Keep the Fear Alive 365 Days a Year
Can’t wait until Halloween season to get your horror fix? 2015 has changed how we look at horror survival games with hits like Until Dawn and Soma. We have taken a look at the gaming forecast, and it looks like 2016 will be another excellent year for the horror game genre.
Not a fan of games featuring monsters? Not a problem. I have taken care to scour the latest news for games across all sub-genres of horror. From ghostly supernatural specters to personal demons, we have a little something here for everyone.
Turn down the lights and turn up the volume everyone. Here is a list of 15 amazing horror video games to get excited about in 2016:
1. Layers of Fear
Would you sacrifice your sanity for the sake of your art?
Layers of Fear is a first person psychological horror game developed and published by Bloober Team. You play as an insane painter who has returned to his studio after a long absence. And when I say this character is nuts, you have to listen to his raving in the teaser to truly understand. He is intense when it comes to fine art. The goal of the game is to make it through six chapters and collect the six items he needs in order to finish a masterpiece.
Upon first inspection the house appears normal, but then everything gets turned on its head. The environment will gradually begin to twist and distort as the player progresses through each chapter. Peel away the layers one by one and explore the scars left by depression and alcoholism. Playing through just a few hours of this game will gave you wondering if you are the one who needs to be committed to a mental institution.
Layers of Fear was released on February 16th of 2016, and is available to play on PC, PS4 and Xbox One.
2. System Shock Remastered
She’s Back.
Cult classic System Shock is the spiritual predecessor to the Bioshock series. SHODAN is an artificial intelligence built to run the day-to-day operations of Citadel Station. When her morality shackles are disabled by a hacker (the player character) she turns on her human creators, and transforms them into cyborg slaves. Clearly this hacker lives in a universe where the Terminator franchise was never created. What else did we expect would happen? The entire rest of the game is spent trying to avoid the psychotic AI, and fix the problem you created.
The remake will have additional content not seen in the original game. The goal is not to simply have players experience System Shock with a new skin of high definition graphics. Developers are promising an expanded Citadel Station loaded with new toys for returning players.
The new reimagined System Shock game will be available late in 2016. Also, as an added bonus System Shock 3 has been announced and a teaser website is online. The teaser website only has one message for us so far: She is Back.
3. Perception
And the award for most original gameplay this year goes to…
Brought to you by the developers behind Bioshock and Dead Space, Perception is a new supernatural horror game with a unique premise. Some of our favorite horror games like Outlast and Silent Hill feature non-combatant heroes. They are not soldiers or policemen, which means they are not going to run through the game gunning down monsters left and right. Perception takes this idea one step further. Player character, Cassie, is blind. Not only can she not fight, but she cannot even see the danger standing right in front of her face.
Perception begins with our protagonist traveling to an old Manner House known as Echo Bluff. For some unknown reason, this mansion has been appearing night after night in Cassie’s nightmares. Cassie must use a series of sounds, like echo location, to create a mental image of the environment and avoid enemies. Truly put your detective skill to the test in a situation where you are completely deprived of sight.
Perception is currently a Kickstarter project seeking to raise $150,000. Their goal is to have the game released for PC on Steam sometime in 2016
4. Telltale's Walking Dead: Michonne
Time to put those zombie survival plans to the test.
It is time to once again, venture through the post-apocalyptic universe of The Walking Dead. This time we get to play as our favorite sword wielding warrior, Michonne. This story takes place during Michonne’s temporary departure from Rick’s group. It will provide players with a highly anticipated look into Michonne’s past.
Get ready to take some tough, morally grey, choices. Everything we loved about the previous Telltale Walking Dead games will be included in this newest installment. Michonne’s tragic tale of loss is not for the faint of heart. Expect another emotional roller coaster which will make you genuinely wonder if you have what it takes to survive a zombie apocalypse.
All three episodes of the Michonne Miniseries were released earlier this year for PC, PS3, PS4, Xbox 360 and Xbox One.
5. What Remains of Edith Finch
There are a lot of stories people tell about the Finch family.
Made by Giant Sparrow, What Remains of Edith Finch is a collection of short stories about the lives of members of the Finch family. Follow Edith Finch as she sees the world through the eyes of her ancestors starting from 1900 to present day. Uncover the strange occurrences and the curse, which has left Edith the only living member of her family tree.
This game walks a fine line where some players may not consider it to be a true horror game. I included this particular game for those of us who need something that does not rely heavily on cheap jump scares. We all know those get tiresome after a while. For a game that relies on atmosphere rather than overused horror tropes, What Remains of Edith Finch may be worth a look.
What Remains of Edith Finch is due to be released late in 2016.
6. Routine
In space no one can hear you scream … oh wait, wrong franchise.
Replaying Dead Space for the 10th time? This year we are expecting a new space themed horror game titled Routine. This game takes place on an abandoned lunar research base, and your job is to investigate the disappearance of the crew. Explore the isolated and claustrophobic environments of the lunar base. You are utterly alone out in the great empty void. Scream for help all you like. There will be nobody around to rescue you.
There are precious few clues as to the nature of the mystery, but we do know one main feature of the game. Get ready for being afraid of every obstacle because if you die it is game over for good. Whatever is out there will kill you, and there is no respawn option. Routine features a perma-death system. This means any death that occurs in game boots you back to the main menu. The threat of losing several hours of gameplay is enough to scare even the bravest gamer.
Routine has been delayed a couple of times, but the developers have assured that they are still making progress. Lunar Software hopes to have the game out later in 2016.
7. The Hum: Abductions
What would you do to keep your family safe?
Next on our list is a game based on The Hum Universe and Alien Abduction Simulator. You play as Holly Sanders, a woman dealing with the aftermath of her husband’s disappearance while trying to raise her young son Dan.
The Hum’s trailer gives few clues about the gameplay, but it is obvious we are dealing with a troubled protagonist. It is clear by the state of the house, and the prescription medications that the absence of her husband has left Holly shaken. Is Holly even stable enough to care for her son? Is she strong enough to handle whatever the game throws our way?
This game has been pushed back a couple times at this point, but the creator’s goal is to have this game ready for release on PC and PS4 in 2016. There have even been plans made for a VR compatible version of the game.
8. P.A.M.E.L.A.
For those of us who love games like Bioshock, there is PAMELA.
The futuristic utopian city of Eden has fallen. Its population has been ravaged by a horrible disfiguring disease, and now the Afflicted run rampant in the streets. The player character wakes up in the aftermath of the disaster and must learn how to survive in an unforgiving paradise.
PAMELA places a heavy emphasis on survival. As horrifying as this might sound, the afflicted are not the first thing you should worry about. Staples of actual real life survival such as food and water are priority one. You will not be doing much gun toting if you are half starved to death. So, just to review: water and shelter before fire fights. It is a shame that everything in a world so beautiful is trying to kill you.
PAMELA will be available on Steam sometime in the summer of 2016.
9. We Happy Few
Have you tried Joy? It’s all the rage.
We Happy Few tops this list for having the creepiest antagonists this year. Who else finds those smiling masks disturbing? In futuristic dystopian 1960s style England the new drug of choice is called Joy. Taking Joy causes periods of euphoria and causes the user to forget everything bad that ever happened to them. This begs the question, what happened in this world that nearly everyone feels the need to constantly use Joy? Something tells me that I do not want to know.
You are a downer, a citizen who, for some reason, is not taking Joy. This is apparently a huge social taboo, as the other citizens will turn violent if they discover your dirty little secret. Your goal is to escape the city without raising too much suspicion. Breaking into homes to gather food and supplies is often the only way to survive. Attracting too much attention while still in the city will have dire consequences. Apparently, Joy makes the act of murder something to smile about.
We Happy Few will be coming our way June of this year, and it will be available for PC and Xbox One.
10. Tangiers
Concrete purgatory becomes hell.
Miss the nightmare inducing half-human monsters of the early Silent Hill games? The teaser trailer for Tangiers will have you both excited and terrified! Tangiers has been described by its creators as a stealth game surreal horror elements. There is an enemy with a cassette tape for a head. I am not even kidding.
You as the player are dropped into a world built around 20th century experimental art. Everyone decided they liked it so much they decided to become the art. You must try to move around in the shadows completely unseen by a multitude of twisted human-like creatures. Listen in on conversations and then slip in to collect the discarded words to later be used as weapons and distractions.
Be wary, the more confrontational your play style, the more the world will begin to fracture. This game is clearly made for gamers who enjoy something a little “experimental”. Perhaps this is a game you must play to truly understand.
Tangiers beta will be released on September 3rd, with the full release following later in November.
11. Through the Woods
“I was a threat to it. I did not belong there.”
Another game we are all curious about comes to us as a Kickstarter project by indie company Antagonist. Through the Woods is a game which centers on a mother’s story about her journey to rescue her son in the woods of Norway.
Something is making it very clear that you are not welcome here. Explore the woods that seem to reject your very presence. Confront a being that is both sinister and ancient. Through the Woods borrows heavily from Norwegian folklore, which will give us a unique look at the world of the supernatural. In a nutshell, it is another game that will make us scared to walk into the woods at night. To what lengths would you go to save your child?
Through the Woods has been greenlit by Steam to be released sometime late in 2016.
12. Friday the 13th
Could you survive a night in a horror movie? Find out!
As the title suggests, this is a game based off the classic horror movie of the same name. Friday the 13th the game will also be tied into the upcoming TV show which is scheduled to air this fall.
Friday the 13th the game will be an online co-op. The player can either chose to step into the shoes of killer Jason Voorhees or one of the seven campers just trying to survive the night. Let’s be real, we all know everyone will be clamoring to play as the star of the show. Who wouldn’t want to play as the unstoppable Jason?
Camp counsellors can choose to go the night alone, or team up to try and take the killer down. Believe me when I say that killing Jason Voorhees will not be as easy as I make it sound. The environment also features “brutal” kill sites where Jason can perform particularly bloody take-down moves.
According to the Kickstarter page, backers can order their copy for PC, Playstation or Xbox and expect them to arrive October of 2016.
13. Until Dawn: Rush of Blood
You know what the original Until Dawn was missing? VR!
What is the one thing that was missing from the game Until Dawn? A full virtual reality experience to truly bring players into the action! This year we are expecting a new installment to the Until Dawn franchise. Rush of Blood is a takes us back to Blackwood Mountain in a terror filled first person rail shooter.
Rush of Blood is not a sequel or prequel to the original Until Dawn. It is however a great opportunity to revisit the terrifying environment on Blackwood Mountain in full 360 vision. Ride the rails through the old abandoned mines, and take a tour through the sanatorium. The clown mask wearing psychopath will be waiting to jump out at every turn. This will also hopefully make up for the original Until Dawn’s dreadful lack of combat.
Until Dawn: Rush of Blood will be released on the Playstation VR later in 2016.
14. Outlast 2
When your video camera is your best friend.
Red Barrels is back with the announcement of a sequel to their popular survival horror game Outlast. The developers have confirmed that this game will take place in the same universe but it will have an entirely new cast and setting. Remember the Murkoff Corporation? They will be making an appearance in this new game. Is anyone else expecting the return of the variants?
There is a game teaser currently available on Red Barrel’s Youtube Channel, which offers only a hint of what is coming our way. From the trailer we can safely assume that the night vision video camera will continue to be a staple of the series. I’m sure the game’s artists appreciate us viewing all their hard work washed in green. Also, the inverted cross gives me the distinct feeling that we will be encountering more cult of the Walrider.
Outlast 2 is slated to come out fall of 2016 for PC, Ps4 and Xbox One.
15. Allison Road
Dad was such a drag.
I saved the best for last everyone. We all felt the heartbreak when the highly anticipated Silent Hills was canceled and P.T. (Playable Teaser) was cancelled. Thankfully, a new game in the spirit of Silent Hills is currently in development.
Allison Road is a first person survival horror game expected to be realized sometime in the third quarter of this year. A handful of the developers and artists from Silent Hills have had their hands in making this new game. Though a specific release date has not yet been announced, there is a demo available; one could call it a playable teaser.
Naturally there have been some major changes from P.T to Allison Road. Thankfully, there are several nods to the original game. The player is presented with the mystery of an apparent murder in a house on Allison Road. Through the game the player is confined to only exploring the house and the yard on the property. This game even has its own version of the creepy demon woman who screams at the camera.
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There you have it! All the thrills you can expect to be coming our way this year. Do you think 2016 will be able to top the killer games of 2015? Which game are you most excited about this year? Let us know!
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