11. Routine
Routine gameplay video.
Routine is a brand new sci-fi horror that is set to come out in 2016. The unnamed protagonist that you control has been placed on the mysteriously abandoned moon base called Lunar Research Station. In first person point of view, you must uncover the truth of what happened to the team on the moon base.
When you first set foot upon Lunar Research Station you immediately notice that with the exception of the AI on the station, a helper robot and the monotone voice over the loud speaker, it is completely deserted. Equipped only with a Cosmonaut Assistance Tool (CAT), you begin your investigation.
Arrival to Lunar Research Station
You aren’t sure how “alone” you are, so caution is key. You peek around corners and sneak through hallways to be as stealthy as possible as to avoid detection. You can’t decide if your mind is playing tricks on you, but you swear you are hearing noises.
You work on uploading files to your CAT that might be useful, and trying to find clues as to where the crew may have gone. As you venture down a dark hallway, the sound of clunky footsteps makes you pause. It’s not human.
Friend or foe?
In Routine, you’ll find that you aren’t alone. Robots bent on destroying you are on the base. You have the choice to run and hide or stand and fight.
Your CAT gun is a weapon and a technical unit as well. It runs on batteries and needs floppy disks to upgrade. If you choose to fight, you run the risk of wasting your batteries and losing the use of the CAT gun altogether. Make your choice wisely, because if you fail, your death is permanent.
Overall, Routine looks to be a great game. It will have procedurally generated environments, allowing for a different approach and experience with each play through. The use of Oculus Rift is anticipated for this game as well.
10. Dollhouse
Dollhouse Teaser Trailer
Dollhouse is a Noir style horror game from SOEDESCO and developer Creazn. Not much is known about the play style of the game, but the plot has me hooked.
The protagonist’s name is Marie, and she has to uncover the truth about her past by digging inside her mind. But as she digs deeper and the truth begins to unfold, she realizes that she may not be the woman she thinks she is.
It seems that player decisions will weigh heavily in this game. The decisions you make determine which memories you recover…or lose. Each play through can offer a different outcome based on what choices you make which gives it great replay ability.
The game will also have 12 playable characters that will be available in single player mode and the online 4-player competitive co-op mode of the game as well.
The secrets are always at the end of a long, dark hallway.
9. Friday the 13th: The Game
Friday the 13th: The Game Pre-Alpha Demo
I’ve been a huge fan of the Friday 13th series since I was a kid. Every Friday 13th my cousin and I would get together and watch the movies and just generally get the crap scared out of us. Good times.
Jason Vorhees is an icon in horror. He’s known for hacking and slashing his way through horny campers, walking slow as hell and then popping up behind you while you stumble your way through the forest, and never truly dying.
Friday the 13th: The Game is currently in development, but here’s what we do know.
It will be multiplayer. You can either play as a camp goer, true to the original movie where Jason was truly at his best, or you can play as Jason Vorhees himself, stalking and preying on the not so innocent campers.
It will be in a 7 versus 1 format. 7 campers versus 1 Jason Vorhees. I imagine Jason will have some pretty tough abilities that will allow him to be a challenge for his targets.
As more unfolds about the games development and play style, we will keep you updated.
Typical Friday night for Jason Vorhees.
8. We Happy Few
We Happy Few gameplay video.
In the 1960s dystopian town of Wellington Wells you take on the role of an unnamed protagonist. Almost every citizen of Wellington Wells is under the influence of a drug called Joy. Joy is a drug that keeps the citizens sedated and happy.
You assume the role of a one citizen who is mostly off of Joy. You are part of a group of citizens who called themselves the Downers. Your objective is to survive and escape Wellington Wells.
We Happy Few is played in first person perspective. You wake up as a Downer in a starting shelter. Crafting is an important component in this game, so gather as much as you can.
Your first objective is to enter the city where you will scavenge and find items to help you become successful in escaping Wellington Wells. You will break into houses, loot important items, and fight for your survival against the townspeople who realize that you are not taking your Joy.
Remember to take your Joy!
Another huge aspect of the game is blending in. As you make your way through the town you will be greeted by the villagers. To remain undetected, you must always greet them in return, otherwise they will suspect that you haven’t been taking your joy and will immediately become hostile. Those affected with joy will kill you.
In We Happy Few death is permanent, so blending in and appearing to follow societal norms is essential to your survival. In the event of your death and new game, you will find that it won’t be the same as the last. Items and game scenarios will change, offering up a new challenge which may be easier or more difficult than the last.
We hope to see We Happy Few in June 2016.
7. Last Year
Official Teaser Trailer for Last Year
Another survival horror to look forward to in 2016 is Last Year. This game is going to play off of iconic movies in the horror genre including Friday the 13th and Cabin in the Woods.
In Last Year you will be able to take on one of two roles: a high schooler or the murderous killer. It will be a 5 versus 1 multiplayer showdown that will put the teenagers against the killer. Play as a jock, popular girl, nerdy guy or girl, or the jock’s best friend.
Playing and working together will play a major part in this game, as each character has a set of skills that makes them valuable to the team.
Play your part and survive.
You will spawn alone and in the dark without any weapons or items to help you. In order to survive you must find your team, find weapons, and find a way to defeat the villain that is hunting you.
If you are feeling like taking out some aggression on unsuspecting teens, then you may choose to play a villain. There are three to choose from: The Hitter, The Slasher, and The Strangler. Each of these also has their own special set of skills.
You may be wondering how being a villain has its advantages against a 5-man team. Well there is an advantage, and it is a game changer. As a villain you have to ability to turn invisible and gain movement speed so that you can stalk your prey more efficiently.
Finally, there are 4 maps in which you will survive as either predator or prey. Each one is themed after some familiar horror places. The maps are called Summer Camp, The High School, The Suburbs, and The Mall.
How long will you survive?
This game reminds me of another game coming out this year and mentioned in this article; Friday the 13th: The Game. However, Last Year is focused on multiple horror clichés, even though one of their villains does bear a striking resemblance to Jason Vorhees. The game is expected out sometime in 2016.
6. Overkill’s: The Walking Dead
The Teaser Trailer for The Walking Dead
Overkill-a Starbreeze Studio and creator of Payday 2: The Heist has teamed up with Skybound interactive, and Robert Kirkman to bring us Overkill’s: The Walking Dead. It is a first person shooter that takes place in The Walking Dead universe from the comics.
While it is a first person shooter, it’s also worthy to note that Overkill intends to bring elements from other gaming genres as well including action, role-playing games, survival horror, and stealth.
The story will take place in Washington D.C., and while you won’t find yourself playing characters from the comics or television series, that doesn’t mean they won’t make an appearance. You will, however, embody new survivors with a new story to tell and survive.
I noted that Overkill created Payday 2: The Heist, and for good reason. It has been suggested in interviews that the creators intend to create Payday-esque play into the game. This includes the online co-op play and the replay abilities.
Overkill’s: The Walking Dead is set to release sometime in 2016.
Quiet! We’re hunting walkers!
5. Through the Woods
Through The Woods Teaser Video
Karen Dahl recounts the story of her missing son Fillip Dahl Eriksen. The story is told as a voice-over flashback. She tells her story to Christian Petersen, whose identity is currently unknown on the demo.
He asks her to tell him about Old Erik. She says she didn’t believe in Old Erik. She thought he was a myth, a bogeyman to scare naughty children. That is, until she saw Old Erik take away her son.
To save him, she has to go to the island to where he was taken.
Karen tells her story as you control her in third person point of view. As she walks through the forest, she gives us clues. She uses the reflectors placed by Old Erik to lead her in the right direction and also uses stones on the island as reference points to remind her where she is in her story.
It is worth noting that there is a playable demo for this game. It is in alpha, so it may not resemble the finished project. I downloaded and played the game and have to say that I really like where they are going with it.
With only a flashlight, Karen must find her son and conquer Old Erik.
4. The Hum: Abductions
The Hum: Abductions gameplay preview
Months ago, Holly Sanders’s husband mysteriously vanished. Now a single mother, she spends her days caring for her son, and slowly losing her mind.
As the mystery consumes her, she begins to search for clues to her husband’s disappearance. What she begins to realize is that there is more to his disappearance than meets the eye.
A prequel to The Hum Game and part of the Hum Universe created by Ariel Arias, Abductions is a first person survival horror created with the Unreal 4 Engine. In the trailer and gameplay videos, the graphics are visually appealing.
The game is also being tested and created with the intention of using Oculus Rift VR. This will give users an even more immersed feeling into the world of Holly Sanders.
We are hoping to see The Hum: Abductions in 2016. For now, you can head over to the website and download a demo of the game.
They watch you while you sleep.
3. Perception
Perception gameplay trailer.
Perception is a narrative first-person game to give you chills and thrills. Just from watching the trailer, I’ve gotten giddy over this game. It’s something fresh and different and I can’t wait to play it.
For months, Cassie has been dreaming and having visions about a place she’s never been to or even heard of. So when the visions become too bothersome, she sets out to uncover the truth. What she finds is that the place, Estate at Echo Bluff, is real.
In an attempt to uncover why she is haunted by this place, she drops everything to fly to the estate. When she arrives she finds that the house is old, creaky, and abandoned. That’s not the most troublesome part however, because you see, Cassie is blind.
She enters the mansion with her cane to guide her. Using echolocation, she is able to move throughout the mansion, trying to discover what has brought her here. What she doesn’t know quite yet, is that the mansion is haunted by a being called “The Presence.”
While her other senses are heightened, she can’t explore the mansion undetected, any noise she makes to find her way around gives away her location within the mansion and compromises her safety. She will have to use her wits to solve the mystery of Estate at Echo bluff and survive the wrath of The Presence.
Do you want to play with me?
2. Draugen
Official Teaser Trailer for Draugen
In Norse mythology, the Draugen is an undead sea spirit that haunts the seas, having lost their lives to the sea itself.
Draugen is a game currently in development by Red Thread Games. It is a first person psychological horror that takes you to a small Norwegian fishing village.
You are Edward Harden, an American photographer, scholar, botanist, and entomologist in the 1920s. Your sister has gone missing and you must travel to Norway to uncover the truth about what happened to her. But when you arrive, you realize that the entire village has gone missing with her.
A portrait of Edward Harden.
You have one whole week to discover what happened to your sister and the inhabitants of the village. You will be face with tasks that test your ability to survive and test your sanity. You carry your journal with you, taking notes and writing down your story, discoveries, and realizations.
Will you find your sister and uncover the truth before succumbing to the madness, or worse, the Draugen?
The only way in and out is by boat.
1. Allison Road
Official gameplay video of Allison Road.
In Allison Road, you play as yet another unnamed character. When you begin you wake up in a room, unsure of where you are and the events that put you here. You soon discover that you need to unravel the mystery of where your family has gone and what events led up to their disappearance.
As the protagonist, you wake up on a couch in the living room. Your head is hurting and the television is blaring. Sitting up, you say you need an aspirin, and then you turn off the television.
Immediately you begin to explore your surroundings. The first thing I noticed watching the gameplay video is that it seems most of your environment is interactive. You can pick up and observe most items in the game, and even equip some of them as well.
You continue to explore your surroundings both inside and outside the house. As you search, you begin to uncover some unsettling clues. Just when you think you are alone, you hear the sound of knocking. You explore, but find nothing.
Strange and creepy things keep happening, until finally the lights suddenly go out and you are left alone in the dark with just a flashlight, and whatever is stalking you.
She lurks in the dark, waiting to make her move.
The trailer was utterly terrifying for me. At one point near the end I screamed so loud I scared my husband, and my friends on coms laughed at me. Fighting real creatures in a game such as zombies and monsters is easy; it’s the unknown that terrifies me.
The game is still in the works, but there is a hopeful launch for late 2016.
New to horror games? Or just looking for another to play? Check out some of the articles below on other horror games for PC.
10 Scariest Moments in PC Gaming
10 Things Every Horror Game Needs to be Good
10 New Horror Games to Scare Your Pants Off in 2015
10 Free Horror Games That You Should Play and Share With Friends
