There’s been a vast amount of horror games bursting on the scene recently and this month is no exception. Here is a round-up of the most creepy, frightening, terrifying and just downright bizarre games brought to you by September’s Indie Round-Up: Horror Edition.
Game title: Sepulchre
Developer: Owl Cave
Release date: 3rd September 2013
Do you like free games? Do you like trains and huge bags? Then you’re in for a treat. Kicking off the beginning of the month, Owl Cave (developers of Richard & Alice) managed to dish up a delightful concoction of all things creepy, eerie and downright weird with their recent release Sepulchre, a short point-and-click adventure that’s subtle, mysterious and cleverly written. For a game that will cost you zero pennies to get your grubby mitts on, we highly recommend checking this one out. Our protagonist, Doctor Harold Lang, wakes up on a train with a somewhat unusual case of forgetfulness as to who he is or where he may be travelling. A game that remarkably sets its atmosphere based on suggestion and subtlety, you slowly unravel the mystery of the games strange happenings as you wander the train corridors and engage in short conversation with a variety of interesting and unusual characters. This is a game that needs no jump-scares or unsightly creatures to set the scene, and manages to get your skin crawling in such a way that you’ll definitely want to play your way through right to the end. A creepy, horror game, Sepulchre is splendid and wonderfully intriguing, and even long after its satisfying final twist, leaves you continuing to piece the plot together.
Download Sepulchre from Owl Cave games here where you can also buy a special edition version that also includes the haunting soundtrack, two wallpapers and a copy of Bright Lights and Glass Houses by lead writer and creator Ashton Raze for the outstanding price of $2.99.
Game title: Outlast
Developer: Red Barrels
Release date: September 4th 2013
If you’re looking for something to make your heart race and have you jumping out of your chair with its frightfully wonderful wealth of scares, then Outlast is definitely a game worth picking up and playing. It’s a brutal defenceless trip into the depths of a dark, creepy asylum, and you’ll be running and hiding your way through each sinister corridor, avoiding deranged mental patients and looking for the story behind this strange building as you try to uncover the secrets of the aptly titled Mount Massive Asylum. Outlast makes for a fantastic survival-horror game with its effective use of lighting and sound to create what could possibly be one of the best looking games of its kind for some time. Unfortunately, annoying design choices and repetitive moments of gameplay causes the game to seem slightly frustrating at times, but overall Outlast will shock you and scare you into an experience that’s as frightening as hell.
Outlast is available to download now on Steam for £14.99.
Game title: Amnesia: A Machine For Pigs
Developer: The Chinese Room
Release date: 10th September 2013
The year is 1899. Oswald Mandus, a wealthy industrialist awakens from his bed, tortured by visions of a disastrous expedition in Mexico and wracked with guilt and fever. Upon hearing the cries of help from his children, and following a sinister phone call in which he is told his children have been trapped somewhere underground in a huge machine; he goes on a mission to start it up. And so unfolds a tense storyline involving pigs. Yes, pigs. A classic Amnesia game that perhaps falls short of its predecessors charm, Amnesia: A Machine For Pigs is let down by its lack of environmental puzzles and limited gameplay elements, including the loss of inventory (which means you cannot combine items nor pick many of them up) and the health and sanity meters from the previous game. Though it needs no explanation, Amnesia: A Machine for Pigs will be a great game for horror fans and Amnesia fans alike, but a slight disappointment for those expecting a lot more from it. With a little over five hour’s playtime, the game has very little replay value, but is worth picking up just for the remarkable storyline and incredible atmosphere.
Amnesia: A Machine For Pigs is available to buy now on Steam for £14.99
Game title: Paranormal
Developer: Matt Cohen
Release Date: September 12th 2013 (STEAM) August 6th 2012 (Desura)
Mattel Clarke is convinced his house is haunted. He grabs a video camera, and decides to traipse around his house in search of any crazy goings on that will confirm this fact. In a similar first-person found-footage style to The Blair Witch Project and Paranormal Activity, Paranormal takes you out of your comfort zone as you explore a house using a video camera with a very limited battery. If the battery dies completely, who knows what will happen, so the aim is to get the hell to bed before it’s too late. Paranormal is clever, in that no two playthroughs are the same, meaning unique experiences and events happen each time the game is restarted. Fans of horror will love this game, and with promise of ongoing free content updates and new locations and scenarios, you definitely will not want to miss out on this scare-fest.
Paranormal is available to buy now on Steam and Desura for £6.99.
Indie Round-Up is a new column, aimed at bringing you the latest and greatest releases of the month. Check in every month to discover some of the best newly released indie games that have got everybody talking.
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