But it's the exploration of some really disturbing themes and Japanese horror stories that makes the original title in the franchise a standout. It's a clever mechanic that forces the player to confront the very ghosts that are hunting them with only a shutter, flash, and lens. The closer the spirit, the higher the points, but also the higher risk of taking significant damage. (There's quite the recurring theme in these survival games, isn't there?) The only way the siblings can defeat the ghosts that haunt the building - and get to the bottom of a dark, ritualistic event that took place there - is by using the Camera Obscura, an antique camera that acts like an analog "ghost-buster." This shift to first-person "shooter" here is your only weapon in the game, one that can be upgraded by scoring enough points when you defeat ghosts by taking their picture. The original game sees you take control of Miku Hinasaki who goes in search of her missing brother Mafuyu, who had in turn gone looking for a famous novelist in an infamously haunted mansion. In Fatal Frame, your only defense is a camera. But at least those everyday heroes are equipped with melee weapons, guns, or other items to combat the forces of darkness. Other games feature player protagonists who aren't superheroes out to battle supernatural enemies they're just normal people trying to survive. It's also one of the most unique of the bunch. And if you've got one we haven't played, we'd love to hear about it! In the meantime, here are another recommendations more tailed to specific tastes:įor Westerners, Fatal Frame may not be the first title you think of when it comes to scary games, but thanks to the franchise's focus on Japanese horror, it's one of the best.
In other words, it's a curated list of some of the best scary video games around, but not necessarily an end-all, be-all. There's hardcore horror mixed with psychological suspense and supernatural scares, there are "retro" titles folded in with more modern visually striking games, and there are franchise titles you expected alongside other games you may never have heard of.
Now not all of these titles are going to please everyone. And we've put together the scariest titles of all time for you to enjoy this Halloween season. We're speaking, of course, about video games. But there's one medium that offers arguably the best spooky experience of all, one that allows you to both consume the story as it unfolds and become immersed within it at the same time.
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Therefore, it's not surprising that with recent movies like Ready or Not and Escape Room, they still love being scared by the concept of seemingly innocent activities becoming deadly games of survival.It's Halloween season and you know what that means! Scary movies, spooky TV shows, and ghost stories best enjoyed by a campfire or candle light. Updated on November 13th, 2021 by Kayleena Pierce-Bohen: The fact that these days, fans can live out their fantasies in real horror games like "escape rooms" only adds to the sinister fun, when the lines between reality and fantasy begin to blur, and winning means living to play another day. As the puzzles deepen, the simple concept of "win or lose" takes on a whole new meaning when the stakes become "life or death." RELATED: 10 Horror Movies With The Darkest EndingsĪdding a game component is effective for both augmenting the suspense, and making viewers more invested in the tribulations of the victims. One of the most popular additions to the horror genre is the concept of introducing a "game" into the plot, thereby taking something playful and innocent and turning it into something nightmarish. Horror movies allow viewers to engage with their most primordial fears without immediate concern for their safety, where the thrill of being terrified is subverted by the knowledge that none of the catastrophes are real.