Just like horror films, there are a variety of genres and playstyles that cater to all tastes. As a horror fan, horror games have not only the scares but storylines that are just as rich, terrifying and complex, which would be a shame not to indulge in. Novel horror games are sometimes hard to find, with many following a well-used formula. But there are hidden gems that offer not only new horror stories but interesting dynamic gameplay and rich and spooky environments.
Below are a few of the novel horror games that will feed that yearning for more terrifying stories and characters.
Darkwood
Darkwood is one of my favourite games right now. It is a survival horror but with a twist. Set in some mysterious woods in a territory in the Soviet Bloc, you have to gear up and try to survive the night. It is a top-down, that allows you to explore though you only have to nightfall when you must run back to your hideout, as that is where the real horror tries to break in. With no explanation given apart from a brief cut scene at the beginning, you must figure out how to survive and what mysteries lie in the woods.
Many things are unique about this game – no player marker so you must remember your way around. The maps are randomly generated, so has a lot of replay as well. Though it has been described as having no jump scares, I found the eerie atmosphere led me to jump quite a bit. It strongly focuses on the survival aspect, with daylight being your time to scavenge, repair and explore. Come night, you just have to pray you have hunkered down enough to survive the monsters that await.
Darkwood is available on Steam.
Dredge
Dredge is a fishing adventure with strong Lovecraftian/eldritch vibes – with various monsters lurking below the depths. This game is more linear in the main story but has side quests you can explore. Like Darkwood, there is a time aspect that you have to focus on. But Dredge is more forgiving – however, as soon as nightfall descends, you start to lose grip on your sanity.
IIt is unclear whether the shadows and ghosts that haunt you are hallucinations or something else, but they will pursue you all the same. However, the daytime play can be quite relaxing with fishing that is not tedious, upgrading your ship and finding treasures and lore. Recommend this for those who are new lovers of the horror game genre.
Dredge is available on Steam.
Project Zomboid
This might be the perfect zombie game. After watching Dawn of the Dead and perhaps being disappointed by Dead Rising, this game will scratch that itch. Project Zomboid is an open-ended sandbox game that allows you to loot, build, craft, fight, farm, fish, and decorate. You wake up in a random house after the world has ended, with zombies just waiting to eat your brains.
With a focus on realistic survival, you must sneak or fight your way around to build up your base and keep yourself alive. And when they say realistic they mean it. You have various states like depression, boredom, hunger, thirst and illness that must be dealt with if you are to stay alive, so complacency is not an option. With the base game options, you are most likely to die within a few days. But thankfully Project Zomboid gives you numerous options to tweak your experience to make it more relaxed or if you are hardcore, make it more nightmarish.
Project Zomboid is available on Steam.
Soma
Soma is a sci-fi horror that is set deep in the bowels of the Atlantic Ocean, that deals with identity, extinction and the blurry lines of what is machine and what is life. It follows Simon Jarrett, having survived a near-fatal car accident and is left with brain damage. Due to this, he undergoes an experimental brain scan, but after blacking out finds himself under the sea in a diving suit.
With unreliable narrators, you must uncover the mysteries of what happened to you and humanity. Soma can be truly terrifying in parts, as your character is utterly defenceless, relying on hiding and running away from monsters to survive. The eerie screams of these monsters make you feel like no place is safe.
There is a sense of profound loneliness and emptiness within Soma and it gives you heartbreaking dilemmas on whether someone should live or whether they are truly alive. This game does not shy away from posing those questions and it is up to you to make those decisions.
Soma (fortunately for the easily scared) can be changed to a safe mode that removes the killing element from the monsters. However the normal mode is how it is intended to be played, but you won’t miss out on any storytelling events in either mode.
Soma is available to play on Steam.
Still Wakes The Deep
Still Wakes The Deep is a psychological horror set on an oil rig in the North Sea in the 1970s. Those who are a fan of The Thing and Annihilation will find this right up their alley, as the game takes inspiration from these films among many others.
It follows Cameron “Caz” McLeary, who is avoiding prison by taking an electrician job on the rig. Not long after you are introduced to the characters, a drilling attempt goes catastrophically wrong leaving many dead, the rig falling apart and strange tendrils invading the rig.
What impressed me about Still Wakes The Deep was not only the monsters but also the stellar characters who you cannot help root for and feel attached to. As we go along, we learn much more about Caz and the other characters and join them in fear as they realise their crew mates have irreparably changed.
Not to mention the fact, it features Scottish accents which is a rarity to feature in a game. However, it is quite linear with little room for exploration and ends rather too soon. Nevertheless, it is a scary Lovecraftian horror that should not be missed.
Still Wakes The Deep is available to play on Steam.
What are your novel horror games? Share them in the comments!
