It’s hard to play Until Dawn and not be taken back to the glory days of slasher horror movies like Friday the 13th or Halloween. All in all, Darkwood is a unique indie gem that provides an interesting take on the survival horror genre. The narrative is no slouch either, with a wealth of environmental storytelling along with a main story that leads to multiple disturbing conclusions. Each day draws to a close with more than a touch of anxiety, wondering if you’ve fortified your shelter enough to survive the horrors of the night that roam about. Paired with a top-down perspective and a claustrophobic vision cone that restricts your ability to see anything not in front of you, and you have a game that actively seeks to fill every moment with tension and unease. A droning, hauntingly melancholy soundtrack, footsteps that echo into the darkness, and uncanny horrors that are reminiscent of H.P Lovecraft’s more disturbing works. While the game’s primary gameplay loop does involve the common trope of gathering and crafting resources, the audio visual presentation elevates it to another level. You’ll be lucky to survive a single night. On top of this, horrific, distorted monstrosities stalk the forest come nightfall, eager to prey upon any who venture out after sundown. An unknown number of people have been trapped within said forest, with a plague sweeping through their ranks at a frightening rate. Taking control of The Stranger, players are dropped into a mysterious, rapidly expanding forest somewhere in 1980s Europe. While a bit less well-known than other entries on this list, Darkwood is a title that will likely go down as a sleeper cult-classic for horror fans. Turn the lights down low, keep that flamethrower ready, and try not to breathe too loudly.
If you like your horror with more of a sci-fi twist, or if you’re just feeling nostalgic for the good old days of 70s creature features, Alien: Isolation is more than enough to sate your appetite. If you have time to breathe, it’s because you’re being toyed with. Relentlessly stalking the player through ventilation shafts, playing with the shadows to sneak up from unexpected angles, there is nowhere on Sevastopol that feels safe from its voracious gaze. However, as in any Alien story, the Xenomorph is the real star of the show. The atmosphere of Alien: Isolation is drenched in the early 70s sci-fi aesthetic that helps to build that familiar sense of dread with every step you take. From the station interiors almost directly pulled from the 1979 classic film, to the flickering CRT monitors, to the utterly gorgeous lighting that will have you jumping at shadows.
From here, the player must guide Amanda in her attempt to escape the doomed station, all while avoiding the ever present hunter that lurks in the shadows.Īlien: Isolation is a game that shows genuine respect for its source material. And as is tradition, a Xenomorph has also made its way onto the station, stalking and killing the crew members on board. Now an employee of Weyland-Yutani, she hears that the flight recorder of her mother’s ship, Nostromo, has been recovered at an out-of-the-way trading station called Sevastopol. Possibly one of the only genuinely good Alien games in the last few years, Alien: Isolationputs players in the shoes of Ripley’s daughter, Amanda.
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