Top Indie Horror Games That Are Worth Your Time
Indie gaming has given us some of the best, most enticingly creepy horror games over the years. If you are a gamer who enjoys horror games with intriguing plots, impressive gameplay, and a haunting, eerie atmosphere that sends shivers down your spine, you’ll love these indie horror games we’ve listed below.
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Darkwood
Darkwood is an indie horror game that every fan of the genre will enjoy. It doesn’t have many jumpscares, but relies on a hauntingly gripping atmosphere to create a sense of horror. The game is a horror survival game that completely immerses you in a surreal environment, perfectly designed to keep you on the edge of your seat for its entire playtime.
What makes Darkwood stand out from so many other horror games is how challenging the game actually is. Even just identifying your enemies is difficult, and once you do, it will likely be too late for you, and the damage would’ve been done by then. If you like to challenge yourself, you can set the game to its hardest difficulty, where you will encounter a permadeath system.
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The Midnight Game
The Midnight Game is like a darker, much more twisted version of the Slenderman. Here, a creature called the Midnight Man is the monster than you are running away from. After you complete the game’s first ritual, you allow The Midnight Man to enter your home, and your primary objective is to stay alive until 3:33 am. The only way to achieve this is by avoiding the Midnight Man. If you fail and he catches you, you will have to live through hallucinations of your worst fears until 3:33 am.
The Midnight Game doesn’t rely on jumpscares for its horror element. Instead, it builds the dark atmosphere and suspense into the game so seamlessly that these are enough to put the player in a state of fright and unease.
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Little Nightmares
If you love Playdead’s Limbo and Inside, then Little Nightmares will be right up your alley. The gameplay of this indie horror game effortlessly combines stealth, platforming, and puzzle-solving, and the disturbingly beautiful graphics is the perfect cherry on top.
Players get to experience the haunting game world through Six, a young child wearing a yellow raincoat, and is aggressively taunted by his nightmares, some of which are imaginary, but some, very much real. The story is intriguing as it is disturbing, and you’ll find yourself caught up in the game in no time.
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Detention
Inspired by Chinese and Taiwanese mythology and urban legends, this horror game from Red Candle Games is so eerily terrifying that we wouldn’t blame you if you just want to quit mid-way out of fear. The game forces you to confront the horrifying creatures face-to-face instead of running away and hiding from them, which means that you have to play through the piercing screams and the haunting moans.
You cannot kill anything, nor can you hide. All you can do is hold your breath to avoid the scary creatures and maybe leave some treats lying around to distract them.
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Forgotten Hill
If you love Silent Hill, then you’ll love Forgotten Hill, which is almost a spin-off. The game, which can be played online for free, has its own series that is regularly updated. There is no order as such to these games, which works to its advantage as it makes it more interesting and alluring.
In the game, your main goal is to escape Forgotten Hill, while having to deal with the many terrifying obstacles on your way. Navigation can be confusing as there are plenty of doors that make the setting maze-like, but this makes the game more challenging. It should be noted that there are plenty of jumpscares and gore, so it likely isn’t for the faint of heart.
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Amnesia: The Dark Descent
This iconic and influential horror game, which was released in 2010, has to make it to our list. The game is set in 1839, where the protagonist Daniel awakes in the halls of a large and gloomy castle with very little memory about his own life. All he can remember is his name, the fact that he lives in Mayfair, and that he is being hunted by something.
The note tells him to find and kill the baron of the castle and also warns him that a “living nightmare” is chasing him. Daniel then sets to explore the castle, all the while trying not to lose his sanity by avoiding monsters, ghosts, and other horrifying obstructions. These indie games are surely the stuff of nightmares. Give these a try when you’re in the mood for a spine-chilling game night.
