Top 10 Scariest Moments in Non-Horror Video Games
#10: Scarecrow Stages
“Batman: Arkham Asylum” (2009) Batman isn’t exactly known for his stories being bright and cheery. Even so, the Scarecrow sections of “Arkham Asylum” are straight up terrifying! While making his way to the Asylum’s morgue, Batman and the player begin experiencing vivid hallucinations from the Scarecrow’s fear toxin. These include the dead body of Commissioner Gordon, whom you’re there to rescue. Then bugs crawl all over the walls and floor. The morgue itself then seems to come to life, and several body bags appear to contain Bruce Wayne’s parents, who blame him for not saving them. You’re then subjected to a huge, nightmarish abstract landscape where a giant Scarecrow menaces you. Batman’s nightmares aren’t any easier for us to conquer!
#9: The Piano
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“Super Mario 64” (1996) “Mario” is generally a happy-go-lucky game franchise, much like its title mustachioed protagonist. However, it has its share of scares. While the series’ first 3D installment has several scary enemies, such as the giant, terrifying eel that lunges out of holes at you, our pick goes to an even scarier foe. The haunted house themed level “Big Boo’s Haunt” has more than its share of scares, given that it’s full of ghosts. But its most infamous and terrifying feature is a seemingly mundane object – a piano. In one of the rooms, Mario will come across the instrument. If the player moves quickly while near it, the piano will come to life and snap at you with sharp jaws! Excuse us while we change our pants!
#8: Giygas
“EarthBound” (1995) Most of the enemies in “Earthbound” are just as quirky and weird as the game’s overall tone. Except…its final boss. Giygas is an extraterrestrial being and basically the embodiment of evil. Its form and powers are beyond human comprehension. Its form is that of a shifting face that looks like it’s constantly screaming. That, along with the eerie music that plays during its boss battle, are creepy enough. But its strength is so beyond Ness and your party that the only thing you can do to beat it is pray. No really – prayer is the only thing that can defeat it. Because when distilled despair stares you in the face, the only thing you can do is hope!
#7: Dead Hand
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“The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time” (1998) This famous entry in “The Legend of Zelda” franchise features more than its fair share of spooky moments. But it’s one of its enemies that gives everyone the heebie-jeebies! In both the dungeon under the well and in the Shadow Temple, Link encounters a room full of pale, stick-like arms coming out of the ground. If he/the player gets close enough, they’ll grab you by the head and the Dead Hand will erupt out of the ground. A blobby monster with an unnaturally large jaw, the Dead Hand will slowly move towards you and take bites out of you if you don’t struggle out of its grasp. It may not be very difficult to defeat, but it’s still pure nightmare fuel!
#6: The Flood Revealed
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“Halo: Combat Evolved” (2001) The first “Halo” game begins as a pretty straightforward space adventure. Sure, some of the enemies can be intimidating, but none of them are scary. Then Master Chief comes across a facility where human troops investigated, along with signs of battle. From a recording, you discover that the soldiers were attacked, not by the alien Covenant forces, but by parasitic monsters called the Flood, which infest humans and Covenant alike; turning them into grotesque, zombie-like beings. Upon first playing “Halo,” most of us weren’t expecting body horror out of this military sci-fi game! And the creepy, found footage presentation only makes the scene feel more like a horror game.
#5: Hallucination
“Max Payne” (2001) With a name like “Max Payne,” this neo-noir game is hardly going to be full of sunshine and rainbows. The game begins with the murder of the title character’s family by addicts. As disturbing as that is, there’s an even scarier moment later. Max is injected with the same substance those addicts used, Valkyr, and he suffers a drug-induced hallucination. In this experience, Max returns to a version of his former home, which echoes with the cries of his family. The only way to escape is through an empty blackness, lit only by a literal trail of blood!
#4: Lavender Town
“Pokémon Red and Blue” (1996) “Pokémon” is fun for all ages, yet one of its first games’ most famous areas is quite unsettling. Lavender Town is home to a tower, which is full of graves for dead Pokémon. Full of ghosts, or rather Ghost-type Pokémon, as well as spirit mediums and the villainous Team Rocket, the village is one of the spookiest places in the whole franchise. The haunting, sinister soundtrack, plus the quest to help lay a Pokemon’s dead mother to rest certainly don’t help either, nor do all the creepypastas that have sprung up around it online. Bottomline - Lavender Town is downright macabre for being in a kids’ game.
#3: The Moon
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“The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask” (2000) “Majora’s Mask” is undoubtedly the darkest “Zelda” game, with a ton of grim subject matter and a general air of melancholy and dread pervading the game. The source of most of the game’s sense of unease isn’t exactly hard to find – it’s the moon. The massive satellite is not only poised to crash into Termina, the world the game is set in, but it also has a terrifying face dominated by its menacing rictus grin! The literal face of Armageddon, the Moon is a looming presence throughout the game that invokes anxiety whenever you see it. Still, if you’re unfortunate enough to let time run out and get a game over, the Moon will collide with Termina, killing you and everyone else!
#2: Lights Out
“Gone Home” (2013) Unlike many other so-called “walking simulators,” “Gone Home” isn’t a horror game. Although granted, it does feature the player exploring a somewhat unsettling empty house, there’s generally nothing to surprise or scare the player. Unless, that is, they explore one of the secret passages in the house. After learning that the player character’s sister was investigating a ghost that may have been in the home, you can enter this hidden area. Inside, there’s a crucifix. If you choose to pick it up, the lights will go out. It may be a minor jump scare, but considering the tame content of the rest of the game, this unexpected event can still make you jump out of your skin – especially if you’re playing in the dark yourself!
#1: Vortex Queen
“Ecco the Dolphin” (1992) “Ecco the Dolphin” is a game that follows the title aquatic mammal as he must defend Earth from hostile aliens. Yes, really. Notoriously difficult, the only thing more terrifying than how hard the game is, is its final boss. The Vortex Queen is the leader of the alien forces Ecco fights against. The alien queen resembles…well, an Alien queen! A massive, green, insectoid head, the Vortex Queen’s scary face is completely unlike anything else in the game and given how hard she is to defeat, you may find yourself dreading seeing it again for multiple reasons.
