As Halloween inches closer,horrorfans take the season to celebrate with scares. By either replaying games that still bring fear, or by exploring something new, players are itching to be scared.
Some horror games in particular can offer distinctly terrifying experiences, specifically throughunique mechanics.
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By shattering expectations, challenging standards and creating something new, these horror games end up being unforgettable. It’s innovative, which is a refreshing way to be terrified.
The horror in these games is amplified by their unique mechanics, regardless of what it may be. It provides new angles in the genre, scaring players in ways they never previously considered.
10Viewing & Deleting Game Files
Doki Doki Literature Club
Doki Doki Literature Club!
Doki Doki Literature Club(DDLC) is afree-to-play horror game, despite how adorable it looks. Its deceptive looks are part of what makes this game scary, sincevisual novel gamestend to be exclusivelydating sims, but not DDLC.
Thisanime-stylegame is layered with secrets and terror, even within the game files themselves. At various points throughout the story, new files will appear. These would be things such as cryptic messages, creepy images, references and foreshadowing.
At the end of the game, in order to defeat the game’s main antagonist, the player is required to go into the files and literally delete the character. The story cannot progress otherwise.
It’s a unique way to utilise game files, and also introduce new fears to perceptive players: more than likely, the fear of their own computer.
9A.I. That “Hunts”
Alien: Isolation
WhenAlien: Isolationcame out, it was immediately revolutionary for its enemy A.I., whichremains among the best in gaming. So, of course, this brings an entirely new air of excitement to what therecently-announced sequelmight bring.
TheXenomorph A.I.seems complex, but it’s actually quite simple. It’s run by two entities, one that knows where the player is at all times, and one that doesn’t know.
The entity that doesn’t know is the one searching and managing the Xenomorph’s actions; meanwhile, the entity that knows is feeding hints about the player’s location. Not to mention, the Xenomorph learns from the player’s actions in and out of combat.
Players have to learn to outsmart the Xenomorph’s mechanics, living up to theRipleyfamily name. An adapting A.I. forces players to counter-adapt, combined with the looming fear of being hunted, it’s a terrifying experience overall.
8Radio Proximity Detection
Silent Hill
Silent Hill 2
The radio inSilent Hillis a series staple, originating from the first game back in 1999, to the point where other horror games don’t really replicate it.
The radio is broken, and mostly silent, except when players wander near a monster. Then, it’ll start crackling, ringing, or glitching depending on the game — either way, it’s alerting the player an enemy is nearby.
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Of course, it doesn’t stop there. The series incorporates several different scares regarding the radio, either in cutscenes or in actual gameplay.
The recent release of theSilent Hill 2 Remakealso introduced a new trophy,Radio Silence. This is awarded to players who go through the entire game without using the radio (which is done by immediately turning it off upon getting it). Diminishing the only alarm system players have brings out entirely new terror on its own.
7A Good Dog Companion
Haunting Ground
Haunting Groundis a cult-classic survival horror game released byCapcomin 2005. The game follows the protagonistFionaand a white German Shepherd namedHewietrying to escape the terrifyingBelli Castle.
ThisPS2 horror gameintroduced him not only as a companion to the story, but a companion in the gameplay as well.
Fiona is able to give Hewie commands, and he’ll follow through with each one as best as he can. Afterwards, she’ll be able to provide praise or scold him, which he will learn from and adapt to.
He will help with searching rooms, dealing damage and even guarding Fiona. As long as players put in the effort to train their dog, he’ll be the very best boy.
6Cut Off The Limbs
Dead Space
The first rule in any survival horror game tends to focus on one key thing: shoot the enemy in the head. This is a constant in the horror genre to where it’s expected, a safety net to know that the enemy is dead and will stay as such.
Dead Spacesubverted many players' expectations by ripping that safety net advice away. Cutting off the head doesn’t do anything to theNecromorphs, the monsters on the ship.
If anything, they start running and flailing around like a chicken with their head cut off, causing more damage and destruction. In order to survive, players have tocut off their limbs.
Thissci-fi horror gamecompletely flipped players' expectations, enough to where veteran andbeginner playerswill be challenged.
5Sight Jacking
Siren(also calledForbidden Sirenin other parts of the world, specifically in thePAL Region) is a tough and terrifying game from thePlayStation 2era.
While the combat itself is challenging, other elements of the gameplay are particularly unique. One mechanic in particular is theSight Jackingability.
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Sight Jacking allows the player to see through another character’s eyes, which will reveal hidden details and clues that would otherwise not be found. This also assists in plotting the path ahead, which is crucial for surviving the game’s world.
It’s a unique perspective, no pun intended, intoSiren’sworld and into the genre of horror as a whole.
4Sanity Meter
Eternal Darkness: Sanity’s Requiem
Eternal Darkness: Sanity’s Requiem
The fear of going insane is a concept explored in manypsychological horror games, but none have explored it quite likeEternal Darkness: Sanity’s Requiem.
This game is notorious for itsfourth wall breaks, messing with the player directly rather than the protagonist,Alex. However, it was also the first game to feature aSanity Meter.
The Sanity Meter is directly influenced by what Alex witnesses and has to deal with, and if this meter gets too full, she’ll begin to hallucinate. These hallucinations vary, but are all horrifying depending on how filled the meter is.
Other games, such as theAmnesiaseries, have incorporated the concept of a Sanity Meter into their games, directly influenced by whatEternal Darknesshad done years ago.
3Shining Light
The biggest surprise ofAlan Wakeis how it tackles the concept of darkness and light, most specifically regarding the use of the flashlight. ThisMicrosoft-exclusive horror gameasks a simple question: what’s a better way to get rid of darkness than pure light?
Throughout the game, the titular protagonist, Alan, must shine his flashlight onto enemies before he can attack them. By dispelling the darkness that consumes them, it allows them to be vulnerable to damage. Otherwise, bullets won’t hurt them.
With the enemies using literal darkness as a covering shield, the flashlight becomes far more important than just a means of vision.
2Manning Security Cameras
Five Nights at Freddy’s
There isn’t a horror fan alive that hasn’t heard ofFive Nights at Freddy’s(FNAF) at this point. This was anindie horror gamethat exploded exponentially in popularity, especially with the release of thelive-action movie.
However, when the game came a decade ago, it introduced a new concept that indie games still try to replicate to this day: managing the in-game security cameras.
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The cameras are connected to the building’s power system, which players also have to manage if they want to survive. Prior to this, no game had done anything quite like it before — to the point where series creatorScott Cawthonis continuously praised for his ambition.
By confining the player to an office, the only thing they can manage is their power usage and helplessly watching the cameras, the fear heightens tenfold. The jump scares can get frustrating in harder difficulties (especially in the notorious 20/20/20/20 Mode), but the tension remains all throughout each night.
1Taking Pictures
Fatal Frame
When players are asked about horror games with unique mechanics,Fatal Frameis almost always mentioned. Known asProject Zeroin Europe, thishorrifying PS2 ghost storyis practically a staple in Japanese horror that leaves playersitching for more.
The combat stems from theCamera Obscura, a magical camera that can exorcise restless spirits with each picture. So, this means that in order to defeat theghostsin this game, players have to face them head-on (who would have thought taking pictures would feel so vulnerable?).
It doesn’t stop there, though, because the camera has to take a few moments to recharge between photos. Players have to time their movements and photos carefully, as it could literally mean life or death otherwise.
It became a staple in theFatal Framefranchise, with new and unspeakable horrors in every snapped picture.
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