Some of my favorite horror games are set in familiar environments: coastal towns, serene suburban neighborhoods, or quiet family homes. Many classics tap into the American zeitgeist, offering a sense of stability and security before the horror unfolds. Recently, I’ve been exploring horror games set in various parts of the world and have become enamored with these richly detailed, unsettling experiences that feel all the more eerie due to their unfamiliar settings.
“Still Wakes the Deep” kicks off on a decaying Scottish oil rig, where Caz McLeary, the protagonist, engages in small talk with his coworkers. The game’s developer, The Chinese Room, has accurately captured the accents and slang, which sometimes required me to rely on subtitles. Just when I began to feel at ease, the oil rig drills too deep, awakening an incomprehensible terror. Despite initially relating to Caz, I soon found myself confronting primal fears like drowning, cosmic corruption, and death.
“Mundaun” is another captivating example, drawing from Swiss folklore and interpreting age-old tales through hand-drawn art. The game, rendered to appear like pencil sketches, exudes a heavy, ominous atmosphere throughout. Curdin, a young man, returns to the Alps to investigate his grandfather’s death in a suspicious barn fire. With few allies in the forsaken village, he must rely on peculiar friends like a decapitated, screaming goat head or a distant veteran mired in despair.
Red Candle Games has garnered critical acclaim and a loyal fan base with “Detention” and “Devotion,” both set in Taiwan and rooted in the region’s history and religion. “Detention” unfolds during the White Terror, a long period of martial law, playing a significant role in the story. In contrast, “Devotion” delves into Taiwanese cults and familial dysfunction, weaving a haunting narrative.
“Finnish Cottage 8,” a recent indie horror game from Savukivi Games, released in March, is set in a “mökki,” a summer cabin used for vacations. However, this cabin is in disarray, and strange anomalies disturb the mundane world. The cabin may seem deserted, but the sinister drip of blood from the ceiling tells another story. The fireplace blazes, fueled not by wood but by bones, and a naked, faceless figure hovers near the sauna. Despite its short gameplay duration, under half an hour, the cottage feels alive and plausible as once being a cozy summer retreat, making the appearance of a screaming face in a cabinet door all the more startling.
I’ve enjoyed revisiting older titles I missed growing up, such as “Siren,” deeply rooted in Japanese folk horror and published in 2003. Despite its age, the game’s “sightjacking” mechanic—a feature that allows players to see through monsters’ eyes—is intriguing, albeit a bit clunky. Some puzzles are downright perplexing, particularly since the story is told from the perspectives of 10 characters over three days. With the help of a guide, I maneuvered past the most challenging bits and immersed myself in the bizarre history of the isolated village of Hanuda.
While I appreciated the recent Bloober Team remake of “Silent Hill 2,” these new experiences have heightened my interest in “Silent Hill F,” set in 1960s Japan. We’ve often witnessed troubled white protagonists in quiet American towns, so the prospect of navigating the series’ psychological horror through a new cultural lens is captivating. The protagonist, Shimizu Hinako, resides in the sequestered town of Ebisugaoka as a thick fog settles in. The monster designs unveiled so far are notably distinct from previous Silent Hill enemies and are expected to connect back to the protagonist in unsettling ways.
We are in a remarkable era for horror games, with smaller studios crafting daring, spine-chilling stories. As I dive deeper into this genre, I find myself drawn to games set in diverse cultures and regions. This unfamiliarity lends an extra layer of eeriness to the experience, dodging clichéd tropes and offering a refreshing thrill. Exploring an entirely new locale can be a thrilling adventure, with fresh scares as an added bonus.
