Summary
Horror has evolved significantly since the early days, both in films and video games, as a push for jump scares has turned many experiences into heart attack simulators rather than genuinely chilling rides.
Thankfully, there are stillmany great horror gamesthat opt for a slower, more psychologically driven playthrough that doesn’t resort to cheap jump scares as a way of terrifying the player. Many titles may still employ a few sharp tone shifts or sudden encounters, but they are more commonly used to supplement the rest of the gameplay, while not getting nearly as much of the spotlight as with other titles.
Year Walkimmerses players in a chilling journey through Swedish folklore, where ancient rituals and eerie spirits create a deeply unsettling atmosphere. The game employs stark visuals and minimalist sound design to evoke a sense of isolation and an ever-growing feeling of dread, without ever needing to startle the playerwith frightening enemiesor invasive scares.
The psychological horror emerges through its fragmented narrative and puzzles that demand introspection and persistence. As reality distorts and symbols repeat, the tension builds, and the player begins to question what is real and what is imagined. The experience becomes increasingly disorienting, resulting in a sense of unease that never goes away.
Milk Inside a Bag of Milk Inside a Bag of Milkis an incredibly unique horror experience that trades traditional scares for aslow-burn visual novelthat explores dark themes through distinctive visuals. The game is a short narrative tale that follows an unreliable narrator, delving into mental illness and fragmented memories in a way unlike any other game.
Mundane events become twisted into terrifying spectacles, and the players are constantly unsettled throughout the whole experience due to the lack of clarity and the general unsettling nature of the game. No sudden sounds or fast scares — just a reflection of a broken psyche seen firsthand.
Omoripresents a bright, nostalgic aesthetic that slowly unravels into a haunting exploration of repressed trauma. Beneath its RPG surface lies a layered narrative steeped in emotional pain, where the boundaries between fantasy and reality blur to disturbing effect, while keeping things moving forward at a steady pace that never oversteps into cheapness.
The true horrors are delivered through dreamlike sequences and symbolic imagery, not sudden frights. The most terrifying moments stem from simplistic yet haunting visuals that are beautifully accompanied by serious themes that draw fear and emotional resonance rather than monsters or gore.
Karma: The Dark Worldsees players stepping straight intoa broken mindand exploring every dark corner possible through a series of basic puzzles that perfectly capture what it means to lose oneself.
Every moment brings with it disturbing visuals and a sense of being watched, but there are few moments in which the player feels overly stressed at the prospect of a sudden scare. The occasional jump is almost always backed up with an even more chilling section that builds tension and fear through intriguing storytelling and uniquely uncanny aesthetics.
Mouthwashingtakes a minimalist approach to exploring psychological decay in a deeply unnerving story that leaves players with more than a few questions. Its abstract environments and ambiguous objectives create a disquieting tone, where simplicity becomes grotesque and bodily discomfort takes center stage.
Rather than traditional horror beats, the game relies on an overwhelming atmosphere of unease. The experience mimics intrusive thoughts and obsessive behavior, making players complicit in a spiraling psychological descent that lingers beyond the screen and delivers an unforgettable experience in just a short time.
Iron Lungis one of the most interesting horror games released in the past few years. Rather than having players navigate a haunted house or an alien ship, they are instead forced to traverse through a sea of blood inside a small metallic craft with only a tiny camera and the sounds outside to guide them.
Every tiny movement through the depths feels incredibly gripping, as without a clear visual on what’s ahead, players are effectively guessing and letting fate take the wheel. The tension continues to rise at a steady rate throughout, and even though the gamecan be beaten in under an hour, it feels like an endless horrifying journey into the unknown.
Doki Doki Literature Club!takes the dating sim genre and flips it on its head with a mind-bending horror experience that goes outside the boundaries of the game, both literally and metaphorically. Players start out talking with the characters about their writing and engage in pretty casual conversations, but these talks quickly descend into madness and horror in no time.
What makes the game so deeply unnerving is its ability to talk directly to the player and interact with the game files themselves. Changes to different files and other edits outside the actual game resultin different endingsand changes to the characters that make the whole game feel alive in the most terrifying way possible, without ever resorting to cheap jump scares.
