Kill or be killed gaming at its finest! Here are the best slasher games.
SCREAM!
Oh no, wait, I mean Scream, the movie. I love it and I appreciate Netflix for alternating the four installments of the franchise throughout the year. The other day I was watching Scream 2, my favorite, and I realized there really is no successful video game based on the movies. Yet, I can live without it because there are many great slasher games out and on their way for us to enjoy. If you're not a big fan of the genre, give it a chance with my top 10 favorite slasher video games beautifully shown below.
10. Last Year
Even though the game is not out yet, Last Year is considered one of the best and I hope it lives up to the hype. Basically, and if you don't get these references you should continue reading, it combines Dead by Daylight’s character option set up and objectives with Until Dawn’s classic teenage horror storyline. Players can be the killer or one of the high schoolers he’s hunting.
From the looks of it, trapping victims and teamwork will elevate this title above the rest. Survivors need to work together to escape since they all have specific abilities and roles like medic and technician, which matches the corresponding high school student stereotypes. Killers can set up tricky booby traps and travel at top-notch speed while invisible to stalk and surprise their prey.
Last Year has been a true indie project, powered by Elastic Games, Unreal Engine and Steam, relying on private donations and the support of a growing fan base on Kickstarter. If it is released, there will be a long line for this one!
As of now, players who want to be the killer can choose from three that have different styles and abilities.
Players who want to be a survivor can be the jock, the jock’s sidekick, the nerd, the outcast or the popular girl.
9. Illbleed (2001)
In this Dreamcast legend, Illbleed, a horror theme park, attracts a group of friends for a chance to win millions of dollars if they can survive the property. They soon discover Illbleed will make them bleed and test their stamina and senses.
Illbleed is another game that wasn’t the most successful upon its release but amassed a cult following for its tedious landscape and challenging battles. Players have to survive booby-traps, monsters and a devilish control-man.
In addition to a life meter, players must maintain their stamina and adrenaline. The character’s heart is monitored and the environment can wear us out and raise our adrenaline. Senses are played up well and we can see on a scale which are being effected, including a sixth sense. It comes in handy for upcoming dangers.
The character’s senses are at our disposal because we have to maintain our health, stamina and adrenaline.
Every step inside Illbleed is not easy to take and the path to safety crosses some gruesome stuff.
8. Slender: The 8 Pages (2012)
Developed and published by Parsec Productions for Microsoft Windows and OS X, players must collect eight pages posted around a creepy forest while avoiding the stalking Slender Man. If white noise takes over the monitor, the mysterious figure is closing in.
Why are we collecting the pages? Not sure. Who or what is the Slender Man? He may be a demon, I don’t know. Why is he chasing us? I have many theories but it doesn’t matter when he catches us.
Out of all the games on this list, Slender: The 8 Pages is the most minimal in story and objective but has the highest horror intensity and a great scare when losing. Players are equipped with a flashlight that will run out of juice, so use it wisely because we can’t fight back.
Play this game in the dark! It will make your flashlight seem brighter.
The Slender Man is a creepy character, depicted in many different projects. He’s truly an iconic horror staple.
7. GMod Murder (2015)
Like Dead by Daylight and Friday the 13th, players can be the killer or a survivor in Murder. There is a slight difference in that survivors need to figure out who the killer is and there’s only one gun amongst them. Overall, the game is lighter and open to buffoonery.
Murder is a condensed version of games like it but shines because of that fact. Figuring out who the killer is a lot of fun, especially with commentary from those we play with, which helps solve the mystery. And don’t forget, the killer must take down his victims with stealth and a good poker face.
The assassin can see the footsteps of the other players, which is handy for some sneaky jabs and stabs.
When someone in group play goes quiet, they are no longer alive in the game.
6. Condemned: Criminal Origins (2005)
The movie-quality of Condemned makes for a fun cat-and-mouse chase for the story’s protagonist FBI agent Ethan Thomas. He’s been framed for murdering two of his co-workers at a crime scene by Serial Killer X. Ethan must find the elusive murderer before he’s caught and charged with homicide.
Condemned takes place in a seedy city and has all the dangers attributed to one. Ethan may be looking for the guy who framed him, but must endure violent bums, shady characters and the law, which involves puzzle solving, stealth and melee fighting.
The technology available to the FBI and the barbaric society against the main character pushes this game into the near future. If the game is completed by the creators’ standards (Monolith Productions, published by Sega, for Xbox 360 and Microsoft Windows), we are able to unlock bonus material in a special menu page.
The opening sequence is killer and shows the technology and attitude of the game’s setting.
Like any other survival game, we have plenty of weapons to handle any attack coming at us.
5. Friday the 13th (2017)
Friday the 13th gives players and fans of the film franchise the opportunity to be in the middle of the horror and drama Mrs. and Jason Voorhies created. Players can be Jason or one of the camp counselors he’s relentlessly after in open and elaborate sets.
Jason’s objective is clear: kill the counselors, whatever it takes, before time runs out. Counselors have to stay alive and find a way to escape the area. There is a large cast of counselors to choose from with special abilities and varying strengths.
Friday the 13th is better when played with the online community. Players are able to earn upgrades and perks the more they play for a better chance to win as creators IllFonic and publishers Gun Media add more content, characters and gameplay modes. Plus, this game has the best death scenes.
The camp counselors available to play are very different in strengths and abilities. You better choose wisely!
The multiple settings related to the movie franchise have plenty of places to hide. If you’re Jason, don’t worry, you can crash through doors, teleport a little and slice and dice.
4. Clock Tower (1995)
Inspired by Dario Argento’s horror film Phenomena, Clock Tower follows Jennifer Simpson’s admittance to the Granite Orphanage with a few others. Soon enough, she finds her friends dead and must avoid the same fate as she searches for an escape from the game’s slayer, the Scissorman!
The game appears to be slow-moving at first, but is actually an exciting experience from Human Entertainment for SNES. There are plenty of rooms to explore throughout the orphanage for clues and goods, awesome thrills and scares and a spooky score. Scissorman’s weapon of choice may be bigger than him but he has the strength to cut a victim in half.
There are a few endings based on what clues and items are found, which reveal deeper ties between Jennifer and the orphanage. When she does run into Scissorman, an authentic chase takes place and players have to flee with speed and some stealth.
There’s plenty of dialogue and set-up for a fun movie-like ride.
The Scissorman relentlessly chases Jennifer while opening and closing his weapon, which the noise signifies his closeness.
3. Dead by Daylight (2016)
Dead by Daylight reminds me of the movie 13 Ghosts, presenting a line of serial killers and demons players can be to hunt down a slew of intrusive survivors. Or, we can be a survivor and do what is necessary to escape our hunters and the environment that is quite personal to them.
The premise is simple: kill or be killed. To kill, choose a gruesome character and hook all the survivors to feed ‘The Entity’, the other-worldly being hosting the shindig before your victims set-up their escape. To be killed, which we are trying to avoid, choose a survivor and turn on several generators that open the only door access of the killers playgrounds.
Since its release from creators Behaviour Interactive and publisher Starbreeze Studios, Dead by Daylight has expanded across different gaming platforms and keeps offering more characters and settings to play with. Infamous fictional serial killers have been brought in as well, like Michael Myers, Freddy Krueger and The Pig from the Saw franchise, paired with their respective victims Laurie Strode, Quentin Smith and David Tapp.
Hooking a survivor is a blast on both ends of the scenario.
There’s plenty of realistic gore, action and scares.
2. Outlast (2013)
Centered on Mount Massive Asylum, which has a shady past, and full of homicidal maniacs, investigative journalist Miles Upshur journeys through the property with only a camcorder in hand. He definitely wants to leave as soon as he realizes things have gone awry, yet wants to record everything, but exiting will not be easy.
If you ever wanted to live the life of an investigative journalist, Outlast will nip that right in the bud and put the desire to rest. On top of the creepy setting, crazy characters and jump scares, Miles can only hide and flee. He does not fight back and the only way to navigate the dark premises is with a charged video camera and its night vision.
Outlast does combine great horror staples: the insane asylum and persistent serial killers. The graphics are great, the score is unsettling and it gives plenty of horror and gore. Trust and believe, don’t mess with ‘The Variants’. I’m a big fan of creator and publisher Red Barrels, so you better enjoy!
There is a main maniac that leads the violence throughout the asylum.
Everything Miles captures on tape will make one hell of a docu-series!
1. Until Dawn (2015)
Taking on a classic horror film scenario, Until Dawn is about a group of friends return to the cabin they lost two others the year before. The trip turns deadly as the characters try to avoid the serial killer hunting them down the second they all arrive.
The game is backed with stunning graphics, a Hollywood cast and a seamless roleplay mechanism that propels the story in countless directions. Players get the chance to control all the characters due to the story’s intricacy.
Until Dawn proudly boasts (meaning the creators Supermassive Games and publisher Sony Computer Entertainment (for PS4) are selling) its butterfly effect gameplay, allowing the slightest decision to make majors changes. Players will have to play several times to experience the many twists, turns and endings available to us.
The game’s cast is cheesy and fun and they are a part of typical horror storylines and connections.
There are many decisions to be made, whether during a simple conversation or a crazy attack scene.
The variety and lead up to this list's #1 should have you horrified and eager for more. Always remember, these video games are training to help you survive a crazed pyscho killer. Cherish these games because they might save your life. Good luck!
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