This week we are chatting about 28 dark video games that everyone should try, and at least one for every type of gamer!
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Hello! All my fellow Poe and Shelly lovers! This week we are talking about Dark Video Games. While we all wait alone in the Dark video game to release, I thought I’d give you some other options to tide you over.
This week we are talking about all things soul-tearing, tear-jerking Dark Video Games related.
Dark video games are not just strictly horror games, in truth, dark video games force us to stop and process what we are seeing and feeling. Ultimately, it attempts to make us digest the darkest parts of human behavior and actions. As all gothic lovers know we try to find the beauty in the ugly, making dark video game plots and settings a win-win.
So let me stop running my yapper and let us get on with the list! And if you need more horror-themed entertainment choices. Go check out-
*25 Nintendo Switch Horror Games
Dark Video Games
1. Choices matter in dark video game
So, Layers Of Fear is truly a great game. I wasn’t super impressed with the author’s chapters, but I’m giving them another go with the director cut.
RELEASE DATE: Jun 15, 2023
All stories must come to an end, even twisted and eerie ones. The canvas. The stage. The novel. This narrative-focused psychological horror experience is ready for its final brushstrokes, its curtain call, and its final chapter. Are you ready to return and face your fears one last time?
2. Shocking dark horror games
I promise you, Little Misfortune will make your jaw drop at least once, if not multiple times. Do not let the cute art style fool you, this is one of the darkest games you’ll play.
Led by her new friend, Mr. Voice, Misfortune ventures into the woods, where mysteries are unraveled and a little bad luck unfolds.
3. Old-school dark fantasy video games
If you’ve never played Fatal Frame, you have to give it a go. The art is stunning, and if you have any love of Asian horror or style, you’ll love this one.
FATAL FRAME / PROJECT ZERO: Maiden of Black Water” comes to Steam for the first time to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the horror-adventure series FATAL FRAME / PROJECT ZERO. The game is set on sacred Mt. Hikami, a site of many mysterious and terrifying incident
4. Epic indie dark horror game
Rusty Lake Hotel is one of those games that you’re not entirely sure what’s going on. And then it hits you like a ton of bricks. Plus the art style is awesome.
RELEASE DATE: Jan 29, 2016
DEVELOPER: Rusty Lake
Are you ready to serve the guests in the Rusty Lake Hotel? Solve all mysteries in this dark and eerie puzzle game. Rusty Lake Hotel is a point-and-click adventure by the creators of the Rusty Lake & Cube Escape series.
5. Spooky sci-fi dark videogame
So, Observer is one of those games that as you start to play you immediately think, oh what could be wrong here? It’s a must-play for all the sci-fi dark game lovers.
The year is 2084. In a dark cyberpunk world shattered by plagues and wars, become a neural police detective and hack into the jagged minds of others. Make use of anything they felt, thought, or remembered to solve the case and catch the elusive killer.
6. Best dark video games
If you want to play a dark video game that will completely mind fuck you, here ya go. Hellblade is insane around from the sound design to the story. You have to give it a go.
From the makers of Heavenly Sword, Enslaved: Odyssey to the West, and DMC: Devil May Cry, comes a warrior’s brutal journey into myth and madness. Set in the Viking age, a broken Celtic warrior embarks on a haunting vision quest into Viking Hell to fight for the soul of her dead lover.
7. Mildly scary dark videogames
Think Alice In Wonderland, only much darker and updated, and you have a slight understanding of Fran Bow. This is another gem from Killmonday Games that you have to give a go.
Fran Bow is a creepy adventure game that tells the story of Fran, a young girl struggling with a mental disorder and an unfair destiny.
8. Must-play dark video game
So Darkwood grabbed me by the throat and didn’t let go until the very end. I typically don’t mess with survival horror but this one was worth every jump scare.
Darkwood – a new perspective on survival horror. Scavenge and explore a rich, ever-changing free-roam world by day, then hunker down in your hideout and pray for the morning light.
9. Single-player dark video game
So if you’re a 90s kid like me, Five Nights At Freddy’s takes a much-loved childhood joy and turns it into a living nightmare. Throw in there it’s based on a real story and it’s even darker.
Welcome to your new summer job at Freddy Fazbear’s Pizza, where kids and parents alike come for entertainment and food! The main attraction is Freddy Fazbear, of course; and his two friends. They are animatronic robots, programmed to please the crowds!
10. Best dark plot video game
If you haven’t played Alice Madness Returns, stop what you are doing and go play it. This is my top game for 2023, and considering it came out in 2011, that tells you something.
Alice: Madness Returns is a third-person, single-player, action-adventure platformer. Visit the grim reality of Victorian London and travel to the beautiful yet ghastly Wonderland to uncover the root of Alice’s madness.
11. Too dark video games
Want proof all of us 90s kids need to see a professional- look no further than Sally Face. Nothing like facing your nightmares to send you spiraling.
Delve into a dark adventure following the boy with a prosthetic face and a tragic past. Unravel the sinister mysteries of Sally’s world to find the truth that lies hidden beneath the shadows.
12. Creepy dark video game plots
So we’ve got missing people and children trying to figure out the town’s secrets. I smell a dark plot video game!
Children of Silentown is a dark adventure game that tells the story of Lucy, a girl growing up in a village deep in a forest inhabited by monsters. People disappearing is nothing uncommon here, but this time, Lucy is old enough to investigate on her own. Or so she thinks.
13. Darkest video games
Bioshock may be an oldie, but it’s a goodie. It poses that age-old question of how much are you willing to modify yourself to survive and thrive in your current circumstances.
BioShock is a shooter unlike any you’ve ever played, loaded with weapons and tactics never seen. You’ll have a complete arsenal at your disposal from simple revolvers to grenade launchers and chemical throwers, but you’ll also be forced to genetically modify your DNA to create an even more deadly
14. Top 10 dark video games
So Sea Of Solitude does a fantastic job of bringing all those awful things we tell ours to life and giving them shape. This one will most certainly hit you in the gut.
When humans get too lonely, they turn into monsters… Set sail across a beautiful and evolving world of darkness and light, and discover what it means to be human.
15. Dark horror video games
The Evil Within is a dark horror video game that does a wonderful job of showcasing the horrors of medical care. And showing just how awful our minds can be to us.
Developed by Shinji Mikami — creator of the seminal Resident Evil series — and the talented team at Tango Gameworks, The Evil Within embodies the meaning of pure survival horror. Highly-crafted environments, horrifying anxiety, and an intricate story.
16. Dark gothic video game
I wish EA would produce more games like Lost In Random and a little fewer sports games. Needless to say, it has a bit of a learning curve, but it is worth your time.
Play the odds in Lost in Random™, a gothic-fairy-tale-inspired action-adventure where every citizen’s fate is determined by a roll of the dice.
17. Dark pictures video games
The Devil In Me is a choice-matter dark pictures video game that lets you see just how well you’ll far against a serial killer. If you’re interested in HH Holmes, you’ll probably like this one.
A group of documentary filmmakers receives a mysterious call inviting them to a modern-day replica of serial killer H.H. Holmes ‘Murder Castle’. But on arrival, they soon discover they’re being watched, and even manipulated, and suddenly there is much more at stake than just their ratings…
18. Point & click dark video game
So I am excited to get my hands on Slender Threads. It looks really good from the trailer and has all the gothic creepiness I love.
Slender Threads is a point-and-click thriller adventure where unseen forces bind the fate of an unremarkable traveling salesman to the peculiar town he one day arrives in.
19. Turn-based tactics dark video game
Book nerds and gaming nerds unite! The Book Walker was much darker than I anticipated it to be. You will have to make some real heart-wrenching decisions that leave you feeling awful, and questioning just how good a human are you.
The Bookwalker is a narrative adventure in which you play as Etienne Quist, a writer-turned-thief with the ability to dive into books. Use your powers to journey between reality and book worlds, and steal legendary items like Thor’s Hammer and Excalibur to restore your ability to write.
20. Indie dark games
So while watching the trailer for Lucid Dream Adventure, my first thought. Oh, I love the art style. My second thought, this is gonna make me tear up at some point, isn’t it?
Lucid Dream is the story of little Lucy, who goes on an adventure into the world of dreams with the mission to save her mother.
21. One of the best dark video games
Little Nightmares is one of those games that you think oh how cute and fun is this. And then it hits you in the face with some deep dark shit from your childhood memories that require some self-care.
Immerse yourself in Little Nightmares, a dark whimsical tale that will confront you with your childhood fears! Help Six escape The Maw – a vast, mysterious vessel inhabited by corrupted souls looking for their next meal.
22. Dark psychological horror games steam
Visage is stunning in its dark gothic visuals. Throw in some great jumpscares and plot twists that have you squeaking no way. It’s a must-play
Visage is a first-person psychological horror game. Explore a mysterious ever-changing house in a slow-paced, atmospheric world that combines both uncannily comforting and horrifyingly realistic environments, and enjoy a genuinely terrifying experience.
23. Dark indie horror
Tormentum 2 is a game to have on your radar. The first one came out in 2017, so please, go play that one, and you will see why you need to keep an eye out for this gothic horror gem.
Tormentum II is a Point & Click adventure game taking place in a dark, surreal world full of gloomy characters and repulsive creatures taken straight from the scariest horrors. Tormentum II, a long-awaited continuation of the dark adventure game inspired by the works of H.R. Giger and Zdzisław
24. Violent dark video game
So Black Mirror looks amazing from the trailers and gameplay snippets. I haven’t gotten to play this yet, and the reviews are mixed. But I think everyone should have their own choice, so I’ve included it in my dark list.
Scotland, 1926. Following the death of his father, David Gordon visits his ancestral home for the first time in his life. A life that is soon threatened by the dark secrets that claimed the sanity of many Gordons before him. Black Mirror Castle demands an offering.
25. Soulslike dark video game
Do you enjoy rage quitting? If so, Lies of P is your next dark video game play. I was so excited to play this, and then I heard the words soulslike, and I just walked away.
Lies of P is a thrilling story that takes the story of Pinocchio, turns it on its head, and sets it against the darkly elegant backdrop of the Belle Epoque era.
26. Scary dark video games
We are not going to talk about the number of times I jumped out of my skin playing True Fear. If you love a scary dark video game, give it a go.
True Fear: Forsaken Souls takes the best of the psychological thriller, blending in fun and intuitive gameplay mechanics. Episode 1, the first in a trilogy, will long be remembered.
27. Female protagonist dark video game
The Medium is the queen of dread. I can’t count the number of times I squinted and held my breath while playing this game waiting on something to scare the living daylights out of me.
Discover a dark mystery only a medium can solve. Travel to an abandoned communist resort and use your unique psychic abilities to uncover its deeply disturbing secrets, solve dual-reality puzzles, survive encounters with sinister spirits, and explore two realities at the same time.
28. Sci-fi dark video games
I’m glad to know that if AI ever gets to the point of it does in the movies I will be a firm AI rights person. Soma made me feel like the worst person ever at times, and would then proceed to scare the bejesus out of me.
From the creators of Amnesia: The Dark Descent comes SOMA, a sci-fi horror game set below the waves of the Atlantic Ocean. Struggle to survive a hostile world that will make you question your very existence.
This week was all about Dark Video Games. While we all wait Alone in the dark video game to release, I hope these give you some other options to tide you over.
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