With the start of our “Top” Lists Campaign, we bring to you the Top Scary Games Of All Time..
-Amnesia: The Dark Descent
-Alan Wake
-F.E.A.R.
-Silent Hill: Downpour
-Dead Space
For some of you, at one point in your life, after playing numerous games, from Halo 4 to FIFA 14, there comes a game that creeps you out so much that you’re just not able to finish it, and you say ‘Screw it’ and go back to a genre you’re comfortable with. Or you somehow persevere and do finish it, and then do your best to not think about it ever again. I’m one of the people who, if possible, take a partner along for every mission/quest. A dog is even better, like in Fable 2 (the game wasn’t that scary, I just don’t like being alone in dark and isolated areas). Here’s a list of the top scary games (in my opinion, since I haven’t played every scary game ever made):
1. Amnesia: The Dark Descsent (PC)
Developer(s): Frictional Games
Publisher(s): Frictional Games
Platforms: Mac OS X, Microsoft Windows, Linux
The game is based in London, in the year 1839. You play as Daniel, and when the game starts the player wakes up in the Brennenburg Castle, with absolutely no memory of how he got there, and doesn’t remember anything but his name and where he lives, and the fact that something dangerous is after him. To reach your goal, you have to explore the castle with nothing but a lantern. No weapons, no powers. No way to defend yourself from the horrors that plague the castle, all you can do is run, as fast and as creatively as you can. You’ll have to fix things so you can use them, and solve some puzzles too.
There’s a health meter, and along with that there’s also a sanity meter, and you must keep an eye on both. The sanity meter is affected when you’re in the darkness for too long, or see something really, really distubing or stare at some of the ‘horrors’ mentioned above for too long. As the sanity meter declines, the hallucinations start, which lead the monsters right to you. Having some form of light with or around you will help maintain the sanity meter, but just in case you don’t have access to any, use the tinderboxes to light any candle you see. If you see an ugly, deformed and unearthy being- run as fast as you can, because it will chase you until you’re out of sight. Don’t even try to fight it because this is not Skyrim. Or Supernatural. So, run and hide and don’t stand behind doors because they can get rid of doors very easily.
2. Alan Wake
Developer(s): Remedy Entertainment
Publisher(s): Microsoft Game Studios
Platforms: Xbox 360, Microsoft Windows
The protagonist of the game is Alan Wake (best selling psychological thriller author), who is suffering from writer’s block- which didn’t go away for a while. Alice, his significant other, and his agent Barry suggest a vacation, and so Alan and Alice travel to Bright Falls, though they had no idea what was waiting for them. Alice is kidnapped by an unknown force, and the player must overcome various obstacles to get her back. Thus, you dive into the supernatural world where fiction comes to life, and it’s not (most of the time) in your favour. A world where a certain darkness is slowly taking over those around Alan, and that includes humans, animals and even non-living things. You have to defeat them with the combined use of light and firearms.
You opponents will have weapons of their own, and they’ll come in different sizes and with different levels of strength and speed. They are protected by a layer of darkness that surrounds them, and while it’s there firearms will have no effect on them. You have to get rid of the darkness by using the flashlight or some other source of light, and then use your trusty weapons to kick their asses. Ammunition and batteries will be limited, so make sure to colllect them while you explore the town. Bigger sources of light will destroy more opponents, and streetlights will generate your health faster. There’s also an optional objective, and it’s pretty useful: collect the scattered pages of Alan’s latest novel, Departure, and it’ll contain information on events that have yet to happen, and tips that’ll help you progress.
3. F.E.A.R.
Developer(s): Monolith Studios, Day 1 Studios
Publisher(s): Vivendi Universal
Platforms: Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, Microsoft Windows
In this game, you’re the Point Man-a member of F.E.A.R., which is an exclusive special ops group that deals with supernatural forces. The player is in this group mainly for his distinct reactive reflexes. It’s a first-person shooter game, influenced greatly by japanese horror. The overall atmosphere of the game is one of the main reasons why it’s among the top scary games. One of the unique features of the game is reflex time-this slows down everything around you (you move normally) and allows the player to aim and shoot with ease. As for the weapons, you have your normal firearms: rifles, pistols, etc. The one thing that will probably creep you out the most is Alma-the terrifying little girl in red. But at least your opponents are human, albeit telepathically-controlled ones with extraordinary abilities.
The hallucinations are also something the player is subjected to repeatedly, injecting you with a healthy dose of fear and caution if you get too cocky at times. Parts of the game will mess with your head a little, and the sudden appearances will tire you out (mentally) after a while, so I’d suggest taking short breaks in between, if only to remind yourself that it’s not actually real.
4. Silent Hill: Downpour
Developer(s): Vatra Games
Publisher(s): Konami Digital Entertainment
Platforms: Xbox 360, PlayStaion 3
The main protagonist of the game is Murphy, who’s out for revenge, with one goal in his mind: killing a certain nasty pedophile. On this path, he makes mistakes that come back to bite him in the ass later on. The player explores Silent Hill, encountering monsters at every turn. Firearms are among the available weapons, but they’re painfully limited, and so is the ammunition. Your melee weapon should always be on hand, but even that breaks eventually. As the health meter declines, it gets reflected on the character’s appearance. You do get to solve more than a few puzzles, and other than that the main focus is combat, which will occur more frequently while it’s raining because monsters appear more often. Alongside the main quest, there are other minor objectives available that are related to the townsfolk. The game’s outcome will depend on the choices made by the player throughout the game.
5. Dead Space
Developer(s): EA Redwood Shores
Publisher(s): Elecronic Arts
Platforms: PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Microsoft Windows
Definitely one of the top scary games. You play as Isaac Clarke who survives, along with two other partners, their ship’s collision with the dock of the mining starship they were sent to investigate. Along with making certain discoveries about the Ishimura (mining starship) and the planet they’re on (Aegis VII), they finally realize how much danger they’re in, and the fight against the Necromorphs-that are quite similar to zombies, I think. Behavior-wise. They’re just reanimated corpses and a smarter version- starts. It’s kill or be killed: and they have to kill in order to get off the planet.
The menu, health bar etc are viewed in the form of holographic projections. but unfortunately it doesn’t pause the game, and you can still get hurt while trying to check how much ammunition you have left. Unlike zombies however, Necromorphs are capable of strategic thinking, and headshots don’t do much damage so you have to cut their limbs off if you want to stop them. But, they have another skill: regeneration. As in, they can sprout new limbs, like a certain Namekian everyone loves. Coming to the weapons, the only one you’ll recognize is the rifle- other weapons include a hydrazine torch, a plasma cutter, a contact beam. As the game progresses you’ll experience a sense of helplessness, betrayal, misery, and eventually, a pretty unexpected end.