Just How Gruesome Are These 12 Horror Games?
Have you ever picked up a new horror game with the thought that nothing can really shock you anymore? With the steady stream of new high quality games coming out in the past few years you’d think we’d have seen it all by now. Then you pick up a game recommended by a friend or the internet, and you begin to wonder who the heck comes up with these concepts. Honestly, how many ways are there to kill a person?
Among the best horror games ever made, which are considered the most gruesome? Here are just a few of the worst of the worst. Here are 12 of the most gruesome horror games ever made:
1. Condemned: Criminal Origins
Careful, I hear insanity is contagious.
Step into the shoes of SCU agent Ethan Thomas as he investigates the sinister Serial Killer X. The investigation begins with the death of a young woman who is found with strangulation wounds on her neck. Her corpse was then posed in tableau with a male mannequin. You’ll learn very quickly that this particular killer has an unhealthy obsession with mannequins. That alone makes this game disturbing.
This is a game that gets exponentially creepier and more brutal as the player progresses. Madness seems to be spreading like wildfire, making your surroundings increasingly violent. A band of psychopaths who are horribly disfigured with metal implements begin to appear around the same time. Could they have something to do with the escalation in insanity?
Serial Killer X also seems to have a fixation on Ethan’s past cases. He is tracking down the other serial killers, and subjecting them to their own brand of torture. It is hard to feel sorry for them, but at the same time it is still hard to watch.
2. Manhunt
You know a game has over the top violence and gore when it is banned in several countries.
There is a ton of controversy around Rockstar’s Manhunt and its sequel Manhunt 2. At one point this game in particular was singled out to be the face of violence in video games debates.
What got people up in arms was Manhunt’s apparent “glorification of murder”. The main character of the game is James Earl Cash, a convict on death row. In order to earn his freedom Cash must systematically kill off the dangerous gang members in the city, and he must do so by any means necessary. This is where the game does not pull its punches. There are tons of ways to deal with the enemy sociopaths. Some of the take downs are truly cringe worthy, and something you must see to believe.
Gameplay mechanics aside, the story is also about as dark as it gets. Nearly every character in Manhunt is just a horrible human being. With a cast like that … well the game can only end one way. Some points in this game are just an emotional punch in the gut.
3. Silent Hill: Homecoming
Silent Hill has more monsters than just Pyramid Head, and they are all dangerous.
At this point there is no shortage of Silent Hill games to enjoy. This series features eight full games, two movies, and a slew of smaller spin-off mobile and handheld games to enjoy. I could make a list of memorable monsters and gut wrenching moments for just the Silent Hill series alone.
We all know why we love this series. There is more than enough gore and monsters to go around in this franchise. Silent Hill Homecoming in particular stands out as the worst of the worst in this series. Disturbing monster designs combined with new generation graphics makes for a truly gut wrenching game.
The town of Silent Hill itself serves has a kind of purgatory. People who are trapped in the town usually harbor some form of dark past or secret. The monsters which appear in the town are unique to the person trapped in Silent Hill. You could call them personal demons, and they will hunt you relentlessly.
4. The Evil Within
The Evil Within starts off strong with sneaking around a monster’s butcher shop.
If you enjoyed the Silent Hill or the Resident Evil video games then you will probably like The Evil Within. In fact, The Evil Within is the brain-child of Resident Evil’s creator, Shinji Mikami. It is obvious from the first few minutes of the game that Mikami had a hand in designing the monsters. This game is brimming with a colorful cast of mangled zombies and monsters to fight.
This game tops the list for the highest gore-per-minute ratio. Crimson City has been plunged into a chaotic nightmare world, and its inhabitants are no longer human. Murder and mayhem run rampant in the streets, and there are seemingly endless ways to die. The game developers apparently had a particular fondness for knives and other sharp objects. Each death results in a cut scene which is about as bloody as the environments.
5. Resident Evil Revelations 2
“…I want to transcend to Godhood…”
Any of the Resident Evil games could easily have a spot on this list, but which of them do we consider to be the most brutal? Resident Evil Revelations 2 takes everything we love about the Resident Evil Franchise and cranks it all the way up to 11.
Resident Evil Revelations 2 falls between the events of Resident Evil 5 and Resident Evil 6. At the beginning of the game, main character Claire Redfield is kidnapped and wakes up in a mysterious island prison. Along with Moira Burton, the two must fight their way through the many “afflicted” on the island and confront their captor Alex Wesker.
The afflicted on the island are the standard Resident Evil monster fare. There is seemingly no end to the chewed up zombie virus horde the Umbrella Corporation has created. There are a few new enemy types introduced in this game for everyone to enjoy. For me, the end boss is where this game really shines. The final confrontation with Alex Wesker is one of the most terrifying moments of the Resident Evil series. She is one of my favorite video game villains for a reason!
6. The Suffering
Society’s worst have been transformed into demons straight out of hell.
There are certain aspects of society which some of us actively choose to ignore. The Suffering follows death row inmate Torque. He was sentenced to death after he allegedly murdered his wife and two children. Problem is that Torque has no memory of the murders.
When the prison is overrun by demons Torque must fight his way to freedom. Who are his enemies? They are the demonic manifestation of corporal punishment in prisons. For example, the mainliners are shriveled creatures with their backs pin cushioned by needles. Another enemy called the Nooseman is nothing more than a severed torso held suspended by a rope around the neck. You can just imagine where this list is going. Some of the designs are quite on the nose.
7. Layers of Fear
It’s difficult being an artist when you are completely insane.
Psychological horror games are really dominating this list. What is it about the human mind that brings out the most disturbing imagery in video games? Speaking of imagery, let’s move onto the next game.
Artists are known for being a little eccentric. Everyone knows Van Gogh right? The main character of Layers of Fear is a struggling freelance artist. There are clues right from the start that this man is a little unhinged. Auditory hallucinations and insomnia is just the tip of this iceberg. Things only begin to spiral downward from there.
The most heartbreaking part is that the main character seems to start with the best of intentions. As the layers are peeled away we see the events that turned a man into a monster.
8. FEAR 3
Fear Alma.
The FEAR series has been a staple of horror since its release in 2005. FEAR or First Encounter Assault Recon has one of the most infamous video game villains of all time. You will need more than the Point Man’s superhuman reflexes to survive to the end of this game.
The look and atmosphere of FEAR borrows heavily from Japanese horror. That is probably where they got the idea for the creepy little girl with long dark hair. FEAR also has the perfect balance of subtle horror and in your face gore. Often times Alma is only seen in small glimpses, but it is enough to get the heart pumping. The moments when Alma really demonstrates her powers have all the more impact when the game shows them off.
9. Dead Space
Cut off the limbs if you want to live.
Dead Space will forever be known as the series that threw a wrench in how we approach zombie survival horror. What is more difficult to pull off than a head shot? Trying to shoot a tangle of spindly flailing limbs! Now that is both terrifying and messy.
For those of you looking for a gruesome game, the entire Dead Space series is worth a look. The first game shocked us with our first look at an entirely new breed of enemy called necromorphs. The second game further expanded on the monster designs. It also explores the psyche of the main antagonist Isaac Clarke. He did not escape his first encounter completely unscathed. Isaac’s brush with death has left him with a mild case of PTSD.
10. Outlast
Nobody cares about a handful of forgotten lunatics.
The inmates at Mount Massive have been abused long enough. Now it is the lunatics’ turn to run the asylum. After receiving an anonymous tip from a member of the hospital staff, Miles Upshur travels to Mount Massive to investigate the possible abuse of the patients. By the time he arrives all hell has already broken loose. There is no sign of the staff, and the patients are wandering around the building unsupervised.
Some patients are content to watch a blank TV screen, while others have something a bit more sinister in mind. Miles is completely at the mercy of some of the asylums more unsavory characters. Having nothing but a video camera in the face of a mutilated psychopath sure does make you feel small.
11. Until Dawn
Whatever you do, do not move the controller.
There are tons of ways to die in the choose-your-own-ending video game Until Dawn. Many people knock this game for its heavy use of cut scenes and linear gameplay. One thing this game does not lack brutal death scenes.
In Supermassive Game’s Until Dawn, you play as a group of unsupervised teenagers spending the weekend alone on a ski lodge resort. It does not take long for a masked psychopath to begin terrorizing the group, but that is not all. Something strange is happening on Blackwood Mountain. Something a bit more sinister than a man in a mask is hunting our unfortunate group of teens. As the player, you must find the clues and make the correct choices in order to avoid danger and survive … until dawn.
12. Clive Barker's Jericho
The Firstborn will manipulate anyone to be free of The Box.
Before first man, there was the Firstborn. The Firstborn should have been perfect, but God saw that it was ultimately flawed. In order to preserve life and keep the Firstborn from wreaking havoc on the world God imprisoned the Firstborn in an abyss known as The Box. Thousands of years later, a man named General Arnold Leach has been committing horrible atrocities in order to break open The Box. Eventually he is able to create a breach in The Box, and the Firstborn begins to touch the world with its evil influence.
This is where you as the player come into play. You play as the seven members of a team which is codenamed Jericho. It is your mission to fight through hell and a horde of bloodthirsty demons in order to close the breach. All the humans throughout time who have managed to come into contact with the Firstborn are also there to ensure Team Jericho does not complete their mission. Former Nazi officers, fallen Catholic Priests, and many more have been twisted in order to serve the Firstborn. Apparently there are fates worse than death.
From monsters to gore, each game on this list has something to turn our stomachs. There is something to shock even the most steadfast gamer on this list. Is your favorite horror game not on this list? Which game do you think is the most gruesome?
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