It’s almost the end of October and with Halloween a couple of days away, here are some horror games that came out in 2023.
At the beginning of this year, we had the Dead Space Remake. This game is a remake of Dead Space that came out in 2008, taking place in the future, you play Isaac Clarke who is an engineer who arrives on the USG Ishimura, a giant planet cracker ship in outer space. When Isaac arrives on the ship, he finds out something bad has happened on the ship and has to fight through the creatures that are lurking in the darkness. The remake improves visuals, performance, audio, and other things, it stays true to the original game but with modern-day improvements. The game is still scary with the creatures and with the improved visuals, the game is more scary since it’s hard to see in the dark. When playing this game there will be occasional jumpscares that are random and the audio in this game will give you the chills. Isaac isn’t just running away from the creatures, he is fighting them. You will have to find futuristic tools that are your weapons and shoot the limbs of the creatures to take them out. While you’re taking them out make sure to do the iconic curb-stomp attack to make sure the creatures are eliminated.
In March of this year, another remake was released, the Resident Evil 4 Remake. An iconic game from 2005 that is considered to be one of the best video games of all time. The game didn’t need a remake; it still held up and has been re-released to modern consoles and even a successful VR port to the Oculus Quest 2 (now known as Meta Quest 2). When this game was announced, we didn’t know how Capcom could improve on such an iconic game, but they did. The story mostly stays the same where you play as Leon Kennedy who is sent on a mission to find and rescue the president’s daughter but comes across the Los illuminados cult. The gameplay is modernized, similar to the recent RE2, RE3 remake, and RE Village 3rd-person mode, but with more action. You can now parry enemy attacks which is probably one of the best changes in the game that adds to the gameplay. The knife now has durability since you can parry, but you can upgrade and improve the knife at the merchant. Leon can still kick and do a suplex on stunned enemies and can dodge some enemy attacks. There are some new areas and areas that are reimagined, the boss fights are mostly the same, and just improved changes to the game. The mercenaries game mode is still in the game, receiving some updates here and there, but recently the Separate Ways game came back in the form of a paid DLC. Separate Ways shows Ada Wong’s perspective and mission while the events of RE4 are occurring. This DLC completes the game by adding some areas and bosses that weren’t in the main game. One more thing to mention is that there will be a VR mode for the PSVR2 release this winter.
Another game that was released in March is Amnesia: The Bunker. Amnesia: The Bunker is another game in the Amnesia series and is a first-person psychological survival horror game set in a WW1 bunker. You will be mostly running away from the horrors in the darkness, solving puzzles, and trying to keep the lights on so that you don’t lose your sanity. In this game you have a revolver with very limited bullets, which is a first in the series since there aren’t any weapons, you’re mostly just running away or hiding. Instead of using a lamp to light your way through the darkness, you are now using a hand-cranked flashlight. It doesn’t require fuel like the lamp in the old games but after you turn the flashlight on, it’s only on for a limited amount of time. This means you have to constantly crank the flashlight to light your way, also when cranking the flashlight, it makes noise which attracts the monster in the darkness, so you have to be careful with turning the flashlight on.
If you like playing co-op games with friends then you will like The Outlast Trials. A prequel and the third game in the Outlast series where you and other players are test subjects who have to complete and survive Cold War experiments. It’s a first-person survival Horror game with psychological elements. The game can be played solo or coop but you have to complete a set of tasks while having a monster chase you around. There are four character classes with skill trees and unique abilities. Instead of using a camera to see in the dark, you now have night vision goggles to see where you are going. You will also have to find items to help you or others escape, but you can’t take a lot of items because you are limited to holding three items. There isn’t a way to fight enemies but you can temporarily stun them, making stealth a big part of the game. (The game is only on PC right now, but is coming to consoles in early 2024 with cross-play)
Another co-op game that came out this year is The Texas Chainsaw Massacre. Based on the 1974 movie where you and other survivors have to escape Leatherface and his “family”. The developers behind this game also made Friday the 13th: the Game. The Texas Chainsaw Massacre is an asymmetric multiplayer game where if you are playing as the survivors, All four of you need to work together to find items and escape. If you’re on the Killer’s side, all three of you have to prevent the survivors from escaping and eliminate them. (This game is on PC, Playstation, and Xbox with cross-play)
Daymare: 1994 Sandcastle is a prequel and the second game in the series that is heavily inspired by Resident Evil. This third-person, story-driven, survival horror game, takes place in the year 1994 in Nevada at the military base Groom Lake near Area 51. You play as a special agent named Dalila Reyes who is sent on a mission to recover research data along with her squad mates from H.A.D.E.S . While exploring the facility, Reyes encounters deadly creatures in a maze-like facility. The game has puzzles and an inventory system similar to the Resident Evil series, but there is a new piece of equipment, the Frost Grip. A liquid Nitrogen weapon that is useful against enemies and solving puzzles. This game is available on PC, Xbox, and PlayStation.
The last game we will be talking about is the long-awaited sequel, Alan Wake 2. From the people that made Max Payne, Quantum Break and Control, Remedy Entertainment will finally release a sequel to the 13-year-old game Alan Wake. In this game you will play as an FBI agent named Saga Anderson and of course Alan Wake. Thirteen years after the bestselling writer Alan Wake went missing, there have been murders occurring in a town named Bright Falls, Washington. Saga is sent to investigate the ritualistic murders where she will be involved in a supernatural horror story written by Alan Wake. On Alan Wake’s side of the story, he has been trapped in the Dark Place after the events of the first game. Wake has to explore a twisted form of New York City where he will try to rewrite his reality with a story to escape. This game is known as a survival horror, third-person shooter with a unique gameplay feature. Your greatest weapon in these games is the light. Using a flashlight or light in general will allow you to take out enemies instead of just shooting. It could also be used to stun enemies, heal you, and get rid of objects in the way. Alan Wake 2’s gameplay is also similar to the recent Resident Evil games, over-the-shoulder shooting. DLC for the game is confirmed to release next year and there are two of them. The game will be released on October 27 and will be available on PC, Xbox Series X and S, and the PlayStation 5.
These are some of the horror games that are out in 2023.
