While the definitions of “retro” and even “horror” can sometimes spark debate, no one would deny when something has successfully given an audience the creeps. Horror games have been around much longer than some gamers realize, and many older titles hold up better than conventional wisdom might expect. Whether it’s their shocking imagery, disturbing storylines, desperate situations, or some unholy combination thereof, some of these older horror games can still scare. Here are 15 retro horror games we highly recommend revisiting.
The Suffering (2004)
Loosely based on an abandoned, isolated prison in Appalachia, the suffering combines all the key elements someone would expect for a haunted prison setting. Vengeful spirits, limited resources, and plenty of monsters embodying different types of capital punishment. On top of all that, the grizzled protagonist struggles with his own fractured memories of past misdeeds throughout the narrative. The Suffering plays more like an action game than, say, Resident Evil, but the spooky setting and disturbing enemies put it squarely in the upper echelon of survival horror games. It's fun to play and still delivers quality scares on a regular basis.
Fear Effect (2000)
As a crew of mercenaries trudge through the streets of future Hong Kong, their rescue mission quickly becomes a battle with the supernatural. Despite playing very similarly to other horror titles of the era, Fear Effect finds its own identity in a number of areas. The cel-shaded characters, full-motion video backgrounds, and respectable implementation of stealth make this retro horror game stand out quite well. Solid action, a wild story, and the scare factor still holds up quite well.
D (1995)
Speaking of full-motion video backgrounds, they constitute about 90% of D’s visuals. As a first-person adventure game, heroine Laura Harris mostly limits her activity to exploration and puzzle solving. Rarely does D require fast reflexes or difficult decisions. The game’s visuals were impressive at the time, as the early 32-bit era gamers were new to fully rendered cutscenes. That said, D will take some serious getting used to for modern players. Still, the harrowing premise and multi-layered mystery will get its hooks into a player if he can get over the stilted, plodding gameplay.
Clock Tower (1996)
Human Entertainment’s Clock Tower sliced its way onto the PS1 and into gamer’s repressed memories around the same time as Resident Evil, which promptly overshadowed it. As a result, Clock Tower became (and remains) a dark horse in the genre. Perhaps one of the most underrated slasher villains of all time, Scissorman, stalks multiple characters throughout the affair, bringing genuine horror along with him. Unlike other horror titles of the era, surviving this threat requires much more than just mowing it down with a firearm. Players will dig deep into the cast’s personalities, solving several mysteries, and narrowly escaping Scissorman’s shears dozens of times. The point-and-click gameplay was passé at the time, and is even more so now. Like D, though, a true classic hides underneath that every horror fan should experience.
I Have No Mouth, and I Must Scream (1995)
A conversation about point-and-click horror games would be incomplete without bringing up I Have No Mouth, and I Must Scream. Based on the short story by Harlan Ellison, this thoroughly dystopian tale of technology run amok combines elements from the point-and-click and text adventure genres, streamlining them into one surprisingly intuitive system. Selecting sentence fragments to form commands remains a curious way to explore and advance, and it’s easy to see why it didn’t become a genre staple. If the dated visuals and strange gameplay don’t hinder players, the game has a unique tale to experience here. Reflections on war, technology, and the inevitable erosion of society add up to a rather outstanding- if not a tad depressing- tale that has no retro horror real contemporary.
Resident Evil (1996)
No matter how old it gets, Resident Evil remains a pillar in the horror game. Fans will have varying opinions on which entry is “best” as a game, few would disagree that the original is the scariest. Resident Evil 2 and 7 certainly come close, but there’s something about the off-putting camera angles, disturbing notes, and terrifying enemies that make this one particularly special. Ammo and healing items are rare, inventory slots are few, and the mystery of the overrun mansion feels bottomless. If you somehow have not played this unmitigated classic, it’s time to give it a go.
Alone in The Dark (1992)
A clear progenitor to Resident Evil and its eventual litany of copycats, Alone in the Dark marks an extremely important point of interest for the genre. The iconic tank controls, fixed camera angles, pre-rendered backgrounds, and deliberate combat that Resident Evil would be so well known for started here. Alone in the Dark would never gain the notoriety of Resident Evil, but it still managed to spawn several sequels and remakes that we highly recommend giving a shot. The strange investigations by protagonist Edward Carnby still hold up well in terms of overall tone and atmosphere.
Silent Hill (1999)
Like Resident Evil, Silent Hill has multiple excellent sequels, and fans can make perfectly salient cases for several of them being the “best.” However, the original still deserves the nod here for starting it all. Pushing Sony’s PlayStation to its limits, Silent Hill utilizes fully 3D environments rendered in real-time. While this created the occasional camera problem, it also blew open the floodgates for cinematic flair. Distressing camera angles that moved around as players did were extremely impressive at the time, and anyone could see it was the right move for the genre. The more psychological horror and vague storytelling were also creative risks that would prove effective ways of setting Silent Hill apart from its contemporaries and moving the genre forward. Many still say this series is the king of the genre, and for good reason.
Haunting Ground (2005)
Starting off as a sequel to the ill-fated Clock Tower 3, Haunting Ground would be retooled mid-development as its own thing and is all the better for it. Heroine Fiona Belli, while famously easy on the eyes, is, more importantly, one of the better protagonists in the genre. Starting off as a defenseless damsel, she slowly becomes more resourceful and formidable as she deals with each pursuer. Her relationship with Hewie illustrates that dynamic: a white dog that joins her and becomes progressively more helpful by obeying commands and hinting solutions to various problems. Players also manage Fiona’s mental health, as too much stress can cause a breakdown, which often leads to a game over. Despite the DNA of Clock Tower remaining visible throughout, Haunting Ground’s well-earned legacy is all its own.
Splatterhouse (1988)
Gameplay-wise, the 16-bit Splatterhouse has more in common with the many beat ‘em ups of its time than horror games. Yet, given the haunted mansion setting, gruesome enemies, and macabre imagery throughout, gamers can see why it still belongs in the horror game conversation. Horror fans didn’t have much to choose from in 1988, but Splatterhouse was a solid choice. Even now, the many rooms of the West Mansion can elicit plenty of dread and unease while the many enemies and bosses similarly conjure disgust and revulsion. Combining visual elements from popular slasher movies of the time with familiar arcade beat ‘em up gameplay was a winning strategy that turned this curious one-off Namco game into a legendary 16-bit trilogy.
Martian Gothic: Unification (2000)
One of the lesser-known horror games of yesteryear, Martian Gothic: Unification on the humble PS1 delivers an interesting flavor of survival horror. The game revolves around three characters sent to a base on Mars to investigate why it has fallen silent. Unlike other horror games of the time, players can switch between the characters at will, although they must stay separated. On top of that, no enemies can be permanently dispatched. Players can disable enemies for a while, but they will eventually reanimate, never letting them feel like a threat has been dealt with.
Rule of Rose (2006)
The dark themes of Rule of Rose set it apart from many of the other campy horror games of its era. Childhood trauma, a haunted orphanage, and a strong focus on melee combat all add up to a rather harrowing game that still scares players today. The combat itself is certainly on the clunky side, but other than that, there isn’t much to critique. A canine companion similar to Hewie from Haunting Ground rounds things out nicely and gives the player just enough variety to keep things from getting stale. Rule of Rose is an outstanding horror game built on mature themes that every serious horror fan should at least try.
Fatal Frame (2001)
The strictly Japanese-style horror found in the Fatal Frame games make it an all-time favorite among horror gamers. The overwhelmingly positive reception to the remasters of the two latest games in the series represents clear evidence of the enduring legacy of the series. Fighting off ghosts with a magical camera not only serves as a unique gameplay hook but also a great horror mechanic, as players are forced into first-person mode while using it, making the encounters that much more personal. Each game has its own story, but returning characters link them together nicely. The original trilogy has the best entries, but any game in the series is worth a play.
Illbleed (2001)
Illbleed might be the lightest on scares out of this entire list, but it’s no slouch, either. Often siding with dark humor over genuine horror, Illbleed still knows how to bring the scares with strange traps and confounding characters that haunt the entire experience. It’s one of the few horror games released on Sega’s Dreamcast, which sadly remains the only platform to play it on. It’s also gone up in price quite a bit over the years, so good luck getting a copy. For gamers who do, though, a plethora of strange situations and hidden secrets await in a horror game like no other.
Alien Trilogy (1996) retro horror
Doom had an iron grip on gaming in the 1990s and led to a plethora of clones, most of which weren’t particularly good. Alien Trilogy blew the doors off of that notion, though, with a Doom-like shooter that combined story elements from the Alien, Aliens, and Alien 3 films to create its own story. Where it excelled the most in its horror atmosphere. Using the PS1’s short draw distance to its advantage by surrounding players in near-constant darkness was a creative decision that, intentional or not, made Alien Trilogy infinitely more tense than it otherwise would have been. Unlocking doors and hoarding ammo like in a Doom game felt totally different as gamers ran from face huggers and blew away adult aliens in this underrated shooter.