A lot ofhorror gamestend to get by with their simple haunted house approach and the stream of jump scares they throw at you. However, for a horror game to truly attach itself to your psyche, it needs a good story and lore.
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Good lore can significantly enhance the impact of a horror game and open up various doors for future installments. It can also keep you glued to your seat despite the absolute terror that the game is forcing on you. The importance of lore in any form of storytelling cannot be understated, and when it comes to horror games, there are a handful that nail the world-building aspect to the letter.
9Five Nights At Freddy’s
Five Night at Freddy’sstarted as ‘scare-a-minute’ indie horror game that garnered a lot of praise with its simple presentation and highly effective scare. However,as sequels started dropping, FNAF’s grim story also started expanding more and more, with an intricate backstory and puzzle piece for every new game in the series. However, it was FNAF 4 that dumped a ton of exposition and information that connected previous games with each other but also left a ton of dangling plot threads up in the air.
The lore of FNAF is a jumble of strings that will take considerable effort to untangle, given how vague and complicated the story has been presented throughout the years. Still,FNAF fansdo love forming theories trying to comprehend the events of the games, and that is undeniably one of this series' infuriating charms.
8Siren
One of the best cult-classicPS2games is the incredibly disturbing Siren. The upgraded graphics of thePlayStation 3reimagining of Siren: Blood Curse significantly add to the unsettling themes and nature of the game, but the original Siren still manages to deliver all the scares perfectly, so the PS2 version is the recommended starting point for those curious about this horror game.
In terms of lore, Siren shines a light on the rich and diverse Japanese mythology. The setting of an isolated village with inhabitants transformed into bloodthirsty murderers is the stuff of nightmares, and the very Japanese aesthetic further adds to the eerie vibe of the game. Sirenblends the supernatural with Japanese folklore, making for a pretty interesting and terrifying combo.
7Yomawari Series
TheYomawariseries is developed by NIS and is a slow-burn type of game that continuously builds up and raises the ante as you progress.Don’t be fooled by the rather cute charactersand aesthetic, as these horror games are as disturbing as they come. They’re not exactly scary in the traditional sense but more in line witha slowly creeping fear that burrows into your mind.
Yomawari: Night Alone (2015) is the first in the series and is also considered the best entry. That said, each Yomawari game is great in its own right, and all are highly recommended for horror game fans. While each entry has a different story, all are subtly connected with each other.
6Eternal Darkness: Sanity’s Requiem
One of the best disturbing horror games of all time is on Nintendo’s kid-friendly GameCube console. Yes, back in the day when Nintendo was primarily known for being the family-friendly choice for gamers, they released this macabre gem. Eternal Darkness: Sanity’s Requiem isbest known for its innovative fourth-wall-breaking gameplay features, but it also has a rich lore that is heavily inspired by H.P. Lovecraft.
As it should, since the game will encompass various eras throughout time, going back to the medieval age to modern times. This third-person horror game puts you in the unfortunate shoes of Alexandra Roivas as she investigates the brutal murder of her grandfather in his sprawling Rhode Island manor. Here she will find a book bound in human skin (a clear homage to theEvil Deadseries) called The Tome of the Eternal Darkness. The book is filled with accounts from various points in history, which will reveal an invisible world from your worst nightmares.
5Fatal Frame Series
TheFatal Frameseries ranks up there as one of the scariest video game series, and it also has a fairly deep lore thanks to its shared universe approach with each spine-chilling entry. Whileeach Fatal Frame gamefeatures a different story, each is connected in one way or another, either by references to previous games or former main characters appearing.
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The series perfectly captures the dread that Japanese horror classics such as The Ring and Ju-On are known for. If you are a fan of the bleak themes of Japanese-style horror and ghosts, in general, Fatal Frame will be able to deliver on that and so much more. Fatal Frame 2: Crimson Butterfly still stands as the best entry in the series based on fan reception. It also holds one of the more lore-extensive tales in the series.
TheDead Spaceseries is cosmic horror at its finest. WhileAlien: Isolationalso has a pretty good lore thanks to the film series it is based on, Dead Space is one that dives into the ‘horror’ aspect in such an unflinching way that every aspect of the game is simply more unsettling.
In terms of gore, Dead Space certainly beats Resident Evil with its more brutal and grounded depiction of violence. Don’t think that carnage is the only thing that Dead Space has going for it, as it issteeped in Lovecraftian mythosand has more cosmic horror than you can shake your Plasma Cutter at. Dead Space lore is further supplemented bycomic books, novels, and movie spin-offsthat are all pretty good in their own right.
3Resident Evil Series
What started as a biohazard outbreak in a desolate mansion in the middle of nowhere has now expanded into a full-blown globe-trotting adventureabout a corrupt megacorporationand world-ending monstrous threats.Resident Evilhas certainly grown into its own throughout the years.
With over 30 games already under its belt, the Resident Evil series has stretched its lore more times than William Birkin has mutated inResident Evil 2. With the last entries further expanding the lore in a different and unique direction, you’re able to expect that the story of Resident Evil is far from over. So, prepare for more twists and turns on theblood-soaked and zombie-infestedpath of this popular survival horror series.
2Silent Hill Series
Another classic horror game series that debuted around the same time as Resident Evil, theSilent Hillseries has had its fair share of ups and downs. While it has fallen down the ranks with its last entries,Konamiseems determined to bring this respected horror series back into the fold. In terms of lore, Silent Hill is certainly more convoluted than itsbody-horror and gore-centricrival, Resident Evil.
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Silent Hill leans toward a vaguer lore that revolves around a lot of symbolism, which is why it also has one of the most fan theories in any horror game. A lot of the entries in Silent Hill, especially Silent Hill 2, are open to interpretation. The lore of Silent Hill generally preys on the dark side of one’s psychological and human condition. You can argue that that is far more disturbing and terrifying than a freakishly strong executioner with an oversized helmet and sword, which Silent Hill also has.
1Bloodborne
As is the case with a lot ofFromSoftware’sIPs,Bloodborneis one that is rich in lore. Despite delivering it in the typical FromSoftware vague storytelling style, Bloodborne still manages to provide even the least attentive player with a good dose of blood-curdling tales.
The story of Bloodborne will throw you deep into the abyss. Starting off with the standard monster tropes, the game flings you into the arcane recesses of Lovecraftian cosmic horror. Digging into the lore of Bloodborne is actually part of the fun for a lot of its fans, and you have more than six feet to dig as it doesn’t shy away from piling cryptic information one after another.
