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[Teknoman]

The Fifth Seal has been opened...bursting forth from a realm beyond mortal comprehension...twisting thoughts beyond insanity...its the fifth annual GAF plays 31 nights of horror thread!

October is usually the month where all things horror, creepy, or just all around halloween themed are focused on, from movies to books, so why not games? Now is the time to give those horror tinged games that have been silently rotting away in your backlog a shot, recommend others, revisit ancient ones, or spend some time focused on that new game you just picked up.

Although it isnt set in stone, the main challenge of this thread is to play through as many games that fit the theme as possible before the month ends. As you go, posting experiences, thoughts, images, etc. are definitely encouraged.

I know i'm going to give finishing up these a shot:

I started up a new game early September, and it fits right in with my clearing the series in chronological release order.

I've had this in my GoG library for a good while, this might be the time to give it a shot.

I screwed up and got the bad ending (death?) the first time I played the game, its time to set things right.

Sweet Home shouldnt be that long of an HJRPG (why dont we have more Horror JRPGs?)

I've also had this one for awhile, its got a very interesting premise.

Same with Yomiwari.





Esoteric Knowledge:
Dusk Golem's Best of Indie Horror Games in 2017



Visions of Fear:
Super Best Friends Play: Shitstorm VI



The Off topic Limits:
31 Days of Horror 7 |OT| The October Movie Marathon



Fear you cant forget:
GAF Plays...31 Nights of Horror...1
GAF Plays...31 Nights of Horror...2
GAF Plays...31 Nights of Horror...3
GAF Plays...31 Nights of Horror...4



(work in progress due to prolonged hunting of the night, please understand)

 

[Bjoern the Smexy]

So...31 days (the title) or 21 days (the image)?

 

[Roldan]

Didn't know this was a thing here in GAF.

Welp, I've been meaning to replay RE3, after all (September 28th and all, you know). Guess I'm right in time!

 

[RocketRacoon]

Started off right with The Evil Within.

Bring on the creeps.

 

[Teknoman]

So...31 days (the title) or 21 days (the image)?

Damn it lol, I just noticed that. I'll try to get BTails to fix it. I also need to add credits to the banner and additional links (usually have this up and running 9/30, but was really busy).

 

[Krappadizzle]

So...31 days (the title) or 21 days (the image)?

First game for you to play.

 

[Jharp]

Desperately looking forward to Evil Within 2, sequel to my 2014 GOTY. Going to start the month off with Distrust, and maybe at some point finally work my way through Outlast, since I never got past the intro. Not due to being scared, just due to getting annoyed with the stealth mechanics, but maybe I'll be more forgiving now.

 

[Teknoman]

Im going to go back through the first Evil Within. Put it down for some reason, but that and Sweet Home most likely. Maybe kick off with Silent Hill 1.

 

[purseowner]

I'm planning on finally playing Silent Hill 2 for the first time.

Subbed.

 

[NESpowerhouse]

Normally, I just burn through my Castlevania library and play a Silent Hill game, but this year, I'm expanding a little bit. On the agenda I have:

Castlevania 1
Castlevania 2: Simon's Quest
Castlevania 3
Super Castlevania 4
Castlevania Rondo of Blood
Castlevania Bloodlines
Castlevania Symphony of the Night

Resident Evil 6 (Currently working my way through Chris' storyline)
Resident Evil Revelations
Resident Evil Revelations 2
Resident Evil 7

And to cap everything off:
Silent Hill 3

 

[BTA]

This will probably be the third year in the row I intend to finally play through all of the Corpse Party series and play none of them.

I'll probably get around to the original Yomawari at least.

 

[Krappadizzle]

I'm planning on finally playing Silent Hill 2 for the first time.

Subbed.

I'd say be sure to keep the puzzle difficulty on normal if you can. Other than that, I'm jealous. I wish I could go back and play Silent Hill 2 for the first time.

 

[Daffy Duck]

Going to start Outlast and play it fully this time and not chicken out.

 

[Anung]

Is the Coma Recut anygood? Might give the a try tonight.

 

[Mathieran]

I'm not very good at scary games but this year I've lined up 3 games to play that probably don't really qualify as horror, but for me I think it's good enough. I'm on my last mission in Dishonored 2, and once I finish that up I will start. My line up is
1. Soma (underwater stuff is super scary for me so this will probably be the hardest one for me)
2. Prey (2017) - I don't think anyone considers this horror but it seems creepy enough for me
3. Until Dawn - I've heard it's about on par with like teen horror flicks but I think it fits the theme

It will probably take me all month to play these I think. If not, I will check out the Amnesia games from Ps+. If not I'll save em for next year.

Edit: Forgot Thumper VR although I don't really think it counts as a horror game, but some of the imagery fits Halloween.

 

[Teknoman]

Oh and this would probably be the perfect time for people to hit up Castlevania IV and Super G&G as well, what with the SNES re-release.

EDIT: Maybe PSplus will do us a solid again? Last time they gave REmaster HD for free.

 

[Saphirax]

Oh and this would probably be the perfect time for people to hit up Castlevania IV and Super G&G as well, what with the SNES re-release.

EDIT: Maybe PSplus will do us a solid again? Last time they gave REmaster HD for free.

We're getting the Amnesia collection this month.

 

[CannonFodder52]

I'm planning on finally playing Silent Hill 2 for the first time.

Subbed.

That's so hype! I'm envious.

Played through Narcosis today and pretty impressed. Some very unique ocean floor horror. I really liked the flare mechanic, it led to some cool organic scares. Such as

Spoiler

struggling to see in a dark cave crawling with spiders, lighting a flare only to see a horrifyingly large spider right in front of me.

Check it out if you want some atmospheric, lonely, ocean floor horror.

This October, I'd like to play through these:

Fatal Frame: Maiden of Black Water (WiiU)
Silent Hill 4 (PS2)
Clock Tower 2 & 3 (PS1/2)
Juggernaut (PS1)
Galerians (PS1)
Obscure 2 (PS2)

 

[NESpowerhouse]

I'm planning on finally playing Silent Hill 2 for the first time.

Subbed.

I played through Silent Hill 2 last year. It was pretty great. However, I would suggest putting the combat difficulty on hard, because otherwise you'll find yourself with a large excess of ammo in no time.

I'm going to be trying Silent Hill 3 this year, so we'll see how that goes.

 

[Nilua]

I guess I will try to focus on horror games this month. Maybe I will finally play SOMA and do that Silent Hill marathon I've been planning for years now. Maybe some small indie games as well (i am listening to recommendations for those)

And I guess I will watch a let's play of Fatal Frame 5, I gave up on owning a WiiU

 

[Spyware]

Yay, the horror month is heeere!
I started a bit early with Forbidden Siren last month. Currently in the middle of Forbidden Siren 2.

They are more strange and creepy than they are scary games. A good start I'd say.

Other things that are on my maybe gonna play list:
Darkwood
Little Nightmares
The Evil Within
Sylvio
Claire
The Coma
Slender: The Arrival
Detention
Conarium
Narcosis
The Letter
Observer
The Crow's Eye

 

[BTails]

My favourite thread returns! And yes, as soon as I’m back at my computer, I’ll update the banner, because 21 days isn’t enough time for horror, hah.

Looking forward to hearing everyone’s impression of games, especially some of you playing some classics for the first time. I’m working on Sweet Home for the first time currently, before Evil Within 2 hits. I’m also hoping to get Until Dawn played for the first time, and maybe some other classics.

Oh, and of course I’ll be pairing all my games with Pumpkin Beer, like every year.

 

[eXistor]

I just bought Splatterhouse on PC Engine today, so I figure that's a pretty decent horror-themed game. I'll probably blast through the best Castlevania's again as I usually do (that is, I, III, IV and Rondo).

/edit: oh shit, almost forgot Evil Within 2. I know nothing about it other than the fact that it's coming and I loved the first. It's kinda cool going into new games blind.

 

[Jharp]

Just tried my first shot at an Adventure game of Distrust.

Made it to Area 3 barely. All three of my crew fully warm, rested, and at half hunger, but HP super low. Explored probably half of area 3 before they all succumbed.

That was fun, but hard, and stressful. Those goddamn aliens are no joke. They just sap your guys, and a pain in the ass to outrun.

 

[BTails]

Banner fix incoming... Thanks for noticing INSTANTLY everyone.

I actually started early this year, starting Sweet Home on the NES last night. First off, I'm glad I waited on playing this until I could run the translated patch on actual hardware, because the game itself is a blast to play.

The atmosphere right off the bat is excellent. Music is subtly creepy, and the mansion itself seems huge and imposing. A lot has been written about this being the inspiration for Biohazard/Resident Evil, and I can see that in two ways: of course the setting of a creepy mansion with puzzles, traps, and monsters is similar. But also the item management is very tricky, especially with the fact that you have five characters and can only party into groups of three.

BEER BREAK!

Alley Kat Brewery out of Edmonton makes probably the best Pumpkin Beer in existence. New this year is the fact that they're selling it in 6-packs, and that bars are starting to get it on tap, even here in Calgary. Delicious, and not too strong, I have a mansion to explore...

I got through most of the first floor. Very early on you're given a tip that you can use your character's unique tools in battle, and this makes some of the early fights against groups of worms and bats easier, provided you have the right person in your group. Another trick I thankfully learned early on, is you can "Call" to other characters not in your party, who can then join battle and earn experience as well. I have a feeling I'll have to split up more often later in the game, so I'm trying to level every one rather evenly.

Finally, whereas nothing has been difficult yet, I wouldn't call this an "easy" game. I'm trying not to use a guide at all... Though I had to look up how to rescue one of my characters who had fallen through a board I place over a gap.

Spoiler

(You have to face the fallen character and click "Team", which normally adds them to a party together)

. No guide means taking notes and drawing maps! Personally, I love this kind of stuff, but players not used to old-school gaming may be turned off, as the game doesn't hold your hand.

All and all, I'm loving it so far, and looking to playing more over the next couple days. I have 5 bottles of Alley Kat left, we'll see how many it takes before I'm onto the next game!

 

[PensivePen]

Planning on starting Koudelka once I get home from work tonight, which I've known about for a long time but just haven't gotten around to.

I've also got Siren, Martian Gothic, Fatal Frame, and Silent Hill Origins among my list of uncompleted PS2 games I want to play through over the course of the month. And of course Evil Within coming out in less than two weeks.

 

[Danjin44]

I already finished replaying Evil Within and I'm planing to the DLCs before Evil Within 2 comes out.

 

[davidwhangchoi]

i'm going to play resident evil psx

 

[O.DOGG]

Playing through the RE6 campaigns with a friend at the moment. Only Ada's is left. I also have a NG+ campaign in The Evil Within to finish before the sequel comes out, as well as the second DLC episode. I also plan on playing through REmake, RE0, and RE7 before the month is out. Don't know if I'll have time for anything else this month other than TEW2, which will get highest priority when it's released.

 

[Teknoman]

I just bought Splatterhouse on PC Engine today, so I figure that's a pretty decent horror-themed game. I'll probably blast through the best Castlevania's again as I usually do (that is, I, III, IV and Rondo).

/edit: oh shit, almost forgot Evil Within 2. I know nothing about it other than the fact that it's coming and I loved the first. It's kinda cool going into new games blind.

Splatterhouse 1 is still the best imo. Simple, to the point, and best looking bosses.

 

[sixteen-bit]

Splatterhouse time! I played Part 3 today.

 

[Steiner84]

well if super metroid is horror enough, im in for it. down in the depths of zebes right now.

 

[Teknoman]

well if super metroid is horror enough, im in for it. down in the depths of zebes right now.

The soundtrack works great for ambient horror imo. The title screen with Metroid chirps is still pretty chilling in a 16bit kinda way.

 

[-shadow-]

Anyone got some obscure horror titles for any platform for me? I can play them on actual PS1/2/3/OG Xbox/NES/SNES/N64/GC/Wii/WiiU and Switch. Portables are possible, but outside of REvelations, horror never really worked for me on a portable. I would love some really old ones on the NES or SNES. I've never tried Clock Tower, but I don't think the SNES one was ever localised.

 

[MrCunningham]

I just finished playng through Alien Isolation. I was a bit LTTP on that one, but the game is great. Not sure what is next on my list...

 

[BTails]

Anyone got some obscure horror titles for any platform for me? I can play them on actual PS1/2/3/OG Xbox/NES/SNES/N64/GC/Wii/WiiU and Switch. Portables are possible, but outside of REvelations, horror never really worked for me on a portable. I would love some really old ones on the NES or SNES. I've never tried Clock Tower, but I don't think the SNES one was ever localised.

There's tons of excellent stuff for all of those systems. And Clock Tower on SNES has a great fan translation, I highly recommend you checking it out! Here are some other obscure recommendations:

NES: Uninvited. A horror point and click, from the makers of the more famous "Shadowgate". Have to explore a creepy mansion to find your lost sibling.

PS2: Haunting Ground. Played in a similar style to Clock Tower, you and your German Shepherd are stuck in a creepy castle and stalked by various people/creatures. Very few instances where you're able to fight back, so a lot of the game involves hide and seek.

GC: Eternal Darkness. Not super obscure, but well worth the playthrough, especially to see all the variety in characters/time periods as you go through the chapters.

PS2/XBOX: Cold Fear. Basically Resident Evil 4 on a boat. Not amazing, but it's short and a fun time. Also really cheap to pick up.

 

[-shadow-]

NES: Uninvited.
PS2: Haunting Ground.
GC: Eternal Darkness.
PS2/XBOX: Cold Fear..

Never heard of: Uninvited and Cold Fear, I'll check them out thanks! I know of Haunting Ground and it's been on my list, but just haven't bothered coming around to it just yet and Eternal Darkness I've owned for over a decade. Freaking love that game! I do own Curse: The Eye of Isis and Deep Fear for the Xbox and Saturn already and hope to also play and finish those two. One game a week, here to the marathon. Thanks!

 

[Taruranto]

I'll probably replay RoR, I've ben wanting to do it for a while now. Maybe SH3 too.

Anyone got some obscure horror titles for any platform for me? I can play them on actual PS1/2/3/OG Xbox/NES/SNES/N64/GC/Wii/WiiU and Switch. Portables are possible, but outside of REvelations, horror never really worked for me on a portable. I would love some really old ones on the NES or SNES. I've never tried Clock Tower, but I don't think the SNES one was ever localised.

Hmm, there are a LOT of obscure horror titles. I would definitely recommenced the original CT for SNES, it's one of the best SH horrors ever. I would avoud the sequels, however.

PS1: Hellnight and Echo Nights 1-2 are fine, obscure horror games, definitely recommended.

PS2: I would say Rule of Rose, but I'm not sure if it counts as obscure. It's basically a female take on Lord of the Flies (Although the devs swear it isn't), heavily drawing from Brothers Grimm's fairy tales. The gameplay is kinda of a pain, but the story is really unique and quite honestly a gem. Especially the protagonist and her journey toward freedom, once you get the whole picture. I would rank her among my favorite female characters ever.

DS: Check out Theresia.

PC: Darkness Within series, absolutely. Also check out the Penumbra series.

 

[Luminaire]

In.

Maybe I'll replay Koudelka, or get through my Fatal Frame games. I've also been meaning to start Kuon again...hmmm...so many choices...

 

[Roldan]

OK, starting RE3 now. I used to speedrun this game some years ago, so I might finish it soon (even though I'm kinda rusty).

Haven't planned any Halloween backlog, though. Is Echo Night: Beyond any good? That's on my list for quite some time, so this may be the time to play it.

 

[TheGreenArrow]

Awwww yes.
I just got into PC gaming like a month ago...so... anyone have any recommendations for some good/recent PC exclusive spoopy games?

 

[Morfeo]

Im currently playing Bloodborne, that should count right?

 

[-shadow-]

Hmm, there are a LOT of obscure horror titles. I would definitely recommenced the original CT for SNES, it's one of the best SH horrors ever. I would avoud the sequels, however.

-snip-

Great, I'll look some of this stuff up! Usually when looking for obscure horror games, I just end up getting recommendations for stuff that I either don't care about or already own like Silent Hill, Resident Evil, Obscure 2 or Calling. So it's annoying that a lot just flies straight under radar

 

[Aizo]

I’ll have to start late, but I’m totally going to be joining this thread!

 

[Luminaire]

Im currently playing Bloodborne, that should count right?

Cosmic horror, so yes.

I personally strongly believe horror doesn't need to make you fear scared or helpless, but instead should focus on bringing out more negative emotions such as fear, sadness, hopelessness, discomfort, unsettled, loneliness, distrust, etc.

 

[BFIB]

I'm in. Here's my list:

Resident Evil 7
The Evil Within
Last of Us Remastered.

 

[Teknoman]

Gonna add dusk golem's thread of obscure stuff when I get back.

 

[gweemz]

Hey so I'm a big wimp when it comes to horror games. I can watch horror movies all day, but cannot for the life of me get through any horror game. Any advice as to how to get over this?

 

[Spyware]

Cosmic horror, so yes.

I personally strongly believe horror doesn't need to make you fear scared or helpless, but instead should focus on bringing out more negative emotions such as fear, sadness, hopelessness, discomfort, unsettled, loneliness, distrust, etc.

Yes! Exactly this
People often tell me that games like Silent Hill are not "scary enough". I never liked them for the "scares", I like them for the oppressive atmosphere and unsettling stories.

 

[Godcannon]

I still need to get Little Nightmares or play Soma which I bought forever ago. I gave up on Alien Isolation from last year. Nope. Gimme ghosts, demons, clowns, all kinds of creatures, just not Aliens or Predators.

I'll also continue my expensive af and time consuming Castlevania rampage I've been on for a few months now.

Currently playing Circle of the Moon and Order of Ecclesia is arriving soon.