RPG-Maker games are quite quaint, providing us with some of the most exceptional and bizarre gaming experiences to date, making it far from being your typical survival horror game. These games demonstrated that a compelling and disturbing story may be told without the need for elaborate graphics. Now, it's time to take a look at the Top 10 Best RPG-Maker Horror games.
10. Ao Oni (2008) - PC
Ao Oni centers on four teenagers who entered a rumored haunted mansion to investigate it but were soon trapped inside with a mysterious creature with nowhere to run.
Of course, why shouldn't we include Ao Oni, the game that launched the RPG-Maker horror games into the mainstream. A game that won't fail to make you feel uneasy thanks to its uncanny-looking adversary, the titular Ao Oni (Blue Demon), who will pursue you throughout the whole game.
The eerie mansion is filled with a myriad of head-scratching puzzles to solve that will keep you on your toes at all times. And while it may not be as complex as the other RPG-Maker horror games that had come before it, Ao Oni is nevertheless a respectable horror game that needs to be on your radar.
Play This Game If You Like:
- Puzzle Solving
- Basic RPG-Maker Gameplay
- Exhilarating Chase Scenes
Fun Factor Score: 70/100
You're never truly safe on the grounds of the Ao Oni,
9. Lisa The Painful (2014) - PC, LINUX
In Lisa: The Painful, the player takes control of Brad Armstrong, a balding, troubled middle-aged man who travels through the wasteland of Olathe in search of Buddy, his adoptive daughter.
Despite it not looking like your typical horror game, Lisa The Painful still succeeds at frightening gamers with its somber narrative. The game also boasts an intriguing and challenging combat system. Although it plays more like a side scroller than your standard RPG-Maker game, this is still one that you shouldn't pass up.
Play This Game If You Like:
- Combat System
- Perma-death Mechanic
- Moving Soundtrack
Fun Factor Score: 70/100
Get lost in the world filled with eccentric characters in Lisa.
8. Yume Nikki (2003) - PC
You take on the shoes of Madotsuki, a young girl who explores her dreams while encountering many surreal creatures and locations along the way.
Yume Nikki is not like your typical RPG-Maker horror game, it isn’t constrained to telling a linear story nor does it put heavy emphasis on puzzles, but rather it’s here to immerse you in a unique experience, one that is odd and surreal.
The game's unique visuals and ambiguous plot are what, despite its unsettling nature, make it such an interesting and enjoyable game to experience. Its unique approach to horror more than makes up for whatever scares that it may lack.
Play This Game If You Like:
- Fever Dream Imageries
- Open Ended Story
- Multiple Levels to Explore
Fun Fator Score: 80/100
Prepare yourself for an experience like no other.
7. Mad Father (2012) - PC, NINTENDO SWITCH
Aya, an 11-year-old girl, is the main character of the game. She breaks into her father's hidden laboratory to learn the horrible results of his study.
Mad Father embodies everything that makes a great RPG-Maker horror game: a compelling narrative, masterful sound design, difficult puzzles, and a gothic setting and atmosphere to fall in love with. It is dark, violent, and oh-so-creepy.
While most RPG-Maker horror games primarily focus on storytelling, Mad Father, on the other hand, has a heavy emphasis on its gameplay front, even providing its character Aya, a health meter for many of the game’s encounters with its hideous enemies.
Play This Game If You Like:
- Gothic Setting
- Challenging Puzzles
- Story Driver Experience
Fun Factor Score: 85/100
This is a game that’s full of insanity.
6. The Witch’s House (2012) - PC, PS4, XBOX ONE, NINTENDO SWITCH
The game follows Viola, a young girl who wakes up in the middle of a forest, soon discovering that her only way out of the forest is completely blocked off by roses. Her only option is to enter a mysterious house nearby in hopes of finding some means of escaping.
The Witch's House will keep you on the edge of your seat from beginning to end with its numerous memorable scares and several gruesome deaths. The game also boasts a superb atmosphere that will make your exploration through the game such an effective experience.
Even though it may be light on the story in comparison to the other games on the list, the game nonetheless succeeds in everything that it tries to do. This is not a game for the faint of heart, but if you stomach its numerous graphic scenes of violence, you should give it a shot.
Play This Game If You Like:
- Numerous Amount of Brutal Death Scenes
- Short Burst Game
- Jumpscare Aplenty
- Head Scratching Puzzles
Fun Factor Score: 85/100
Why don’t you give the Witch’s House a visit?
5. The Crooked Man (2012) - PC
Part of the Strange Men series, The Crooked Man follows David Hoover as he settles into a new apartment during a rough time in his life. After some odd occurrences, he decides to ask about the room's previous occupant but learns little.
The game's creepy stalker, the titular Crooked Man, whose looks alone may cause anyone to feel truly disturbed, makes playing through the game feel like a haunting journey to an exceedingly gloomy world full of many terrors. And the game's worth playing alone just for its phenomenally compelling story.
Play This Game If You Like:
- Silent Hill-esque game
- Complex Puzzles
- Touching Story
Fun Factor Score: 85/100
Explore the lonely and gloomy world of the Crooked Man.
4. Corpse Party (2008) - PC, PSP, PS4, XBOX ONE, XBOX SERIES X/S, NINTENDO 3DS, SWITCH, IOS
The game centers around a group of Japanese High school students, celebrating their school’s cultural festival when all of a sudden an earthquake transports them all to a run-down school in an alternate dimension after taking part in a friendship spell.
Corpse Party is one of the most well-known RPG-Maker horror games out there, with it spawning a number of sequels and remakes. Its incredibly lengthy story which features numerous horrific ghost children and an uncountable amount of gruesome deaths that had befallen its undeserving characters, set it apart from other RPG-Maker horror games available today.
The game also boasts a gorgeous art style, a strong and dark atmosphere, and a well-tight script that consists of multiple chapters and endings, as well as many shocking twists and turns. While witnessing its many loveable characters die in horrible ways does make for some of the least fun experiences ever, the story is simply way too captivating for you to pass on.
Play This Game If You Like:
- Brutal and gruesome death scene
- Narrative-ocused game
- Multiple endings
- Stunning CG
Fun Factor Score: 85/100
Corpse Party will truly put you in a hellish experience.
3. Misao (2011) - PC
In Misao, you take control of the high school student Aki, as her entire school is trapped in another world as a result of a vicious curse.
Brutal deaths, challenging puzzles, and a hellish plot, Misao has all the key components for a great RPG-Maker horror game. Along with being set in an atmospheric setting that will sure to give you thrills and chills.The game is also set within the same universe as Mad Father, so if you loved that creepy game as well, then definitely check out this one.
Play This Game If You Like:
- Many Creative Death Scenes
- Choose Your Character’s Gender
- Incredible Story
Fun Factor Score: 95/100
This is a game that’s not for the faint of heart.
2. Omori (2020) - PC, PS4, XBOX ONE, XBOX SERIES X/S, NINTENDO SWITCH
In the game, the player controls a hikikomori teenage boy named Sunny and his dream world avatar Omori. They explore Sunny's bizarre dream world as well as the actual world, either overcoming or suppressing his fears and buried secrets.
With such a colorful and adorable art style it’s easy to forget that Omori is actually a dark game. Packing in an impactful narrative that relies on strong and moving themes. As one of the few games on the list with a fighting system, it excels at it, offering depth and difficulty that will make even the most seasoned gamers in the genre sweat.
Play This Game If You Like:
- Combat System
- Dark Story
- Masterful soundtrack
Fun Factor Score: 100/100
Fight your way through the game’s colorful yet dark world.
1. Ib (2012) - PC, NINTENDO SWITCH
A young girl named Ib visits an art gallery with her parents. While observing the many exhibits, she suddenly realizes she is alone. And in her search for others, she finds things awry in the gallery…
Despite the game’s simplistic presentation, Ib is actually a remarkable game, one that will immerse you in a beautifully haunting world filled with strange enemies and imagery that will sure to stick with you for years to come.
Its puzzles will put your skills to the test and its story will undoubtedly pull on your heartstrings. Along with a beautiful soundtrack to keep your exploration within its desolate walls even more immersive. Ib proves that you don’t need fancy graphics to be able to tell a good and scary story.
Play This Game If You Like:
- Multiple Endings
- Gorgeous Soundtrack
- Engaging Character Interaction
Fun Factor Score: 100/100
Believe it or not but this is the least weird image you’ll ever see in the game.
