Horror fans look at games to “level up” the fear factor of the horror experience. After all, unlike films and books, games put players in the shoes of protagonists themselves. In turn, it’s up to the player to ensure that their protagonists live through hell to resolve their living nightmares. Essentially, some of the greatest horror games feature not just excellent storytelling but also compelling worldbuilding.
Unfortunately, some horror games do fall flat on the story and lore department. Interestingly, a bad plot doesn’t necessarily mean a game has bad lore. Some horror games with average stories do take place in compelling worlds. However, which standout horror titles are set in interesting worlds of their own?
10 Resident Evil Survivor
Unlike its more elaborate main titles, Resident Evil Survivor boasts a light gun take on the survival horror franchise. This title places the world’s fate on the shoulders of not one of the main protagonists, but rather a new character. Leon Kennedy asks agent Ark Thompson to infiltrate Sheena Island’s Umbrella facility to eliminate any bioweapons it housed.
Fast-paced light gun games certainly need lighter stories. However, Thompson’s adventure in Sheena Island focuses more on action than Resident Evil‘s signature horror theme at the time. Thompson’s experience in the game does shed light on Umbrella’s bioterrorism activities outside Raccoon City.
9 The 3rd Birthday
The Parasite Eve franchise presents a microbiological take on terror. This time around, one strain of mitochondria has mutated and developed self-awareness. In turn, this hyper-evolved mitochondria seeks to become a Mitochondrial Eve, the “one ancestor” from where human genetic material has come from. It also seeks new hosts. Thankfully, protagonist Aya Brea manages to stop these threats from happening.
The 3rd Birthday acts as a spin-off sequel of sorts. Thanks to the new Overdrive mechanic, Aya can “switch” consciousness with others to finish missions. Unfortunately, the game failed to utilize the concept properly and integrate it within the franchise’s already-established lore. In fact, the game seemed to be a completely new take on the Parasite Eve concept, much to the disappointment of fans.
8 Clive Barker’s Jericho
Fans of horror author Clive Barker can venture into Clive Barker’s Jericho, a world of his own design. Its premise is simple: the elite Jericho squad of the Department of Occult Warfare has to investigate a mysterious spacetime breach in Al-Khali. Upon first inspection, they discover an entity known as the Firstborn, God’s first creation before Adam and Eve, and must stop it from using the breach to enter the modern world.
Each member of the Jericho squad possesses unique supernatural abilities. Additionally, all Jericho squad members seem to have their own versions of sad backstories. Players criticized Jericho for the extremely linear delivery of its story. However, the game makes up for this flaw with an enclosed world with solid lore. Thanks to Barker’s writing, the game leaves enough mystery behind the Firstborn’s true nature while still unraveling its impact across generations.
7 Silent Hill: Book Of Memories
The PlayStation Vita entry Silent Hill: Book of Memories holds the franchise brand but not necessarily set in the eponymous town. Instead, the story revolves around a mysterious book from Silent Hill. Changing the entries in this mysterious Book of Memories can rewrite one’s fate while having to fight monsters in their nightmares.
Despite the interesting concept, the game’s story lacks the signature morbidity of the franchise. Book of Memories has a third-act plot twist that players can easily predict as well. Regardless, its lore implications remain strong. It appears the Order created the Book of Memories as a means to manifest God in the real world. Additionally, it seems artifacts from Silent Hill can actually affect people outside the town’s area.
6 World War Z
Horror fans will fondly remember World War Z as one of those niche literature titles with a unique take on the zombie apocalypse. Max Brooks’s WWZ is a compilation of fictional interviews detailing various accounts of a “World War Z,” a fight against the living dead. Meanwhile, 2019’s World War Z game centers survivors in the cities of Marseille, Tokyo, Jerusalem, Moscow, and New York.
Unfortunately, the game does fall a bit flat on the story end. Despite having multiple scenarios, the game lacks the grounded luster of its novel inspiration. However, should the game use WWZ lore, it would have a lot of potential. In the book, Max Brooks talks of intricate civic and military responses to the outbreak, as well as several organizations rising up to combat the living dead from unique fronts.
5 Saw 2: Flesh & Blood
In Saw, the Jigsaw Killer has one rule: appreciate life or die. Despite middling reviews, the franchise shares a somewhat extensive lore involving the Jigsaw Killer’s origins, his apprentices and victims, and the films’ assortment of brutal traps. In the case of Saw 2: Flesh & Blood, the game now lets players themselves determine the fate of its protagonist.
The title stars Michael Tapp, the son of Detective David Tapp. In the films, Detective Tapp once attempted to solve the killings attributed to the Jigsaw Killer. In his quest for vengeance, Michael puts his life on the line and becomes entangled in the Jigsaw Killer’s sick games. Sadly, the game’s scattered approach to its narrative presentation makes players feel as though the gore factor had a higher priority.
4 Agony
Unlike other horror titles, Agony brings players to Hell itself, and the game has quite a liberal approach to gore, violence, and nudity with their environments. Players need to find a way to escape Hell, as per the instructions of the Red Goddess. Along the way, the player’s amnesiac character would slowly remember his past and develop abilities to possess various demons.
Pplayers can get easily bored with Agony‘s overuse of violence and gore. Moreover, players engrossed with the game’s story can easily predict the “terrifying” ending plot twist. However, the game does boast an interesting bestiary, with the Red Goddess and other demons forming a unique and somewhat cohesive lore for the title.
3 Ju-On: The Grudge
A person who dies with a deep grudge and hatred in their heart can create a curse, and Ju-On: The Grudge demonstrates exactly that. Thanks to the franchise’s open nature, Ju-On: The Grudge for the Wii gives players a new iteration of this curse. This time, the curse spells death for the Yamada family unless they overcome their trials.
The story ends exactly like how players think a Ju-On story would end. It doesn’t help that the Wii’s mechanics didn’t improve the game’s presentation either. Whereas the superstition-focused lore of Ju-On can give way to a more personal approach to storytelling, the game simply focused on the jump scares and the thrills.
2 The Walking Dead: Survival Instinct
In The Walking Dead, readers and viewers get more acquainted with the post-apocalyptic life of survivors of a zombie apocalypse. In The Walking Dead: Survival Instinct, players can see exactly what happened to fan-favorite Daryl Dixon prior to the events of the game. As expected, Daryl will have to use his trademark crossbow and an assortment of weapons to kill zombies and sometimes even human enemies.
Despite the richness of TWD lore, the game offers less insight into Daryl’s past and serves as more of a canon game side story to add details to his backstory.
1 Amy
Horror game Amy became universally infamous for its clunky controls, glitchy gameplay, and poor story delivery as sources of frequent frustration. As such, it’s such a shame that Amy‘s atmosphere and overall world design does have potential. Essentially, the game tasks players to help Amy, a girl with autism, and her protector, Lana, to escape a city overrun by a zombifying disease.
For some unknown reason, Amy displays not just immunity to the virus. Rather, she also developed supernatural powers, such as healing and telekinesis. Her powers also attracted the attention of the nefarious Phoenix Foundation. Theoretically, the game should have weaved a more cohesive tale that connects these elements, but the game seemed to fail to deliver on all fronts.
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