Okay, Halloween is over, but this time of year is the perfect time to have fun scaring yourself and we’ve discovered some little-known games that are really chilling. In recent years, the independent scene has particularly contributed to putting forward many quality horror productions. Here is a small selection of nuggets that you absolutely must make. Will you have the courage to do them? Unless it’s already done…
From the Darkness, horror with a capital H
We start… anything but gently. Yes, it’s Halloween after all. From the Darkness is a game that comes to us from Nb4A, an independent developer specializing in horror. This title invites us to go look for an object that belonged to us in an old abandoned apartment. The adventure is short, but devilishly intense. There is almost no jumpscare », with startles, and we are anxious from start to finish. From the Darkness leaves the player no respite thanks to ingenious light effects and a sound design masterful. The only time the game lets you breathe is when you reach the end. If you can do it. Believe us, this is far from an easy task.
From the Darkness is available on Steam
Maid of Sker, stop breathing!
We continue our list with Maid of Sker, a horror game that uses quite original mechanics. The Silent Ones, who are the enemies of the game, are blind. They can only hear you if you make noise by hitting an object or stepping on broken glass, among other things. But the concept goes much further than that. Your own breathing can betray you. It is therefore possible to hold your breath temporarily. This type of gameplay offers distressing infiltration phases, even if we would have liked to face a slightly more intelligent AI. In any case, it is worth the detour, particularly for its elaborate soundscape and its unique story inspired by Welsh folklore.
Maid of Sker is available on consoles and PC
If On a Winter’s Night, Four Travelers, dark pixels
Let’s now move on to a slightly more particular production. If On A Winter’s Night, Four Travelers is a haunting narrative horror game. Its careful pixel-art style does not detract from the strangeness that emerges from the events we are about to experience. Four complete strangers in masks are on a train whose destination remains a mystery. They don’t know how they got there, and their memories are a little fuzzy. Together, they will try to retrace the last thing they did before losing consciousness. The stories told are chilling, and the unique atmosphere that emerges from each story is enough to justify purchasing the game.
If On a Winter’s Night, Four Travelers is available on Steam
Bramble: The Mountain King, a creepy and anxiety-provoking tale
If you are familiar with the Little Nightmares license, Bramble: The Mountain King will be a safe bet. The concept is relatively similar, you play a very small character trapped in a world populated by gigantic creatures. The latter have only one idea in mind: to catch our protagonist and, probably, make him their feast. Bramble has the particularity of offering a universe and a story inspired by Scandinavian folklore. This little extra gives a delicious flavor to the world around us. The monsters in the game are described through storybooks, and the music itself gives the feeling of living in a fairy tale. But here, the adventure is more like a waking nightmare than an epic intended to make children dream. A must-see this Halloween season.
Bramble: The Mountain King on PS5, Xbox Series, Switch and PC
Remothered: Tormented Fathers, the horror thriller
Remothered: Tormented Fathers is a horror game that requires a good dose of composure. Inspired, among other things, by the Clock Tower series, this title invites us to follow the adventures of Doctor Reed. A woman investigating the disappearance of a young girl named Celeste. To find her, Reed goes to the father’s villa to investigate. The building is lost in the middle of the forest, which is reassuring. The discoveries she will make there promise to be most disturbing. However, it will not be easy to escape the occupants of the premises, who intend not to let their secret be revealed in broad daylight. The chases and hide-and-seek sequences offered by Remothered are truly oppressive. They will undoubtedly mark your long Halloween evening, if you have the courage to enter Felton Manor.
Remothered: Tormented Fathers is available on PS5, Xbox Series and PC
Welcome to Kowloon, don’t be afraid of the dark…
Let’s continue our descent into hell with Welcome to Kowloon, another horror game from the studio behind From the Darkness. This is his most recent production, and it is clearly worth the detour. The action takes place in the Kowloon Citadel, China. A sinister place into which our character enters, since he has become the happy tenant of a room in a dilapidated accommodation. Once there, unease reigns supreme and you feel constantly being watched. Unsurprisingly, events take a dramatic turn, and escaping Kowloon becomes our protagonist’s only concern. But it won’t be easy, and some great scares await you during this adventure. The handling of the flashlight is particularly striking, and you don’t see many horror games using it in this way. So we recommend adding Welcome to Kowloon to your Halloween list. Just like From the Darkness, it will be short, but intense.
Welcome to Kowloon on PC
Fears to Fathom, horror in the great outdoors
Fears to Fathom is a series of horror games in an episodic format. The 4th episode has just been released, so it’s the perfect time to get started. Each of them takes approximately 1 hour to complete. And it’s 1 hour of pure intense stress. Fears to Fathom never tells the same story, and immerses us in scenes of everyday life: staying at home alone, driving at night on a desolate road, guarding someone’s house, in short, one type of situation in short, quite banal. But unexpected events will happen, and it’s up to you to find a way to survive. The fame of Fears to Fathom was made in particular thanks to its use of the microphone. Indeed, the game is able to detect the player’s microphone. You must therefore be silent, especially since it is quite sensitive. Sometimes we end up putting our hand over our mouth to avoid making the slightest sound. The most impressive thing about all of this is that the series was put together by one person. The budget is thus reduced, but that does not prevent it from providing thrills worthy of the greatest of the genre.
Fears to Fathom is available on PC
The Karaoke, horror in song
The Karaoke, this is the new game from Chilla’s Art. An independent studio using a graphic style that is, to say the least,… special. The developers gave it the name “VHS filter”, which harkens back to the days of the PS1. The latter sets the tone of most games: bizarre titles where you have the impression of being under the effect of a bad hallucination. The quality of Chilla’s Art productions varies greatly, but we owe them some gems like The Convenience Store or The Closing Shift. The latest is The Karaoke. The starting postulate is simple, as is often the case. You play as a high school student who decides to go for a little karaoke session. There are six endings in the game, so suffice to say that not everything goes as planned. Chilla’s Art distils fear in a way that may be off-putting to some, but if you’re not familiar with their style, it may be worth a look.
The Karaoke is available on Steam
Stay Out of the House, retro horror
The VHS/low poly style continues with Stay Out of the House. This horrific title comes to us from the ovens of Puppet Combo, the studio behind the excellent Murder House. The goal of the game is simple, you have to escape from the house of a serial killer who is also a cannibal. It’s going to be a difficult task, otherwise it wouldn’t be fun. There are many tools at your disposal to help you get through this, but stealth will be your greatest ally. The immersion is on point, and it takes around 3-4 hours to get through it. In short, if you are nostalgic for the PlayStation 1 era, Texas Chainsaw Massacre, and are looking for a disturbing and scary horror game, Stay Out of the House is not to be missed.
Stay Out of the House is available on PS5, Xbox Series and PC
Signalis, old-fashioned survival horror
Signalis is not really “little known” among horror game fans, but it would be a shame not to mention it as its offering is breathtaking. It’s a beautiful homage to the old era, both graphically and playfully. The gameplay, for example, quickly drew comparison with those of the old Resident Evil and Silent Hill. However, it is not just that. Signalis offers a dive into an elusive dystopian universe that will leave no one indifferent. The game invites us to take part in a dreamlike journey where incomprehension constantly mixes with fear of the unknown. We do not emerge from Signalis unscathed and its aesthetic, like its history, will surely be remembered for many years.
Signalis is available on PS5, Xbox Series and PC
These ten horror games should therefore keep you at the back of your seat in this time of fear. We could have cited other titles like Amanda the Adventurer, Decarnation, Lone Survivor, Do not be afraid or Loretta And Face. But it’s already a good appetizer for Halloween, and we hope it has piqued your curiosity.