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Many of these games are highly rated and well-reviewed but are hardly discussed. They have un-deservingly been forgotten in the piles of other games and in the merciless flow of time. The games below are just a few examples of those that are overlooked nowadays, but are worth trying for any horror fan.
Updated on October 16h, 2021, by Allison Stalberg: As with all genres, a lot of horror games get left behind with time. After all, new horror titles are always coming out with better graphics and updates for current consoles. However, many of the games left behind are still of great value for their story, gameplay, and scary moments. Many of these obscure and retro horror games are playable only on the computer or on outdated consoles, but for gamers with access, they’re well worth exploring.
20 Sanitarium
This classic point-and-click adventure horror game came out in 1998 and was beloved enough to win Computer Gaming World’s 1998 “Best Adventure” award. It was also a nominee for GameSpot’s “Best Story” and the AIAS’s “Outstanding Achievement in Character or Story Development.”
Gamers play a man who wakes up from a coma from a car accident in a scary asylum. It’s up to the player to uncover the mystery as to what is going on.
19 Nightmare Creatures
Released in 1997, this retro game is perfect for those who like 19th-century Gothic horror. The game takes place in 1834 in London, and people are mutating into ungodly monsters. Most of the reviews for this game were favorable; however, very few remember it.
The game can actually be pretty difficult, as it has an optional mechanic for an adrenaline bar which causes health to be lost if it runs out. Players are forced to continuously seek out and win battles to keep the adrenaline bar full.
18 Rule Of Rose
This obscure survival horror game came out for the PS2 in 2006. While fans love Rule of Rose for its story, art, and music, the game’s reviews were actually pretty middling. The game focuses more on psychological horror than violence. In terms of story, many have compared it to Lord of the Flies, but with young girls instead of boys.
Rule of Rose could be one of the most misunderstood horror games of all time, especially when looking at the negative initial reviews. Getting a copy now is a challenge, as it sells for about 400 dollars and can only be bought second-hand. It is likely due to those prices that this game will only become more and more forgotten with time.
17 Cryostasis: Sleep of Reason
Released originally in Russia in 2008, Cryostasis: Sleep of Reason is a psychological horror game that was purely for the computer. The game was taken off of Steam, so it is currently difficult to obtain.
This first-person title takes place in the artic during the early 80s. The story features time-travel elements, and a power that can take over people’s bodies in history and change past events.
16 Harvester
In this point-and-click horror game, gamers play as a man named Steve with amnesia who wakes up in a town called Harvest. Players must go around solving puzzles, helping NPCs, and figuring out what is going on in this mysterious town. The characters are pretty entertaining, as they seem to be satires of different stereotypes.
The game received mixed reviews and is actually a little controversial due to its violent content. It was banned in Germany and censored in Europe.
15 Nocturne
This game’s release dates back to 1999, and has some similarities to Men in Black. Players take the role of a character simply called The Stranger, who works for a secret government organization called the “Spookhouse.” His job, and the job of his fellow operates, is to investigate and deal with paranormal issues such as vampires, zombies, and werewolves.
According to nostalgic gamers, Nocturne has withstood the test of time. It is known to be difficult though, and players would be wise to safe often.
14 Ghosthunter
Exclusive to the PS2 and released in 2003, Ghosthunter is an action survival horror game. The development team took inspiration from James Bond, Ghostbusters, and Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty.
Players take the role of Lazarus Jones as he seeks to save his partner from ghosts that he accidentally released from confinement. As a rookie detective, he has to put his skills to the test as now a rookie ghost hunter.
13 The Suffering
For a forgotten horror game, this one had pretty positive review scores across the board when it released for the Playstation 2, Windows, and Xbox in 2004. It was praised for taking a risk in distancing itself from horror classics like Resident Evil, Silent Hill, and Fatal Frame. The game blended horror and action and focused a lot on combat.
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The game’s themes and story are very clever and dive into the death penalty, slavery, racism, and prison culture. Gamers play as a man on death row while the prison is being invaded by a supernatural threat. There are three different endings, which depend on the player’s actions.
12 Nosferatu: The Wrath Of Malachi
Released in 2003, the story of this game takes place in 1912. Players step into the shoes of the son of a wealthy British family that plans to marry off the protagonist’s sister to the son of a count. However, when the family is shown to their rooms, the doors lock and they realize they have become the count’s prisoners.
Nosferatu: The Wrath Of Malachi is a first-person shooter and a survival horror game. As old as the title has gotten, it has stood up to the test of time. It is available on Steam.
11 Condemned
This series has faded into the background, despite not being that old. Like Harvester, it is another game prohibited in Germany due to violence. The game is quite violent, and not for the faint-hearted.
The protagonist a member of the FBI, Ethan Thomas, in a fictional (and rather spooky) American city. Players have to find an evasive serial killer and fight they way through violent citizens who seem to have mysteriously lost their minds.
10 Phantasmagoria
This point-and-click game came out in 1995. Gamers take on the role of Adrienne Delaney, a writer who is haunted by supernatural forces. It’s the typical “writer moves into large mansion” kind of story.
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This was made back when it was popular to use live-action actors for games, and it was released on seven discs. Reviews for the game were mixed, but it left a legacy due to its commercial success.
9 D
D released in 1995, starring a woman named Laura Harris as the player character She goes to a hospital after learning her father went on a mass killing spree and locked himself inside. The hospital turns into a castle once she enters, and she sets out on on a quest to find her dad.
Depending on the players’ actions, the game has different endings. While the game is on this list of forgotten titles, it is known to have a decent cult following to this day.
8 Cold Fear
Released for the PS2, Xbox, and Windows, Ubisoft’s Cold Fear hit game shelves in 2005. Unfortunately, it was overshadowed by the famous Resident Evil 4 that came out in the same year. Cold Fear was no Resident Evil 4, but it still attracted its share of fans.
The story’s protagonist is a member of the United States coastguard who helps a Russian whaler, only to discover some horrid parasite has taken over the crew members and made them zombie-like monsters.
7 Dino Crisis
Many that still remember Dino Crisis hope for the game to get a remake. The first game of the series came out in 1999, and it was developed by some of the same people that gamers can thank for the Resident Evil series. Indeed, the two actually have a lot of similarities.
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The game is a little like Jurassic Park, in that the player is escaping from man-eating dinosaurs in a research facility. While the game did get a number of sequels, the series seems to have been forgotten by many.
6 Clive Barker’s Undying
This first-person horror shooter video game dates back to 2001. As suggested by its name, Undying was actually produced by famed horror writer Clive Barker. The story takes place in the 1920s and players take the role of a WWI veteran, Patrick Galloway, who is investigating occult happenings.
Despite fading into obscurity, Clive Barker’s Undying received very positive reviews upon release. Unfortunately, the game also sold poorly, so not many horror fans even gave the game a chance.
5 I Have No Mouth, And I Must Scream
Released in 1995, this point-and-click adventure was a commercial failure, but won awards and praise from critics.
It takes place in a dystopian world ruled by an AI that has destroyed all of humanity except for five people The AI has been keeping the five humans alive and torturing them for more than a hundred years by putting them in disturbing situations. There are seven different possible endings, depending on the players’ choices.
4 Cry Of Fear
Compared to other titles on this list, this game is more recent. Originally starting off as a Half-Life mod, it came out in 2013 and has plenty of positive reviews on Steam. Players take on the role of a man slowly descending into madness in Scandinavia.
Despite being a good horror title, Cry Of Fear is rarely mentioned or talked about in the world of horror video games. The most recent reviews note that they are hoping for a remastered version.
3 Eternal Darkness: Sanity’s Requiem
Released in 2002 for the GameCube, Eternal Darkness: Sanity’s Requiem had many similar mechanics to the Resident Evil series. Despite garnering a lot of praise, the game was not a commercial success. It was even going to get a sequel, but that got canceled.
It is a pity, as Eternal Darkness got nearly perfect reviews from game publications across the board. It was even awarded “Best Story on GameCube,” “Best Graphics (on GameCube,” and “Best Sound on GameCube” by GameSpot in 2002.
2 Clock Tower
The first Clock Tower game came out in 1995 and the last in 2002. These survival horror point-and-click adventure games were the first known is known as big influencers in the horror game genre. They never released outside of Japan, but plenty of fan translations have been passed around.
Players take the role of Jennifer Simpson, an orphan who is adopted with other girls by a family called the Barrows. The happy occasion is cut short when one of the orphan girls is killed by a mysterious figure called the Scissorman.
1 The 7th Guest
Steam released a 25th-anniversary edition of this game last year, crowning the game with the title, “the father and mother of all haunted mansion games.” The player character is a disembodied consciousness named Ego, moving through the spooking old house.
The accolade is a fitting one, as this game was released in 1993 and won a decent number of awards. It was well-loved enough to get a number of sequels as well.
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