Tag Archives: Horror

Until Dawn

Publisher: Sony
Developer: Supermassive Games
Year: 2015
Platform: Windows, PS4, PS5

Rating: 7

The first game I played by Supermassive was The Quarry, and it appears I was a bit spoiled. I heard great things about Until Dawn, but I didn’t own a Playstation. And then they released it on 2024 on the PC, but my computer couldn’t handle the specs at the time. I finally got around to it this year. And I wished I had played Until Dawn first. I thoroughly enjoyed myself, but I couldn’t help thinking the entire time how they improved the choice-based horror formula in nearly ever single way a few years later

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Soma

Publisher: Frictional Games
Developer: Frictional Games
Year: 2015
Platform: Windows, Mac, Linux, PS4, Xbox One, Xbox Series

Rating: 8

The older I get the less I can tolerate the horror genre. Perhaps it’s the state of the world right now, or maybe I’m just getting old, but my nerves are already wound up enough without artificially tightening them further. For example, Frictional Games is most famous for their Amnesia series. I’ve attempted that, and despite enjoying it, have not been able to get through it due to my anxiety.

Yet they catered to me with Soma, adding an optional setting that more or less prevents you from dying at all. At first I worried that the horror would be dampened by eliminating the risk, but then I remembered that I still enjoy reading a Stephen King book even though I know I’m not going to die then either. Soma’s atmosphere is incredibly intense, risk or not, and the story is strong enough that it’s easily one of the best horror games I’ve played.

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An English Haunting

Publisher: Postmodern Adventures
Developer: Postmodern Adventures
Year: 2024
Platform: Windows

Rating: 5

As I sit down to write this review just a week after finishing An English Haunting, I realize that I cannot call to mind the name of the protagonist or even how the game ends. My rapidly aging brain surely shoulders much of the blame, though I suspect it also cuts to my feelings about my experience. The second pixel art adventure by Spanish developer Postmodern Adventures, a ghost-hunting yarn set in early twentieth-century London, is certainly a pleasant enough experience buoyed by above-average production values and a satisfying level of gameplay challenge. Yet an unmemorable cast of characters—replete with enough exposition to make a Bond villain blush—make it difficult to give it an enthusiastic recommendation.

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Stasis: Bone Totem

Publisher: The Brotherhood
Developer: The Brotherhood
Year: 2023
Platform: Windows, Switch, PS5, Xbox One, XBox Series

Rating: 8

After not particularly enjoying the highly awarded Stasis or its follow-up Cayne, I was skeptical when Bone Totem was released to universal praise and accolades. My doubts faded quickly and never returned as The Brotherhood demonstrated they could learn from their mistakes and produce was one of the greatest sequels in adventure game history.

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The Dark Pictures Anthology: Man of Medan

Publisher: Bandai Namco
Developer: SupermassiveGames
Year: 2019
Platform: Windows, PS4, PS5, Xbox One

Rating: 4

The Dark Pictures Anthology is a series of four relatively short games (so far) in Supermassive’s usual formula of narrative-based horror. The first game, Man of Medan, does a decent job at providing action and scares, though ultimately left me unsatisfied thanks to a poor script and mediocre story.

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Cayne

Publisher: The Brotherhood
Developer: The Brotherhood
Year: 2017
Platform: Windows, Mac, Linux

Rating: 3

I had no intention of playing Cayne, a sequel to the underwhelming Stasis. But another sequel, Bone Totem, came out in 2023 that is allegedly significantly better. Since I’m planning to play that soon, I figured I might as well play this one, especially since it’s free. Unfortunately, the only major part of Cayne that’s improved is that the punishment of playing is over quicker.

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Simulacra

Publisher: Kaigan Games
Developer: Kaigan Games
Year: 2017
Platform: Windows, Mac, iOS, Android, PS4, XBox One, Switch

Rating: 2

Several years ago I played my first “found phone” game, A Normal Lost Phone. While the premise was intriguing, I found the puzzles contrived and the gameplay too repetitive. Simulacra amplifies these problems to excruciating levels while adding the worst acting I’ve even seen in a video game.

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The Walking Dead

Publisher: Telltale
Developer: Telltale
Year: 2012
Platform: Windows, Mac, PS3, Xbox360

Rating: 9

My favorite episode of The Walking Dead is “The Grove,” which is a fairly common opinion. The climax was some of the most gut-wrenching TV I’ve ever witnessed; and while the moment itself is ridiculous on paper, the show earned the moment as they had been slowly building towards it for two seasons, making it seem like a natural progression in this terrifying universe. Anyway, this is basically how I felt at the end of playing this game. Only I cried for twenty more minutes.

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