In space, no one can hear you scream. But since we’re not in space at the moment, go ahead and shout all you want. Of all the locations featured throughout the horror genre, space can be considered the scariest setting. Experiments gone wrong, encountering hostile extraterrestrials, or just being completely alone and lost in the empty abyss. Absolutely anything can happen in outer space.
There already exists a large collection of disturbing movies that show how voyages into the unknown void can turn spooky, and the same goes for video games. As these examples will show, blending sci-fi with horror can have phenomenal but terrifying consequences.
Луны безумия
Lovecraft in Space
Trying to capture cosmic horror is trickier than you think. As H. P. Lovecraft demonstrated, it’s about the unknown, about feeling helpless and insignificant against something beyond your imagination. You’ll find tons of games out there that draw inspiration from Lovecraft’s creations, but Moons of Madness puts its own spin on the genre by taking the horror into the not-so-distant future of the red planet.
On a Mars research base, supernatural hallucinations are causing engineer Shane to question his sanity. As he descends further into madness, finding only corpses and strange black substances, he’ll soon learn he’s not alone on Mars. The game utterly nails the unsettling atmosphere and knows how to make you uncomfortable. As for its gameplay, it’s hit or miss with players. You spend the bulk of the game solving puzzles and just walking. Still, if you’re a fan of Lovecraftian games for their horror and just want to be scared, this comes recommended.
DOOM 3
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Some call DOOM 3 the black sheep of the DOOM family. That doesn’t mean it’s not an incredible game, nor a scary one. The gates of Hell have opened on Mars, and demons have infested the base. As a lone marine, all you can do is fight to survive as you try to stop the invasion before it consumes Mars.
For a game from 2004, the graphics, animations, and gameplay still hold up. DOOM 3 does a tremendous job of making the player feel vulnerable and claustrophobic as you roam tight corridors, with monsters lurking in the darkness waiting to jump out. As a DOOM game, it’s clearly the oddball of the group since you feel weak against the demons. But as a horror game, that’s just one of its many strong points.
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Don’t let the strange title fool you. Mouthwashing is one of the most disturbing and tense psychological horror games in recent years. After a shipwreck leaves their captain injured and them stranded in space, a small crew is thrown from one terrible incident into another as everything spirals out of control.
As far as gameplay is concerned, it’s walking from location to location, avoiding dangers, and acquiring items for solving problems. Mouthwashing’s high point is its unraveling story. The game does a flawless job of invoking tension as you’re left on the edge of your seat, wondering what’s going to happen next. Just be aware that although this is a short game, it deals with some heavy content, even by horror game standards.
System Shock 2: 25-я годовщина Ремастер
Вечный ужас
When you look up the best RPGs ever made, you’ll usually see System Shock 2. The game revolutionized the genre with its incredible use of blending FPS mechanics with survival horror. It’s also regarded as one of the scariest games from the PC era. You’re alone, trapped on a ship with a crew that’s been transformed into nightmarish creatures by an entity known as The Many.
However, it’s not just the enemies that make this game so creepy. It’s a combination of the audio and the environment. The sounds the creatures make and the things they say—it’s enough to make your skin crawl. System Shock 2 also uses environmental storytelling well, with notes, audio logs, and corpses to tell a story about how the outbreak happened. It all ties together into a true horror experience. And with the release of the Anniversary Remaster, you have no reason not to give this timeless masterpiece a look.
Dead Space 2
“Cross My Heart and Hope to Die… Stick a Needle in Your Eye.”
Set three years after the events of the first game, Isaac Clarke awakens aboard a space station with no memory and his head filled with painful hallucinations. With another Necromorph outbreak on the rise, and government agents hunting him down, trying to stay alive will be the least of his worries as the hallucinations of his dead girlfriend become more real and haunting.
Despite all the time that’s passed, Dead Space 2’s graphics and gameplay look and feel modern. There’s new Necromorph horrors to face, each more disturbing than ever. What’s also cool is that you get to experience the outbreak as you witness civilians fleeing from the hostile monsters. Fortunately, you have a new arsenal of tools at your disposal to dismember these abominations, along with some stellar new suits for protection. Dead Space 2 also introduces a more intuitive gravity system, allowing players to move freely through space, which was later adapted in the remake.
Наблюдение
An AI Thriller
Artificial intelligence has played a critical role in sci-fi storytelling for ages, usually as the threat that the main characters must overcome. In Observation, however, YOU are the AI. After an unknown event causes your space station to spiral out of control, as the station’s AI, SAM, it’s your duty to see to repairs, ensure the safety of the crew, and piece together what happened.
Observation is a tricky game to explain fully. It’s one of those games you just have to experience. As SAM, you have a limited range of vision. Except for your internal systems, you can only see through the lens of various cameras scattered throughout the station. You hop from node to node and make repairs, open hatches, and interact with the crew. The pacing takes its time as the story builds up the mystery and atmosphere. To summarize the whole thing in one sentence, Observation feels like 2001: A Space Odyssey meets Lovecraft.
Сигналис
“Remember Our Promise.”
Signalis is one of those horror games that’ll have you hooked within the first opening minutes. In a dystopian future on an off-world facility, you’re a replika named Elster, searching for someone you lost. With corrupted replikas out for blood, piecing together the truth will only be part of the puzzle in this classic throwback to true survival horror.
For those who haven’t experienced it yet, Signalis may look like a simple game, but it’s so much more than that. With an outstanding pixel art aesthetic, easy-to-understand gameplay, and a story that’ll take your breath away, Signalis stands out from other sci-fi horror titles. The game’s only major flaw is how much is packed into such a short experience.
Добыча (2017)
Survive and Evolve
The Talos I space station has been invaded by a hostile alien force called Typhon. As Morgan, you’re the only one who can stop them before they grow out of control. How you go about doing that is your choice. Upgrade your weapons, tech, or abilities. Just be warned, the further you evolve, the less human you become.
Prey can be considered the true spiritual successor to System Shock 2. You’re not only able to explore the entire station of Talos I, but even outside, as you can float through space in Morgan’s spacesuit. The game feels scary and unsettling as you encounter multiple forms of Typhon, from the humanoids that can replicate human speech, to the small mimics that can hide as anything, from furniture to coffee mugs. And it feels like the situation is spiraling out of control the longer it goes, as you encounter bigger and more evolved Typhon.
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The Perfect Organism
Anyone familiar with the Alien franchise is probably familiar with its star monster: the Xenomorph. This enormous acid spitter has been terrifying fans for years, but just about everyone can agree that Alien: Isolation ranks up as the best and scariest game in the franchise.
Isolation takes its time, immersing you in the world before hitting you with that first encounter with the infamous Xenomorph. And that’s when the game goes from scary to utterly terrifying. Featuring some of the most advanced AI ever used in a horror game, it truly feels like a game of cat and mouse. Except you’re the mouse, and all you can do is keep the cat away using traps and gadgets. But even with a gun and a flamethrower, the Xenomorph will adapt to your tricks. Because you’re not trapped with any alien, you’re trapped with the perfect organism.
Мертвый космос
“Make Us Whole.”
What was supposed to be a simple repair mission has turned into a nightmare. The crew of the USG Ishimura have been changed into living abominations, and the only way to fully take them down is through dismantling their corpses. In Isaac Clarke’s first encounter with the dreaded Necromorphs comes Dead Space, the best sci-fi horror in gaming.
Dead Space is often labeled as Resident Evil in space, and whether you agree, the comparison is not an insult, as both games know how to balance horror with fun. The Ishimura remains one of the scariest locations in video games, and Dead Space uses its environment flawlessly. You feel like Isaac Clarke, trapped in a hopeless situation, battling monsters in the bowels of a claustrophobic ship, or in the vacuum of space with a suit that has limited oxygen. If there’s any game that makes outer space truly chilling, it’s Dead Space.
The Remake and original 2008 version both come highly recommended.
