Key Takeaways
- Horror games need more than just scares; elements like combat and exploration enhance the experience.
- Titles like Dying Light 2 and Dead Space deliver immersive exploration to engage players.
- Darkwood and Sons of the Forest offer nerve-wracking exploration with compelling gameplay loops.
Producing a well-made horror game is easier said than done. These titles are hard sells as is since a lot of players aren’t actively seeking out experiences meant to scare them out of their wits. The vast majority of horror games need to do something more than just be spooky to entice players, working on other gameplay pillars to make for an engrossing time that fans can’t get enough of.
Combat, stealth, puzzles, and other such elements can be worked upon and integrated into these games to let players enjoy a sense of satisfaction after being chased by monsters or unnerved by a creepy atmosphere. However, certain games in this genre that understand how to immerse players can rely on the simple act of exploration to ensure that players will have a great time just moving around and exploring the world at their own pace.
5 Dying Light 2
Exploration Is A Blast With Players Freerunning In And Around Villedor
Dying Light 2 is a sequel that’s bigger and bolder than the first game, even if the many uninteresting characters in this game don’t do a great job of standing out all that much. Regardless, players will have a great time messing around with the parkour system of this game, a highlight of the first title that continues to be the saving grace of a title that makes the moment-to-moment exploration a joy to get through.
It helps that Dying Light 2 enhances the number of options at a player’s behest, with the addition of a glider ensuring that players will have a great time soaring through the skies of Villedor to avoid zombies before parkouring across rooftops and finding a ton of secrets. Dying Light 2 may not capture the same magic as its predecessor in numerous departments, but the parkour and exploration are a class above and will keep fans coming back for more.
4 Dredge
The Lovecraftian Horror Slowly Builds Up As Players Explore The Sea And Fish
It speaks to the masterful nature of indie gaming that a fishing game can become one of the most immersive and atmospheric horror games around if it’s designed immaculately. The art style and unnerving vibes of Dredge were present from the get-go and helped it stand out as one of the most unique horror games of the modern era. Players sail out from the coastal town of Great Marrow, exploring the archipelago to find a variety of fish to catch and sell.
However, there’s more to this area than what meets the eye, and players will encounter several nightmarish horrors and sea monsters as they venture further out to sea. It speaks to the amazing exploration of Dredge that players will stay out in the dead of night even with their panic meter rising, simply because of how riveting the core gameplay loop is. Seeing a Lovecraftian hallucination or encountering something monstrous in the sea is a shocking moment that is built up immaculately without feeling cheap in its execution.
3 Dead Space
The Remake Breaths New Life Into The Halls Of The USG Ishimura
Most people wondered if Dead Space even needed a remake, given that the original game looks amazing to this day and stands out as one of the best horror games of all time. So, fans were pleased to see that 2023’s Dead Space was a faithful adaptation of the original story that improves many areas, with the inclusion of a voiced protagonist and the expansion of the USG Ishimura’s various levels going a long way in modernizing the experience and immersing players.
Despite the halls of this desolate spacecraft feels claustrophobic yet exciting at the same time, and players will feel compelled to explore every corner of this ship to figure out the horrifying event that led to its inhabitants dying a violent death. Despite being as bleak and scary as they come, the exploration in Dead Space is one of its strongest aspects that holds up in the original game and is perfected in the remake.
2 Darkwood
A Semi-Open World With Numerous Horrors That Scare The Wits Out Of Players
A brutal survival horror game with incredible audio design that strikes fear in the hearts of players despite using a top-down perspective, Darkwood is one of the greatest indie games in this genre that fans can get their hands on. The forest that players find themselves trapped in is massive, forcing players to scavenge for resources to survive and bolster their hideout to make it through every grueling night.
With the view cone being extremely limited in Darkwood, the simple act of exploration becomes nerve-wracking. Every sudden noise makes players jump out of their seats and check their backs to see if an enemy is trying to ambush them. The otherworldly horrors present in this game make every step a tough but rewarding one to take, making for a compelling gameplay loop with a satisfying payoff. Darkwood may seem oppressive at times, but this aids the immersion of this title and makes everything from the semi-open world exploration to the hard-as-nails combat a joy to experience.
1 Sons Of The Forest
A Sequel To One Of The Most Popular Open-Ended Survival-Horror Games Of All Time
The Forest was an indie breakout and one of the greatest indie survival horror games of all time, so it was only a matter of time before this phenomenon’s legacy would continue with a sequel. After languishing in Early Access for the longest time, Sons of the Forest came out and wowed everyone with its enhanced scope, with the familiar setting of a forested island populated with cannibals being expanded to greater heights.
The map is four times bigger than The Forest, ensuring that players can satisfy their urge to explore every corner and uncover the dark, disturbing secrets that lay within. Base building, weapon crafting, and a companion system ensure that players will be entertained for the longest time as they uncover a sinister plot and try to survive against a horde of cannibals who are horrifying to encounter every single time.
