Horror Games stories don’t necessarily have the best reputation. Especially in the film sector you can find tons of unimaginatively produced strips with lame stories, intrusive moments of shock and predictable processes.
Exchangeable goods, more of a fairground attraction than horror art . But when a horror story hits the bloody nail on the head, it triggers incomparable feelings. And of course that also applies to gaming. Especially when you don’t really know whether there is a spark of truth behind the ghost story.
Anyone who searches the Steam databases will also find heaps of lousy shockers there. On the other hand, there are enough ingenious horror games to fill umpteen best-of lists with them. Of course we can’t offer that here due to lack of space, that’s why we limit ourselves to the best current horror games (release after 2015) that we would like to recommend to you for 2020 which you can download from Lisanilssonart and dare to take a look at what horror highlights will appear this year.
Resident Evil 7
Why is? With Resident Evil 7 Capcom managed to return to the survival horror of the early days of the series. Instead of shooting through hordes of zombies, at least initially we sneak through a house full of crazy residents who want to kill us.
We play the new protagonist Ethan from the first person perspective who ended up looking for his missing wife somewhere in the American southern states with the crazy killer family Baker. There he has to fathom a supernatural secret and somehow survive.
How is it playing? To do this, we solve puzzles, explore the house and face scary zombies. Later there are even boss fights that we have to master. As always, ammunition is in short supply and we can only store it in certain places.
Horror factor In the test, we especially praise the dense atmosphere and the ego perspective, which creates a strong feeling of being right in the middle. Only the added action part in the later course of the game is a bit deceptive.
Call of Cthulhu
Why is? We play private detective Edward Pierce, who ended up in a fishing village in the 1920s to solve the mysterious death of a painter and her family. Here begins an atmospheric search for clues, in which we become more and more entangled in the eerie stories surrounding Lovecraft’s »Cosmic Horror«.
How is it playing? There are isolated sequences in which we have to flee or sneak from monsters or opponents. Most of the time, however, we investigate by investigating crime scenes, interviewing people, reconstructing events and using our skills cleverly. Similar to a role-playing game, we can invest points.
Horror factor Of course, HP Lovecraft should not be missing from a good horror list. Call of Cthulhu uses the license of the pen & paper role-playing game of the same name. The focus is on the classic Lovecraft madness around horrors that exceed the human spirit and ancient cosmic deities. Our test praises the atmosphere and plot of the horror game. Only the simple game mechanics come off less well.
Remothered: Tormented Fathers
Why is? In the graphically appealing and atmospheric horror game Remothered: Tormented Fathers we set out as investigator Rosemary Reed to the property of Richard Felton, whose daughter Celeste is missing. We want to clarify the truth about the missing girl.
On the spot, we quickly get caught up in a conspiracy involving a dangerous drug and a freaked Felton. He has just welcomed us amiably, but in the next moment he wants to hit our figure.
How is it playing? Felton follows us around the house as we sneak, hide and try to solve the (luckily quite simple) puzzles in order to advance.
Horror Games factor? This provides a lot of thrill, even if the long walks become a bit annoying at some point due to the rare save points. Nevertheless, the game inspired by the traditional Giallo horror in the style of Resident Evil 7 is definitely worth it for fans of scary hide-and-seek games.
The Forest
Why is? After a plane crash, we stranded in The Forest on a seemingly deserted island. However, a little later an eerie resident shows up and kidnaps our son. We not only have to survive somehow, we also have to save our offspring and find answers. What happened here and why did the plane crash?
How is it playing In The Mixture of Horror, Survival and Sandbox, we build our own base. To do this, we collect material to build a shelter, tools such as a campfire or traps, and fortification walls. They become particularly important over time because the islanders – who turn out to be cannibals – are increasingly aggressive towards us. At the same time, we have to ensure our own well-being with enough water and food.
Horror Games factor? Cannibals have always been a popular horror element and in the survival game The Forest they also provide a thrill as bloodthirsty and sometimes mutated ogres. The opponents sneak across the pitch-dark island, especially at night, ambush us and drag us into their cave. Later they even attacked our camp in broad daylight. There is also a co-op mode to scare off together The ample grind in the test, as well as a lack of free memory function and awkward animations, caused criticism.
Layers of Fear 2
Why is? Layers of Fear 2 tells a story that is independent of its predecessor, which is why you can start with part 2 without any problems. You play an actor on a cruise ship that has been converted into a film set. However, he is in a creative crisis and is desperately looking for the best way to portray a character. In it, the main character loses himself completely and drifts into delusions and surreal horror. The story itself remains rather vague.
How is it playing Compared to the first part, the game mechanics are more in focus. You will encounter real dangers in the form of monsters chasing you and significantly more puzzles. Overall, the gameplay remains very shallow, because you mostly only interact with individual objects or run away and the puzzles and timing challenges can usually be solved without thinking too much.
Horror Games factor? As in the first part, the star remains the gripping horror atmosphere that is created by the constantly changing environment. Sometimes you enter an empty room and in the next moment you are surprised by a dummy that has definitely not been there yet. Sometimes the pictures on the wall change or you are even catapulted into a black and white film. Layers of Fear 2 plays a lot with film aesthetics and references.