25 votes

Halloween game sales are live. What are your Horror/Halloween-themed recommendations?

What horror or dark-themed games would you recommend, and why? No spoilers please.

Steam: https://store.steampowered.com/sale/halloween2018/

GOG: https://www.gog.com/games?page=1&sort=popularity&tab=on_sale

Humble store: https://www.humblebundle.com/store/promo/halloween-sale/

33 comments

  1. [14]
    emnii
    Link
    Are we talking strictly out of these sales options? Seconding SOMA, adding Amnesia: The Dark Descent. Both made by the same team, both creepy games of hide and seek. I think SOMA has a bit more...
    • Exemplary

    Are we talking strictly out of these sales options?

    Seconding SOMA, adding Amnesia: The Dark Descent. Both made by the same team, both creepy games of hide and seek. I think SOMA has a bit more punch in the story.

    Definitely seconding Left 4 Dead 2 as it's possibly the most fun you can have in a coop game. I'm not sure if the community has moved on or not, but your friends probably own this and you all should play it again sometime. It's not scary so much as a fun action game.

    Alien: Isolation is another fun hide-and-seek, except with an Alien license. It's got a great look to it, and there's really nothing like running from the alien only to be dragged out of a vent by your feet and murdered by it. It's long, maybe too long, but I loved it from beginning to end.

    Alan Wake is a good third-person action game with heavy Stephen King and Twin Peaks influences. Alan Wake's American Nightmare improves on the action, but is a shorter game, and it's more like The Twilight Zone.

    I love Blood. It's old but it's a classic FPS that parodies and gives tribute to a lot of horror movies. Like one mission takes place in a level that's very much like the hotel from The Shining.

    Clive Barker's Undying is another classic FPS, this time with a ghost story feel and a unique (at the time) dual wielding, gun and spell, system. Very underrated.

    Oxenfree is a good, creepy adventure game. It requires a lot of backtracking to get the most out of it, but I played it until I got all of the achievements because I liked it so much. It's a teenagers in-too-deep story with a cosmic horror bend. It's got a great dialogue system.

    Stories Untold is a small collection of creepy adventure games. I think the demo The House Abandon is still out there for free, and it's very indicative of the rest of the games. If you like the demo, you'll almost definitely enjoy the rest of it.

    Dead Space is one of my favorite games of the previous generation of consoles and the PC port is good enough. Third person action in a space ship infested with aliens that took over the bodies of the crew. You have to dismember them to kill them. It's creepy, action-y, and it's full of loud sounds.

    By no means a comprehensive list of Good Games, but these were just some of the ones that stuck out to me as a good scary/horror games for the season. Pretty much all of them will get your heart rate up. Play them with the lights out.

    8 votes
    1. [2]
      teaearlgraycold
      Link Parent
      In addition I'd recommend the first two games in the Penumbra series. Also made by Frictional Games.

      Seconding SOMA, adding Amnesia: The Dark Descent. Both made by the same team, both creepy games of hide and seek. I think SOMA has a bit more punch in the story.

      In addition I'd recommend the first two games in the Penumbra series. Also made by Frictional Games.

      2 votes
      1. trazac
        Link Parent
        I like The Penumbra Series, but it's harder to recommend since it's both old (graphics haven't aged too well) and the mechanics are bad. Fighting and weapons are poorly done. While I do think...

        I like The Penumbra Series, but it's harder to recommend since it's both old (graphics haven't aged too well) and the mechanics are bad. Fighting and weapons are poorly done. While I do think they're worth looking at if you like Frictional games, they're hard to recommend.

        2 votes
    2. [4]
      frickindeal
      Link Parent
      Alien: Isolation was a fantastic playthrough. Played it on Hard difficulty, and probably shouldn't have because the damn Xenomorph barely lets you get around. I remember being somewhat frustrated...

      Alien: Isolation was a fantastic playthrough. Played it on Hard difficulty, and probably shouldn't have because the damn Xenomorph barely lets you get around. I remember being somewhat frustrated by that, but it was pretty realistic in forcing you to think up a strategy to distract him. Once you get the flamethrower, it ramps up a whole lot. No replay value though, at least not for me. It was too tense for me to want to revisit.

      1 vote
      1. [3]
        trazac
        Link Parent
        I love Alien and I really wanted to like Isolation, but I had to rage quit. The mechanics in the game just aren't well explained, so when I kept being killed by the Xenomorph I was less scared and...

        I love Alien and I really wanted to like Isolation, but I had to rage quit. The mechanics in the game just aren't well explained, so when I kept being killed by the Xenomorph I was less scared and more pissed. I would advise anyone interested in the game should make an effort to learn a bit about how the hiding mechanics work because they're confusing.

        On top of that, the Xenomorph is obnoxious. You said he doesn't let you get around on Hard, but I played on the Normal difficulty and that was true. I think it was best said by Arthur Gies with, "It's like a tweaked-out meth addict looking for his keys which he knows are in the room with you somewhere". His whole review does the game justice, although it is a bit harsh.

        2 votes
        1. [2]
          talklittle
          Link Parent
          Somebody else who didn't like Alien Isolation! The game was too overhyped and a big letdown for me. IIRC the furthest I got was encountering the Alien for the first time. But I ultimately could...

          Somebody else who didn't like Alien Isolation! The game was too overhyped and a big letdown for me. IIRC the furthest I got was encountering the Alien for the first time. But I ultimately could not get into it after installing it on two separate occasions.

          The level design was boring (big dark empty repetitive hallways), sure it looked like the Alien movies but it wasn't very interesting to walk around for hours. And mission objectives were often unclear. Hated the crafting system, and the few enemies I did encounter were scary for the first few minutes, then obnoxious because I kept running out of healing items or bombs or whatever I needed at any given moment, due to said crafting system with too much randomness in material placement.

          Reading that the AI only gets more obnoxious over time, it was an easy decision to drop the game.

          2 votes
          1. trazac
            Link Parent
            I haven't finished the game myself, but I have heard that the first big Alien encounter, the one where you actually have to do a lot of dodging and hiding, is the worst part of the game. It was...

            I haven't finished the game myself, but I have heard that the first big Alien encounter, the one where you actually have to do a lot of dodging and hiding, is the worst part of the game. It was enough for me to stop playing it and not want to come back. I love Alien, though, and my wife really wants to see the rest of the game, so I might come back to it. It's not often that I rage quit a game, especially one with such good presentation.

            1 vote
    3. [7]
      trazac
      Link Parent
      I'm sure my comment will be seen as inflammatory, and it is off topic but I want to start somewhat of a discussion. Comments like yours always get votes, and it's not without some merit. You put...

      I'm sure my comment will be seen as inflammatory, and it is off topic but I want to start somewhat of a discussion.

      Comments like yours always get votes, and it's not without some merit. You put in a lot of effort and you're at least knowledgeable on this topic. People like when someone puts in the work, and people also like hearing popular things get praised. (In this situation at least it's a minor echo chamber where people who like horror games will see your comment and largely agree with what you said, but it's not so bad because you're also disseminating a lot of information to people who don't know as much.)

      My problem arises in that your comment isn't a very good start for a discussion. You give a really general overview of a bunch of different games without making a point about any of them. You basically made a verbose bulleted list of horror games with a minor description. That's not exactly unwarranted in this thread but, at least for me, Tildes is a venue for discussion. Obviously that is my view of this site, but I don't think it's unfounded.

      I just don't have a good response to your comment because it would be silly or a waste of time to respond to every highlight you made. If you limited your recommendations to one or two titles you could expand on what you found good, and things you didn't. That would initiate a conversation on those titles. Instead what happens is other people heaping on praise of the games they liked that you mentioned.

      On top of that, personally I feel like someone making many recommendations gives each recommendation less weight. I think this is just me personally, because obviously other people voted for your comment and I'm sure it'll soon be and remain as the top comment of this thread. I think when someone is a fan of a genre or series, they're more willing to tolerate downsides or ignore them entirely. It's not always true, but that's the sentiment I get from you after reading your comment. Because of that, all of your recommendations hold less water for me, even if that's totally unwarranted.

      I'm not the comment police and I'm sure most people will disagree with me. This is a pet peeve of mine and it's really minor.

      6 votes
      1. [6]
        kfwyre
        Link Parent
        Over on reddit, /r/truegaming has long had the same issue you describe. They banned "list posts" for a long time because, like you pointed out, they don't tend to generate discussion--only lists....

        Over on reddit, /r/truegaming has long had the same issue you describe. They banned "list posts" for a long time because, like you pointed out, they don't tend to generate discussion--only lists. Everyone will give a surface-level or one-off response, but nobody really has a way or a want to carry anything forward from that. Curbing the posting of list topics was a battle for them when I left reddit years ago, and apparently it's still going on. Here's a post mentioning it from just three months ago.

        With that in mind, however, I feel like your frustration shouldn't be with @emnii but with the nature of the post in general. @talklittle specifically asked for recommendations, which is essentially asking us to generate a list for them. Accordingly, we have. The comment you responded to isn't any different than the other top-level posts here except for the fact that there are more games listed. I don't think listing one, two, or even nine games is an issue provided that's the purpose of the post. We're all answering the question asked!

        If the topic were instead something like "What horror game deeply affected you and why?" or "How do good horror games build tension?" then I agree with you: a list like this wouldn't work because the question is specifically seeking more than just the title and a quick summary. It also wouldn't work because, like you said, it would dilute the conversation by giving too many jumping off points. A focused response would definitely be better for those types of posts, but those types of posts also have a fundamentally different purpose.

        I guess the question your comment brings up for me is this: is Tildes a place for list posts like this one, or not? /r/truegaming hardlined on these, and many people felt that it considerably improved discussion. On the other hand, the popularity of list posts themselves speaks to the idea that many people do genuinely like them. Would it be better to rule against list posts in favor of fostering more meaningful discussion, or would it be better to allow them provided they don't drown out other conversations?

        7 votes
        1. [2]
          talklittle
          Link Parent
          When I posted the topic I debated whether to include a line like "recommend no more than 3 games," and then decided to leave it out. Tildes is small enough that the top-level responses aren't...

          When I posted the topic I debated whether to include a line like "recommend no more than 3 games," and then decided to leave it out. Tildes is small enough that the top-level responses aren't going to be exhaustive, and I wanted to hear all the titles that people thought were worthy of purchase, given that the question is prompted by a limited time sale. With a small user sample size, a hard limit on quantity risks too much overlap and the same 5 or so games potentially dominating the top-level comments.

          As the community grows the opinions will naturally spread and cover a wider range of content, in which case I would rephrase the original question.

          5 votes
          1. kfwyre
            Link Parent
            I re-read what I wrote, and it comes across as an indictment of your post. I'm sorry, as I wasn't intending it to read like that but I can see how it absolutely does. For the record, I don't have...

            I re-read what I wrote, and it comes across as an indictment of your post. I'm sorry, as I wasn't intending it to read like that but I can see how it absolutely does.

            For the record, I don't have a problem what you wrote or how you wrote it. Quite the opposite really, I actually enjoy list posts! I just don't know whether or not they "fit" with Tildes's discussion focus or not, which is something I hadn't really considered until this particular discussion.

            4 votes
        2. [3]
          trazac
          (edited )
          Link Parent
          I don't blame any one person, and I already ceded ground that people like this type of content. I did think that perhaps the topic is partially to blame because it was a request for...

          I don't blame any one person, and I already ceded ground that people like this type of content. I did think that perhaps the topic is partially to blame because it was a request for recommendations which is essentially asking for a list. I do think that Tildes's goal of discussion forward content should trump this idea.

          If the topic were instead something like "What horror game deeply affected you and why?" or "How do good horror games build tension?" then I agree with you: a list like this wouldn't work because the question is specifically seeking more than just the title and a quick summary.

          My only issue with this, is that I don't think changing the exact formulation of the question would change the ultimate result. I'm sure if the question were formed the way you suggested, it wouldn't change the way @emnii responded. I also don't think that the initial body asked for only a quick summary, although now we're arguing semantics.

          I guess the question your comment brings up for me is this: is Tildes a place for list posts like this one, or not?

          I've kind of already said this, but I don't think it is. All the same, Tildes as a whole would decide something like this and not just me.

          1 vote
          1. [2]
            kfwyre
            Link Parent
            It might be worth posting about in its own thread if you're wanting to get more opinions. I never really thought about it until you brought it up, but I can see how list posts might not fit the...

            It might be worth posting about in its own thread if you're wanting to get more opinions. I never really thought about it until you brought it up, but I can see how list posts might not fit the culture Tildes is trying to foster. It'd be interesting to see what people have to say on the matter.

            1 vote
            1. trazac
              Link Parent
              I was considering it before but you pushed me over the edge. Huzzah.

              I was considering it before but you pushed me over the edge. Huzzah.

              1 vote
  2. talklittle
    Link
    My personal top pick is SOMA (80% off on Steam and GOG, 75% off on Humble). Sci-fi horror and similarly to its predecessor Amnesia: The Dark Descent, it focuses on atmosphere and worldbuilding...

    My personal top pick is SOMA (80% off on Steam and GOG, 75% off on Humble). Sci-fi horror and similarly to its predecessor Amnesia: The Dark Descent, it focuses on atmosphere and worldbuilding with some puzzles, and de-emphasizes fighting monsters. The story is solid.

    Linux-specific recommendations on GamingOnLinux:
    https://www.gamingonlinux.com/articles/humble-and-gog-both-have-plenty-of-titles-on-sale-for-halloween.12852
    https://www.gamingonlinux.com/articles/the-steam-halloween-sale-is-live-heres-a-few-linux-picks-if-you-needed-more-games-for-your-collection.12847

    8 votes
  3. [4]
    Parameter
    (edited )
    Link
    I don't know if this really applies but the Left for Dead series. It's a team first person shooter with zombies. The visual themes, especially for the first game, are inspired by horror cinema.

    I don't know if this really applies but the Left for Dead series. It's a team first person shooter with zombies. The visual themes, especially for the first game, are inspired by horror cinema.

    4 votes
    1. teaearlgraycold
      Link Parent
      I recommend playing L4D2 with some friends on the Helms Deep Reborn map. Must-have mods for helms deep: Velociraptors (L4D2 survivors) Shrek Tank Uruk-Hai common infected Nicholas Cage/Danny...

      I recommend playing L4D2 with some friends on the Helms Deep Reborn map.

      Must-have mods for helms deep:

      • Velociraptors (L4D2 survivors)
      • Shrek Tank
      • Uruk-Hai common infected
      • Nicholas Cage/Danny Devito flashlight
      • Mermaid Man Horde Sound
      3 votes
    2. [2]
      talklittle
      Link Parent
      Definitely applies! Apparently Left 4 Dead 2 still has a decent player base peaking at close to 10,000 simultaneous the past day. I'm sure we'll see a spike this week given the sale.

      Definitely applies! Apparently Left 4 Dead 2 still has a decent player base peaking at close to 10,000 simultaneous the past day. I'm sure we'll see a spike this week given the sale.

      1 vote
      1. Social
        Link Parent
        That many?! Thanks gotta get into the game again

        That many?! Thanks gotta get into the game again

        1 vote
  4. talklittle
    Link
    Another game I really enjoyed was Detention, released 2017, set in 1960s Taiwan which I found to be a very unique setting for a video game. It is a true horror game, 2d adventure style, and short...

    Another game I really enjoyed was Detention, released 2017, set in 1960s Taiwan which I found to be a very unique setting for a video game. It is a true horror game, 2d adventure style, and short and sweet at ~4 hours long. The pacing is smart and wraps things up before the horror wears out.

    4 votes
  5. vili
    Link
    Stories Untold is well worth the price that they are asking in the sale. I don't know if it's horror really, but it is quite unique and very well made. And besides, the most horrific thing in...

    Stories Untold is well worth the price that they are asking in the sale. I don't know if it's horror really, but it is quite unique and very well made. And besides, the most horrific thing in gaming is how text parsers fell out of favour.

    4 votes
  6. kfwyre
    Link
    They're not explicitly horror (though they can be pretty tense), but Killing Floor and its sequel are both great co-op zombie hoard shooters. There's a bit of a learning curve, but they are...

    They're not explicitly horror (though they can be pretty tense), but Killing Floor and its sequel are both great co-op zombie hoard shooters. There's a bit of a learning curve, but they are immensely satisfying to play when you've got a good team.

    I'll also give a recommendation for Spirits of Xanadu, which is a steal at its current sale price. Less scary than spooky and atmospheric, it plays like an indie homage to System Shock 2. It's quite low budget and is over pretty fast, but I enjoyed it enough to play through it multiple times to get each ending.

    3 votes
  7. [2]
    deciduous
    (edited )
    Link
    I'm going to strongly recommend Prey. It's a spiritual successor to Bioshock and System Shock 2 and has my favorite opening of any game ever.

    I'm going to strongly recommend Prey. It's a spiritual successor to Bioshock and System Shock 2 and has my favorite opening of any game ever.

    3 votes
    1. trazac
      Link Parent
      It's semi-tangential, but I would also suggest the original Prey from 2006. It's horror adjacent, very much sci-fi and gore-y. Really underrated and kind of forgotten. I played it recently and it...

      It's semi-tangential, but I would also suggest the original Prey from 2006. It's horror adjacent, very much sci-fi and gore-y. Really underrated and kind of forgotten. I played it recently and it holds up surprisingly well. Graphics are good, at least not distractingly bad. Although it takes a bit of work to get it to display at 1920x1080 (for no good reason, it was an Xbox 360 game). The gameplay is a little uninspired but held up by some of the mind bending gravity mechanics. It stays for a bit too long and the death mini-game is annoying but it's worth a play.

      Sadly, it's not readily available on distributive platforms like Steam, only physical copies remain. This is one of the few titles I wouldn't blame someone for pirating. First because you really can't buy it new and second because it's 12-years-old.

      2 votes
  8. trazac
    Link
    Dead By Daylight is an insanely good multiplayer horror game. Four Players work together to accomplish a common task in light of being hunted by a fifth player who acts as a supernatural serial...

    Dead By Daylight is an insanely good multiplayer horror game. Four Players work together to accomplish a common task in light of being hunted by a fifth player who acts as a supernatural serial killer. It's tense, fun, exciting, and scary all at the same time. The game is also made for horror fans with hunters from popular media such as Halloween and The Texas Chainsaw Massacre. There is also a ton of great meta with survivor specific skill sets and dynamic success conditions.

    2 votes
  9. [2]
    moocow1452
    Link
    Night in the Woods is an Autumn themed game, but it does have a Halloween/Fall Festival sequence, and the horrors are of the existential sort of "what the hell am I doing with my life" and "why...

    Night in the Woods is an Autumn themed game, but it does have a Halloween/Fall Festival sequence, and the horrors are of the existential sort of "what the hell am I doing with my life" and "why can't I ever go home again?" I like it.

    2 votes
    1. CrazyOtter
      Link Parent
      Some really good music in NitW as well.

      Some really good music in NitW as well.

  10. [3]
    CrazyOtter
    Link
    Out of the sale options Grim Fandango is really fun to play. Old game but well designed with a good story, not scary at all. Another good horror game is Until Dawn on PS4. I found it effectively...

    Out of the sale options Grim Fandango is really fun to play. Old game but well designed with a good story, not scary at all.

    Another good horror game is Until Dawn on PS4. I found it effectively scary, don't use a guide on your first playthrough.

    2 votes
    1. [2]
      talklittle
      Link Parent
      Thanks for pointing out Grim Fandango being on sale. I somehow never beat it and can't locate my old copy, so an easy buy at $4. Going on my adventure game backlog after Hero-U.

      Thanks for pointing out Grim Fandango being on sale. I somehow never beat it and can't locate my old copy, so an easy buy at $4. Going on my adventure game backlog after Hero-U.

      2 votes
      1. cfabbro
        Link Parent
        Old copies of Grim Fandango are often a PITA to get working on modern systems, requiring either ResidualVM or the Grim Fandango launcher, but even those sometimes have issues. The remastered...

        Old copies of Grim Fandango are often a PITA to get working on modern systems, requiring either ResidualVM or the Grim Fandango launcher, but even those sometimes have issues. The remastered version worked flawlessly out of the gate for me though, and for $4 on Steam right now it's definitely worth getting just to avoid the headache, IMO.

        1 vote
  11. cybervalidation
    Link
    I'm disappointed I don't see any love for Darkwood or Layers of Fear here. Played Layers of Fear probably a year ago and really enjoyed it, but I am a huge fan of walking sims as well. I find...

    I'm disappointed I don't see any love for Darkwood or Layers of Fear here.

    Played Layers of Fear probably a year ago and really enjoyed it, but I am a huge fan of walking sims as well. I find running around shooting things to really take away from the story in a horror genre. This game is story focused and uses art and music effectively to create a really unnerving environment.

    I've only been playing Darkwood for a few days but I'm finding the tension it builds (especially at night) awesome. While there is combat, I really don't find it to be the game's centrepiece. My only complaint so far is the sheer amount of crafting involved in survival.

    2 votes
  12. Shurik
    Link
    Not a video game, but Arkham Horror is a good horror board game.

    Not a video game, but Arkham Horror is a good horror board game.

  13. Kropotkin
    Link
    The Undead Nightmare DLC for Red Dead Redemption supposedly is really good.

    The Undead Nightmare DLC for Red Dead Redemption supposedly is really good.