Retro horror games are far from being mere specters of the past. They bring us a sense of nostalgic joviality yet somehow send shivers down your spine at the same time. The graphics and stories are unforgettable, leading them to stay with you for a long time. Not to mention how there’s a myriad of them to thank for paving the way formany classic horror gamesthat everyone knows and loves today.
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A bid for nostalgia, some horror games aim for Playstation 1 graphics and presentation. Here’s a list of the very best using this style.
It’s simply incredible how timeless retro games are. Although they don’t contain realistic visual horror, their atmosphere alone is enough to terrify you. Now, without further ado, here are the greatest retro horror games to go on a chilling adventure with.
10Harvester
Metascore: 53
What Makes This Game Special
With Harvester’s real-life sprites that give a dreadful feeling in your heart, this game is wildly gory — all while taking place in a B-movie atmosphere. Harvester is certainly on the mature side. In a midwestern town, a young man travels through the town of Harvest’s grim environment filled with vulgar and dangerous characters. A cult-like organization takes a deep hold on him, bringing him into the horrifying underbelly of their home.
The gameplay in Harvester offers you to explore the various locations in Harvest. Speaking to the different characters gives you more insight into the horrors that lie ahead of you, yet interacting with them is more than unsettling. Although it’s a tad confusing, making it the weakest one here, the look of Harvester itself screams classic retro horror.
9D: The Game
Metascore: N/A
For a game where the creator was heavily inspired by Polarware’s Transylvania, this retro horror game hits a magnificent amount of innovative marks. D: The Game is a cinematic masterpiece centered around cannibalism and a female protagonist exploring a hospital while yearning to learn more about her murderous father.
D: The Game impressed critics during its release for utilizing the interactive video game format to a new level. However, its voice acting and a low sense of challenge didn’t quite appeal to audiences. Yet, at the same time, with its unique mechanics of no save or pause function and ending after two real-time hours, D: The Game is a fantastic retro game to sink hours into.
8Uninvited
Uninvited is a special and unique masterpiece. Besides being the pioneer of first-person adventures, Uninvited is an entanglement of the sinister supernatural that all takes place in a Victorian manor. There are more than fifty rooms to explore, featuring compelling puzzles that pull you into its haunting story.
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Guaranteed to get you spooked on the small screen (or big one).
This game contained a groundbreaking Windows-based mechanic that revolved around a drag-and-drop system. On top of this, the text that details nearly your every move brings about a fascinating combination of interactive horror and text-centric adventure. Some moments showcase a bit of age to this game. But, at the end of the day, Uninvited is a unique reflection of what the virtual horror gaming world once was.
7I Have No Mouth, And I Must Scream
Based on the eerie short story by Harlan Ellison of the same name, I Have No Mouth, And I Must Scream is an unsettlingpoint-and-click adventurefor the ages. Exploring the malicious side of humanity, the characters form this game into the evil masterpiece that it is. Simply put, in this game’s world and people are hauntingly complex creatures.
The only issue with I Have No Mouth, And I Must Scream revolves around its technical difficulties and odd puzzles. Coupled with this, the pacing is a bit on the slower side. When it comes down to it, though, the grotesque nature of this game cements itself in your mind. It showcases your worst nightmares, all by the hand of humankind.
6Parasite Eve
Metascore: 81
There’s a special aspect toParasite Evethat makes it such amasterful horror RPG— not only from its priceless well-paced story and gameplay, but because Parasite Eve brought back a rightful adoration forJapanese horrorin the late 90s. As a sequel to a book of the same name, there’s a lot more than meets the eye in this game.
Following a police officer who yearns to save the city of New York from a seemingly unstoppable force named Eve, the game does an excellent job at making you feel the same desire to take down the violent figure. Parasite Eve broke a lot of retro RPG conventions as it swayed away from typical combat gameplay and what it means to be in the shoes of a courageous protagonist.
Parasite Eve
5System Shock 2
Metascore: 92
It’s highly regarded by many thatSystem Shock 2is easily one of the greatest games of all time. Besides being known as the spiritual predecessor toBioShock, this sequel is insanely loved for its amazing sense of cyberpunk adventure and unique survival horror style. Putting action-RPGs and survival horror components together, the gameplay in System Shock 2 is bound to keep you hooked.
While the firstSystem Shockis, of course, a masterpiece, System Shock 2 is an extraordinary tale that relies on itsvisual sci-fi retro horrorto unveil a chilling environment that few would want to be caught dead in.
System Shock 2
4Resident Evil
Metascore: 91
The first installment in theResident Evilseries shook the horror video game community to its very core.Jill Valentinequickly became one of the most iconic female horror game protagonists in history, paving the way for more representation in the future of horror gaming. Of course, it being the beginning ofan influential video game franchiseis nothing to scoff at either.
Every avid fan of horror games should play the first Resident Evil. It’s thanks to this game that zombies came back into pop culture, future games went into a cinematic direction, and it made the survival horror genre more popular than ever. Despite decades passing since its release, Resident Evil is a timeless work of art that will constantly hold up.
3Alone In The Dark
Metascore: 72
Set in 1920s Louisiana,Alone in the Darkforever holds the title of being the first 3Dsurvival horror game. Challenging us to escape a haunted mansion, the gameplay dares us to rely on our survival skills and puzzle-solving smarts. Combat isn’t as important, except when it comes to getting the courage to slay various ghosts and monsters if you dare.
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Inspired by the chillingly magnificent works of H.P. Lovecraft and Edgar Allan Poe, the first Alone in the Dark showcases a unique experience of traveling through non-linear level designs to investigate a spooky mystery. There’s little to no guidance, leaving you to your own devices alone in an eerie mansion.
Alone in the Dark
2Silent Hill
Metascore: 86
Silent Hill 2might take the cake for being one of the most beloved games in the franchise, but the originalSilent Hilltruly gave a look into the true terror that lies within the town of Silent Hill. Following Harry Mason as he travels through wildly blinding fog and terrifying foes while searching for his daughter, the story is just the unsettling beginning of it all.
There’s no doubt that Silent Hill is the face of impeccable retro horror. Using fog to combat the technical limits on the PlayStation 1 at the time, this game is filled with creativity and underlying horror. Not everything is revealed on the first go. Instead, you’re plunged into the dark crevices of a town long forgotten — yet not unoccupied.
1Sweet Home
Metacritc: N/A
Sweet Homeisn’t solely the greatest retro horror video game because of its chilling way of immersing you into its story, and it’s not only iconic because it paved the path for the future of survival horror. Rather, Sweet Home reigns as the champion because of its ability to dig its way into your core and terrify you — all while having simple, classic graphics.
In other words,this Metroidvania-styleexploration horror-RPG emphasizes the authentic emotion of when fear and survival strike at the most unexpected moments. With five playable characters that are challenged to elude zombies and ghosts, on top of its beautifully cinematic cutscenes, the experience you’ll face in Sweet Home is one that haunts you for ages.
Sweet Home
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