- Joined
- Feb 8, 2019
I've been really interested in indie horror games lately, both good and bad, curious if anyone has got any recommendations or games to avoid.
I'll start with a few I enjoy/have been enjoying
Look Outside:
At first glance this game really does seem like your standard rpgmaker game, but it more than makes up with its creature design and story. I haven't finished it yet but I've been enjoying it immensely. Premise is some cosmic horror took over the sky and is transmuting people into eldritch monstrosities if they look outside at it. You're caught in the middle of the apocalypse trapped in your apartment complex with other survivors and monstrosities, and have 15 days to figure out what to do about it. It really doesn't hold your hand but at the same time it's not incredibly obtuse either. I also like how it plays on paranoia because not every mutant is a mindless monster but you really can't tell them apart from one another until it's too late.
Slay the Princess:
Both a love story and a horror game. It's the only visual novel I've ever enjoyed, you and the princess are trapped in a time loop of killing one another and very aware of it. Your only source of guidance is a diegetic narrator who insists that it must be done. If you've ever played the stanley parable you might enjoy this. It's not always horror, the game loves to tug on your emotions and play with your expectations, and thematically appropriately, likes to reflect the mood you give it, but it is not afraid to get gory and existential. Every frame is hand-drawn in pencil too so its aesthetically pleasing.
Killer Frequency:
A narrative driven puzzle game, it's a dark comedy where all the action happens offscreen so don't go in expecting to be scared shitless. You're a radio host of a small town who gets caught in some sitcom bullshit where the only cop left in town has to rush over to the next town over to get backup while a psycho slasher killer is on the loose. A fun little loveletter to movies like Scream, nothing too incredible but enjoyable.
Spooky's Jumpscare Mansion.
This game is a walking simulator first and foremost. If that's a deal breaker for you then skip it. You walk through 1000 rooms, but the atmosphere is something incredible. Somehow they distilled monster chases down to their purest form. Every encounter with them is genuinely tense and exciting and even when you're alone there's this impending sense of dread. It's a bit tongue in cheek and takes heavy inspiration from othee horror games and movies. The DLC is also very good and changes out the walking simulator for puzzle exploration gameplay. Worth a playthrough or two.
I'll start with a few I enjoy/have been enjoying
Look Outside:
At first glance this game really does seem like your standard rpgmaker game, but it more than makes up with its creature design and story. I haven't finished it yet but I've been enjoying it immensely. Premise is some cosmic horror took over the sky and is transmuting people into eldritch monstrosities if they look outside at it. You're caught in the middle of the apocalypse trapped in your apartment complex with other survivors and monstrosities, and have 15 days to figure out what to do about it. It really doesn't hold your hand but at the same time it's not incredibly obtuse either. I also like how it plays on paranoia because not every mutant is a mindless monster but you really can't tell them apart from one another until it's too late.
Slay the Princess:
Both a love story and a horror game. It's the only visual novel I've ever enjoyed, you and the princess are trapped in a time loop of killing one another and very aware of it. Your only source of guidance is a diegetic narrator who insists that it must be done. If you've ever played the stanley parable you might enjoy this. It's not always horror, the game loves to tug on your emotions and play with your expectations, and thematically appropriately, likes to reflect the mood you give it, but it is not afraid to get gory and existential. Every frame is hand-drawn in pencil too so its aesthetically pleasing.
Killer Frequency:
A narrative driven puzzle game, it's a dark comedy where all the action happens offscreen so don't go in expecting to be scared shitless. You're a radio host of a small town who gets caught in some sitcom bullshit where the only cop left in town has to rush over to the next town over to get backup while a psycho slasher killer is on the loose. A fun little loveletter to movies like Scream, nothing too incredible but enjoyable.
Spooky's Jumpscare Mansion.
This game is a walking simulator first and foremost. If that's a deal breaker for you then skip it. You walk through 1000 rooms, but the atmosphere is something incredible. Somehow they distilled monster chases down to their purest form. Every encounter with them is genuinely tense and exciting and even when you're alone there's this impending sense of dread. It's a bit tongue in cheek and takes heavy inspiration from othee horror games and movies. The DLC is also very good and changes out the walking simulator for puzzle exploration gameplay. Worth a playthrough or two.
