Putting the 'role' back in role-playing games since 2002.
Donate to Codex
Good Old Games
  • Welcome to rpgcodex.net, a site dedicated to discussing computer based role-playing games in a free and open fashion. We're less strict than other forums, but please refer to the rules.

    "This message is awaiting moderator approval": All new users must pass through our moderation queue before they will be able to post normally. Until your account has "passed" your posts will only be visible to yourself (and moderators) until they are approved. Give us a week to get around to approving / deleting / ignoring your mundane opinion on crap before hassling us about it. Once you have passed the moderation period (think of it as a test), you will be able to post normally, just like all the other retards.

The Horror Adventure Thread

Reapa

Doom Preacher
Joined
Jul 10, 2009
Messages
2,340
Location
Germany
Please post the horror adventure games you know so we can make a nice list.

Penumbra: Overture ................ 30 March, 2007 (FP, FM, sAG)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8pESsLUI2Zg
Penumbra: The Black Plague ................ 15 February 2008 (FP, FM, sAG)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eX644KCA6-E
Penumbra: Requiem ................ 27 August 2008 (FP, FM, sAG, Addon for The Black Plague)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jit5SGh17Uk
Penumbra: Necrologue ................ 31 October 2014 (FP, FM, sAG, Amnesia Total Conversion Mod)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SNLBnUINKzg
Penumbra: Twilight of the Archaic ................ 31 October 2015 (FP, FM, sAG, Amnesia Total Conversion Mod)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FSHUmOs07PI

Amnesia: The Dark Descent ................ 8 September 2010 (FP, FM, sAG)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hyUf3Ctx-Ck
Amnesia: A Machine For Pigs ................ 10 September 2013 (FP, FM, sAG)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DMz-Kug6UzU

Miasmata ................ November 28, 2012 (FP, FM, suAG)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LBJ5YrIMq-A

Stories Untold ................ 27 February, 2017 (FP, FM, tAG)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r4M-CHhe324

Lifestream ................ 25 April, 2016 (FP, GM, sAG)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6hrzsAvqB2c

Darkness Within - In Pursuit of Loath Nolder ................ 14 August, 2009 (FP, GM, sAG)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=18XATM-q26g&list=PL9848403FBDEBDB1A&index=1
Darkness Within - The Dark Lineage ................ 28 May, 2010 (FP, FM, sAG)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tLIMU9GOZaU&list=PLvV3usB1LheBDn1F77522wxWRgznKjM9t

Call of Cthulhu: Shadow of the Comet ................ 1 Jan, 1993 (Point and Click, sAG)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Dwukeu8alE
Call of Cthulhu: Prisoner of Ice ................ 1 Jan, 1995 (Point and Click, sAG)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nIa7Kwt-uD0
Call Of Cthulhu - Dark Corners of the Earth ................ 26 Apr, 2006 (FP, FM, sAG)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZkfLW0vNtEo

Scratches Directors Cut ................ April 20, 2011 (FP, GM, sAG)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F5FGKVG6UMM

Lucius ................ 26 October, 2012 (3rd Person, FM, sbAG)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FXsUd6U0zTI
Lucius 2 ................ 13 Feb, 2015 (3rd Person, FM, sbAG)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_J0Z_ScPbUQ

Sanitarium ................ 30 Apr, 1998 (Iso, sAG)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v41sXqDFkfU

Black Mirror ................ 17 Oct, 2003 (Point and Click, sAG)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hErluGDZSzk
Black Mirror 2 ................ 8 Feb, 2011 (Point and Click, sAG)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D4IKDMBbeGU&list=PLE08E35CC2EA7ED9E
Black Mirror 3 ................ 19 Apr, 2011 (Point and Click, sAG)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6QrCM-aJbzU&list=PLD7326FFC5A26BA53

Soma ................ 22 Sep, 2015 (FP, FM, sAG)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o9qEWwS6oOg

Bad Dream: Coma ................ 9 Mar, 2017 (Point and Click, sAG)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YDyRVSKTooU

Pathologic Classic HD ................ 29 Oct, 2015 (FP, FM, sAG)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oVBXPWxSLHc&list=PLzDeS-SWRIMNjvA8lXqLNMUn31sKszOjm

The Void ................ October 23, 2009 (FP, FM, sbAG)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YVQhuhi1QTA

Stasis ................ 31 Aug, 2015 (Iso, sAG)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rOVSHTHq_Ec

Cayne ................ 24 Jan, 2017 (Iso, sAG)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=atBN1E3YaO0

Darkwood ................ 17 Jul, 2017 (TD, suAG)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E8ZXPcG4QFc

Duskers ................ 18 May, 2016 (TD, tAG)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hHvy4Qmk-V8

Darkseed ................ 1992 (Point and Click, sAG)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TQzaqILiI9o
Darkseed 2 ................ November 30, 1995 (Point and Click, sAG)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cqz5_pkURv0

D ................ March 31, 1996 (FP, GM with slow animations, sAG, seems like a series of cut scenes, don't have the patience to play it)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lEZOQpjLZMA

Octave ................ 19 Oct, 2016 (Point and Click, side scroller, suAG)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TUFGUDc5DdY

The Cat Lady ................ 1 Dec, 2012 (Point and Click, side scroller, sAG)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-mb4_fESV4Q

Tormentum - Dark Sorrow ................ 4 Mar, 2015 (Point and Click, side scroller, sAG)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kKrUEUN94cY

Layers of Fear ................ 15 Feb, 2016 (FP, FM, sAG)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G2rSezlWkfk
Layers of Fear: Inheritance ................ 2 Aug, 2016 (FP, FM, sAG)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9HX0YeRXa9U

Observer ................ 15 Aug, 2017 (FP, FM, sAG)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JeZ9-_1mznw

The Last Door ................ 20 May, 2014 (Point and Click, sAG, pixel art)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UK-WVobPvOk
The Last Door: Season 2 ................ 29 Mar, 2016 (Point and Click, sAG, pixel art)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ByrLdhaABzQ

Anchorhead ................ May 1, 1998 (tAG)
http://pr-if.org/play/anchorhead/+http://rainymood.com/

I have no mouth and I must scream ................ October 31, 1995 (Point and Click, sAG)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1N6oVXH2AXk

The Lurking Horror ................ 1987 (tAG)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lZ8yIaBdD-A&list=PLVw6dBwL_5jiqPUeBUjUvhrW-FYrlFvx9

Scapeghost ................ 1989 (tAG)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wiPs_3zSE1A

Personal Nightmare ................ January 1, 1989 (against the clock survival Point and Click and tAG)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AQ9L8qbA_2E

Barrow Hill ................ April 16, 2006 (FP, GM, sAG)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bm5Bf0DM6vE&index=1&list=PL3AISiWybyWe3f3UzZqgBojqRaBuCdMtY

5 Days a Stranger ................ September 2003 (Point and Click, sAG)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hQ73fyGdjZw
7 Days a Skeptic ................ July 2004 (Point and Click, sAG)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hyqvFIEiXyo
Trilby's Notes ................ 26 June, 2006 (Point and Click, sAG)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mQnqa3aqgBY
6 Days a Sacrifice ................ 25 January, 2007 (Point and Click, sAG)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RWc-9SRfjXo

Dark Fall : The Journal ................ 19 Jun, 2002 (FP, GM, point and click sAG)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WWp8OHjae7A
Dark Fall II : Lights out ................ 24 Aug, 2004 (FP, GM, point and click sAG)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5QP_ijg_R1o
Dark Fall III : Lost Souls ................ 21 Apr, 2010 (FP, GM, point and click sAG)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s5Zqce2gfYU

The Lost Crown ................ 18 Jul, 2008 (Point and Click, sAG)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BKMQjnFSAls&list=PLA7F7425D288014AB

Goetia ................ 14 Apr, 2016 (Point and Click, sAG)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NJCeb7D7kyE

Downfall ................ 15 Feb, 2016 (Point and Click, sAG)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d-mGl4qSeJ0

Personal Nightmare ................ January 2, 1989 (Point and Click, sAG)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eIqWXmambCk

Harvester ................ August 31, 1996 (Point and Click, sAG)
https://youtu.be/nKo3hs0VAVM

Barrow Hill - The Dark Path ................ 22 Sep, 2016 (Point and Click, sAG)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hgu8tmDdyQ4

Downfall ................ 15 Feb, 2016 (Point and Click, sAG)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ahSqy3du3ik

Fran Bow ................ 27 Aug, 2015 (Point and Click, sAG)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=seT7wHorSQg&list=PL3tRBEVW0hiAsDCyoQGGeHziuXWQW7pkl

Detention ................ 12 Jan, 2017 (Side Scroller, Point and Click, sAG)
https://youtu.be/vJmadj7m1ps?list=PL5WEjnOZDMivSDYyRaSOch_ths5kmITuX

STAY ................ 16 May, 2018 (survival CYOA with puzzels)
https://youtu.be/nVIowH8GkzU

Legend:
TD = Top Down
FP = First Person
FM = Free Movement
GM = Grid Movement
tAG = Text Adventure Game
sAG = Story Adventure Game
suAG = Survival Adventure Game
sbAG = Sandbox Adventure Game


I will edit this post in a short while with more games and youtube links to each of the games and a better list structure. i will also add any horror adventure games people suggest after looking them up. please make it easier on me by providing youtube links for the games you post. JarlFrank, please sticky this thread. i can't believe there's no sticky thread dedicated to horror adventure games yet... FFS codex.
 
Last edited:

Reapa

Doom Preacher
Joined
Jul 10, 2009
Messages
2,340
Location
Germany
There is a thread:
http://www.rpgcodex.net/forums/index.php?threads/horror-adventure-i-summon-thee-codex.62227/

Your list is a bit messed up though. Miasmata is survival, cryostasis is fps, Ether one is walking sim, lucius is some weird abomination, amerzone is not horror

I once even wanted to create a seperate list thread with a nice formatting but I lost motivation. Maybe some other day I'll resume it.
i'm not that interested in a discussion about the nature of horror. also, some old thread that is not stickied or maintained or has a nice list in the op is not what i'm looking for. the whole purpose of stickying is to make important stuff easy to find.
i am open to suggestions for short descriptions to tie to each game in the list. but as long as the games are disturbing enough to be considered horror i find it best to include them instead of exclude them. amerzone is not monkey island. the atmosphere is quite tense and desolate even if there are no shock moments. cryostatis is not a first person shooter just because you can shoot a gun. miasmata is a survival game on a paradise like island which makes the stalker that stalks and kills you quite terrifying by contrast.
if all you can contribute is stupid hair splitting please just ignore the thread and go fuck yourself.
 

Explorerbc

Arcane
Joined
Nov 22, 2012
Messages
1,170
Then create a thread in general gaming called "The Horror thread" and put whatever you want in it. Don't call it the "adventure" thread when half the stuff in it are not even remotely considered adventure games. How is that list supposed to help somebody.

amerzone is not monkey island. the atmosphere is quite tense and desolate even if there are no shock moments.

Did you play the game or did you get stuck inside the lighthouse.

cryostatis is not a first person shooter just because you can shoot a gun. miasmata is a survival game on a paradise like island which makes the stalker that stalks and kills you quite terrifying by contrast.

You just described a first person shooter and a survival game.
 

Reapa

Doom Preacher
Joined
Jul 10, 2009
Messages
2,340
Location
Germany
Then create a thread in general gaming called "The Horror thread" and put whatever you want in it. Don't call it the "adventure" thread when half the stuff in it are not even remotely considered adventure games. How is that list supposed to help somebody.

amerzone is not monkey island. the atmosphere is quite tense and desolate even if there are no shock moments.

Did you play the game or did you get stuck inside the lighthouse.

cryostatis is not a first person shooter just because you can shoot a gun. miasmata is a survival game on a paradise like island which makes the stalker that stalks and kills you quite terrifying by contrast.

You just described a first person shooter and a survival game.
how am i gonna make a list if i'm gonna listen to every moron that comes in here and pretends to be the final authority on game genres?
just supply the names and let me do the filtering.
 

agris

Arcane
Patron
Joined
Apr 16, 2004
Messages
6,764
STASIS and CAYNE are great isometric horror adventures. There's a new isometric point and click on steam but the name escapes me called Darkwood. It looks good, but I haven't played it.



Code 7 also fits the horror theme, but I also haven't played it



One I HAVE played and can vouch for is Duskers. The atmosphere is horror, it isn't jumpscare etc but it has plenty of tense moments.

 
Last edited:
Joined
Mar 30, 2012
Messages
7,045
Location
Elevator Of Love
Divinity: Original Sin 2 Steve gets a Kidney but I don't even get a tag.
Alone in the Dark (great atmosphere, only the melee combat system like in all series is dreadful)

Call Of Cthulhu : Shadow of the Comet (gives you a sense of being observed, and you will start feeling suspicious of the resident of the town. Excellent translations from literature to interactive fiction)

Prisoner Of Ice (much easier than the previous title, but still a must for Lovecraft fans)

Clock Tower (Mentioned many times, I've finally tried it some time ago and it's really fantastic, the 2d pixel art is great)

Dark Seed I, II (As a Giger fanboy I highly recommend them both. The clock mechanism in the first can be really painful at the first run)

Darkness Within: In Pursuit of Loath Nolder - Phantasmal mentioned this title a couple of times and I finally tried it. Very interesting adaptation of Lovecraft, a first person perspective adventure game. The game builds the tension very carefully without cheap jumpscares. Sometimes I just didn't want to venture through the darkness, not knowing what lies ahead.

D (Highly underrated, got ported to PC from Saturn IIRC, multiple endings)

Ecstatica (weird mix of horror and some comedy, watch the game over screen at least once !)

Realms of the Haunting (Mix of fps and puzzle solving, plus some cheesy fmv cutscenes)

Phantasmagoria I, II (I see those rolling eyes asking why, but I like both of them. Harvester was trying to be edgy all the time and disgusting without any borders, but it had many boring segments plus awful combat.)

Sanitarium - The first part is still one of the most memorable segments, when it comes to adventure games. Sadly the second half life weaker, but it was ambitious at it times, and has great audiovisual presentation that still holds on.

Shivers - much more interesting for me than 7th / 11th Hour. Great soundtrack.

The Beast Within - A Gabriel Knight Mystery - Probably the best FMV game, the attention to details regarding the Munich is really astounding.

Veil of Darkness - Interesting point and click adventure in isometric perspective from SSI, where you fight vampires.

Penumbra series plus Amnesia: Dark Descent - Penumbra trilogy was evolving, adding new elements and having better graphics. Amnesia is for me a spiritual successor, and just like the predecessors has some really good puzzles.

RPG oriented:
Elvira I, II - First part is a good boot camp for the sequel, which is really testing the player when it comes to use/not use some of the items. Both soundtracks in Amiga version are great.
Waxworks - same engine as Elvira series, but sadly without her.
The Legacy - still didn't tried this one, but it was mentioned many times before on codex and other places
Parasite Eve (PSX only) - Squaresoft dwells into survival horrors genre. I've tried the sequel, but it doesn't click for me.

FPS:
Nosferatu - Wrath of the Malachi - probably the only shooter where randomly generated levels works good. You need to find all the persons enslaved by Dracula, and then kill the lord of the castle himself. Very memorable, ominous atmosphere and soundtrack.


There is also more action oriented survival horrors, some of them exclusively on consoles. From that group I would recommend Eternal Darkness:Eternal Darkness: Sanity's Requiem on Gamecube. Just go full blind without spoiling anything. The voice acting and sound mix is superb.








 

agentorange

Arcane
Patron
Joined
Aug 14, 2012
Messages
5,256
Location
rpghq (cant read codex pms cuz of fag 2fa)
Codex 2012
Some of these stray into the Survival Horror category but I think the line between Horror Adventure and Survival Horror is blurry, especially when you've already counted stuff like Penumbra.

The Clock Tower series. The first in the series for the SNES, like already mentioned by ninja destroyer, is a fairly traditional 2D point and click adventure game with moments of action interspersed throughout, usually in the form of evading or incapacitating a pursuer. Same formula for the sequels on the PS1, only with 3D graphics. The third one, for PS2, has less of the traditional adventure elements and more of the action, complete with boss fights--goes in some odd directions near the end.

Haunting Grounds for PS2, a spiritual successor to Clock Tower. Less campy than Clock Tower. Has a highly detailed and very gloomy European castle environment to explore. I think it is the best of the horror adventure games wherein you are expected to run away and evade stalkers.

Rule of Rose, also for PS2. Quite similar to Haunting Grounds but with more combat, however the focus is still very much on exploration and narrative.

Echo Night series for PS1 and PS2. First person exploration and puzzle solving. First one has a unique environment, being set on a cruise ship. The one for PS2 takes place in the future on a moonbase.

Michigan. PS2 horror game by Suda51. Has a very novel premise where you control a camera man tasked with recording the action happening around you, like the video game equivalent of a found footage movie. Very campy and goofy, but still worth playing simply because its unlike anything else.

5 Days a Stranger and 7 Days a Skeptic. I imagine most people know these. I think there are more in the series but I only played these two.
 
Last edited:

Reapa

Doom Preacher
Joined
Jul 10, 2009
Messages
2,340
Location
Germany
STASIS and CAYNE are great isometric horror adventures. There's a new isometric point and click on steam but the name escapes me called Darkwood. It looks good, but I haven't played it.



Code 7 also fits the horror theme, but I also haven't played it



One I HAVE played and can vouch for is Duskers. The atmosphere is horror, it isn't jumpscare etc but it has plenty of tense moments.


code 7 is not done yet.
 

Unkillable Cat

LEST WE FORGET
Patron
Joined
May 13, 2009
Messages
27,089
Codex 2014 Make the Codex Great Again! Grab the Codex by the pussy
5 Days a Stranger and 7 Days a Skeptic. I imagine most people know these. I think there are more in the series but I only played these two.

The full series is "5 Days a Stranger", "7 Days a Skeptic", "Trilby's Notes" and "6 Days a Sacrifice". You can also add "1213" from Yahtzee into the mix as he calls it an adventure game, even though it's a Prince of Persia-esque platformer.

And if 1213 makes the list, then "Eversion" must be there as well even though it's a platformer in the vein of Super Mario Bros.
 

GandGolf

Augur
Joined
Feb 22, 2013
Messages
854
Location
Rivendell
It'd be nice if there were more than just you-tube links. Like links where the games can be downloaded or purchased from.
 

da_rays

Augur
Joined
Jan 23, 2014
Messages
382
Location
Filthy Pub , Quebec City
I have no mouth and I must scream is an old point and clik which could easily qualify


WARNING thats a 8 minutes intro of the game. Pretty much nail down the weird tone of the game tho

Also Sweet Home for NES/Famicom is also worth a look if not , just for kicks
 

Zed Duke of Banville

Dungeon Master
Patron
Joined
Oct 3, 2015
Messages
11,760
The Lurking Horror (1987) was an Infocom text adventure set in MIT GUE Tech that attempted to combine Lovecraftian horror with traditional Zork-style gameplay.

79601-the-lurking-horror-amiga-front-cover.jpg


192669-the-lurking-horror-amiga-screenshot-the-starting-location.png


Probably there's at least one other horror-genre text adventure out there.
 

Robespierre

Madame Guillotine
Patron
Joined
Mar 28, 2017
Messages
424
Location
It's Kitten Time at the GreatCrystalShrine
Make the Codex Great Again!
Sorry bro, I should have mentioned the other two games of the series.

Dark Fall II : Lights out :
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5QP_ijg_R1o

Dark Fall III : Lost Souls
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s5Zqce2gfYU

Overall, I think it's a solid and underrated trilogy. The three games are currently on sale on steam (1,59 jewros for the first two games).

From the same developer :

The Lost Crown :
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BKMQjnFSAls&list=PLA7F7425D288014AB

Goetia, also comes to mind :
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NJCeb7D7kyE


I didn't like it, but since you have quoted The Cat Lady, I think mentioning Downfall is only fair :
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d-mGl4qSeJ0
 

Reapa

Doom Preacher
Joined
Jul 10, 2009
Messages
2,340
Location
Germany
Sorry bro, I should have mentioned the other two games of the series.

Dark Fall II : Lights out :
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5QP_ijg_R1o

Dark Fall III : Lost Souls
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s5Zqce2gfYU

Overall, I think it's a solid and underrated trilogy. The three games are currently on sale on steam (1,59 jewros for the first two games).

From the same developer :

The Lost Crown :
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BKMQjnFSAls&list=PLA7F7425D288014AB

Goetia, also comes to mind :
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NJCeb7D7kyE


I didn't like it, but since you have quoted The Cat Lady, I think mentioning Downfall is only fair :
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d-mGl4qSeJ0
done
 

Don Peste

Arcane
Joined
Sep 15, 2008
Messages
4,277
Location
||☆||

POWER DRILL MASSACRE (2015) - Injured after a car crash, Megan flees through the woods into an abandoned building, looking for help. The door jams and shes locked inside, forced to search through the dark corridors. She hears the echo of a power drill in the distance and realizes she's not alone.

Power Drill Massacre is inspired by vhs slasher films and PS1 survival horror games.

c6YfuD.jpg


Power Drill Massacre is now available for purchase as an early access game. The full version will be finished 1st quarter 2018.
  • Receive a Steam key when the the full version is released
  • New areas
  • New endings
  • Improved controls (if you've played Nightripper, you'll know what to expect)
  • Fixed, 3rd and 1st person cameras
  • Jeff's campaign
  • Puzzles and Inventory (the gameplay will focus on traditional survival horror style puzzles, rather than scavenger hunting for keys)
  • New death animations
  • AI improvements and balancing
 

ghostdog

Arcane
Patron
Joined
Dec 31, 2007
Messages
11,079
Point and Click Adventure:
Dreamweb
Gabriel Knight trilogy
Uninvited
Dracula trilogy
Harvester
Post Mortem
The Dark Eye
Clock Tower: The First Fear


Action Survival Horror with many Adventure game elements:
Realms of the Haunting
Silent Hill 1-4
Resident Evil 1&2
Eternal Darkness: Sanity's Requiem
Deadly Premonition
Parasite Eve 1&2
System Shock
 

As an Amazon Associate, rpgcodex.net earns from qualifying purchases.
Back
Top Bottom