Since the dawn of time, there has indeed been a category of games to make you shiver, we are obviously talking about survival-horror. If at present the genre has become widely democratized, several years ago, there were actually very few licenses that flirted with horror. However, we still had a few nuggets like point&click Countdown, released on PC in 1990, or the very first Resident Evil of course.
5-Dead Space
For this ranking, which is quite difficult to conceive, it must be admitted, as there are so many horror games and there are a lot of nuggets, we have decided to put the Dead Space license in 5th position. Released for the first time in 2008, this survival-horror offered something new through the environment which wants to be, as its name suggests, in space, with a rather “futuristic” gameplay, both by gadgets available only by the monsters players have to face. Here, weapon upgrading is available, as well as the ability to purchase additional items.
When it was released, several people did not hesitate to say that it was one of the scariest games, and its very oppressive atmosphere had a lot to do with it.
4 – Dying Light
Ah Dying Light, what a game too! More recent than Dead Space, we have decided to place Techland’s license in 4th position. The first opus, as well as the second in reality, immerse players in a post-apocalyptic universe in which zombies and their mutants are more present than ever. However, these are not the only enemies we have to face since humans are just as terrifying.
Here, we have to manage to loot and thus be able to craft makeshift weapons, but be careful, they have a very limited lifespan. In addition, the games offer a fairly lively gameplay since it is about parkour, and this aspect has greatly convinced the players. Besides, the night is more dangerous than ever since we have to face zombies much more angry and robust than “normal” zombies. Finally, there is a real plot to follow, and this point is pleasant, it is not just a game to kill zombies.
3 – Resident Evil
The first three licenses in the ranking were very difficult to choose, and even if Resident Evil is part of the furniture, it is however “only” third. The franchise has been around for several years, and we all know the well-known characters like Leon Kennedy, Chris Redfield and Jill Valentine. It currently has no less than 11 games for the main series, shall we say.
Here we are in a post-apocalyptic world, and those responsible for the zombie invasion are the high-ranking Umbrella Corporation. If the first titles were focused on this universe, with the city of Raccoon City as an example, it was from the 7th that Capcom decided to radically change its style, no longer offering third-person games but in the first person, and with a much more gloomy atmosphere. Nevertheless, they kept the license codes with the famous puzzles to solve, as well as the inventory which is actually sometimes our worst enemy!
2 – Silent Hill
How to do this ranking without talking about Silent Hill, the baby of Konami and Kojima? This second place was very difficult to attribute, and we could say that the franchise is almost tied with the first place, but it was necessary to decide. Here, the universe of silent Hill is still much darker than what we have had with the other licenses, and Konami and Kojima did not hesitate to play with our nerves by sometimes putting just totally creepy screamers (the little girl in the building in SIlent Hill 2!).
Besides, we’re not dealing with zombies, no, that wouldn’t be fun, but with much more terrifying monsters like the Patient Demons, which we can come across in the street, and the fact that the atmosphere is much more oppressive in these games is also linked to the fact that to spot the enemies we have a walkie-talkie that begins to sizzle intensively. In addition, there is also Pyramid Head which is undeniably one of the most emblematic figures of the license, and in front of which we just do not want to find ourselves.
As for Resident Evil, SIlent Hill offers through all these games puzzles to solve in order to progress in the story, but these (the puzzles) are a little tougher. Finally, we all hope to see the release of PT one day, which was to bear the name of Silent Hills and which was to star Norman Reedus. This demo was simply amazing and was worthy of the best horror games.
1 – Oulast
For this first place, we chose the license Outlast. Having first appeared in 2013, the Red Barrels franchise aims to be a true survival horror. Here, no weapons, no protection, nothing at all, and our only goal: to flee at all costs. Fortunately, to find our way around, we have our little on-board camera with us, but be careful, you need a lot of batteries…
The first title plunged us into an absolutely appalling psychiatric hospital and while we were investigating more than strange facts, we were chased by a “surgeon”. In this game, gore is abundantly present, and so is horror. Several times we witness quite trashy scenes with decapitated limbs, or even sometimes very disturbing scenes with, for example, a man masturbating in his cell.
Outlast 2 is different from the first title. Although the concept remains the same, to survive, to flee, and to locate oneself using our camera, here we are dealing with a gloomy atmosphere centered on what we could call a sect. We attend rituals where men who claim to be men of God do not hesitate to sacrifice poor innocent people. The rest, we will avoid telling you if you still have not tried the experience!
Honorable Mentions
To conclude this special little paper, we were obliged to have all the same some honorable mentions, with in particular Blair Witch game which is definitely one of the scariest games possible. Focused on the history of the films which featured 3 students who went to investigate Blair’s witch, the game is a little more enigmatic, and immerses us in this famous forest, in search of a missing child. Of course, we have to venture into the witch’s house, and she’s not really… safe.
In addition, there are also games like Dead by Daylight or Friday which are less scary but still put pressure. The goal in the latter is to escape the killers (Jason for Friday, that goes without saying) and in Dead by Daylight we must repair generators to open a door, while in Friday we must find elements to repair the car, fuel, etc.
Finally, there are also games like Until Dawn which they want to be much more immersive. Worthy of real films, there are all the same “already seen” scenarios but remain very pleasant to play. In addition, our choices are important and there are several possible endings, and that’s great.
And you? What are your favorite licenses?