Andrew Agress
- Final Fantasy VII
- Uncharted 3
- Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater
Frightence has some good ideas behind it and builds a creepy ambience around its eerie apartment building, but technical, durational, and gameplay limitations plague it alongside a scarce amount of content.
Though not as exciting or inventive as the previous Alan Wake 2 DLC, The Lake House does a solid job of connecting Alan Wake and Control together while offering a fairly creepy if somewhat generic survival horror experience.
Fobia – St. Dinfna Hotel offers an embarrassment of riches for horror game fans, but throwing all of the best scary game mechanics into one title and hoping they make for a great game doesn't quite pan out. Still, this hotel should satisfy those players looking for some old-school scares, even if others may want to consider spending the night elsewhere.
Mouthwashing offers a top-tier sci-fi horror story with themes and symbols that will likely stay with you long after your journey aboard the Tulpar. The gameplay is passive and repetitive, but those craving well-written characters and story content should appreciate their time in the captain's chair.
Clock Tower: Rewind turns back the clock as it gives players a look at an influential horror game from the 90s than few in the west got to play. Even with updates, it's still a bit cumbersome. And yet it's dripping in dread and atmosphere and has style as sharp as oversized scissors.
Crow Country "caws" back to old-school horror games from the PS1-era, preserving what made them suspenseful and engaging while adding some updates. Not all of these work, but enough do, making a trip to Crow Country worth taking for fans of retro survival horror games.
With an engaging story about urban legends bolstered by a branching storyline, Paranormasight hovers over other visual novels with its many interactive elements. It suffers from the curses of certain puzzles that prove arbitrary and a story that gets spread too thin. But the captivating characters and central mystery keep the tale of this mystery-adventure title as one legend worth spreading.
Ghostbusters: Spirits Unleashed serves up short, sharp shocks of supernatural asymmetrical play. It may prove a bit too simplistic for some, but the game will likely hand out more of a treat and less of a trick for longtime Ghostbusters fans.
Inscryption is a Frankenstein creation like one of its gruesome hybrid cards. It takes a bunch of different pieces, sows them all together, and creates a game that's a bit wonky in some places but otherwise inventive and unique.
The Quarry may have a fairly predictable plot, but the horror tale gets help up by its all-star cast of veteran actors and up-and-coming performers. They help imbue decisions with both a sense of meaning and weight, so that making a choice provides all the front-seat fun of your favorite horror flick. The game rewards clever reasoning and gathering information for satisfying gameplay, which is only occasionally hindered by bugs and a rushed final act.
Gorgeous visuals and an ethereal soundtrack invite players into the world of Neva. Yet these welcoming aesthetics are just the floral display surrounding a game with fast-paced combat, inventive platforming, and a touching story of the bond between warrior and wolf.
Drawing from horror authors and their creations, World of Horror builds its own web of eldritch beings and cosmic occurrences. The roguelike nature of mysteries in the game ensures that no two runs remain the same. Though certain mechanics rise above others, World of Horror keeps things fresh with creepy visuals, multiple plot resolutions, and degrees of customization, even as its coastal town falls into decay.
Alan Wake 2 takes its action-horror predecessor and dregs it out of the water with a fresh survival horror overhaul. Though certain mechanics seem like they're still stuck in 2010, the vast majority of the sequel feels ahead of its time. The story is stylish, suspenseful, and scary, yet isn't afraid to get a little silly. Alan Wake 2 is one of Remedy's best games yet, and certainly its most artistic.
Slay the Princess is a must-play for fans of branching narratives. Choices have consequences, and how much horror you encounter falls to you. Along the way, enjoy the macabre visuals and audio. While the game can't put a bow on every decision, replaying for extra routes proves a royal pleasure. Turn down the lights, cozy up with a nice cup of tea (may I suggest blood orange?), and decide whether or not to commit regicide.
Layers of Fear serves as a kind of director's cut for the horror series. With lavish visuals, new content, and a new framing device, it proves the definite way to experience the series. Those who've already played the games won't find much they haven't seen before, but The Final Note chapter adds a fun, spooky new layer.
Meet Your Maker antes up the adventure of pulling off a heist and the artistry of building an impenetrable base. Some players may get put off by the paltry upgrades, but those who crave other kinds of variety will marvel at the many heists to pull off and bases to design right at their fingertips.
Mysteriousness proves tricky to sustain, but Dredge reels it in and mostly keeps it aboard through its run. Bolstered by beautiful music and visuals, the game features engaging episodic quests that promote exploration. With addicting fishing mechanics and the promise of something new on the horizon, the game sails full steam ahead with fish to catch and secrets to uncover. Dredge may have some dings in its hull, but this boat is more than seaworthy.
SpiderHeck can absolutely bring out the competitive spirit in people. But its natural charm lies in providing laughs when the chaos lets loose and somebody swings right into a laser sword or accidentally blows up a chunk of the map. It would benefit from a bit more variety in game modes and content, but as it stands it offers a fun and unique spin on the couch brawler genre.
The Forgotten City boasts a rich gameplay experience that lives up to the ingenuity of its clever premise. As a role-playing choice-based mystery, the game offers a compelling narrative with some engaging existential questions at its center. With four distinct endings, it gives players a decent enough amount of leeway for approaching moral quandaries. And as a way of both solving puzzles and fixing mistakes, the time travel mechanic is worth its weight in… some sort of precious transition metal.
Layers of Fear 2 provides an atmospheric horror story that uses scares to its advantage. Despite some buggy mechanics, the game contains beautiful and haunting visuals, varied gameplay, and satisfying plot elements incorporating classic films.