Summary
Horror gameshave been a staple of the video gaming landscape for as long as resources have been scarce and loud noises have been scary. Countless games have tried to spook players, and many have established themselves as champions of the genre. Beloved franchises likeResident Evil,Fatal Frame,and exhilarating story games likeUntil Dawnare just a few examples of this.
The popularity of these games and franchises often results in sequels being made, but some are givenspin-off titlesto allow players to explore the setting more, to see familiar faces in a new way, or even just to poke fun at the nightmares of the mainline games. For those looking to dive into a horror game that isn’t part of a mainline series, there are several great options available.
Survivors in the haunting multiplayer gameDead By Daylightaim to power up generators to escape from killers who range from familiar faces like Michael Myers to original characters who are given a surprising amount of personality. This game of cat and mouse can quickly become a high-pressure scramble tosave incapacitated alliesand outrun the murderer’s attacks.Hooked on You: A Dead by Daylight Dating Sim, on the other hand, takes another look at those original killers in a way that might cause some fans to think twice.
Four of the killers take center stage as players must attempt to woo the monster of their choosing without being killed in the process. This dating sim has many mysteries hiding beneath its surface. Still, it never takes itself too seriously, acknowledging that the player is trying to impress murderous killers and offering a very enjoyable experience as a result. It’s an unexpected spin-off, but it’s one that a huge part of the community is enamored with.
5Until Dawn: Rush Of Blood
Offers A Unique Look At The World Of Until Dawn Through VR
A spin-off game from the widely praised horror narrative gameUntil Dawn,Rush of Blooduses the PlayStation VR to deliver a terrifying experience. The mainline game features a cast of characters in a cabin in the woods; fans must make quick decisions to influence relationship dynamics, discover the truth of a serial killer, and save as many lives as they can while the group of friends falls deeper and deeper into danger.
InRush Of Blood, the psychologist who served as a narrative throughline during the main games' story, appears as a carnival barker, enthusiastically sending the player into lairs full of deranged killers, ghosts, spiders, and other nightmares. To survive, players will need to use the Move Motion controllers towield dual pistolsthat serve as the only defense on this rattling rollercoaster.
A return to the original tone and content of theResident Evilseries,Revelationsis distinct in that it is structured in a series of episodes. Players control Jill Valentine, with some of the game following Chris Redfield, as they explore a ghost ship. Despite itsinitial release on the 3DS, the game manages to create a perfectly eerie atmosphere, featuring traditionalREammo scarcity, tough enemies, and puzzle-solving gameplay.
The HD port to consoles and PCs made it much more accessible and allowed many more fans to uncover what happened after the events ofResident Evil 4.Revelationshas quickly become a fan-favorite, perhaps due to the slowed-down gameplay that makes the game less action-packed and more spooky and suspenseful.
3FNaF World
A Turn-Based RPG That Features The Fazbear Gang
One of the strangest but most entertaining spin-off games in a horror franchise,FNaF Worldis very aware of the viral survival games that came before it. As the first spin-off in theFive Nights at Freddy’sseries, the game was pressured a lot at launch - the scope of the project meant that the game’s initial release was plagued with bugs. The more polished second version, though, is a simple but funturn-based RPGthat puts players in control of a party of beloved animatronics in a colorful digital world.
Like everyFNAFgame, there are heaps of hidden pieces of lore throughout the title, but what appears on the surface to be a light, friendly RPG quickly turns sinister. With bosses and characters that any fan of the original games will be familiar with,FNaF Worldis well worth a try. The combat system is light, and players are rewarded for experimenting with different party compositions and move-sets.
2What The Fog
In the newest spin-off release in theDead by Daylightseries,fan-favorite survivorsDwight Fairfield, Claudette Morel, and Feng Min are sucked into a board game in trueJumanjifashion. Adopting adorable cartoony sprites, players can work together or alone against hordes of angry monsters in a frantically paced shooterwith roguelike elements. Although the loop is simple, the selection of upgrades can change gameplay massively, giving characters additional airtime and jumps to make them fast and maneuverable or making them tanky, allowing them to deal huge damage while staying still.
The game shines in co-op mode, giving each character opportunities to come back after defeat to power up the generators just like inDead by Daylight. Despite being a huge diversion from their normal style,What The Fogstands out as a solid title in its own right, and it’s made even better by references to such an incredible game.
1Spirit Camera: The Cursed Memoir
A Fatal Frame Spin-Off That Puts The Camera In The Player’s Hands
In theFatal Frameseries, protagonists use powerful Camera Obscura to fend off attacks from lethal spirits.Spirit Camerafor the Nintendo 3DS sought to put that tool into the hands of the player to make the whole experience more immersive and terrifying. The game uses the 3DS' built-in camera and movement-detecting functions to reveal spirits in the real world that can only be seen through the device.
The Augmented Realitytake on theFatal Frameformula was quite successful, and though reviews were mixed on release, the game has grown in popularity since due to the inventiveness of the gameplay and the spooky story threaded throughout. Players would scan the titular ‘Cursed Memoir’ that came with the game and look for clues in their investigation only to be surrounded by ghosts that need to be captured on the screen. Ghosts would disappear and reappear behind the player to double down on the last second jumpscares, making for a truly immersive and frightening experience.
