely nerve-wracking and scary with tense, high-stakes situations. Little Nightmares 2 is a great sequel to the first game, with a wonderful story and a great deal of world-building it brings in the short runtime it has.
1. Resident Evil Village (PS4 / PS5 / XBOX 1 / XBOX X / PC)
Resident Evil Village Trailer | Resident Evil Showcase
Several years after Resident Evil 7, our main character Ethan and his wife are living a happy life with their newborn Rose under the protection of BSAA. Things take a dramatic turn for the worse when in the opening scenes we see Mia killed by Chris Redfield. Ethan and Rose are getting taken away. Ethan loses consciousness and wakes to see all the armed men dead, and his daughter is nowhere to be seen. He walks towards an ominous village.
Resident Evil Village requires no introduction. This game is an action-packed adventure through a village filled with monsters. In the village there are four lords each having a piece of Rose. Each lord's design is unique and scary in its own way. The level design in this game is so wonderfully ominous and every place on the map feels unique.
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