“The Pixels Halloween 2022 – Our Favorite Horror Stories”

“If I cannot inspire love, I will cause fear!”

-Mary Shelley, Frankenstein

Looking for something spooky to play tonight for Halloween? Check out our writers’ favorite horror video game stories for 2022!

ProfNoctis: The Quarry 

I don’t usually scream when I play games. The Quarry changed that. Maybe it was because of the excellent performances that led to believable characters, but I genuinely cared for the cast of this dark and ominous tale. So when they began getting dismembered and brutally tortured because of choices I made in-game, my only recourse was to scream into the darkness of my living room (the only way to play this game). Their stories, some of which were cut too short by my own poor decision-making, keep me awake at night and will fuel nightmares for months to come. 

Ben Cook: Bloodborne

Bloodborne was my first Souls game, and in retrospect, it’s actually funny that it welcomed me to what would become my favorite game series, because Bloodborne’s open hostility makes From’s other titles seem downright hospitable by contrast! Following history’s most questionable blood transfusion, I was beset by beasts that were clearly once human, townsfolk with occluded eyes and lengthened limbs who called me a beast, and metaphysical horrors for which I was woefully unprepared. Cryptic messages left by other players only heightened the tension, and I soon learned to second-guess everything. The atmospheric sound design and the horrifying imagery could best be described as “wet” and “disgusting,” and the more the game revealed of itself, the more unsettling it became. Each twist and turn of the story brought about dread and unease, and—in a brilliant interplay of gameplay mechanics and storytelling—gaining insight into the nature of the world served only to accentuate the horror in new ways and further empowered various foes throughout the world. As Gerhman tells us, “Don’t think too hard about all of this.”

Kyra Kyle: This War of Mine

I seldom play traditional horror games, so I’m going with a different kind of horror. The horror of war. This War of Mine takes the mechanisms of a survival game and applies them to a group of non-combantants in a war-torn, eastern European country. And it’s every bit as terrorifing as it sounds. You must make morally gray decisions at almost every turn. Sure, there are major choices one must make. But even small ones carry weight. One of the most impactful smaller moments for me was when I stumbled upon an elderly couple’s home and had to decide if I was going to steal their food and medicine.

Note: the last time I checked, most of This War of Mine’s content (main game and some of its DLC on Steam) gives 10% of its proceeds to War Child, a charity that helps children who are affected by war.

Craig Rathbone: Alien Isolation

Anyone who knows me will know that I’m a big fan of the original Alien, so when Sega and Creative Assembly announced a horror game based on it I knew I was in for a scare! But bloody hell, not as much as I was! The alien is fast, can instakill you and learns in real time thanks to its clever AI, sometimes it’s even too clever to follow the script, appearing out of nowhere when it was supposed to be off-station to impale me with it’s tail, scared me half to death!

Kalas: Silent Hill 2

I can usually handle most horror games; I’ve finished games like Resident Evil and Dead Space, no problem. But Silent Hill 2 is one of those games that go beyond just jump scares. The psychological horror is so well crafted at making you feel uneasy and defenseless. The atmosphere created by the unnerving music paired with outstandingly eerie sound design creates an experience that has stuck with me for a long time. I remember there being a point halfway in the game when I was walking down a dark hallway and I felt so anxious that I just suddenly stopped playing. I quit the game while nothing was happening! With the recent announcement of Silent Hill 2 remake, I hope that I can gather enough courage by then to finally make my way through the whole game. 

YemmytheFerret: Limbo

Limbo very well could be the game I’ve played through the most. It’s a short adventure about a boy trying to find his sister in purgatory. There are plenty of creepy areas you’ll go through but the opening area is the most memorable. Every time you take a step, a boggy swamp-like squish, giant spiders lurking in the shadows, and other lost children hunting you down. The visuals of the game adds to the unease I feel. Black, gray, and white…the perfect color pallette. Tough platforming keeps you on your toes, one misstep and your character will be torn to shreds, impaled, or fall to his death. The puzzles become more and more intricate as you go along as well. From marshlands to sawmills, the journey is tense but incredible. The only game that has come close to giving me the same feeling as Limbo is its successor, Inside. 

TeeBee: The 7th Guest

What could be more Halloween than a good old-fashioned haunted house story? How about a tale of an old toymaker luring victims to his… house? “A house that scaaaares people!” as the game so ominously puts it! Sure, this game might look cheesy as heck to a modern glance, but this game revolutionized disc-based media in gaming. Thanks to the brilliantly over-acted scenes with real actors(!) bringing the story of Henry Stauf and his guests to life.. or death.. The 7th Guest is a joy and one I try to play through at least once a year. Even if the most nightmarish thing the game has to offer is a brutally difficult microscope puzzle, it’s a deliciously entertaining game and one that’s ideal for the Spooky Season! All together now: “Old Man Stauf built a house and filled it with his toys…”

Red: Metroid Dread

I don’t usually gasp audibly when I play games. Metroid Dread did it to me, driving home the iconic isolation and loneliness the series is known for. I guess you tend to feel the presence of another sentient entity most when it’s viciously ripped away from you. Actually, I gasped more than once. I did it when caught by the robot for the first time. Then again upon the final revelation of Raven Beak’s identity and then again when I saw the crab suit. How could you not love the crab suit? Metroid Dread proved to be top-tier Nintendo horror. It’s in the title! The loneliness makes even an ending of triumph seem like a new spark of anxiety.

What about you? Have a favorite horror game we missed? Sound off in the comments below!