Summary
Games have come to be at the forefront of storytelling, weaving intricate and immersive plots to enthrall their players. These stories can be grandiose with world-ending implications, or more personal affairs catered specifically to the characters trapped within the confines of the game. Big or small, both have the potential to be some of the best stories ever to be told.
To do this without sacrificing the atmosphere, tension, and fear factor is a showcase of true talent, as the storyline needs to be as equally horrifying to work, or verge towards tragedy to give the plot a bleeding heart to awaken empathy or sympathy, making the inevitable terror all the more impactful.
Supermassive Games' first foray into horror,Until Dawnwas a game beloved by many gamers at the time of its release. It took thecommon tropes of slasher movies, utilizing them in a creative way that almost parodies the entire genre, but make no mistake,Until Dawnstill has the ability to be absolutely terrifying.
A mean-spirited prank leads to the death of twins Hannah and Beth Washington, and the friends reunite one year after their death at a secluded lodge in the mountains. Terrifying instances visit all the characters as it becomes apparent they are not alone, and there is a killer in the midst. But, the plot takes on a few interesting twists that throw everything that players have experienced into question.
Fatal Frame 2: Crimson Butterly
Fatal Frameis the quintessential ghost-hunting franchise, as it follows different characters into haunted locations equipped with little more than courage and a camera, named the camera obscura. This mystical camera has the ability to exorcize dangerous spirits, while also guiding the characters forward on their quest. The second game in the series,Crimson Butterfly, is thought to be the best.
Twin sisters Mio and Mayu find themselves drawn to a place hidden deep in the woods named the Lost Village. Built over a doorway to the underworld, the village requires sacrifices in order to stay safe, with several flashbacks revealing the regrettable fate of twins Yae and Sae. Sae possesses Mayu, and it is down to Mio to save her. The village is shrouded in tragedy and regret as the ritual intended to save them all fails, and Mio and Mayu are intended as the twins used for the next ritual.There are multiple endings, with most adding a new note of tragedy to an already heartbreaking game.
An Ambitiously Sprawling Plot
The Letter
The Letter is an interactive, horror/drama visual novel inspired by classic Asian horror films. Told through an immersive branching narrative, the game puts the players into the shoes of seven characters as they find themselves falling prey to a vicious curse plaguing the Ermengarde Mansion for centuries.In this game, your choices will shape and drive the story forward: will you mend a relationship on the verge of collapse, or will you let it fall apart? Will you risk saving them, despite the consequences, or leave them to die a gruesome death? The fate of all the characters is in your hands.
The medium of visual novels is perfect for weaving together stories that have even more depth than actual novels. Choice always comes into play, as players have input on what the character they are controlling does or says throughout the duration of the game. The plentiful amount of text and dialogue allows the stories to truly shine through, as in the case ofThe Letter.
The Letteris a unique entry in the visual novel genre of games as it seamlessly blends in horror. A chain letter in an old house with a blood history finds itself in the possession of realty estate agent Isabella Santos, her friends, and the owners of the mansion. Ill fates potentially befall them all, but giving players the power of influence, they can choose to save the characters or doom them. There are multiple endings and countless branching paths, resulting in an ambitious plot that can delve in so many different directions.
This horror game newly arrived on the scenetakes players into space, territory in horror that has been explored before but never quite in this fashion. Rather than being confronted by a tangible threat such as hostile aliens or murderous androids, the crew in this are confronted with the hopelessness of a bleak future.
The Tulpar is manned by Curly, Jimmy, Anya, Swansea, and Daisuke, and all are to be laid off after they deliver their current shipment, causing some tensions between the crew and their captain, Curly. It is revealed Anya is pregnant with Jimmy’s child, and thus he causes their ship to crash, causing them to be stranded and Curly to be maimed with horrific injuries. The story becomes more personal, switching between before and after the crash to develop the characters and their relationships. The story takes some truly dark turns and reality itself seems to melt away into surreal and horrifying scenes that are better experienced personally to truly appreciate the nuances of the characters and their bonds with one another, particularly that of Curly and Jimmy.
Frictional Games are most knownfor their work on theAmnesiaseries, delivering games with supernatural undertones set during past eras. These games were hugely successful, placing the studio on the map and allowing for future installments in the series, and new games such asSoma.It bears a similar tone to their past games, with an underlying feeling of helplessness as they can only run and hide, but with a totally new story and setting.
Simon Jarrett survives a rather traumatic crash that leaves him with rather severe brain and head injuries and thus agrees to an experimental brain scan that uploads his consciousness into a robotic body, a revelation that won’t be made apparent immediately. It turns out he is in an underwater research facility named PATHOS-II in the far-flung future. Humanity has been driven to the brink of extinction, and it’s just Simon, Catherine, and terrifying robots still in the facility. It’s more than just a sci-fi horror story, as it explores what it truly means to be human, and if artificial beings can experience humanity.
For many fans,Resident Evil 7was a return to formula after the lukewarm reception of the action-packedResident Evil 6. AlthoughResident Evil: Revelationsreintroduced the survival horror elements that made the game series so great, its timed exclusivity for the 3DS might have caused fans to skip over the entry. Nevertheless,RE7was a fantastic entry that started the Winters storyline.
Resident Evilgames often starestablished or up-and-coming heroes, such as S.T.A.R.S. members or rookie cops. But this time, it’s just Ethan Winters, a husband searching for his wife who went missing three years ago. He arrives at the Baker residence, entering into a world of survival horror. The Baker family has transformed into inhuman creatures, and mold comes to life, taking the form of horrid creatures. The story of Ethan and Mia is more intimate without sacrificing complexity, as there is something much more going on behind the scenes.
It’s a tale as old as time–zombie-like creatures have overtaken the earth, killing millions of humans until there are only a few survivors left, trying to rebuild something resembling civilization.The Last of Usdoes make use of certain apocalypse story tropes but also injects enough individuality to ensure this is a game unlike any other players have experienced, and will remember fondly for years to come.
20 years after the start of the outbreak and after losing his daughter, Joel finds himself transporting some very precious cargo across the dangerous no man’s land–a teenage girl apparently immune to the fungal infection that turns people into clickers. There is obvious friction between the two at first, but watching the bond between them develop into a father and daughter one is something truly special and beautiful to witness amidst the world of horrors they are submerged in.
Perfection is something that could never truly be achieved, butAlan Wake 2comes pretty damn close. The fiction titular writer returns in a new, mind-bending experience thatdelves into surreal territorywithout losing total cohesion. This story is masterfully woven with the eerie horror that lurks in the town of Brightfall and within Alan’s own mind.
The story is split between the perspectives of Alan Wake and FBI detective Saga Anderson as a group called the Cult of the Tree is responsible for a string of ritualistic murders. Saga investigates as Alan does what he does best: writes. His work on Saga’s investigation takes on a more horrific tone, and from there, the story continually sprawls in unforeseen directions, delving into topics such as time loops. It’s a huge divergence from the first game, but a very welcome one.
Lauded as one of the greatest horror games of all time,Silent Hill 2is more than deserving of this title. Rather than pursuingthe plot of cultsand Alessa as outlined in the prior game,Silent Hill 2is a personal story about a man who lost his wife to illness. He receives a letter claiming she is awaiting him in the town that was a special place for both of them and sets out in hopes of finding her.
The story sounds so simple in its premise, and it is. It’s subtle and subdued, with a presence of grief and tragedy hanging over everything, which makes it one of the most impactful and important stories in all of horror gaming history. The ending with him proclaiming he no longer needs Pyramid Head is powerful and bears the important message of the grieving process, and that eventually, one must move on from the past.
