Spooky season video games review

Ava Wittman, Staff Writer
November 20, 2020

Excited for the holiday season, Halloween in particular, I did what anyone looking for a bit of fun and traumatizing experiences would do, and browsed for horror games. I found a few, settled in with a blanket, grabbed some friends and snacks and checked my sanity at the door. Here are some of my favorites:

Subnautica: 10/10

Subnautica is a single-player exploration game perfect for someone seeking an enchanting story without jump scares. This game is genius in the way it subtly unnerves you constantly via isolation and anticipation, rather than secluded moments of adrenaline. The game costs $24.99 on Steam and my playthrough took about 60 hours, making it well worth the cost. It takes place on a foreign planet that is only composed of water. You must fight for your survival and override your inherent instincts to stay in shallow waters; you will find yourself in beautiful biomes, in death defying situations and face-to-face with creatures unlike anything you’ve ever seen before. 

Here I am exploring the beautiful Mushroom Forest, which is personally one of my favorite biomes. It is in this part of the game the player will experience the extraordinary awe that comes of being in such a vast world. Photo by Ava Wittman.

Amnesia The Dark Descent: 9/10

Oh my, this game is not for the faint of heart. Yet another one that does not rely solely on jumpscares, although there certainly are moments of pure terror. While frustrating at times, as you are forced to stumble around trying to solve puzzles and preserve your lantern, the game is thoroughly entertaining. The story line is twistedly gorgeous, and provides brilliant commentary on humanity within itself. Download this game for the beautiful story, and play it for the scary adventure, but be sure to pay attention; it might provoke some fascinating thoughts. You spend a large portion of the game exploring a castle that is filled with horrors, some of which you must hide from. The game is $19.99 on Epic Games, but is on sale for $1.99 right now. With an average play time of about four and a half hours, it is the perfect quick game to complete in one night.

One of the first times you encounter the “creatures” that are with you in the castle. Here is where every player moved to the edge of their seat, and began to anticipate death all the time. Photo courtesy of PC Gamer.

Phasmophobia: 9/10

This game is so close to having a 10/10. It can hold up to four players and is the perfect game for anyone seeking a lot of fun with friends, being terrified, and solving a puzzle in a sense. You venture from map to map using tools you have to identify what type of ghost possesses the house, as well as completing other objectives. There is vocal recognition so the ghosts can hear you and act based on what you say, as well as proximity chat with your friends. However, there could be some bugs; it isn’t 100 percent clear, though. Nothing game-breaking of course, and we were originally playing the beta version, so these bugs may no longer exist in the stable version. The game is $13.99 on Steam, and supports VR, which I heard is infinitely more terrifying, and since it lets you choose maps, you could play as much as you’d like for as long as you’d like. 

As I was standing in the living room, awaiting some evidence to make my analysis on what type of ghost it would be, this guy showed up. This is Richard Anderson, the ghost that was inhabiting this house, and his appearance gave me a good scare. Photo by Ava Wittman.

Little Nightmares: 10/10

Holy crap, this game is a masterpiece. The game is a third-person game where you follow along a map as a seemingly innocent tiny girl in a yellow jacket that covers you from head to knees. There are often things trying to grab you and kill you as you move from room to room. It is rife with symbolism, and you constantly feel a sense that you are witnessing something bigger at play. There is also a constant state of stress to match this, as it always seems you are just out of reach of the other, larger, humanoid creatures. Whilst listening to a beautiful soundtrack, you will experience incredible structures and truly a sense of wistful curiosity as you try to figure out exactly what is at play around you. At $19.99 on Steam, although currently on sale for $3.99, and with a playtime of 3-5 hours, it is on the pricier side (when not on sale), but well worth the cost.

The main character of the game ascends a staircase that is much larger than she is. This is the first time in Little Nightmares you really get a sense of how small you are, and how large the world is. Photo by Ava Wittman.

Celeste: 10/10

My platform puzzlers, die over and over again lovers, and perseverance champions, this one’s for you! This is most definitely not a classic horror game. In fact, it isn’t even really considered a horror game. However, with its use of themes, tension and settings, it is a wonderful Halloween pick. It provides a powerful narrative and has created a wonderful community. You play as a character trying to climb a mountain, using simple enough mechanics to navigate through rooms. The soundtrack is absolutely phenomenal and at $19.99 on Steam and with an any percent completion time of about eight hours, it is most definitely worth it.

Photo courtesy of Nintendo