Happy Halloween, everybody! You didn’t think I’d let you guys go without a proper Halloween special now, did you? Wipe that notion out of your brain, because there’s absolutely no way someone who loves horror as much as I do could possibly skip a holiday that’s literally all about scary stuff! But what was I supposed to talk about? Everybody’s talking about their favorite horror movies, or the scariest costumes online, or listing scary Creepypastas online (which typically tend to be your standard fare that everyone knows like “Jeff the Killer” or “Squidward’s Suicide” anyway) or whatever, and I didn’t quite know what to talk about that would be original. Sure, I can also make a list of my scariest games ever, but it’s going to be inevitably filled up by “Silent Hill”, “Resident Evil”, “Fatal Frame” and the other horror classics that are prominent on every single list. So then I thought… Why not talk about 2D horror games? Why not explore these games which don’t need a third dimension in order to scare the living daylights out of you? And thus, here we are! Keep in mind, I had a lot of games to pick from, and just because I went with these three choices doesn’t mean the other candidates I had are unworthy of your attention. Who knows, maybe I’ll make a part 2 of this list next year around Halloween! Anyway, for now, let’s go on with the show!
3. 7 Days a Skeptic
Okay, so technically this is actually a sequel to another game called “5 Days a Stranger”, but honestly, it’s set quite a lot of time after it and features an entirely different cast and only some shared themes, not to mention “7 Days” is a lot better than its predecessor, so I thought I’d include it! It’s basically a 2D point and click adventure title, much like the classic LucasArts ones like “Secret of Monkey Island” and “Day of the Tentacle”, or the more recent “Broken Age” and “Deponia”… Except, you know, it’s a lot scarier. “7 Days” takes place in deep space, on board of a space exploration vessel known as the Mephistoteles. Not long after its small crew encounters a small, metal and apparently manmade object in deep space and decide to take it aboard, the crew members begin dying one by one, slain by an unknown force. Did they attract some kind of alien, or is one of their own responsible for the murders? And most importantly, can the protagonist solve the mystery of what’s going on and survive before it’s too late? Yeah, if you’re a fan of something like “Alien” this will definitely be right up your alley, but I don’t want you to think it’s a simple slasher flick, because it’s really not. At the core of the game aren’t the jumpscares or the thrilling chase scenes (even though both are important elements of it), it’s the mystery element and the overwhelming fear of the unknown. How can you even take down a threat that you don’t fully understand, especially when you’re so far away from home? Great, great stuff! And if I still haven’t convinced you, I’ve got two little facts for you – first, the game was made by none other than Ben “Yahtzee” Croshaw, the man behind the incredibly popular show “Zero Punctuation”, and second, it’s completely and fully free and you can download it here. Enjoy!
2. Mad Father
From the distant future to the near past! “Mad Father” is a game that has received a bit of a cult following over the years, and with very good reason! It tells the story of Aya Drevis – an eleven year old girl who lives with her scientist father and his lab assistant in their gigantic mansion. After her mother passed away from illness a year prior, her father is all she has left… Which is why she’s willing to look the other way every time she hears human screaming from the basement, which happens fairly often. After all, she loves her father, he’s kind and gentle and caring, so no matter what he’s doing it has to be for a good cause, right? Well, his hundreds of victims don’t seem to think so, and on the anniversary of the death of Aya’s mother, a curse raises all of the doctor’s ‘patients’ from the grave as disfigured ghosts who are out for his blood… And, by extension, Aya’s. Knowing that without her help her only living parent is sure to perish, the little girl sets out into the waking nightmare that her family mansion has turned into with just one goal in mind – save her mad father from his own mistakes before it’s too late. Now, I do need to point out that this isn’t the scariest game I’ve ever played, not by a long shot. It doesn’t really build tension the way other horror games do, and there’s really not too many jumpscares. Still, what it does best is set the atmosphere wonderfully through expert use of disturbing imagery. Aya’s father has performed all sorts of experiments on people, and once they come back, they’re bearing the scars from them – a boy with his eye gouged out, a girl whose body was ravaged by a lethal injection, a dog that had been subjected to vivisection… And the fact that it’s an 11 year old girl who needs to witness all of these horrors – most of which have been perpetrated by her own father – makes things even more disturbing. And the deeper she goes, the more horrifying secrets she uncovers. “Mad Father” has a free version, but I highly suggest paying a few dollars for the Steam version, which has updated graphics and a little bit of extra content. If you’re a fan of disturbing stuff, you’re going to have a blast with this one!
1. Lone Survivor
So, I hear you like classic “Silent Hill”, huh? You like playing as a psychologically complex protagonist trapped in his or her own head, you enjoy navigating through claustrophobic hallways and making sense of various maps, you adore uncanny monsters and some truly horrific scenes that rely more on terror and psychological horror to scare you while still looking utterly disgusting without almost any real gore? Well, my friend, “Lone Survivor” is the game for you – and honestly, if it was a “Silent Hill” game, it’d probably be the second or third best in the entire franchise. I’m dead serious. The story follows a nameless protagonist who is, as the name suggests, the lone survivor of an apocalypse that has transformed everyone in the world into grotesque mutants. Sure, he does meet people every once in a while, like the mysterious Man Wearing a Box, but they’re most likely what his damaged mind conjured up to battle the loneliness. Trapped in his own apartment complex, the lone survivor must struggle to, well, survive, all while trying to distinguish reality from his own mind’s twisted projections. One of the best things about “Lone Survivor” is just how much freedom it gives the player. Wanna stock up on ammo and pretty much shoot down any monster you find? It’ll be a little difficult and will require searching thoroughly, as ammo is scarce in this world, but it’s doable. Wanna sneak past monsters, setting baits and using flares to blind them, getting through them without firing a single bullet? You can do that too! Wanna explore the apartment complex, dedicate time to cooking fresh meals, finding supplies to make your apartment prettier and keep your sanity up, or would you prefer to just go on with the story and reduce the risk of enemy encounters? Yes, you can do whatever! It’s great! And depending on how you play, you’ll get a different ending which gives you a different perspective on your protagonist and sheds a different light on the events that happened. I seriously can not recommend “Lone Survivor” enough! You can pick it up on Steam, or on PS4, PS3 and PS Vita.