Released just in time for Halloween, Ebb Software’s Scorn will be the latest first-person horror for fans to enjoy and potentially get spooked when playing. Taking place in a hellish landscape that blends body horror with mechanical nightmares, the players must guide a survivor through this terrifying world in order to escape.
But before fans of horror games decide to dive into this new game to get them pumped for the spooky season, there are plenty of other first-person entries in the genre that have become some of the best of all time. From reinventions of classic franchises to fan favorites, they have all gone on to become fondly remembered for scaring anyone who dared to pick up the controller.
Doom 3
Before Bethesda would reboot Doom and turn it into a juggernaut hit, id Software made the first attempt to reignite the series with Doom 3. Set in the future on Mars, players must fight off demons that have entered through a portal to Hell before they can make their way to Earth.
Five Nights At Freddy’s
The original Five Night’s At Freddy’s was made by Scott Cawthon and became a viral hit after major streamers discovered this eerie game. Its popularity quickly saw it transform into a series that not also introduced many of the scariest animatronics ever seen, but made the series available on a wide variety of platforms.
Playing as a defenseless security guard, the player is slowly surrounded by seemingly haunted and terrifying-looking mechanical animals, building the horror through unbearable tension. The series may have tried to introduce new mechanics, but the original has stood the test of time and shouldn’t be missed for those looking for a first-person that doesn’t revolve around guns and violence.
F.E.A.R
Some who owned a PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 might remember the FPS horror trilogy known as F.E.A.R. The first game introduced gamers to Point Man as the newest recruit of First Encounter Assault Recon as they come face to face with supernatural visions after a research project goes wrong.
During a console generation saturated with third and first-person shooters, F.E.A.R stood out with its great AI for the enemy soldiers as well as the look and sound design that made the scares that much more intense. The sequels may have tried to experiment with the formula, but the original remains one of the best FPS and horror games respectively.
Alien: Isolation
Many movie enthusiasts consider Aliens to be one of the greatest sequels of all time that still has devoted fans today. But in 2014, the question of the perfect sequel looked like it could have been challenged with Alien: Isolation, a game which saw Ellen Ripley’s daughter, Amanda, try to look for her on an abandoned space station.
Using the art and design from the first two movies, the developers created an eerie station to explore that was only made more terrifying with the Xenomorph stalking Amanda Ripley. But unlike previous Alien games, the lack of weapons and focus on stealth made it a truly terrifying experience as players were forced to avoid and hide from the unstoppable killing machine.
Condemned 2: Bloodshot
From the same team who created the F.E.A.R. series, Monolith Productions were responsible for another FPS horror game named Condemned, which launched on the Xbox 360 as a console exclusive. But fans and newcomers could enjoy the sequel three years later on both the PS3 and Xbox 360 that saw Ethan Thomas confront the demons that plagued him from the first game.
The additions of new environmental interactions and a twisted story made it an unsettling shooter unlike anything seen before as the players questioned Ethan as he struggles with alcoholism. Telling the story through the game’s various interactions and cutscenes, most critics praised it for these elements that made this a scarier follow-up.
The Walking Dead: Saints & Sinners
Nearly everyone has heard of or enjoyed one of the many comics, video games, and television shows based on the popular zombie franchise, The Walking Dead. None of the games, however, have effectively put people into the post-apocalyptic world like The Walking Dead: Saints & Sinners, one of the scariest virtual reality games, for the PSVR and Oculus Rift.
Being built exclusively for VR made this game one of the most immersive experiences as gamers must interact and search the world to look for supplies while knowing that zombies or humans will appear at any moment. And with these deadly encounters ever present throughout the game not just made it intense, but unsettling too.
Amnesia: The Dark Descent
The Amnesia series and its latest addition Amnesia: Rebirth are known as some of the most terrifying games in the horror genre. According to Metacritic, the first game not just has the best rating in the series, but is one of the best stealth horror games as well.
Its mechanic of keeping the protagonist Daniel sane with sources of light while monsters roam the darkness within a castle made it a standout in the horror market. Furthermore, it was one of several games that effectively used the first-person perspective without relying on weapons as its big draw.
Outlast
Before people can excitedly grab their controllers and keyboards ready for the anticipated release of The Outlast Trials, they might want to prepare themselves with the first game that scared many gamers. Set in a psychiatric hospital, journalist Miles Upshur tries to uncover the mystery surrounding the experiments being conducted on the patients.
Equipped with a camcorder, it became a standout gameplay feature as Miles could see patients roaming the halls with his night vision setting that would run out of battery the more it was used. Putting the player in many decisive situations like this made the game eerie and tense that only some games have been able to do so well before.
P.T
It may have only been revealed to be a teaser to signal the return of Silent Hill, but it was easily one of the scariest and most effective demos ever created. Taking place in a house, the goal is to leave while many supernatural and unsettling audio and visual ques haunt players around every corner.
Unavailable to be downloaded after Konami’s controversial cancelation of the project, that didn’t stop it from becoming a celebrated horror game in its own right despite the short playthrough. It showed that not also could Hideo Kojima deliver another unique interactive experience, but a unique game in the celebrated genre too, which many were hyped for in 2014.
Resident Evil 7: Biohazard
A refreshing entry after the series became more action focussed, Resident Evil 7: Biohazard bought Capcom’s iconic games back to horror with a fresh first-person perspective, a new protagonist, and a whole new setting. While trying to find his missing wife, Ethan Winters finds himself tangled up with a sinister family infected with an unknown virus inside their decrepit house.
It became one of the standout games of 2017 as it featured a ton of scares that many have not seen for a long time in a Resident Evil game, whether playing in VR or not. The success may have seen it be followed up with Resident Evil Villagethat bought in more supernatural threats, the Baker family were truly an intimidating force to be reckoned with that will still make gamers jump today.
