Here are five Indie horror games that will leave you terrified. Are you brave enough to play them?
There is something truly terrifying about the unknown. 'Stairwell' is one of the scarier additions in the SCP library due to its simplicity. SCP is a collection of stories of locations or objects that seem ordinary at first but can become nightmarish creations. 'Stairwell' is very much what it is in the title; a stairwell with a seemingly unlimited number of floors. However, the stairwells are poorly lit, narrow and the only company you have are the randomised events that happen as you move further and further down. The game is simple and can seem like a walking simulator at times when nothing is happening but due to it being randomised, you never know when and what is going to pop up which, makes it a truly terrifying playthrough.
'IMSCARED' doesn’t look like much at first but the same is described as a metahorror experience. This game will try and mess with you. Saying anything more about it will truly spoil the experience of what the game is. You will find stray files on your computer as you go through the first-person pixel nightmare trying to beat the game at its own games. If you choose to play the game, just remember that the game is not your friend and you truly are alone in this nightmare world.
Bendy and The Ink Machine
Inspired by the colourful world of old Disney and Fleischer animations, you play as Henry- a man who used to work in an old animation studio- who has been called back 30 years later. Going back to the studio, you discover your old workplace in ruins and you must bring to life the ink machine to keep the place running. Upon doing this, you begin to realise that the animation staff have been trying to bring their mascot Bendy into the real world through the occult and that’s when all hell breaks loose. The game is episodic with the first one being free to play. The game is a masterpiece of story, beautiful visuals and characters. Saying any more would spoil how wonderful this creative horror pieces really are. It’s a must for a Halloween indie horror binge.
If you have a fear of animatronics, I wouldn’t recommend this title. This game found its fame in 2014 and has since spun off countless sequels and side games. It’s time to look at the game that started it all, the original 'Five Nights at Freddie’s'. You play a night guard looking after murderous animatronics until 5 am and that’s pretty much it. There’s something about the original that makes it an absolute classic. The gameplay was ground-breaking at the time and has since been perfected (and even copied through many fangames). Everyone remembers how terrifying it was to see Bonnie, Chica and Freddy standing by your door, waiting for you to drop your guard. Everyone also remembers how scary it was to look at your camera and see Foxy run at you. The sequels have added to the story and made it better, but the original deserves to be looked at again for starting a craze of murderous animatronics.
Doki Doki Literature Club
Don’t be fooled by the cute anime girls when you look up this game. For many people, they were fooled by the seemingly innocent gameplay as it appeared to be any regular anime dating sim. Much like 'IMSCARED', not too much can be discussed without spoiling the experience. The best way to play it is to play it blind. It follows the main character who has joined the literature club with the chance of wooing three girls; your childhood best friend Sayori, the grumpy standoffish Natsuki and the shy and poetic Yuri. There is also Monika who is the head of the literature club. The game takes a very unsettling turn that will stay with you for a long time. Play this game blind, it will be so worth it. However, as a warning, it must be made clear that this game deals with the topics of suicide, self-harm and depression.