If you’re like me, then nothing hits the spot quite like a good atmospheric horror game. The creepy environments, interesting enemies and occasional delving into the darker parts of the human psyche make for a fun time. According to most, Call of Cthulhu, the latest Lovecraft game, accomplishes that splendidly.
Well, I have a list of games that can match or beat it in terms of scares and atmosphere.
10. The Sinking City
The Sinking City Gameplay
Starting the list off is another title based on the works of H.P. Lovecraft. This one is a sandbox set in the half-flooded city of Oakmont, and focuses on a private detective slowly being consumed by supernatural forces. Like Call of Cthulhu, this title focuses on a private detective in a hostile city and even involves a sanity meter as more twisted things are encountered. However, the open world with multiple methods of travel and the numerous bizarre cases make this game a standout. Also, tentacles are ewwy, so that adds to the creep factor.
Now, there’s a friendly face. Nothing wrong with this guy at all.
Scuba dive, and take in the underwater scenery… as it takes you in.
9. Bioshock
Bioshock Gameplay
This one is a straight-up classic. It’s filled with philosophical musings about objectivism, and the downfall of a supposedly utopian society (because theoretical utopias always work out perfectly in practice). It features iconic characters like Andrew Ryan, Sander Cohen and even your mysterious ally, Atlas. It takes place in a haunting and foreboding underwater setting. The game’s unique storytelling allows you to piece together what happened to the city of Rapture through audio recordings you find throughout. The game also features unique upgradable power abilities and a memorably twisted moral dilemma in the Little Sisters.
Seriously, don’t kill the Little Sisters.
Splice up!
8. Resident Evil 2 (Remake)
Resident Evil 2 (Remake) Gameplay
Another game about a city in peril, this one comes from one of Capcom’s most iconic franchises. It takes place in Raccoon City, a town recently overrun by a deadly zombie virus. The story follows a police officer named Leon and a college student named Claire as they attempt to survive. The gameplay for the remake has been overhauled from the original, relying this time on over-the-shoulder third-person shooter gameplay, rather than the tank controls of the original. Something this game has it going for is the variety of imaginative enemies (because let’s face it, just shooting slow zombies could get boring after a while). They range from standard zombie hordes to grotesque Lovecraftian nightmare fuel.
You’ll never take me undead, coppers!
There’s that nightmare fuel!
7. Resident Evil 7
Resident Evil 7 Gameplay
Speaking of Resident Evil, this entry also appears on the list, ironically at number seven. This one follows a man named Ethan Winters, as he searches the Baker Mansion to try and find what happened to his missing wife. Resident Evil 7 takes the franchise back to its survival horror roots, and the game is all the better for it. The dark, dank setting helps set the mood, and the nail-biting tension is built masterfully with its first-person narrative.
“Mother… Oh God, mother!”
A word of advice: When a person’s eyes are entirely black, they’re probably bad news.
6. Amnesia: The Dark Descent
Amnesia: The Dark Descent Gameplay
Here’s a gothic horror entry, and who doesn’t love that? You play as Daniel, a man who wakes up in a foreboding German castle with some sort of memory loss condition that I can’t remember the name of. He knows he has to get to the inner sanctum and take down the baron, but that’s about it. There are monsters, but once again, atmosphere is the name of the game here. In addition to long dark passages and cold stone all around, creepy noises in the dark from the unkown make this a memorable fright fest.
This is what happens when you leave your jaw at home.
Don’t mind me, just taking a hot bath.
5. Vampire: The Masquerade- Bloodlines
Vampire: The Masquerade- Bloodlines Gameplay
This one’s an RPG, and I’m a big fan of those. In the game, you play a newly sired vampire on the streets of LA. What makes this game particularly unique is the variety and world building. These vampires all have rules, laws and consequences for breaking them. In addition, there are multiple vampire classes, each one feeling different in terms of both looks and abilities. This allows for numerous play styles.
You can actually play as one of these guys (bondage gear optional).
Is this Infamous?
4. The Evil Within 2
The Evil Within 2 Gameplay
You play as a man entering into a deranged subconscious simulation. How could you go wrong with that premise? You also have to survive strange threats, from a man who stabs people and then vanishes to a woman made of dead bodies with a buzz saw for an arm. Surreal elements like these really help to heighten the tension.
(Insert LOTR giant eye reference here)
She’s like the Cerberus of people.
3. Pathologic 2
Pathologic 2 Gameplay
In this survival horror game, you spend 12 days in a town trying to save yourself and others from a deadly plague. You can accomplish this in any way you like, as long as you do it within 12 days. The dark, gloomy atmosphere of the town gives an air of death to the whole game. The time limit of 12 days also helps keep things tense, reminding you that every second counts. In addition, you’ll have to take care of your own body, which gets harder as the game goes on…
The furries have gone too far this time.
Guys like this make me glad we have phone maps for directions.
2. Vampyr
Vampyr Gameplay
This game asks a moral question of you: Can you be a good vampire (or vampyr as this game spells it)? You play as Jonathan Reid, a doctor who is trying to save London’s citizens from a deadly flu. However, you’re also a vampire, and you’ve got to eat. So while you’re trying to save the people, you also have to feed on them to survive. To do that, you also have to deal with vampire hunters. The moral dilemma is palpable here because you can feel the consequences of your choices, be they desperate or otherwise.
For the greater good, you must bare your fangs…
…And sometimes a gun.
1. Witch Hunt
Witch Hunt Gameplay
This one takes a page out of The Blair Witch Project in terms of setting and aesthetic, but that’s a good thing in this case. You play as an eighteenth century witch hunter (bet you didn’t see that coming) who has to get rid of all the witches and monsters near the town of Bellville. You’re equipped and prepared to fight monsters, but the dark forests and open environments give you a sense of being lost and the scares rely largely on what you don’t see, the enemies usually appearing briefly and draped in shadow.
Remember what I said about black eyes?
White eyes bleeding black are also bad.
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