For the next week you can get the collectors edition of horror game Alan Wake and it's expansion (American Nightmare) for whatever you feel like paying for it (minimum is $1) via the Humble Bundle website. The site is unique in that when you pay you get to choose who gets your money; divided between the website, the developers and charity and other causes.
Anyway, the game's description is as follows:
"When the wife of the best-selling writer Alan Wake disappears during their
vacation to Bright Falls, Wake’s search turns up pages from a thriller he
doesn’t even remember writing. A dark presence stalks the small town, pushing
Wake to the brink of sanity in his fight to unravel the mystery and save his
love."
Heretic/Hexen is a series of dark fantasy games where you battle monsters (such as ghosts and weredragons) in a dark gothic setting.
Heretic was the first to come out in 1994 and was built upon the game Doom, which was very popular at the time by the company Raven Software.The game takes place in a world where 3 brothers known as the Serpent riders (they ride serpents) have corrupted the world with their evil ways. Which basically means lots of imps and demons and skeletal beasts have to be disposed of by the player while navigating maze like levels, such as castles dungeons and the gates of hell, that are quite pretty considering it's age! It was apparently the first game to have "giblets" of gore and even carries a warning for this (though it is very tame for today!).
Hexen came out in 1995 as a semi sequel (it's an alternate dimention!) and is the German word for Witches or spell casting. It is noticably prettier than the other title (the levels with the stained glass are nice, though it looks less great in a screenshot!). It also allowed you to have a choice between 3 characters with different weapons and styles of combat.
There was also a new set of enemies like the Ettin (look left), Stalkers (its basically the creature from the black lagoon) and the Wendigo.
Attacked by a viscous spider!
Hexen 2 was the last official Hexen game, and was the first of the series to be completely 3d (in earlier games the enemies and objects are just pictures!). It also added things like upgrades for character and 4 new player types (Paladin, crusader, Necromancer and Assassin) as well as sheep.
There is also new enemies like the skull wizards, gorgons and spiders. So if you are arachnophobic this one might be a bad idea...
Heretic 2 from 1998 I don't have, so no screenshot! This was the first in series to be third person (where you can see your character instead of seeing the world from their eyes) and was also the last in the series. It's more cinematic than the other games with movie like sequences to narrate the story.
Then...
Fear the mighty skull lamp!!!
Hexen: Edge of Chaos is an unofficial sequel of Hexen, built on a much more modern game (doom 3) began in 2010 by a group of fans.
It features the characters from the original Hexen along with the same enemies, and weapons. the best part about it is the lighting, and the way that your lantern and weapons cast long spooky shadows!
Hopefully they finish it soon, and the best part about it is that it should be free! (there's a demo version availible, though you will need to own Doom 3).
Character selection screen of Darkstalkers 3, featuring Q-Bee. Screencap by Madame Luciel
Darkstalkers is a 2D game series, released by Capcom; technically, it was originally released as Vampire (with subsequent games in the series being titled things like Vampire Hunter,Vampire Savior, Vampire Resurrection, etc.) in Japan, but in Europe and the US it's known as Darkstalkers. Whilst the game play is quite similar to other games, such as Street Fighter, what makes Darkstalkers a favourite of mine are the themes: monsters, mythology & folklore. Vampires, werewolves, bee-women, ghosts, demons, mummies, zombie rockstars, yetis, and more - they're all in there!
The above trailer is for the release Darkstalkers: Resurrection, which combines two games in the series (Night Warriors: Darkstalkers' Revenge [1995] and Darkstalkers 3 [1997]), updating the graphics to HD and including extra modes (such as online play) and new unlockables. The game was released in 2013 for PS3 and XBox 360. The video below features an online match between Jedah and Victor (the uploader was playing as Jedah). I decided to include this one because of the background, 'MONSTER!'s, Victor being like Frankenstein's Monster, and Jedah's crazy laughing.
If you want to find out more about the characters in the series and also see pictures of them, click the cut below↓ (Screencaps from Darkstalkers 3 by Madame Luciel)
At the moment THQ are running a free giveaway of the apocalyptic horror game Metro: 2033. It's based on the novel of the same name by Dmitry Glukhovsky. Set in a future where nuclear war has forced humans to live underground, it tells the tale of survivors in Moscow who live in the underground metro away from the animals and humans on the surface who have mutated into monstrous forms.
To get the game you have to head to THQs Facebook page to see the promotion! Stocks are "limited" so hurry hurry hurry!
However, if you don't mange to get a copy from there, there is also the THQ Humble Bundle, from which you can also get Metro 2033 and 5 other games for $1! The other games aren't really horror, though I suppose Red Faction: Armageddon has aliens, and in Darksiders you play as one of the Horsemen of the Apocalypse! That promotion ends in 26 hours.
I have some extremely blood-dripping news for all of you (especially) Dungeon Keeper-, Overlord-, Evil Genius-fanatics! For years us Dungeon Keeper fans have hungered for the next sequel to Dungeon Keeper 2. Well, that will probably never happen, but wait! Here is the next best thing. I have for quite some time followed this team who are re-creating the atmosphere of all those games we used to play for hours and hours. The game is called War For the Overworld. Subterranean games has started a Kickstarter page, in order to make the game happen. For further information on the game, donations, etc. please click here.
I cannot even express my excitement over this game! August 2013 cannot come soon enough.
For my fellow Dungeon Keeper players, I leave you a question; what is your favorite minion in Dungeon Keeper one and/or two?
This is only a short entry, mainly because I liked the graphic at the top (which you can see above). It is a sale thats going on right now with lots and lots of Horror games of lots of different genres. There are a few different images that appear randomly. Like this one below!
Anyway, there are also a few Halloween events going on (some of them on free games), and several of the games mentioned here, are on sale!
Recommended by Death himself! (Wait...maybe that's not a good thing...)
I originally found this point-and-click, Halloween-themed escape game by TeraLumina, via Kei at Unfortunately Oh! (you should check out her blog - it's not horror, but it is fantastic!).
On a scary Halloween night, you're trapped in a frightening room. Can you escape this room of horrors and keep your wits about you?
Halloween cheese!
The object of the game - as with all escape games - is to get out of the room in which you're trapped, by finding hidden items in the room and using them for specific purposes. Sounds simple right? Well, that's because it is, but it's also quite a fun and an amusing way to pass the time if you have a spare 10-15 minutes to kill.
Stealing from the dead is encouraged, apparently!
It's spooky Halloween feel throughout - from the eerie sound effects to the undead wandering around - and there's even the added bonus of having Johann Sebastian Bach's Toccata and Fugue in D minor playing during the opening.
Just your "friendly" neighborhood ghost
Overall, although it's not an amazing game, it's an enjoyable Halloween-themed game that can be finished in approximately 10-15 minutes (if you're not taking screencaps and being distracted, that is). Oh, and it's free to play, too.
If you'd like to try it out, you can find it on the website below↓
Some of you may remember the game Dead Island (it wasn't that long ago...last year). It's a rather simple game where you fight off hordes of the recently undead. As there aren't many guns, most of the time you fight with knives and sticks and things laying around. It's pretty buggy (ok it's really, really buggy) and the actors are all annoying, but somehow it's still strangely enjoyable!
Anyway! This time they have decided to expand on the earlier Dead Island with Project Hell, by placing it in a "dark fantasy" world of undead, necromancers and demons. It's still in production, but it might be good. Or it might be bad, it's hard to tell at this point. (or it might be bad, but still strangely enjoyable!):
When walking in the dark woods, I discovered, an active fault line! D:
"We want to travel back to the times when enemies were really hideous and repulsive, the fights were brutal and bloody and the gameplay was challenging and rich with secrets waiting to be uncovered.
It was natural for us to think in terms of a dark horror setting. Mostly due to Dead Island but also because we’re lucky enough to remember the first Quake and Diablo and the impression these games made on us – so few new games can keep up with these classics.
While searching for a dark and mature mood we are constantly referring to early European medieval times. It was a time when a lot of people were torn between Christianity and pagan habits – they attended masses but kept casting curses, asking oracles for advice all the while living in fear of necromancy. This gives us a believable base to build up a setting with grounds for magic bound with the evil side.
On the other hand, we’re not looking for cheap controversy by putting in religious symbols and desecrating them. With respect for our players’ beliefs we’re creating a completely new, brutal, dark and gory world based on a universal dichotomy between good and evil.."
They also say not to expect "unicorns and fairies" which I personally find scarier...
Theres no indication of when it will be released, but you can keep up to date with the production at the official blog, entitled "sharpen your axes"!
This is the first one, just imagine it like this with more stuff!
Some of you may know what Plants Vs. Zombies is (if not there was an entry about it 3 years ago!). If not...it's a game where you must defend your house (and brain) from wave upon wave of various types of zombies. Instead of using shotguns or treadmills, you must use a range of plants to stop the relentless horde!
Well that was then and this is now (though you can still get the old one!). Popcap, makers of Plants Vs. Zombies have announced they are releasing a sequel, which should rise once more by late spring 2013:
"PopCap Games, maker of some of the world’s most popular video game franchises and a division of EA, today announced that the underground growth of the sequel to Plants vs. Zombies™, one of the world’s most popular video games, is germinating and advancing with rigor.
The sequel to Plants vs. Zombies is expected to launch by late spring 2013, and will include a bevy of new features, settings, and situations, designed to delight the franchise’s tens of millions of fans around the world. No other details of the highly anticipated new installment in the franchise are available at this time, beyond the following comments from some of the game’s denizens.
“Spring is crullestcurlie ungood time, and plantz grow dull roots,” noted an unidentified spokesperson. “So, we are meating you for brainz at yore house. No worry to skeduleschedlue plan… we're freee anytime. We'll find you.”
“There was a time we relished a bracing, hearty blend of zombies, in the morning,” said Sonny F. Lower, a representative of the Flora Forever Foundation. “But first, a brisk shower and some strategic pruning are required. Tomorrow is near!”"
The original game Blood came out in 1997, made by 3D realms (Duke Nukem) and Monolith Productions (F.E.A.R, Condemned) and is a rather gory, horrorey game. You play as Caleb, a gunfighter who joined a cult called "The Cabal" in 1871 and rose to the highest level circle "The Chosen" (the naming gets better!). But things didn't go so well and the god Tchernobog (see!) kills all the members of The Chosen for failing to do his bidding. But, for some reason Caleb rises again from the grave and decides to set out and bring an end to Mr. Tchernobog.
As Caleb you go around levels set in various locations such as carnivals, mortuaries and even a living temple made of flesh, armed with a variety of weapons. Examples of these range from the standard pitchfork and shotgun, to the more exotic Voodoo Doll.
Voodoo Doll attack!
Enemies range from robed cultists, zombies and winged beasts to bosses such as large spiders and double headed dogbeats. The game contains many subtle references to horror films, such as Evil Dead, Frankenstein, Nightmare on Elm Street etc. etc. It is pretty gory (ill include a video after the cut), so much so that a censored version had to be released.
Anyway! This is the announcement made by the games creator Jason (Jace) Hall:
I have been contemplating the idea bringing Blood back and was wondering how people might feel about it or if they were interested in helping me to do it.
To be clear, I am thinking of bringing the ORIGINAL Blood game back as it was, with functionality alterations/enhancements that are similar but superior to ZDAEMON's. I would also make it work on all platforms, and not just PC. There are other things as well...
I have a very specific vision in mind for what I'd like to do, but before I go off and do it - I wanted to speak directly with the Blood community and see what the thoughts are.
My goal of course is for this all to be free, and all about gameplay and fun. You can rest assured that I have the resources to bring BLOOD back properly but like I said, I'm hoping to have the community participate in all this if it wants to so we can all do it together. This site is great and it would be great to see the Blood community grow!
'Slender' is a fairly simple, first-person horror game, in which you make your way around a dark forest with the objective being to find 8 pages - with slightly unnerving pictures and text on - that are hidden in various places amid the trees.
That alone would not make it of the horror genre. However, the ominous Slenderman is also lurking around, which almost transforms Slender into "what it must be like to be stalked by a horror movie serial killer" simulator. Maybe that doesn't sound like fun, but it actually is in a creepy kind of way.
Spot the Slenderman
Although you don't need headphones or speakers for this game, in order to fully appreciate the atmosphere, sound is definitely advisable. There is only the sound of your character's footsteps / breathing to begin with, but as you collect more pages, subtle, foreboding additions are gradually made to the soundtrack.
There's usually some kind of warning when Slenderman is around, or you'll see him from afar at first before he moves closer, which makes him a bit easier to avoid. Then again, sometimes he just comes around the corner suddenly without any warning at all.
Slenderman is sneaky
Oh, and if you can't run away from him and he catches you, that's it. No health bar, no respawning, no save points. Just game over. So be careful and vigilant or you'll have to start all over again.
Whilst the lack of gory killings, no fighting, and less-than-perfect graphics may seem dull to some people, Slender really is very entertaining. I have to admit that at first I was skeptical about the game as well because I just didn't see how the Slenderman could possibly be creepy. However, at least for the first couple of play-throughs, Slenderman made me jump each time he appeared right in front of me (you'll understand why if you play it yourself). Whilst Slender might not be the greatest game ever made, it is highly enjoyable. Definitely worth trying, especially as it's free!
Slender is a free game by Parsec Productions in which you play as a woman armed with a mighty flashlight, who must for some reason collect pages, numbering 8...in a park...during the night. To make matters more traumatic for this woman, there might possibly be the Slenderman lurking about...
For those who have never seen Mr.Slenderman, he is a friendly being that likes to hug things with strechable (sometimes multiple) arms, is tall and skinny, and likes to wears a suit. For some reason the woman, and those that play the game seem terrified of him...
Few horror games thrust you so directly into the heart of fear. All of Slender’s elements – the lack of a map, the threat of instant death, the slight element of unpredictability of the page locations – all contribute to a pervasive sense of hopeless vulnerability as you frantically flee an unknowable predator who may or may not be directly behind you.
The game can be downloaded for free here! Here's a trailer, just in case you aren't convinced to get it yet:
Edit: Updated links since the old ones no longer work, and added link to new homepage for the game! Link to game (Windows/etc.) Link to Slender Website Link to Parsec productions (goes to another, rather less scary game. Unless you have pancakeophobia... which isn't a word I just made up...)
The latest edition of the Humble Indie Bundle has been out for a day but I'm slow!) and this time contains 2 horror games!
Trailer:
The first horror game is Amnesia: The Dark Decent, which is a psychological horror game that we've written about before. You hide from terrible things that are actually creepy and it really is one of the scarier horror games!
The second is Limbo, a dark platform game full of many many deaths! You find yourself up against a range of disturbing scenarios as you travel through a foreboding monochrome world.
The idea of the humble bundle is that you can pay any amount from $0.1 to $100000 and will receive all the games. You can decide how much goes to charity, to the developers and to the humble bundle makers. But if you give more than the average of what other people have given you receive a bonus game (this is currently $7.71). This time the bonus game is Bastion.
All of the games will work on Windows and several other varieties of PC, and can be bought from any country worldwide (the prices are in dollars, however).
'The Binding of Isaac' is one of my favourite games of recent years, if not because of its huge replay value, then for its all-out random weirdness! Of course, just because I love it, doesn't mean I'm good at it and those of you that play the game will see by the heart above that I haven't made it past Sheol yet D: Anyway, my failures aside, the new download content / add-on - 'Wrath of the Lamb' - was released yesterday and, following a short wait of about 5 minutes to download and install, much pact-making, blood-splattering, crying at monsters fun ensued! I don't want to say too much about the DLC since it only just came out and I wouldn't want to spoil it for anyone who wants to play it, so I'll just give a general overview and accompany it with a bunch of random screenshots that Madame Luciel and I took earlier :D
Jesus Juice! One of the many new items in Wrath of the Lamb
The pack costs £1.99 from the Steam Store and you also need to have the base Binding of Isaac game as well, which is 60% off until June 3rd (it's £1.60 at the moment; usually £3.99). The new content includes a new, unlockable playable character, loads of new achievements and items, new 'passive' power-ups called "trinkets", a Challenge mode and many new enemies and bosses too! To be more specific:
100+ new items! (now over 235 items!)
5+ new chapters!
20+ new enemies!
25 new achievements!
15+ new bosses!
6+ new room types! (Unholy rooms, boss duel rooms & "sacrifice rooms")
6+ new mysterious item drops (eternal hearts, playing cards, dimes and more!)
5+ new music tracks by Danny Baranowsky
A new item type, Trinkets
A new challenge mode with 10 unique challenges that unlock more content
A new unlockable character, Samson (The Beserker)
A new final (final) chapter and boss with new endings
Tons of new random happenings, curses, blessings, npcs, fortune tellers and more!
Also more super secrets than you'd probably expect... good luck finding them all.
Samson, the new character, is unlocked by passing on 2 treasure rooms in one playthrough and then defeating Mom. He only has one heart to begin with, but his attack becomes stronger with each enemy he kills in a room to make up for that. The attack power resets at the beginning of each room though, so if there's only 2 enemies in a chamber it doesn't make a lot of difference. However, the ability works well if you're fighting an enemy-spawning boss. There's also a slight bug with Samson, because if he dies it signs his note as 'Eve' and she also appears in some of his "vs." screens as well. It isn't anything major though!
Samson
Overall, I'm really enjoying the extra content so far and maybe I'll even be able to finish Sheol now. (HA!)
I Am Error
More screenshots after the cut below. (If you want to know anything else about / see anything else from the game, let me know and Luciel & I will try and write about / show you it :D )
Today's letter is B, which is for Bloodsuckers! Shockingly enough, I'm not going to write about vampires *gasp*...because I rather fancy saving them for V instead ;D
Simply put, bloodsuckers are creatures that feed on blood. The scientific name for this practice is haematophagy, which is derived from the Greek words haima (blood) and phagein (to eat). According to the BBC Nature website:
Blood suckers take a variety of forms, many of them parasitic, from small invertebrates to larger mammals. Specialised features, such as the vampire bat's front teeth or the proboscis of the mosquito, help puncture the skin of their victim and there may also be chemical activity to prevent the victim's blood from clotting and ceasing to flow. Blood is full of nutrients, which makes it an attractive option for an easy meal.
I could write a whole entry just about the fascinating world of insects and bats, but it's not very horror-themed is it? No, the Bloodsuckers I'm talking about come from the GSC/THQ sci-fi horror game series 'S.T.A.L.K.E.R.', which was loosely inspired by the Strugatsky Brothers' sci-fi novel 'Roadside Picnic'.
A product of radioactivity in "The Zone", Bloodsuckers have developed claws, tentacled lower jaws to aid bloodsucking and the power to make themselves invisible, leaving only their glowing eyes behind. They prefer lurking around in the dark, in order to sneak up from behind on unsuspecting victims, but they do go on the prowl during the daylight hours as well.
Bloodsuckers are not only sneaky, but quick and strong too, which makes them formidable enemies. They are, however, not impervious to gunfire, so if you manage to keep out of their way long enough to shoot, you'll probably survive!
For more info about the S.T.A.L.K.E.R. game series and Bloodsuckers, visit the following source sites:
'Monstermind' is a Facebook game, in which you try to build a prosperous town while making monsters to attack your friends enemies with, set in 1940's-1960's sci-fi horror movies. Even the music is a gloriously cheesy monster movie score!
Your town, which will automatically be called '*your first name*-wood', is pretty empty when you first acquire it, but it doesn't take long to change that! Build houses for population, commerce buildings for money, defence to protect your lovely monsters...or people, and decorations to slow down enemy attacks. You can also change the name of your town, by clicking on it and typing/deleting. Naturally, I chose to call my town 'Horrorwood', since I'm just that original. Heh.
Now, whilst creating a thriving little town, in which you balance the population number with the amount of commerce, is all very fascinating, the best part of 'Monstermind' comes when you get to unleash your mutated creations onto another player's town! Kyahahahaha! You unlock new creature types with each level, from giant apes to giant women, and destructive robots to zombies! The first time you use them, a little information box Every kind of monster has its own strengths and weaknesses, so it's a good idea to experiment to see which ones work well together in the town you're attacking.
For example, zombies might be fashionable horrors right now and you might want to use them, but they cannot take on tanks! Just leave those to the bigger, tougher monsters and let the zombies run shamble in when there's not much defence left. This is important, because you get to keep all of the surviving monsters after each attack. The more creatures you have left, the more you will have to use next time. The key to all the attacks is to take out the Town Hall as quickly as possible, because nothing can function without it!
Initially, you can only attack / be attacked by your friends' towns and Doomsday, but if you hire Eva for 100, you can spread terror and destruction to random player cities too. This makes it much easier to gain experience, collection items, and extra money. Of course, they can then send their monster minions to demolish your town too, so you need to defend it!
There are also quests that appear on the left-hand side of the screen from time to time. When you click them, an old fashioned TV appears and plays a little animated movie telling you what you need to do. Not all of the movies are finished (it simply says "coming soon"), and sometimes it can be difficult to tell what you should be doing, but there is a text summary at the end of the films. Also, the animations remind me of the cartoon 'Dexter's Lab', but I'm not entirely convinced that wasn't intentional.
For all its fun, 'Monstermind' is still a Facebook game, and they can be pretty tedious, and highly frustrating when you get to the point where you suddenly need to spend a stupid amount of real money in order to progress. That's usually the point when I stop playing. However, 'Monstermind' is different, because even though you can buy addons, you don't need to. You can trade in the collections to acquire specific things, such as monsters, buildings, and decorations for free, including some which can only be bought with real money ordinarily. Hopefully they'll keep this feature, as it's something that makes 'Monstermind' much more enjoyable than other games of a similar type.
Overall, 'Monstermind' is an amusing and enjoyable sci-fi horror-themed game that provides procrastinators everywhere with more distractions than usual. It has a cute charm for those who just want to cuddle the monsters, mixed with just enough destruction to keep budding world dominators entertained for hours!
Released on Steam last September, and loosely inspired by the Biblical tale of the same name, 'The Binding of Isaac' is an independent 2D game, designed by Edmund McMillen and Florian Himsl. A small boy called Isaac lives with his mother on a hill, where they live a simple but happy life. Isaac draws pictures, while his mother watches Christian TV shows. One day, Isaac's mother hears the voice of God, telling her that her son is evil and needs to be cleansed of the corruption around him. So she takes his toys, crayons, and even his clothes away from him in an attempt to purify him.
However, this is apparently not enough, and she hears the voice of God a second time, telling her that Isaac is still a sinner. This time, Isaac's mother locks him in his room, hoping that this will please her Lord. Unfortunately for Isaac, it doesn't, and his mother once again hears the voice of God. He demands that she sacrifice Isaac in order to prove her love and devotion to him, and she agrees to comply immediately. Isaac hears her conversation though, and escapes into the basement just before his mother reaches him. Sadly for Isaac, the basement happens to be full of monsters!
You go through the game as Isaac (or other unlockable characters), making your way through the many rooms of the impressively vast basement, where he is forced to confront all sorts of horrors, both in the present and from his past. Whilst the plot sounds pretty serious and gloomy, it really isn't and the game is full of surprises, dark humour, and the bizarre.
The controls are fairly simple and easy to remember, but are written on the floor of the first room in every chapter, just in case you should forget.
It is honestly an addictive game, especially with the random enemy and terrain generator at work, ensuring that no two play-throughs are the same. Whichever levels you get though, you can be sure that they'll be filled with creepy-crawlies, blood (and other bodily fluids), utterly strange power-ups, various secrets, and...poop.
Overall, 'The Binding of Isaac' is a fun, quirky game, that doesn't take itself too seriously and provides hours of entertainment. In addition to the gameplay being enjoyable, the music, written by Danny Baranowsky, is also fantastic and sets the mood of each area wonderfully. It's surprising, especially considering that the game only costs £3.99 (or £4.98 if you buy it together with the soundtrack). Well worth it!
To play the demo, buy the full game, or find out more, check out the links below:
