Just because you like the horror genre doesn't mean you like being surprised by screaming monsters and ghosts around every corner.
When we talk about modern horror games, we tend to think of the classics of recent years: Outlast , Amnesia, PT like (hello, it's me again), but there are many games in the genre that will terrify you without making you jump and haunt you without causing you anxiety attacks.
So for Halloween, long live the puzzles, the platforms, the horrific adventures, but without jumpscare please.
The Vanishing of Ethan Carter
The Vanishing of Ethan Carter is a narrative adventure game that will grip you no matter how you choose to interpret the story. Be careful, the story, which has its very horrific moments, is also full of suffering and pain. So be careful, if you're sensitive right now, maybe it's best to move on with this game.
The Vanishing of Ethan Carter was released 8 years ago, but it's still a remarkable viewing experience. The graphics are very successful, the soundtrack does its job very well, and the atmosphere is inimitable.
It is available on PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One and Nintendo Switch.
Little Nightmares 1 & 2
You certainly know Little Nightmares , the first opus like the second. If the gameplay is quite successful, it is above all the graphic identity that makes all the charm of the game. The monsters, like the scenery, have a kind of disturbing familiarity: the levels resemble real everyday places, and the monsters look like misshapen, unwell versions of real people.
Be careful though, if there are no screamers in Little Nightmares, you will be chased more than once by its unsavory enemies, and the mechanic can be stressful and/or anxiety-provoking.
Little Nightmares 1 and 2 are available on PC, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One.
Oxenfree
We've covered Oxenfree in a previous must-watch selection (or two), and for good reason, the story is very interesting – and scary, and the game looks very pretty. So no jumpscare for Oxenfree, but a small ARG dimension that won't bite worms that will delight fans, even 6 years after its release.
For those who do not know the term, ARG means Alternate reality game (or game in alternate reality in French), that is to say - in this case at least - that certain elements of the history of Oxenfree is based on the world real and uses it as a platform. Okay, the explanation is not very clear, but if you are interested, do not hesitate to take a look.
Oxenfree is available on PC, Xbox One, PlayStation 4, iOS, Android, and Nintendo Switch. In addition, a sequel is in development.
Alan Wake Remastered
Alan Wake looks like a horror movie based on a Stephen King story. No screamers then, but a very psychological thriller atmosphere and "fights" against "monsters" straight from your imagination (or not?). The experience can be stressful, the anxiety comes mainly from the atmosphere in general and the super immersive environment.
Alan Wake Remastered is available on Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox 360, Xbox Series X and Series S, and PC . And if you liked it, you can always test Control which takes place in the same mysterious universe. Attention, we cannot guarantee the absence of jumpscare in Control.
Observe
The only 100% cyberpunk game on the list — which is a style, it must be recognized, quite underrepresented in the horror genre — Observer is a thriller/detective: no fighting strictly speaking but an investigation with puzzles to solve, the all with the fantastic voice of the late Rutger Hauer (yes, the villain in Blade Runner!) who embodies the hero.
Observer is developed by Bloober Team , which we all reach around the bend for the remake of Silent Hill 2
Honorable Mentions (available in English only!)
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World of Horror
If you love Japanese horror and the name Junji Ito means everything to you, World of Horror is for you. Players will be tasked with preventing the impending end of the world by battling lots of different creatures within various stories in old-school turn-based combat.
The visual identity is incredible and the illustrations are really awkward, but nothing will jump out at you, rest assured. World of Horror is however (and unfortunately) available in English only. If you are an English speaker and all this inspires you, go for it without hesitation.
World of Horror is available on Switch, PlayStation 4, and PC.
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Stories Untold
Stories Untold is an episodic collection of interactive horror stories. In one of the episodes, "The House Abandon", (the best, in our opinion), you play a text adventure on a CRT screen, and the actions you take in the game happen in the house around you... Super efficient. We will not say much more, because if the game interests you, it is better to play it without knowing anything, because the experience will only be more successful.
Stories Untold is quite one of a kind, but it too is unfortunately in English only. It is developed by indie studio NoCode , who are currently working on Silent Hill Townfall ! Suffice to say that we are quite impatient.
Stories Untold is available on Switch, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC.
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