It's October and
you all know what this means. Yes it's this time of the year again.
The time of ghouls and ghosts. The time were we are all aching for a
good scare. Of course finding such on Nintendo consoles may be a
hard, but not impossible. Over the years our favourite maker of game
consoles has been home to some pretty terryfying experiences. And no
I'm not talking about the Zelda CDI games. Instead I want to take
this chance to dedicate this weeks toplist to a genre that often is
overlooked between Marios and Links adventures, but is just as
important for a healthy console library. At least for me.
So join me in
taking a look at the five best Horror games on Nintendo consoles.
5: Clock Tower
It's hard to
imagine by todays standards, but the first Clock Tower Game on the
Super Nintendo was really terryfying. Even when I played it some
years ago, when I was in my mid twenties, I still felt a little bit
uneasy. Of course the Graphics are extremely outdated, but hte
gameplay still perfectly transfers the feeling of help- and
hopelessness.
The Story of the
game is quickly told. The protagonist Jennifer and three other
children are adopted by a wealthy, secluded living man, named Simon
Barrows. After the are brought to his mansion, which is named
Clocktower after it's most prominent feature, and Mr. Barrows is
nowhere to be found, Jennifer opts to search for him. Shortly after
she finds the corpse of one of the other girls and from that point
onward, is stalked by a mysterious deformed man with a huge pair of
scissors.
Like I said
earlier Clock Tower is stil a good horror game, despite its outdated
graphics, because it perfectly translates the horror via Gameplay. As
with all Point and Click games you only indirectly control Jennifer.
But that's not what I'm speaking about. The two main factors that
keep the game working even today are Scissorman and how your
character reacts to him. Scissorman may look grotesque and even funny
at first glance, but the gameplay he creates is truly terryfying. The
developers have perfectly incorporated one of the fundamental rules
of Horror. You can't fight the monster. If you try Scissorman will
kill you. Everytime.
Instead you have
to hide or use enviromental traps to momentarly stop him. But here
comes the second genious gameplay twist into play. Whenever
Scissorman is nearby you enter panic mode. Simpyl said Jennifer is
fearing for her life and this clouds her judgement. In panic mode you
may trip and generally act slower based on your health.
This all coupled
with the extremely open structure of the game with several endings
and pathways to take made Clock Tower and instand classic in the
Horror Genre with several great sequels, which sadly can't be found
on Nintendo consoles.
4: Resident Evil
Revelations
While Resident
Evil 4 is an excellent game and has claimed it's rightful place in
history, it was also the first step away from the classic Resident
Evil formula. Of course the end result is one of the best games of
all time and most certainly the best Resident Evil game overall, but
it can't be denied that it toned down the Horror Atmosphere from
previous titles a little. The shift towards a more action oriented
franchise started with this title and because we're talking about
Horror games here, I wanted to shine the spotlight on another entry.
One that brought RE back on track and put down the groundwork for the
series excellent resurrection in Resident Evil 7. Of course I'm
talking about the first Revelations game on the 3DS.
When the game was
first introduced I, and many others, where sceptical. Can a Horror
game work on a handheld console? The simple answer is, yes it can.
Revelations was one of the first games that really made the 3D effect
worthwile, simply because it looked great. Capcom really got
everything out of the Hardware and created a gorgeous 3DS title.
But what made the
game truly a success was that it perfectly brought back the old
Resident Evil theme. The abandoned cruise liner Queen Zenobia is a
perfect Horror location. It manages to combine grand setpieces with
claustrophobic and dark corridors. But what really puts Revelations
on this list is the great enemies they introduced. The T-Abyss Virus
infection creates truly amazing monsters, and even though the enemy
variety could be bigger, Capcom managed to create truly disturbing
monsters for you to fight. And of course you don't fight them in
hordes, which helps to keep things rather fresh (and frightening).
3: Eternal Darkness
You can't make a
list about Horror games on Nintendo consoles without mentioning this
GameCube classic. If you're familiar with the Psycho Mantis Bossfight
in Metal Gear Solid for the Playstation then let me tell you that
Eternal Darkness is this Boss fight turned into a full game. And also
if you're a fan of H.P. Lovecraft and lament his lack of presence in
the video game world, then let me tell you that this is a game you
need to play, as it's story is heavily inspired by the authors works.
But what is the
story? Well just like the rest of the game it's complicated. The main
protagonist of the game is Alexandra Roivas, but most of the time
you'll be playing other characters which stories Alexandra
experiences through reading in the Tome of Eternal Darknss. The Story
spans over more than two centuries starting in 26 b.c. up until
Alexandras part in the year 2000. It's very well written and deals
heavily with the concepts of insanity and cosmic horror. I won't say
anything more, just that this game is well worth playing for the
great story alone.
But luckily that's
not all Eternal Darkness has going on for it. The gameplay is also
quite good. But of course the one thing that I have to mention, and
central pillar of the gameplay, is the sanity meter. Your characters
don't stay unaffected by the Horrors they'll have to face in order to
survive. All of this takes a heavy toll on the mind. And Eternal
Darkness takes joy in showing this to you. Every time your sanity
meter drops lower more and more hallucinations will occur. Thes
hallucinations are often character and location specific, so there is
a shit ton of them. And the most insidious thing is that they don't
''physically'' affect your character, but they all make it harder to
survive. For example a room is now full of monsters or upside down.
And of course there are the legendary Fourth Wall breaks like the
fake error screen that tells you your save data has been lost and so
forth.
Overall Eternal
Darkness is a true mindfuck of a game in the best way possible and
should be enjoyed by every fan of Horror games.
2: Silent Hill:
Shattered Memories
I haven't played
Silent Hill 2....
I haven't played
Silent Hill....
but I have played
Silent Hill: Shattered Memories. And to all of you now saying that
this is a remake of the first Silent Hill congratulations. You're
technically correct. The best kind of correct.
But now back to
the actual game. As stated above Silent Hill: Shattered Memories is a
remake of the first Silent Hill for the Wii, but that's not entirely
true. It's more of a reimagining of the first game. It has the same
basic premise as the first, the main characters search for his
daughter, but the plot has been altered as well as new and changed
characters. The biggest change, however, is the the new and defining
feature of psychotherapy sessions. From time to time you'll enter
these first person sessions and answer questions. And the answers you
give will then influence the future gameplay and surroundings. This
creates an incredibly dynamic game that feels different for every
player.
One thing that
makes Silent Hill: Shattered Memories so frightening is it's
monsters. Or should I say monster? Instead of many differend
creatures hunting you this time around it's only one typ of monster.
But don't worry you won't get bored of them because just like the
rest of the game they are everychanging. Every action you take and
every answer you give to the psychotherapist alters their appearance.
This ensures that these monsters not only feel very threatening, but
also keeps them unique for every player.
And one last thing
adds to their impact. You can't fight them. Silent Hill: Shattered
Memories is the first title in the series without any combat system.
Instead you have to avoid and outwit the monsters your own action
have created. And that makes for one hell of a memorable play
session.
1: Project Zero 2:
When the Project
Zero (Fatal Frame) IP was partially bought by Nintendo I didn't think
much of it. A friend had owned the first installment on his
PlayStation 2, but we never actually came around to playing it. So
when I got a used copy of the Wii Remake of the second game, Crimson
Butterfly, I didn't knew what I was in for. What i got was simply one
of the greatest horror trips I've ever experienced.
The plot of the
game is simple. The Twin Girls Mio and Mayu visit their favourite
childhood playspot before it's lost to a damn construction. But the
nearby forest had been home to a village a long time ago where the
Crimson Sacrifice Ritual was performed. When this ritual failed one
day the whole village vanished. Now there is an urban legend that
whoever wanders to deep into the nearby woods becomes forever
entrapped in the lost village.
I don't think I
have to delve any deeper into the story, do I?
But the story is
not the part that makes this game so special to me. It's the simple
fact that this game has created one of the best atmospheres I've ever
experienced in a video game, period. The dangerous beauty of the Lost
Village really pulled me in, even with the outdated Wii hardware. And
one thing that the developers understood masterfully was how to
create a perfect, threatening enviroment. The Ghosts never lose their
edge and every encounter had my heart beating. The game doesn't
overload you with encounters, but perfectly paces them and keeps you
in a state of constant tension. It is a really stressful experience.
And that's what makes it so great.
So tell me. What
games had a chill running down your spine? Which made you turn on the
light at night? Let me know your experiences in the comments.
And as always
thanks for reading
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