Horror games for the season (and beyond)

[Arthandas]

I probably should explain. Something like Layers of Fear where the object is just to walk around was fucking dire. Soma reminded me of Amnesia back when I played it.

All three are walking sims.

 

[Egosphere]

LoF was alright, as was Soma. Soma had a good story attached to it though.

Amnesia was not a walking sim. It was survival horror, but with hide and seek and a sanity meter instead of ammunition.

 

[Morpheus Kitami]

Just finished Nightmare of Decay, the FPS RE-clone that we've been talking off and on for a few pages. I feel middling about the game. It would have been an easy rec if it didn't control like ass. Felt like I was fighting every step of the way, be it moving or aiming. I also disliked how it felt like the level design of it fell apart at the end. Up til then it felt like the game was being clever about where it put its items, but then it just sort of started slapping everything in obvious places, with nothing in nooks and crannies. Two spoilery complaints.

Spoiler

I wasn't expecting it to turn into Resident Evil meets Blood. I don't think it worked because of the control issues. Secondly, ending the game on a THE NIGHTMARE HAS JUST BEGUN is one of the most obnoxious things you could possibly do.

Either way I guess it didn't effect it too bad. Still beat it in 4 hours and I guess its worth the $5 price tag if you like the concept, but don't expect something special.

 

[Morpheus Kitami]

Been playing Sweet Home when I've had the time. I gotta say that while I'm sure it picks up, this game doesn't have a fun introduction section. Its annoying having to figure out all the menus and the inventory system. Also, the combat system, not so much the combat itself but the issue of not being able to combine everyone into one party and then having to call over the other group of people. Yeah, that's gonna be fun for the 100+ combats I'm sure I'll be going through in this game.

 

[Puukko]

Finally done with Fatal Frame II after some 13 hours. This one's an easy recommendation and one of the greats. Refrains from cheap jumpscares, plays with your expectations and mixes things up to keep you guessing. I also can't praise the audio design enough. A lot of subtle sounds to listen out for everywhere.

The setting is a haunted backwater village and you bet a ritual's gone to hell. You essentially get a handful of buildings and the streets connecting them to explore around in. Now, there's a few things about the setting where you have to suspend your disbelief. The village has a number of influential families. In practice, these are all the named houses you can explore. There are very few extraneous buildings outside those, so one can only guess where the regular villagers live. I can also only imagine what this 'influence' amounts to in a village that houses 100 people at maximum. A very large chunk of whom appear to be priests. Those priests are necessary, because the village is built on quite possibly the worst possible place one could build a village. Rather than relocating, they instead concoct this horrible ritual with very specific requirements that needs to be performed every few(?) generations. Which has obviously already gone horribly wrong in the past and doesn't seem to be particularly reliable despite the extreme costs.

The story is... fine, if a bit contrived. Apparently, when you have a twin sister, your whole life revolves around her to the point you don't have much personality beyond that. And being a clumsy helpless retard.

There are some things that make the game drag at times. It is surprisingly lengthy for a horror game and despite having a sizeable game world, you may get sick of some of the locations. Prepare to spend a couple hours in each house minimum. I always had a walkthrough ready, because each one of of those was guaranteed to include a few snags that would lead me to aimlessly comb through areas to find that one item or new entrance. What was cool however was how most locations got expanded later, with new ghosts and story bits to find.

The ghosts have pretty good variety, though some are more annoying than others. They'll retreat a lot or be very passive, or have trickier fatal frame windows than they deserve. That damn chest hag can go straight to hell. Later on, I found myself really hurting for some proper film, and had to rely a lot on the weaker stuff. I had more points and orbs than I knew what to do with, but not the tools to deal with the ghosts' growing health pools. Some unique ghosts have to be beaten several times till they're down for good, which was played to good effect sometimes, and served as padding other times. It became a bit of a joke when I was streaming that the clock room woman would never stop falling down and breaking her neck and spine as I did multiple laps round the house.

The difficulty was too much on the easy side for most of the game and unfortunately a lot of the ghosts aren't terribly inspired. They look like ghastly humans most of the time, with some mangled variants. This isn't to say the game isn't scary. It may be the scariest game I've played to date. They just played it too safe with the designs.

Give it a go. I can vouch for the undub and partial HD pack. I couldn't imagine playing this dubbed.

 

[Puukko]

I took a few days' break from horror, wondering what to play next. In the end I realized I just felt like playing more Fatal Frame, so 3 it is.

Immediately there are some changes that require adjustment. The weirdest one is that they've switched the sticks around when using the camera, so the right stick now moves the character while the left one aims. So now I'm working against my muscle memory and the control scheme isn't consistent with how the character otherwise controls either. On top of that, moving while zoomed in is much slower now. I really can't think of a good reason to do this other than to fuck with the player and introduce more difficulty.

Landing good shots is also trickier now. The window for a fatal frame combo flickers a lot. Also, landing regular shots, even outside combat for the purpose of investigation has weird off frames where by all logic the target is clearly in the frame but it doesn't count. Easy to miss out on bonus points from non hostile ghosts that way.

Now, I welcome the extra challenge and while I wouldn't call the game hard, it is stingier with healing. No infinite basic film either. It's nice being able to switch that film on the go though.

The setting and structure are very different compared to 2. The game takes place in one large mansion in a dream world as well as at home in the real world. You can drop out midway through a section to develop photos to turn in to your assistant for lore bits. Obviously, one shouldn't get too comfortable with that supposed safety...

I'm digging it though. The very beginning was a bit of a hurdle thanks to the awkward controls but I'm learning. Also, it's a pretty slow start with brief sections in the dream world and lots of exposition.

Oh yeah, and this is where the fanservice started ramping up. Ghost booba.

 

[Rocket-Propelled Game]

Left 4 Dead 1/2.

Deep Rock Galactic.

The Zombie Army Trilogy + ZA4: Dead War.

Code Vein.

Hunt: Showdown.

 

[Mexi]

I'm currently watching Sinking City. Game looks like it'd be a fucking drag to play (map is too huge and too empty), but the story is fucking killer. Great atmosphere. Only thing I'm hating is their ham fisted modern take on the KKK and racism. Brilliant addition given the setting, but it was a complete miss in the implementation.

Thus far I like it more than Dark Corners of the Earth, but I think the latter would be much better to play.

 

[manifest]

I'm currently watching Sinking City.

You are a secondary.

Playing Scorn, the screenshot engine. Exactly what it said on the tin. Would've worked better with a bit less linearity for the full Myst experience, but I'd play it even if it was just unpopulated Unreal maps.

 

[Morpheus Kitami]

I've been playing through more of Sweet Home, and you know what? This is kind of a bad game. I've just seen Yamamura thrown into a wall, so that should tell you how far I am in.
The encounter rate in this game is annoying, because you get those random standard JRPG battles even when you're running away from some big deadly enemy or solving a puzzle. I've also had to grind...in a survival horror. There's a sentence I never thought would be said. It seems like just as much as not this game is doing really annoying stuff. The music, most of it anyway, is typical annoying NES background noise. I mean, there are good aspects to it, it looks really nice and its got a few clever aspects, but this is not the game I expected when everyone was saying it was the greatest NES game of all time.

 

[toughasnails]

Mind you there is always a fair bit of mystique about these games that were never released outside of Japan, on my part I take the praise for them with a considerable grain of salt...

As for Sweet Home I'm surprised that Capcom never attempted some sort of remake or "enhanced" rerelease given the fame the game acquired afterwards due to RE connection.

 

[Morpheus Kitami]

Mind you there is always a fair bit of mystique about these games that were never released outside of Japan, on my part I take the praise for them with a considerable grain of salt...

As for Sweet Home I'm surprised that Capcom never attempted some sort of remake or "enhanced" rerelease given the fame the game acquired afterwards due to RE connection.

True, and since this was a game from Capcom that mystique is something a lot of people were interested in.

Considering its a licensed game for a movie few people who have played the game have heard of have fewer still have watched, I'm not surprised. Nothing relating to the movie or game has been rereleased to my knowledge afterwards, so its probably in legal limbo. Also, don't forget that Resident Evil was started as a remake and shares quite a bit of elements from the game. No major plot elements or gameplay mechanics, but lots of the minor stuff is similar.

 

[kangaxx]

System Shock 2 is still my favourite horror game of all time. Also has the honour of being one of the best all round games of all time.

 

[Puukko]

Done with Fatal Frame III. This was another very strong entry with a few strengths but also weaknesses over II. Overall I'd rate them very evenly, maybe preferring one title over the other based on the phase of the moon.

The strengths are increased difficulty and thus tension, some qol (switching film on the go, though oddly not lenses?), very clever ways to screw with the player and keeping the experience fresh with new tricks.

The weaknesses are the controls and padding. I complained about the controls earlier, and I think they're strictly inferior compared to how they were in the previous game for no good reason. I also think they could've cut 20% of the game by not repeating some fights so many times. Some ghosts are repeated to a good effect, like how the crawling woman is teased towards the end multiple times but I never actually fought her again. Presumably I would have had to seek her out, but at this point the game had already introduced a new mechanic that forces you to keep up a pace. If you loiter around too long, the game will throw stronger ghosts at you, notably the unbeatable tattooed woman has a high chance of appearing. So there's a bit of a conflict of interests here. The game is padded out with the same ghosts being fought multiple times. It expects you to do this for a good rank. It also punishes you for taking your time and exploring more by putting you on a timer. And I think for a first playthrough, trying to play 'optimally' by seeking out all the ghosts multiple times would just make for a worse experience, over just being immersed and going with the flow. Here I'd say above all else completely disregard whatever rank you think the game might give you on your first playthrough, save that for later.

Another ghost I was mixed on was the long haired woman. She only ever hangs out in her own room and her third encounter is really good. The introduction subverts your expectations regarding game mechanics and then she totally switches her moveset. It makes for a really memorable encounter and you think that was a good way to send her off... until you fight her a fourth, fifth and sixth time. Ya blew it, devs. The shrine maiden girls suffer a similar fate in that since there are multiple of them, you'll be fighting them so many times it becomes silly. First one at a time, then two, and eventually all at once, more than once. They do at least switch their moveset, but you'd still better watch your feet.

Some ghosts get special treatment where rather than being able to be fought at regular intervals, they seem to switch roles and instead get a chance to appear in random places. At least, that is the impression I got. One such case is the plane crash woman, who has a neat arc in how she starts haunting you. Eventually you'll meet her way outside her room and once I managed to encounter both her and the tattooed woman in the same room, which was a real 'nope' moment and I proceeded to promptly fuck off.

Now, the ways the game screws with the player. This game does a great job in setting up expectations and then subverting them, and it displays considerable restraint in not repeating its tricks. Particularly in your house, you expect things to sound a certain way, for certain camera angles to be there and so on. When something's off, you can immediately tell and want to investigate. The house goes from being a place of comfort to "oh boy I wonder what's going to be off this time", but things may actually be completely normal. Another neat twist is how the game ties into 2, it's a real treat. I'd say you will at the very least want to have played 2 before this game, and also the first game if possible, though I hadn't.

In some ways, this game drags on both more and less than 2 did. The main culprit are the aforementioned repeated ghosts fights. What helps the game stay fresh is with three playable characters with different abilities. The main girl Rei and the dude Kei are the most similar, mainly differing in their loadouts of healing items and film but also in the order of the lenses they unlock. Kei also has the most undercooked stealth mechanic in the history of video games that you may as well completely ignore as running is a more valid tactic. The first game's protagonist Miku differs the most mechanically as she doesn't use lenses rather she has her innate ability to slow down time and charge up shots.

Now, I was thinking of giving 5 a fair chance. I don't expect it to be nearly as good as these two, but I'm the kind of guy to find out for myself.

Edit: about the HD pack and undub. In 2 the undub worked great as practically everything was subbed as well, but in 3 there is a lot of incidental unsubbed dialogue that you won't understand with the undub. So if that bothers you, maybe try out the dub first. The HD pack was quality as always despite being unfinished and the game looks fantastic for its age and considering it's being emulated.

 

[kites]

I’m still amazed there hasn’t been an HD release or “remaster” for FF1-3 on pc yet, at least for the second

 

[Nifft Batuff]

I envy who still hasn't played these old horror games. I can replay them, but it is not like the first time.

 

[Puukko]

I’m still amazed there hasn’t been an HD release or “remaster” for FF1-3 on pc yet, at least for the second

They seem to be doing the games in reverse order since it's the previously unlocalized Wii game that being released next. So who knows.

 

[kites]

I’m more optimistic then; it’s a shame Koei Tecmo has had such a shit digital business model

 

[Jasede]

This is the scariest game I've played in 20 years of loving psychological horror. It's just a walking simulator with a filter. But I am telling you, it wrecked my shit in ways that only certain moments of SH2 ever got close to. It's quite short.

Please enjoy.

https://kittyhorrorshow.itch.io/anatomy

 

[United Nations]

 

[United Nations]

Played MADiSON a couple months ago, and it featured some very effective parts that were indeed superior to Visage, but I played it after Visage, so playing MADiSON seemed like a shitty Visage clone.

The main character's voice in MADiSON is annoying AF, so are some of the puzzles, and the environments lacked the detail and variety of Visage.

Observer is another one I just played last week, and while creepy and a pretty good game, it's general atmosphere is more similar to SOMA, which I don't find as scary as the games listed in my previous post.

 

[Frank Capicoli]

Finally got around to finishing The Evil Within 1 after having it on my backlog for a few years. Figured why not knock it out in October.

Let's start with how bullshit of a publisher Bethesda Softworks is when it isn't spending time shitting on Fallout or the Elder Scrolls. First off one of the weapons is locked behind preorder only dlc that is no longer obtainable unless you scour 3rd party key seller sites. Fuck off.

Second the lazy cunts at Bethesda rolled out a patch that vastly improves the games performance, load times, adds a fov slider, adjusts the stamina system so you can run longer than a geriatric 81 year old, and fixes the garbage camera bob. The thing is they only released this for the Microsoft Gamepass version while saying other versions would get it. That was years ago so Steam and GoG owners get fucked. I didn't know this until halfway through the game. Glad I didn't buy this at launch or for full price.

Looking beyond that the game is just fairly mediocre. The shooting is fine but gets very dull given that outside of boss fights pretty much all of the enemies are just not ganados 'tormented' or what ever they're being called now. Some of the bosses are reused a few too many times. I did like most of the monstrous boss designs they just don't last in the game very long however.

Over all this is yet another example of an industry vet coming back and instead of making another classic creates something just playable, a one and done. I was glad by the time it was over and don't think I'll ever be replaying this game.

 

[Morenatsu.]

This is the scariest game I've played in 20 years of loving psychological horror. It's just a walking simulator with a filter. But I am telling you, it wrecked my shit in ways that only certain moments of SH2 ever got close to. It's quite short.

Please enjoy.

https://kittyhorrorshow.itch.io/anatomy

Oh okay fine let's check out this ‘game’ the bun mentioned-

TREE DORRA

dafuq? Looking at a video, seems like you could have a similar experience playing the final levels of System Shock 2 while listening to Noah Caldwell-Gervais or some other pretentious git. Sorry, cannot get into the style of ‘I had an interesting idea but instead of doing something with it I'm just going to tell you it and put some creepy effects over it’.


Everyone, let's play Garage: Bad Dream Adventure instead.

 

[karoliner]

Over all this is yet another example of an industry vet coming back and instead of making another classic creates something just playable, a one and done.

Mikami should have stayed at Platinum and make a sequel to Vanquish. The world would be a better place today.

 

[fork]

Over all this is yet another example of an industry vet coming back and instead of making another classic creates something just playable, a one and done.

Mikami should have stayed at Platinum and make a sequel to Vanquish. The world would be a better place today.

Wouldn't make much difference tbh.