A New Age of Fear and Rage Quits
We all have fond memories (and nightmares) of classic horror titles such as Fatal Frame, Silent Hill 2, Sanitarium, and The 7th Guest. They helped to pioneer the genre, showing how fear can be interpreted in video game form with a mainstream audience in mind. What they managed to accomplish both on a technical level as well as in the scare department was monumental. While we certainly hold games such as these up on a pedestal, there have been a few recent entries in the last few years that have managed to ascertain such critical acclaim that its doubtless that they’ll go down as classics themselves!
There are of course numerous contenders, as games such as Alien: Isolation, Dead Space and PT have demonstrated a full understanding of what true horror is. That being said, these three just managed to clinch it for us!
#3: “Resident Evil 7” (2017)
One of horror’s newest prodigal sons, the return of this survival horror masterpiece could not have been smoother. The sense of tension as you wandered the halls of the Baker House, the fear of losing ammo as you were cornered by one of the Molded, dealing with Jack and Marguerite’s monstrous new forms, all of it blended together to craft what has to be one of the greatest comebacks in all of gaming.
#2: “Amnesia: The Dark Descent” (2010)
Even if you ignore how this game managed to inspire an entire fleet’s worth of gamers to craft their own narratives through its inbuilt custom story option, by itself Amnesia still holds out remarkably well as a horror title. The mystery surrounding Daniel’s memory loss as well as the orb kept us pushing deeper and deeper into the bowls of Brennenburg Castle, where we ended up coming across everything from the Gatherers to the unseen Water Creature. Considering these beasts are now regarded as icons, there’s no denying the game’s monumental impact.
#1: “Outlast” (2013)
Refreshing fear in a player is not an easy task, and yet the occupants of Mount Massive Asylum managed to knock it out of the park. With no means of defense other than to turn around and run like hell, Outlast managed to instil a true sense of dread within audiences the world over. Not only did we have to worry about being pursued by the likes of dangerous mental patients and the unrelenting Chris Walker, but also have to sit through Dr Trager’s private torture session. We’re sure there are gorier games out there, but when this title wanted to shock us, it did so in a glorious fashion. We’re pretty sure many turned the game off several times over out of fear of becoming the Walrider’s latest victim!
Be sure to check out the video below to see the results of Amnesia: The Dark Descent vs. Outlast.
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