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Top 10 Indie Horror Games

You have to play these games!

By Jae HeidePublished 6 years ago 10 min read
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Image from 'The Park' from ign.com

A love for horror games has been expanding over the past few years. However, for those of us that prefer our laptops to play games on, we have a constant problem. Where can we find good games? Of course there are always the classics such as Slenderman and Five Nights At Freddies, but sometimes you want something new to play. But which newer games are the best to play? You want good graphics, a story line, and a game hopefully that actually interests you. Below is a list composed of excellent horror games and series that will peak your interest and help any gamer's dilemma of finding games. Some are playable online for free while others are free downloads that won't mess up your computer with viruses.

So read up and happy gaming!

1) 'Rusty Lake Series'

An interesting "click and escape" indie game that can be found on rustylake.com. So far it has a total of 12 free games online and three games you can purchase on steam. The order of these games being Arles, Harvey's Box, Seasons, Case 23,The Mill, The Lake,Birthday, Theater, and The Cave makes the most sense for the story line. But so long as you don't have problems remembering story lines you should be able to piece the story line together. As for the purchased chapters to the story I would recommend Roots, Paradise, then Hotel.

The series has a Twin Peaks kind of feel to it. For those of you reading that don't know what that is, the best way to describe the Rusty Lake Series is surrealistic, eerie, haunting, and easy to become obsessed with. In order to win the games you must find hidden cubes. Some themes are very dark and morbid such as the underlining suicidal message and the dark character who seems to take over those who come close to unlocking the mysteries of Rusty Lake.

This game is excellent for gamers that enjoy twisted mysteries, escape rooms, and dark themes. There are occasional jump scares as well. The difficulty isn't too bad but sometimes the puzzles can be frustrating.

http://www.rustylake.com/

2) 'imscared: A Pixelated Nightmare'

This pixelated game will leave your heart racing the entire time you play. Be prepared for classic jump scares and a suspense so intense it will leave you shaking. The entire game's look is similar to Minecraft, low quality picturesque backdrops.

Do not play this game at work because you do need sound and also you will scream. In order to play this you can download it for free. You start off the first sequence of the game and it seems intimidating with dark corners and blood on the walls. This however is not what you need to be worried about.

The terrifying part of this game is the main character. WhiteFace. He watches you the entire game supposedly figuring out the best way to scare you. With all the twists and turns this game offers I can't see why most people who like horror games wouldn't enjoy it.

It is fairly easy to play, using WASD, E, crtl, and your mouse as your main tools. Not much for puzzles, but it is definitely a survival type of game.

https://gamejolt.com/games/imscared-a-pixelated-nightmare/10058

3) 'Forgotten Hill'

This game is almost a spin off of Silent Hill and is playable online for free. It also has it's own series which is updated quiet frequently. Unlike the Rusty Lake series there isn't really an order to these games which makes it kind of interesting in its own way. The graphics get better and more realistic as newer versions are released which is also nice.

A lot of jumpscares and gore take place in this game so it is not for the faint of heart. The main objective is to be able to escape Forgotten Hill, which is easier said than done. The whole set up has a lot of extra doors so navigating can be very maze like.

http://www.forgotten-hill.com/

4) The Midnight Game

This game is similar to Slenderman but has a darker twist and a newer character deemed, the midnight man. This game concept has recently become so popular that a movie was released for it in 2017.

Anyone in the large fandom base will tell you how easy it is to become obsessed with the game.

The graphics are pretty good for an indie game and the controls are fairly easy to master. There's a lot of search and find but the end result is worth it. Once the first ritual of the game is complete you allow The Midnight Man into your home. After this part is done the game turns from Slenderman to Five Nights At Freddies in a sense. Your main objective is to survive until 3:33 am by avoiding the Midnight Man. If he catches you, you will be forced to endure hallucinations of your worst fears until 3:33 am.

The house setting is very large so it may take some time for the player to actually learn the setup before proceeding with the actual game. The nice thing about it though is that everything is very interactive. Almost everything can be moved or picked up within reason.

One of the more difficult parts of this game is that nothing is in the same spot twice so it is always a challenge to find the items that you need. The Midnight Game does not have much for jumpscares, it's more so the darkness and the suspense that will get you while you play.

My only tip is to make sure that your last knock is exactly at midnight otherwise you're going to have to keep doing everything over again until you get it right. And make sure you read the instructions thoroughly or you won't understand what to do.

5) 'EYES'

In this game you are a robber and your main objective is to find 20 "money bags" in a mansion. What you do not know is that the house is full of horrible things that basically want to kill you.

The jumpscares are intense and frustrating because they always happen at the worst possible times. The ghost calls sound a lot like an anime chick moaning in my opinion so take that information and use it to make your decision on whether or not you want to play.

The only way to truly protect yourself is by discovering eyes which are spray painted on the walls of the building. The game is best for people who are just trying to kill time in a fun and scary way! After a while you may lose interest but it's always one I come back to while finding to find something new to play.

https://gamejolt.com/games/eyes-the-horror-game/12275

6) 'The Groundskeeper'

Another downloadable indie game filled with delightful jumpscares. In this game you are the sole survivor of a plane crash in the woods. After walking for a while you discover Clitch Cabin. Unfortunately this cabin has no inhabitants and an unseemly amount of chairs. Some spooky things happen then you escape as told, and for some reason then think it's a good idea to go into similar abandoned houses.

The tapes you discover offer a bit of a story line, but eventually you're going to just piece a generally story line together yourself.

I really enjoy the paintings in the houses. They're actually kind of interesting to look at so make sure you check them out. The good thing about this game is that it's not time sensitive and you don't really have to worry about monsters chasing after you, which is a good thing because you can't sprint even if you were being chased.

http://www.indiedb.com/games/the-groundskeeper/downloads/the-groundskeeper-windows

7) 'Whispers'

This game has everything a gamer could possibly want. There's good sound effects, good scenery, a story line, and translation errors. If you know Russian at all it is a bonus because there is a couple notes written in the language. Whether or no they are of importance I do not know.

So basically, in this game you play a groundskeeper. But not "the groundskeeper," you're a lot cooler than that guy. You got a job to take care of a house while Mr. Johnson is away. During the night you discover (surprise surprise) that the house is haunted. I won't give away anymore spoilers, but this game is definitely worth playing.

The attention to detail is really awesome and you can use a typewriter to save your game progress which is really neat. Also if you enjoy games like COD and HALO, you'll enjoy the added first person shooter feature in this game.

This game is $5 on steam but it's totally worth it!

http://store.steampowered.com/app/505760/Whispers/

(p.s. if you don't like rage games maybe don't play this)

8) 'Phobia 1.5'

This game is definitely one of my favorites so far. One of the many great things about it is that it has a believable start up story. You're driving somewhere for holidays, you take a wrong turn down a narrow road with nowhere to turn around and eventually run out of gas. It's winter so you start walking and looking for help. Eventually you find a house that will provide shelter.

As always "something" is in the house. The key to knowing whether a horror game is good or not is if the jumpscares start right away. If they do, the creator is trying too hard to scare you which isn't fun for anyone because then you lose focus on playing. This game does not start off with jumpscares. It definitely builds up suspense using the soundtrack and gets your heart rate up so that just as you're ready to be scared nothing happens. Eventually you let down your guard and that is when the game strikes.

Although the game is a bit slow to get to the real scary stuff, it's still fun to play and takes a good while to complete.

http://www.indiedb.com/games/phobia-15

9) 'Perception'

This game is a new take on the horror genre all together. Your character is blind, and the only way you can get an idea of what everything looks like is by tapping your cane. You've been having reoccurring nightmares, so in an effort to get to the bottom of them you go to visit the mansion in your nightmares.

The aesthetic is really incredible and one of the cool things about it is that you can decide how much you want your character to talk. So if you're the type of gamer that really likes to get to know your character then you would choose chatty cassie. If you're the type of gamer that likes to feel fully immersed and like you are the character then you would choose the option of silent night and your character will only talk when it is relevant to the plot.

I find this game has a very creepy start, probably because of the starting plot of nightmare house. The further you get into the game the more it turns from creepy to horrifying!

You can buy the official version on steam for $23 or one of the rip offs on many websites for free. I personally feel like buying the game (although a little pricey) is completely worth the experience.

http://store.steampowered.com/app/426310

10) 'The Park'

Number 10 of our list is the game with the best graphics on this list called The Park. Your character is a mother and you took your son, Callum, to and amusement park for the day but he lost his teddy bear. You go back in leaving your son in the car to go look for it but he runs into the park before you even get a chance to enter which means you have to find him.

The beginning of the game has a Silent Hill kind of feel to it. Everything is in very neutral and monotone colours not befitting of a place of wonder. As the park closes the appearance goes from bad to worse. What was a tolerable, slightly miserable place turns into a dark world filled with horror.

The game slowly becomes darker and more morbid the more you play and you come to realize, amusement parks probably aren't the best places in the world for children after all.

The audio and visual for this game is very good. The environment is very realistic and for the people who enjoy Silent Hill, you will love this game. For the low price of $13 on steam, it is totally worth it!

http://store.steampowered.com/app/402020/

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