Summary
Side-scrolling games cover a wide variety of styles and genres. Horror, specifically, utilizes this style of gameplay to its advantage due to the claustrophobic spaces, hiding mechanics, heart-pounding chase sequences, and fear of the unknown. Players are made to feel vulnerable with a limited perspective; being unable to see what’s around the protagonist is certain to make any desensitized gamer feel even a little spooked.
Audio design is also a crucial element in this type of game, as it can make the player feel uneasy since it would be hard to tell which direction the sound of glass smashing or a creature’s groaning is coming from. As such, these elements ensure that side-scrolling horror games are immersive, terrifying, and enjoyable.
8Re:Turn - One Way Trip
Spooky Coming-Of-Age Tale Set On A Train
Saki and her friends go camping to celebrate graduation, unknowingly, for the last time. Jumping between the past and present, explore an abandoned train as Saki to discover where her friends have suddenly disappeared to. Switching between pixel art and digitally painted graphics, the visuals really add a spark to the proceedings.
Since it’sprimarily set in a single location, there’s quite a bit of backtracking, so it can often feel a little tedious. However, the creepy atmosphere, chilling antagonists, and mysterious story make up for some lacking areas. If players enjoy simple puzzle mechanics and fetch quest gameplay, they will enjoy what theRe:Turnseries has to offer.
7The Coma: Recut
A Nightmarish Glance Into Korean School Culture
School-based Korean horrorThe Coma: Recut (2017)is a remastered version ofThe Coma: Cutting Class(2015). Student Youngho falls asleep during the final exams at Sehwa High and finds himselftrapped within the dark corridors of the school- no end seemingly in sight.
Whilst also being stalked by a killer, the player must help him navigate through this nightmare by picking up notes and talking to fellow classmates to unravel the mystery. With hand-illustrated visuals straight out of a manhwa and social commentary about the Korean school system, it offers a narrative worth playing.
6Withering Rooms
A Souls-like Rogue-like In A Creepy Mansion
Explore the ever-changing Mostyn House - a Victorian mansion that houses a variety of enemies, including ghosts and witches that have their sights set on the protagonist. Players can tailor the gameplay however they like,by making use of stealth mechanicsto avoid creatures or by fighting them head-on.
From rituals and crafting to melee combat, it’s up to the player’s decisions whether main character Nightingale will make it out alive or not. This one has a difficult learning curve to begin with, but an interesting and unique experience nonetheless.
Inspired by the developer’s own struggles with depression and OCD,NeverendingNightmaresfollows Thomas who is trapped in a revolving door of horrifying dreams, not knowing when he’ll wake up. In each nightmare, there are different ways Thomas can die - whether it’s from a manifestation of a monster, or self-harm.
The black-and-white visualsreally help to make the world seem empty, besides a pop of bright red to highlight the horror that Thomas is facing. With the reflection of the creator’s struggles, it could be relatable to some players, making the fear factor much more realistic.
Set at a Taiwanese school, explore Greenwood High as students Wei and Ray work together to uncover the mystery behind it, whilst avoiding spirits and other evil beings. As they are under strict martial law, combined with a desaturated color scheme, the world feels bleak and hopeless.
More focus is on solving puzzlesand stealth instead of quick platforming, which helps ratchet up the horror. The characters hold their breath to walk past enemies, which makes it very tense with having restricted vision. Some of the visuals are quite eerie and will make anybody want to leave the school as quickly as possible.
Getting a fresh coat of paint with a remastered version of the 1995 classicClock Tower, take on young orphan Jennifer as she explores the Barrows Mansion. For the first time ever, it’s officially translated outside of Japan, bringing fear to a new, modern audience.
This 16-bit game provides stunning animated cutscenes, gore, and jump scares whilst puzzle-solving and avoiding the threat of the Scissorman. Jennifer is unable to fight back besides using traps, and players will have to keep an eye on her health and stamina, which can make it stressful for some. The remaster adds extra content and quality-of-life improvements, complete with a choice to play in its original or revised state.
Set against an eerie, desaturated backdrop with only a hint of color, a young boy finds himself evading capture from the watchful eyes of those participating in mind control experimentation. Utilizing the environment whilst carefully making his way to freedom,Insideproves to be rather anxiety-inducing.
Alongside an ominous narrative and anunexpected hard-hitting ending, the use of platforming and puzzle-solving are an integral part ofInside, encouraging the player to think about their actions and to keep this young boy from just being another number in the system.
Embodying a faceless child in a bright yellow raincoat, traverse a creaking ship-like vessel as protagonist Six to uncover the disturbing underbelly of human consumption,whilst examining themes between childhood and adulthood.Little Nightmaresis as dark as it is captivating.
Dodge grotesque monsters using stealth mechanics or time jumps just right during a chase sequence to not get caught. Due to the size difference between the protagonist and the antagonists, the limited perspective is really abundant here, making the player feel more vulnerable and susceptible to the added tension, as it can sometimes be difficult to anticipate what the next step is.
