Dusk Golem
A 21st Century Rockefeller
So as a self-proclaimed horror enthusiast, I'm going to post two things;
-A list of horror games under $3 currently made by NeoGAF'ers (in alphabetical order).
and
-My personal top 25 horror games under $3 (in alphabetical order)..
I won't include GAF'er made games but list them first as I think they should be a separate thing (even if some of them may have ended up in my top 25 otherwise), and for my list keep in mind while I've played a lot of horror games I haven't played all of them (yet), so I won't include things I haven't personally touched. I also will be going just for my personal opinion but try to vocalize who I think the game would be for, but while I think there's some games that may have broader appeal than what I'm going to recommend I'm going to go by my personal thoughts with this one. You might be surprised, but I had to make some tough calls to cut some games out of the top 25, so being clear I'm not saying these aren't the only horror games worth checking out that are $3 or less.
I'll probably do some lists on other days for horror games prices between $3-6, and $7-10 as well before the sale is over. But there's a lot of surprising horror gems even just under $3.
ALL PRICES WILL BE LISTED IN USD ($).
Now with all this said...
GAF'er Made Horror Games Under $3:
Claire - $2.49
DISTRAINT - $0.99
Dungeon Nightmares - $0.89
Malebolgia - $2.59
Red Haze - $1.79
Shutter - $0.99
Silence of the Sleep - $1.69
---
Top 25 Horror Games I'd Recommend Under $3 (Alphabetical Order & GAF'er Made Games Exempt)
Alicemare - $2.39
A 2D horror-esque fairytale really. Loosely inspired by Alice in Wonderland, you follow a boy who lost his memories and wandered into a strange land. It's kind of relaxing, has a few challenging puzzles, but probably the best part is its story. It deals with some lighthearted and dark themes, has multiple endings, and has a few emotionally impacting moments, nice artwork, and fairytale tones.
Amnesia: The Dark Descent - $2.99
One of the most popular indie horror games of all time, it's been popular for a reason. It's good, I have a few issues with it personally but the issues don't ruin the experience. A fun location, good atmosphere, some good puzzles, and not-so-bad pacing either. Sure you've heard of it, if you haven't played it before now's not a bad time to consider it.
Camp Sunshine - $1.69
A 16-bit styled game where you're at summer camp when a rampaging murderer begins to kill people. Now it's a game where you do have to collect some things in order to escape as the killer comes after you, but it's got a lot of 80s horror flair, a few puzzles and side optional stuff, interesting backstory, and nice music/atmosphere. A couple hours long and a nice little experience.
Dead End Road - $0.74
It's a horror rogue-like driving game where you're being chased by the devil with random sanity effects, point'n'click town sections, some upgrades, multiple routes, and a light comedy aspect. The concept will either sell you on the game, or it won't. It has great value for it's price though.
Deadly Premonition: Director's Cut - $2.49
Almost the definition of a cult classic, the PC port of DP has some issues and you might have to use some outside patches and solutions on certain machines to resolve, but I would actually say the PC version is the best version of the game. Follow FBI Agent Francis York Morgan as he comes to the town of Greenvale to investigate the murder of Anna Graham in a very Twin Peaks-inspired game. Very quirky, funny, emotional, with a obvious low-budget and some issues, but is an experience you may never forget.
DreadOut - $1.49
A horror game from Indonesia styled like an indie horror take on Fatal Frame with Indonesian folklore. It's actually very good, it shows it's low-budgeted but manages to combat this with creativity and some stellar moments. Interesting story, good atmosphere, backed with a surprising number of sectors to take care of. If you want a well done horror game that manages to be utterly effective, charming, and something more akin to a PS2-esque horror experience than more modern, this might be right up your alley.
Fibrillation HD - $2.79
This is a remastered version of a previously free game but with new content and much improvements. The original was good, but this version is great. The few years between releases and the feedback and thoughts from the original accumulated to make a much better experience. The game is surreal and features you in an odd and abstract environment solving puzzles, surviving, and putting together a dialogueless story, but rich with environmental storytelling. Number of secrets and a great atmosphere.
Harvester - $1.19
This is one of the classic 90s FMV horror games, and one of my personal favorites from that genre of horror. It's one of the hammiest yet gruesome horror games you'll ever play, it was made to offend and be over the top in the 90s, but now is maybe even more so give a couple decades for it to age. You wake up as a guy named Steve in some town that's like a 50s-60s sitcom where you don't remember anyone but they all seem to know you, and there's some rather strange things happening in this town. It has some glacial pacing in the middle, but it's worth playing through to the end. This game is over-the-top hilarious glazed over with clamminess with a lot of grotesque and just odd imagery. Just remember, Steve is such a kidder.
I Have No Mouth, And I Must Scream - $1.19
This is the classic horror point'n'click from the 90s based off of a classic horror novel of the same name. A crazed AI has taken over the world and tortures five poor souls while throwing them into a personal hell they must overcome. It's a classic point'n'click horror adventure for a reason.
Into The Gloom - $0.74
So I'll be frankly honest, for some reason this game scares the shit out of me. It's got a very oppressive atmosphere and can go from being really constrained of anything happening, and then suddenly unleash all hell in a horrific way. The audio is on-point, and the white/black/red aesthetic the game has is surprisingly effective. The game's story is kind of in the background though (even though it has multiple endings), and this game has some gruelingly difficult puzzles, so be warned. But it's an interesting puzzle-horror with a nice style, and is probably one of the scariest games I've played on Steam in my personal opinion (though that is subjective and all that).
Kio's Adventure - $1.59
A deceptively cute video game that's just bizzare and fucked up in all the right ways. It has a bad English translation, but it's a strange case where the bad translation somehow adds more to the games off-kilterness? It's got a surprisingly good story despite this though, a detailed world, a lot of gruesomness and creepiness, and overtly detailed death scenes. Stars a girl who ends up after an earthquake ending up in an alternate world with organs and monsters.
Lakeview Cabin Collection - $2.49
A surprisingly tense and intelligent open-world horror-puzzle game of sorts. You start off in a movie theater and choose one of 5 films playing, all of which are sequels in a single horror franchise and each one parodying a horror movie (Friday the 13th, Nightmare on Elm Street, Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Alien, etc.), and then you're thrown into an open world stage where you're free to do about anything and control four different characters. You can drink until you vomit, sleep, play guitar, cook something, have sex, kill yourself, and a LOT more. It's fun to just mess around in, but quickly you'll find you're not alone and each episode has several dangers that are coming for you. In order to survive you must prepare and struggle; each 'Film' has several different endings to obtain based on who you help survive, what you manage to accomplish in each film, etc. Complete all five films and you'll also unlock a secret 6th film. There's a lot here both for people who just want to mess around and have fun or who want to take it seriously and solve some rather tough situations to survive.
The Last Door Season 1 & 2 - $2.49 individually, $4.48 together
So I'm cheating a bit including these two together, but this is ENTIRELY worth checking out. The Last Door is an episodic point'n'click horror game series, it lasts for 10 episodes with the final episode of Season 2 being the 'finale' of the whole series. With a riveting story, very well done horror scenes, an intriguing world and puzzles... This is hard to sell completely without spoiling it, but if you love good horror stories matched with a good horror point'n'click that has fantastic atmosphere and pacing told in an episodic structure, you will probably love this.
Mono - $2.79
It's kind of an anthology horror game with three short stories that all have connections for one underlying narrative. You experience these stories and things in the world begin to change. It's got a great atmosphere and some pretty good horror scenes. It has an AI that wants to get out and is messing with these stories, and has some fun twists with that and unique mechanics that come into play. It's worth checking out.
The Music Machine - $1.99
Now this one requires a particular taste. It's a walking sim with some loose puzzles involving a single character, a teenage girl, who comes to an island that was once part of a summer camp place and who may either have split personalities or is actually possessed by the ghost of a once-upon-a-time murderer. It uses a sort of singular color with black motif, and it gets a bit bizarre, but it has a fascinating story, some interesting twists and turns, and a certain style that I just adored. If you don't mind trying an experience sort of game that's not too long but unique, I'd recommend it.
Outlast - $2.99
One of the few indie horror breakouts. It has good production values, though the scariness is kind of frontloaded and it suffers some from repetition. Still it has some interesting bits throughout and not a badly done narrative, it looks quite nice and the camera mechanic is well utilized. I think part of why it's been so successful is due to its accessibility. Game is NSFW with moments made to gross you out purely, nudity, etc. If you want to pick it up, I also recommend you pick up its Whistleblower DLC as it may be better than the original game even.
Pathologic Classic HD - $2.59
This is a cult classic 2000s Russian game. It is cryptic, difficult, mysterious, and completely unique. It takes a lot of investment to see it through with some tediousness and commitment to come to understand things to progress, but it might stick with you, has a unique story... In basic, you're investigating a town and solving a grand and multi-layered mystery as a plague is spreading and the town for some reason is split into sectors named after body parts, has strange inhuman dezians, impossible structures, you have to get medicine to survive while trying to save other people who are told by an oracle to die that night,and is all at once intriguing and stressful. Certainly not for everyone, but those who find the appeal may love it. There is a remake of the game coming out in 2018/2019, but the remake is supposed to be drastically different and more of a reimagining of this game.
(part 2 in the next post)
-A list of horror games under $3 currently made by NeoGAF'ers (in alphabetical order).
and
-My personal top 25 horror games under $3 (in alphabetical order)..
I won't include GAF'er made games but list them first as I think they should be a separate thing (even if some of them may have ended up in my top 25 otherwise), and for my list keep in mind while I've played a lot of horror games I haven't played all of them (yet), so I won't include things I haven't personally touched. I also will be going just for my personal opinion but try to vocalize who I think the game would be for, but while I think there's some games that may have broader appeal than what I'm going to recommend I'm going to go by my personal thoughts with this one. You might be surprised, but I had to make some tough calls to cut some games out of the top 25, so being clear I'm not saying these aren't the only horror games worth checking out that are $3 or less.
I'll probably do some lists on other days for horror games prices between $3-6, and $7-10 as well before the sale is over. But there's a lot of surprising horror gems even just under $3.
ALL PRICES WILL BE LISTED IN USD ($).
Now with all this said...
GAF'er Made Horror Games Under $3:
Claire - $2.49
DISTRAINT - $0.99
Dungeon Nightmares - $0.89
Malebolgia - $2.59
Red Haze - $1.79
Shutter - $0.99
Silence of the Sleep - $1.69
---
Top 25 Horror Games I'd Recommend Under $3 (Alphabetical Order & GAF'er Made Games Exempt)
Alicemare - $2.39
A 2D horror-esque fairytale really. Loosely inspired by Alice in Wonderland, you follow a boy who lost his memories and wandered into a strange land. It's kind of relaxing, has a few challenging puzzles, but probably the best part is its story. It deals with some lighthearted and dark themes, has multiple endings, and has a few emotionally impacting moments, nice artwork, and fairytale tones.
Amnesia: The Dark Descent - $2.99
One of the most popular indie horror games of all time, it's been popular for a reason. It's good, I have a few issues with it personally but the issues don't ruin the experience. A fun location, good atmosphere, some good puzzles, and not-so-bad pacing either. Sure you've heard of it, if you haven't played it before now's not a bad time to consider it.
Camp Sunshine - $1.69
A 16-bit styled game where you're at summer camp when a rampaging murderer begins to kill people. Now it's a game where you do have to collect some things in order to escape as the killer comes after you, but it's got a lot of 80s horror flair, a few puzzles and side optional stuff, interesting backstory, and nice music/atmosphere. A couple hours long and a nice little experience.
Dead End Road - $0.74
It's a horror rogue-like driving game where you're being chased by the devil with random sanity effects, point'n'click town sections, some upgrades, multiple routes, and a light comedy aspect. The concept will either sell you on the game, or it won't. It has great value for it's price though.
Deadly Premonition: Director's Cut - $2.49
Almost the definition of a cult classic, the PC port of DP has some issues and you might have to use some outside patches and solutions on certain machines to resolve, but I would actually say the PC version is the best version of the game. Follow FBI Agent Francis York Morgan as he comes to the town of Greenvale to investigate the murder of Anna Graham in a very Twin Peaks-inspired game. Very quirky, funny, emotional, with a obvious low-budget and some issues, but is an experience you may never forget.
DreadOut - $1.49
A horror game from Indonesia styled like an indie horror take on Fatal Frame with Indonesian folklore. It's actually very good, it shows it's low-budgeted but manages to combat this with creativity and some stellar moments. Interesting story, good atmosphere, backed with a surprising number of sectors to take care of. If you want a well done horror game that manages to be utterly effective, charming, and something more akin to a PS2-esque horror experience than more modern, this might be right up your alley.
Fibrillation HD - $2.79
This is a remastered version of a previously free game but with new content and much improvements. The original was good, but this version is great. The few years between releases and the feedback and thoughts from the original accumulated to make a much better experience. The game is surreal and features you in an odd and abstract environment solving puzzles, surviving, and putting together a dialogueless story, but rich with environmental storytelling. Number of secrets and a great atmosphere.
Harvester - $1.19
This is one of the classic 90s FMV horror games, and one of my personal favorites from that genre of horror. It's one of the hammiest yet gruesome horror games you'll ever play, it was made to offend and be over the top in the 90s, but now is maybe even more so give a couple decades for it to age. You wake up as a guy named Steve in some town that's like a 50s-60s sitcom where you don't remember anyone but they all seem to know you, and there's some rather strange things happening in this town. It has some glacial pacing in the middle, but it's worth playing through to the end. This game is over-the-top hilarious glazed over with clamminess with a lot of grotesque and just odd imagery. Just remember, Steve is such a kidder.
I Have No Mouth, And I Must Scream - $1.19
This is the classic horror point'n'click from the 90s based off of a classic horror novel of the same name. A crazed AI has taken over the world and tortures five poor souls while throwing them into a personal hell they must overcome. It's a classic point'n'click horror adventure for a reason.
Into The Gloom - $0.74
So I'll be frankly honest, for some reason this game scares the shit out of me. It's got a very oppressive atmosphere and can go from being really constrained of anything happening, and then suddenly unleash all hell in a horrific way. The audio is on-point, and the white/black/red aesthetic the game has is surprisingly effective. The game's story is kind of in the background though (even though it has multiple endings), and this game has some gruelingly difficult puzzles, so be warned. But it's an interesting puzzle-horror with a nice style, and is probably one of the scariest games I've played on Steam in my personal opinion (though that is subjective and all that).
Kio's Adventure - $1.59
A deceptively cute video game that's just bizzare and fucked up in all the right ways. It has a bad English translation, but it's a strange case where the bad translation somehow adds more to the games off-kilterness? It's got a surprisingly good story despite this though, a detailed world, a lot of gruesomness and creepiness, and overtly detailed death scenes. Stars a girl who ends up after an earthquake ending up in an alternate world with organs and monsters.
Lakeview Cabin Collection - $2.49
A surprisingly tense and intelligent open-world horror-puzzle game of sorts. You start off in a movie theater and choose one of 5 films playing, all of which are sequels in a single horror franchise and each one parodying a horror movie (Friday the 13th, Nightmare on Elm Street, Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Alien, etc.), and then you're thrown into an open world stage where you're free to do about anything and control four different characters. You can drink until you vomit, sleep, play guitar, cook something, have sex, kill yourself, and a LOT more. It's fun to just mess around in, but quickly you'll find you're not alone and each episode has several dangers that are coming for you. In order to survive you must prepare and struggle; each 'Film' has several different endings to obtain based on who you help survive, what you manage to accomplish in each film, etc. Complete all five films and you'll also unlock a secret 6th film. There's a lot here both for people who just want to mess around and have fun or who want to take it seriously and solve some rather tough situations to survive.
The Last Door Season 1 & 2 - $2.49 individually, $4.48 together
So I'm cheating a bit including these two together, but this is ENTIRELY worth checking out. The Last Door is an episodic point'n'click horror game series, it lasts for 10 episodes with the final episode of Season 2 being the 'finale' of the whole series. With a riveting story, very well done horror scenes, an intriguing world and puzzles... This is hard to sell completely without spoiling it, but if you love good horror stories matched with a good horror point'n'click that has fantastic atmosphere and pacing told in an episodic structure, you will probably love this.
Mono - $2.79
It's kind of an anthology horror game with three short stories that all have connections for one underlying narrative. You experience these stories and things in the world begin to change. It's got a great atmosphere and some pretty good horror scenes. It has an AI that wants to get out and is messing with these stories, and has some fun twists with that and unique mechanics that come into play. It's worth checking out.
The Music Machine - $1.99
Now this one requires a particular taste. It's a walking sim with some loose puzzles involving a single character, a teenage girl, who comes to an island that was once part of a summer camp place and who may either have split personalities or is actually possessed by the ghost of a once-upon-a-time murderer. It uses a sort of singular color with black motif, and it gets a bit bizarre, but it has a fascinating story, some interesting twists and turns, and a certain style that I just adored. If you don't mind trying an experience sort of game that's not too long but unique, I'd recommend it.
Outlast - $2.99
One of the few indie horror breakouts. It has good production values, though the scariness is kind of frontloaded and it suffers some from repetition. Still it has some interesting bits throughout and not a badly done narrative, it looks quite nice and the camera mechanic is well utilized. I think part of why it's been so successful is due to its accessibility. Game is NSFW with moments made to gross you out purely, nudity, etc. If you want to pick it up, I also recommend you pick up its Whistleblower DLC as it may be better than the original game even.
Pathologic Classic HD - $2.59
This is a cult classic 2000s Russian game. It is cryptic, difficult, mysterious, and completely unique. It takes a lot of investment to see it through with some tediousness and commitment to come to understand things to progress, but it might stick with you, has a unique story... In basic, you're investigating a town and solving a grand and multi-layered mystery as a plague is spreading and the town for some reason is split into sectors named after body parts, has strange inhuman dezians, impossible structures, you have to get medicine to survive while trying to save other people who are told by an oracle to die that night,and is all at once intriguing and stressful. Certainly not for everyone, but those who find the appeal may love it. There is a remake of the game coming out in 2018/2019, but the remake is supposed to be drastically different and more of a reimagining of this game.
(part 2 in the next post)
