Based on the works by the grandfather of horror fiction, Call of Cthulhu is a first person spiral into the depths of madness itself. Dripping with atmosphere and slowly chipping away at your sanity, the game uses a madness system in which certain actions taken in game can lead to the protagonist developing fears which will generate hallucinations or give away your position. Hide in a locker to escape cultists? You might become claustrophobic. Spend too much time underwater? You can develop a fear of drowning. These fears alter your ability to play through certain parts of the game and surely the thought of encountering Great Cthulhu leaves you considerable reason to be terrified.
Lets see… Asylum? Check. First person? Check. Jump scares? Check. Night vision? Check. Outlast takes all of the horror tropes and roles them into one deliciously terrifying experience. The Outlast games are so incredibly intense even when nothing is actually happening that is has garnered a reputation for being one of the most terrifying games made. At least in Resident Evil you feel able to defend yourself, Outlast is so chock full of absolute terror in horribly detailed graphics that many gamers simply can’t stomach it. If you need to be terrified this Halloween, Outlast is the way to go.
1. Alien: Isolation
While Alien: Isolation has been out for quite some time and we have all seen a number of videos singing its merits, the truth is there is still nothing quite like it. The iconic Xenomorph was a creature purpose-built to exhibit traits of everything we feared, and it was bad enough to be thrown into a one on one battle against it for the entirety of the game, but Creative Assembly not only programmed the Xenomorph to be intelligent but to learn. Not only do you have to worry about a terrifying creature with acid for blood hunting you down on a ship that is incredibly reminiscent of the Nostromo, but the creature in question is able to learn and adapt to kill you. There are no safe places to hide. This is a game of life and death in the most literal sense, and when you see the kind of death you are made to experience you truly understand the dread of all those helpless victims in the films. Being able to take this kind of horror – knowing there is no safety, there are no tricks to exploit – anywhere with you on the go, requiring your full attention, makes this the top of the list.
Are there any entries we missed? Do you think these should have been in a different order? Let us know on Facebook, Twitter, or the Comments section below.