The Top 5 Horror Games You've Never Played

Halloween approacheth, and by now you're probably putting the final touches on your super-conceptual costume -- what're the odds two people will think to go as a Chinese fire drill? That means you've got plenty of time to kick back and be scared silly by some horror games. But not just any horror games. The genre has been largely subsumed by so-called "survival horror" standouts like Resident Evil and Dead Space, but as any scare-lover will tell you: there's far more to it than that. That's why we, Transylvania University-accredited doctors of Thrill-and-Chillology dispense to you this list of the five greatest -- and obscurest -- horror games we guarantee you've never played. Oh, and while we're at it: Boo!


Sweet Home

Why It's Scary:
As gaming's collective dewy boner grows ever stiffer for more realism, we're penetrating ever deeper into the uncanny valley, which you could argue makes games less scary since there's no room left for the imagination to fill in the shadows. Sweet Home stands in stark opposition, and not just because NES games by definition couldn't vie for such standards. With just a handful of colors -- even bright ones like tan! -- Sweet Home is able to impart real grittiness: the air growing staler and isolation increasing as your party makes its way through an abandoned mansion. It racks up an astonishing amount of tension, largely because you start off with five characters -- each with their unique ability, like clearing away broken glass or scanning for ghosts -- and can only move them around in pairs or trios. Oh, and once they die, that's it. You can't bring 'em back. Good luck!

Why It's Under-the-Radar: Well, it was a Japan-only NES game based on the 1989 Japanese horror flick of the same name. As Nintendo has long established, it isn't exactly one to take big gambles on exporting stuff from one hemisphere to the other. Which was truly our loss, since the Capcom RPG wound up being so ground-breaking that many of Resident Evil's hallmarks (the mansion setting, opening doors serving as loading screens, cryptic puzzles) are directly taken from it. If you Google it, there's a translated ROM floating around -- not that we condone the unspeakable act of using emulators.

RIYL: Resident Evil, Clock Tower


Siren: New Translation

Why It's Scary:
Death comes early and often in Siren, as it's a horror game that relies more on your MacGyver-like cunning and adaptability than your ability to run away. It's also ominous as all get-out from the very beginning, when you step in the role of a pipsqueak teenager as he tries to evade a zombified cop and realizes he must eventually defeat a freakin' god. (There are tons of other playable characters with intertwining narratives, as well.) Further feeding the paranoia is your ability to "sightjack" the zombies, or see what they see in a splitscreen as you keep control of your character. It all adds up to a never-ending sense that you aren't safe. You're usually right.

Why It's Under-the-Radar: Though it made a small splash upon its release in summer 2008, being doled out episodically via PlayStation Network meant the attention span-challenged gamers either never heard of it or quickly lost interest. And after PSN's hacking debacle earlier this year, it's even more likely people are still hesitant to trust Sony with their credit card. So, if you're the slightest bit interested in this game, we'd highly recommend you instead import the Japanese-only PS3 disc via play-asia.com or a similar site -- the American version is censored.

RIYL: Alan Wake, Alone In The Dark


Clive Barker's Undying

Why It's Scary:
Written by famed horror scribe/filmmaker Clive Barker, this game -- unlike his later title, Jericho -- is both spooky as hell, and a damn good FPS. Undying is set during the early 1920s, in the aftermath of World War I, and in a spooky island mansion. You play as paranormal-expert-slash-detective Patrick Galloway, summoned to the mansion by the man who saved your life in the war, who is now haunted by the evil spirits of his dead siblings. But there's far, far more to this particular ghost story than meets the eye, and you'll uncover all of it, layer by layer, in a brilliantly paced game that tests both your hand-eye co-ordination and your backbone.

Why It's Under-the-Radar: It's a shooter not named Call Of Duty.

RIYL: Dead Space, Bioshock


Penumbra: Black Plague

Why It's Scary:
How about being trapped in an abandoned research facility somewhere in the Arctic, with no recollection of why you're there, infected with an unknown disease, surrounded by hostile zombies, and no ability to make weapons, traps, or defend yourself except by running and hiding? Sound scary yet? Throw some adventure-game-style puzzle-solving and some physics challenges in the mix, too, and you've got a nail-biting, edge-of-your-seat first-person non-shooter. Of course, it's not just the atmosphere: Black Plague has a fascinating, complex storyline involving the "Archaic Elevated Caste," Inuit mythology, and science gone very wrong. The story is connected to other games in the Penumbra series, as well, providing a satisfying richness you rarely get in today's one-offs.

Why It's Under-the-Radar: The game is designed by a relatively small Swedish house (Frictional Games), so not being American or Japanese gives it a little bit of catching up to do right off the bat. But also, it's a first-person game that doesn't have any shooting, fighting, weapons, or toe-to-toe action. It's also really suspenseful -- perhaps too much for some folks to handle.

RIYL: System Shock 2, Amnesia: The Dark Descent


The Dark Eye

Why It's Scary:
It's one of the most terrifying games we've ever played, but it isn't really that much of a game at all. Sure, there are some basic puzzles, but the overall structure is indicative of its time (the 1990s), consisting mostly of "pixel hunts" and item puzzles. What makes The Dark Eye special is its creepy, stop-motion graphics, its haunting voice-acting, and its connection to the bizarre works of Edgar Allan Poe. Playing an unnamed protagonist, you're thrust into a world of premature burials, flesh-eating rats, bizarre NPCs, and a sound-only sequence that will have you jumping at shadows for weeks. Seriously, if you can find a copy of this, and you like a good scare, pick it up immediately. Just be aware, The Dark Eye will mess your shit up if you're not staunch of heart.

Why It's Under-the-Radar: It's an old game, both in the literal sense, and in the way it's designed. It's more of an interactive storytelling device than a bells-and-whistles title. While that used to be okay, it hasn't held up so well over the years, and the game has drifted into obscurity.

RIYL: Myst, Bad Day At The Midway


Spy Guy says: True story: Spy Guy had to take a break from playing the original Silent Hill, I was so creeped out. It happened when I was making my way through the hospital and the demon babies started crawling at me. Throw in the fire axe I was lugging around and the whole thing just felt... well, like I was in a horror movie. Still the scariest game I've ever played. What's yours?