Halloween is fast approaching. My wife and I play horror games yearly to get into the spirit. We’ve played a lot, with varying degrees of quality. So, I wanted to talk about ten of our favorites. This list will include some games made in Japan and some with heavy Japanese inspirations. The entries are in no particular order, so let’s hop right into it!
Resident Evil 7: biohazard (All modern systems)
This is my favorite Resident Evil game. Capcom’s ability to ramp up the tension is honed to a razor edge here, aided by the first-person perspective. It boasts a compelling narrative and well-crafted characters, making it an excellent entry point for newcomers to the franchise. You’ll get very intimate with the expertly crafted Baker Estate location. My only complaints are that the game begins to lean into more action sequences near the end, and regular enemy designs lack horror and danger. It’s far removed from the rest of the franchise’s story and would be a perfect point for new players to join in.
Fatal Frame 2: Crimson Butterfly (PS2, Original Xbox, PS3)
Armed only with a mystical camera capable of subduing restless spirits, you must explore an old haunted Japanese village to save your sister. Along the way, you’ll discover the horrors of the past that doomed the place. This one will be a little bit harder to play for some, but it’s worth the effort. The first game had some serious kinks that needed ironing out, and the developers did so beautifully. The controls are a little clunky and slow. However, it’s a deliberate choice to enhance the tension. Also, some puzzle solutions can seem a little far-fetched to Western players. Low on jumpscares but high on atmosphere, this is one to play with the lights off and volume up.
Corpse Party (All modern systems)
Trapped in a haunted school after an innocent ritual takes a dark turn, Corpse Party leads you down a nightmarish narrative path that lingers in your memory for years. The gameplay is exploration-heavy, and the story is very choice-dependent. Save often, as it’s easy to find a Bad End. While I love the first game, I have to recommend it with a bit of a warning. It is dark. It may not look like it from a glance, but there are some vivid descriptions of gore and pretty nasty CGs. There are also a few questionable sections involving a young character that, while not what you’d expect from a horror game, may be off-putting to some. The sequels are a bit hit-and-miss, but the first is a must-play.
Siren (PS2, PS3, PS4)
When Sony invested more in Japanese talent, they gave the green light to this often-overlooked horror game. Directed and co-written by Keiichiro Toyama of Silent Hill 1 fame, Siren has a neat central gameplay gimmick. While you aren’t encouraged to handle the enemies directly, you can “sightjack” them, allowing you to see and hear what they can. The catch? You’re totally defenseless and unable to move during this. I had several frights where I would sightjack an enemy, only to see them heading right for me, or one I didn’t notice grabbed me. This is a hidden diamond of the PS2 era and one I highly recommend.
999: 9 Hours, 9 Persons, 9 Doors (All modern systems)
Kidnapped and trapped on a boat, seemingly lost at sea, you and eight others must brave a deadly game to escape. While light on typical horror game elements for most routes, the premise and atmosphere are great. The gameplay is predominantly a visual novel with occasional escape room sequences. The story and its major twist are where the game shines brightest. This one is definitely for the readers who find these other picks too intense but still want to enjoy a darker setting and premise. It was my gateway to visual novels and “killing game” stories before Danganronpa hit the West.
World of Horror (All modern systems)
Heavily inspired by the work of Junji Ito, World of Horror is more of a digital tabletop RPG than a standard horror experience. A wicked presence has invaded your small Japanese town. The inhabitants have gotten…strange. Students are mysteriously dying. Your neighbor is watching you a little too closely. So, you set out to beat back the Old God and save your town. The gameplay is simple, but a run can go bad instantly. However, it’s wonderfully addicting, and the art emulates Ito’s style near-flawlessly.
Yomawari: Night Alone (PC, Switch, Vita)
Don’t let the cute art fool you. Yomawari is a series of horror games that explores loss and grief through their narratives. Combat is not an option because most of the game is about exploring. It’s just you and a flashlight against the oppressive darkness and the yokai within. Remember yokai? This game makes fantastic use of Japanese folklore in the enemy designs. The art can also be quite unsettling once that horror kicks in. I must point out that the game is short. A typical playthrough is only five hours, but this game and the sequel are bundled together on the Switch.
Ikai (All modern systems)
This is my most cautious recommendation on the list. First, play with the Japanese voices. I usually like dubs, but it was unbearable, even for me. Second, this is even shorter than the previous entry on the list, with our playthrough being a mere three hours. Honestly, I don’t remember much of what little story there was. It’s set in an old Japanese village as Yokais begin to invade. For the first hour, the atmosphere is enjoyable, and the developers really have a love for yokai that shines through in their pre-production art. But the scares are cheap (some cross over into hilarity), and the entire package lacks polish. It’s an inexpensive and decent way to kill an evening if you don’t have any other horror games to play.
Fear & Hunger (PC)
Bet you didn’t expect this. Fear & Hunger is a brutal RPG Maker horror game heavily inspired by Beserk and Silent Hill, per Finnish developer Miro Haverinen. You are tasked with finding the knight, Legarde, in The Dungeon of Fear and Hunger. You start alone, with imposing abominations and terrifying beasts to contend with. Items are mostly randomized. And a single battle can kill your entire party if you’re unlucky. There’s no tutorial, either. To be blunt: You will not win on your first try. Possibly, not even on your 25th. But stick with it and install a mod to remove the sexual aspects, and you’ll find it oddly compelling, though bleak. I don’t want to spoil too much, but any fan of Beserk should check this out.
Sweet Home (NES)
Another curveball pick! Sweet Home is the horror game that laid the groundwork for Resident Evil. In fact, the first Resident Evil was originally intended to be a remake of this. It is a turn-based RPG based directly on a decent Japanese movie of the same name. Five young documentary filmmakers come to the house in search of lost paintings. Upon arrival, they are trapped and must figure out how to navigate the decrepit mansion and escape alive. Death comes quickly, and it is permanent. Random battles litter the mansion. And too many will leave you open to traps causing death in the overworld. It’s old and a little clunky, but it’s worth experiencing to see where the survival horror genre started. It manages to pull off some great horror despite the system’s limitations.
And those are our picks! We’ve tried to avoid picking the most common ones you’d expect from a list like this, barring Resident Evil and Fatal Frame. If nothing on this list grabbed you, may I recommend my favorite piece of horror media, Saya no Uta? It’s a beautiful, haunting visual novel that will definitely leave an impact. Have fun, and stay safe this Halloween!
