What are some good games with a creepy/eerie atmosphere but not outright horror?

The epitome of what I’m trying to refer to is the Playdead games (Limbo and Inside). Dark Souls and BioShock both hit on this idea but not quite so directly. The game BADLAND is also a great example of this, too. The mobile game The Silent Age also did this exceptionally well. Never quite knowing what’s going on, and maybe some tension without release, but again not straight up horror. A feeling of uneasiness is what I’m looking for.

When playing through Inside, there’s never any moments where you’re scared, but you’re never sure what’s going on and there’s always a level of unease. What are all the mindless zombie-like people? Why is everyone hunting the player? What happened to this city? What’s the goal of the character the player controls? What exactly is going on here? That’s what I’m looking for. If you know of any other games which do this, I’d greatly appreciate hearing about them. It’s a very specific niche so I’m not sure how many games do this, but the games that I’ve seen do this tend to be some form of post-disaster or dystopia. I’ve seen some great artwork do this too. Zdzisław Beksiński had done some stuff like this. Some great dystopian novels also do this quite well.

AboyBboy,

Segments of most 3d Zeldas are like this, but the one that takes the cake is definitely Majora’s Mask. The entire game is like one bad dream.

Most Metroid games also qualify, which makes sense since they draw heavily from the Alien movies.

GlennMagusHarvey,
@GlennMagusHarvey@mander.xyz avatar

Seconding basically all the (mainline) Metroid games.

cod,
@cod@lemmy.world avatar

If only the Zelda games were on pc :( I could emulate though

I’ll look more into Metroid too

lilmagpie,

Outer Wilds. It’s better to play it without knowing much beforehand. All I’m gonna say is: it will make you feel very lonely and even vulnerable at times, although it’s not a horror game by any means. It’s a beautiful videogame with a mind-blowing story.

cod,
@cod@lemmy.world avatar

I’ve heard nothing but glowing reviews for that game, but I haven’t had any aspect spoiled for me at all. Thanks for the recommendation!

drekly,

I agree. The DLC adds creepy.

Chog,
Chog avatar

I think Oxenfree has an eerie atmosphere. I haven’t played the second one yet since it got released just a few days ago, but I really enjoyed the first one.

cod,
@cod@lemmy.world avatar

It’s on sale right now for a couple bucks, I think I’ll get it and try it out. Thanks!

Rozauhtuno,
@Rozauhtuno@lemmy.blahaj.zone avatar

Signal Simulator is a game about being completely alone in a base in the desert doing science stuff in search of aliens. It’s not really horror but there’s plenty of uneasy stuff in it.

There’s also a newer game inspired by it called Voices of the Void which is more actively developed. Technically, it’s not horror but the developer likes to fuck with you in all kinds of ways.

Kolanaki,
@Kolanaki@yiffit.net avatar

Subnautica is not a horror game, and was not intended to be scary; and yet the way it captures the dark, oppressive nature of deep waters makes it an extremely terrifying experience.

FeziSkull,

Bramble is a new game that’s kinda got those limbo vibes, but with Scandinavian/Norse tones to the story. I beat it in one setting in about 4 hours, but it was the most gripping experience with a game I’ve had in a few years. There’s a few mechanic switches, the final level is an awesome visual and musical fest, and the second to last boss fight was one of the most creative bosses I think I’ve ever seen in a game.

It’s also on Gamepass right now so it’s “free” if you have that.

cod,
@cod@lemmy.world avatar

I do have GamePass so I’ll be trying it for sure. Thanks for the suggestion!

redeyejedi,

Little Nightmares comes to mind.

cod,
@cod@lemmy.world avatar

I’ve played the mobile version and plan on playing this one next I think.

ClaireDeLuna,

America McGees Alice and Alice Madness Returns are both great game, the first one is very very dated, but the second game plays quite well with some manual patching. I strongly recommend Madness Returns and it has a creepy atmosphere like you’d want

cod,
@cod@lemmy.world avatar

My girlfriend is a huge Alice in Wonderland fan so her and I started playing Madness Returns (really just me playing and her watching but that’s what her preference is anyway). Unfortunately we got stuck due to a bug pretty early on and we haven’t continued yet, but we’ll probably try to figure it out eventually and go through the game. It’s definitely got a really cool atmosphere and art style, for sure.

DrQuint,

I saw a game that fits this bill mentioned on two videos recently. It’s called BABBDI and you explore a eery city where everyone you meet can’t move other than to twist their heads to look at you. Nothing ever puts you in danger and that’s established right away. But everything looks… Off.

cod,
@cod@lemmy.world avatar

I saw it mentioned in a video recently too. It’s free so I just added it to my library after seeing your comment. I’ll be playing it soon!

Afrazzle,

Voices of the Void. It’s a free “job simulator” game from itch.io with a creepy atmosphere that is pretty unsettling.

cod,
@cod@lemmy.world avatar

Can’t complain with free. I’ll look into it some more, thanks!

FollyDolly,
@FollyDolly@lemmy.world avatar

I’m playing The Long Dark and I think it fits what you are looking for, however it is a survival game so if your not looking for a walking simulatior steer clear.

The premise is your plane was brought down by an eletro magnetic storm in the Canadian wilderness mid winter and you have to survive and unravel the mystery of what’s happening.

Very creepy, lonely vibes with some really unsettling sequences, but no jump scares or anything.

cod,
@cod@lemmy.world avatar

That could be alright then. I also like the Canadian representation :) I’ll check it out, thanks

Madusch,

Bendy and the ink machine

cod,
@cod@lemmy.world avatar

Never heard of it before this comment but the steam page looks interesting. I’ll look into it more, thanks!

whatisthis,

FEAR hits this nicely, but maybe is a little more towards “horror” than you’re looking for. Although it’s not as horror as Dead Before Daylight.

cod,
@cod@lemmy.world avatar

Duly noted, I’ll be checking it out. Thanks.

Monkeyclock1234,

Firewatch is a good example of this. Wandering round an empty forest, seeing an evergrowing forest fire all the time. It’s quite eerie but not outright horror.

cod,
@cod@lemmy.world avatar

That game looks stunning. I’m very interested in checking it out

xor,

Cultist simulator! It’s a single player (card/board?) game inspired by gothic horror

cod,
@cod@lemmy.world avatar

Oh interesting! Very different than anything I’ve heard suggested so far. It looks super cool!

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