I did covered my previous 5 list of underrated horror games that I've made it back last year, so if you haven't seen my last year blogpost of my 5 forgotten horror games then please check it out by clicking the link down below before proceeding to my next 5 horror hidden gems:
Okay let's get going shall we? there are so many of obscure horror titles that not many mass audience had talked about it is due to lack of their interest or had not gained mainstream appeal which leaving these titles staying behind close doors.
As a fan of horror for video games, I just love discovering a niche titles that caught me an interest me to try these spooky and terrifying style of horror game that are actually decent to play but also harder to attract many mainstream gaming audience...well unless if you're one of those serious horror gaming fans are into with the small obscure titles.
So please switch out the night lights, then sit back, and now relax is because I'm going to begin my another list of 5 horror titles that could have given a enough credit it deserves and why is it worth checking it out as a today.
So without go further do, here is my another top 5 underrated horror games.
5 - Fobia: St Dinfna Hotel (PS5)
If you're familar with the survival-horror FPS like Resident Evil 7: Biohazard as an best example for delivering a spectcular horrorfest of scare factor level, non-stop terrifying villains, and trying to survive through the horrific places filled with biohazarous creature is something to appericate the modern horror gaming.
There's one of the indie game originated from Brazil that I would be really interested in playing any of horror game that was created by an international game developers, so that is Fobia: St Dinfna Hotel.
It is a 2022's indie survival-horror FPS game developed by Pulsatrix Studios was released for platforms such as PS5, PS4, XSX/S, XBONE, and PC.
The game takes place in Brazil, as you take control of journalist named Roberto Leite Lopes went on to investigating a series of mysterious disapperarences and rumored paranormal activities tied to the St Dinfna Hotel.
The game plays just like any of the survival-horror FPS using an assortment of tools and weapons to progress through the campaign, solving puzzles and defeating the various supernatrual monsters which infest the hotel.
What made the game quite unique to play is giving an ability to use a special camera which allows him to discover through time and parallel dimensions, so this lens reveals hidden objects, past events, and secret pathways.
Even though the game had suffered with the stiff looking visuals and has confusing backtracking design may put-off many players, but I don't think it's gonna ruin your experience is because this game has its own charm for its classic feel of survival horror style such as engaging head-scratching puzzles, non-linear exploration, strong atmosphere design, and of course pretty slick-trick camera mechanic is something to adore this title that are actually decent.
I say the game's story is actually not bad but not quite the top-notch level, so I'm pretty sure you guys may going to like the mix of supense and terror plot throughout the single-player playthrough, and I also adored the presentation design choice of dark environmental settings and atmospheres are quite acceptable to fit the style for the small indie horror title.
Despite the average reception from the gaming media which is why it felt more like a low-budget indie horror title, but I think this game is still worth checking it out is because Fobia: St Dinfna Hotel is a niche horror game has its own right.
4 - Signalis (PS4)
As the fan of the classic horror games starting from the likes of Resident Evil and Silent Hill are the major examples of defining the survival horror genre that helped the series popularity throughout the decade.
The success of these landmark franchise had inspired many AAA and indie developers to create their own title in a style of classic horror games and it also motivates many gaming fans to be interested in collecting horror games to play on their system.
As I loved playing horror games, I've spend time browsing through online stores and local shops in a search for a titles that would attract me to play it on my gaming system up until I found Signalis.
It's a 2022's indie survival horror game developed by rose-engine was released for PS4, XBONE, Switch, and PC.
The game set in the retrofuturist world where you take control of ship technician unit named Elster awakens in the wreck of her crashed scout shuttle, as she went out searching for her lost partner in a surreal dystopian future.
Like any of classic horror games, I like roaming around the corridors, rooms, and floors where I need to find a way out of these nightmarish places that filled with numerous of encounters nearby and I also liked solving the puzzles in many areas to obtain key items that leads to new path is what made me kept playing.
I wanted to praise the great balance of survival and combat system which gives you a choice whether if you want to skip through the areas without fighting the enemies back just for saving up some ammunition and health packs or fight them if you think its necessary to do it with no choice whatsoever which could lead you wasting all your two important things, so this is how much I love playing a horror game with small limited items.
The presentation design itself has the darker tone of settings are heavily inspired by the likes of Stanley Kubrick and David Lynch horror films in terms of psychological themes that gathers around between the narrative and sequences which depicts many weird illusion and dark atmospheres.
The art visuals has the mix of anime-drawn technique and old-school pixeled-style design felt like it really close to the PS1 era in terms of heavy and rough environmental areas with few numbers of lighting and shades effects are just really adds the game's darker atmosphere, and I also liked the way the enemy's design tends to be a blocky figure just like you normally see it from the PS1 horror games where all the character's animation are all in flat-shaded which in fact this adds up a creepiness when they walk slowly or run towards at you really proves that the game are in fact terrifying.
I say Signalis is a remarkable indie-horror title that are just as good as the other classic survival-horror inspired titles, so it should not be ignored which is why you must concider checking this hidden gem out if you love playing this type of horror game.
3 - Tormented Souls (PS4)
Speaking of classic horror-style genre, remember how terrifying those games in the 90s really are that delivers the nightmarish of horror atmospheres which shook the gaming worlds with the gruesome gory effects, multiples of death sequences, fighting for the survival, unexpected jumpscares, and uncovering the dark secrets is what made it quite popular back in the old-days of 90s gaming era.
Going forward to the modern-day era of gaming, there are many indie gaming developers wanting to create their own title was inspired by the likes of classic-horror games, so it was design to appeal for those who grew up playing the old-school horror title from the past that really haunts their childhood which is why it got me really interested to play the indie horror game, so that is Tormented Souls.
It's a 2021's survival horror game developed by Dual Effect & Abstract Digital was released for PS4, PS5, XBONE, XSX/S, Switch, and PC.
The game starts out with the young woman named Caroline Walker had discovered the unknown letter from the Wildberger Hospital, which has the photo of the two mysterious twin girls are likely being missing in the mansion. She then headed to the mansion to investigate the situation and find the two girls that are missing in the mansion.
They did a good job of re-creating the classic horror elements into a horrifying experiences where it had the intensity level of scare factor aspects in the game.
Stuff like you'll be walking into the dark areas where the monsters giving you an unexpecting surprise and they'll move violently towards you with a severe damaging attack, so you'll be needing to use your weapons in order to fight them back or using the lighter to prevent getting caught slaughtered in dark areas, but be careful these enemy's A.Is are aggressively smart enough to catch you if you get really close to them or they'll see you in mid-range distance.
I also liked the concept design of the enemy monsters are kinda gives me a H.P Lovecraft's aesthetics to it starting from a creature sat on the wheelchair armed with claws to the legless deformed crawlers, then the tall-hulking walker with rusted blades attached to their arms to the big husky robot with hazmat suit armed with giant hammers are outright f***ing terrifying on their design.
The graphics in the entire game are looking spectacular for the modern gaming platform because I really liked the way they improved upon with the lighting settings and environmental design which is so much cleaner and detailed which quite came close to games like Capcom's Resident Evil 2002's remake.
The game shares with really good puzzle solving just like you're expected from the classic-horror games from the past that keeps you focused on puzzle parts in each rooms which rewards you with the key items or objects that can leads you to next area.
Even though the fixed-camera perspective with tank-controls movement wasn't really designed for modern players may find the game quite fraustrating, but thankfully it had an option to use a modernised control scheme which I find the 360s degree movement on the left stick control tends to be quite easier to control may able to help them to play the game without the hassle.
Tormented Souls is a good game described as a true love letter to 90's classic survival horror genres that we all know and love, so the fans of the horror will not miss this gem out.
2. Dino Crisis (Dreamcast)
We all know Capcom's flagship franchise like Resident Evil is one major example of how to create a survival horror experience into a masterpiece art, so starting from the first debut title of RE1 was commerically and critically successful at the launch release that led to the creation of the series and then the second installiment title of RE2 are also critically and commerically praised which improves upon the predecessor and widely listed as one of the greatest game ever made.
Due to success of first two Resident Evil games that helped popularising the genre of horror in video games, a creator behind the successful series went on creating a new IP of horror game that are different from the previous work, so that is Dino Crisis.
It's a 1999's survival-horror game developed by Capcom was released for PS1, Dreamcast, and PC. It was described as when Resident Evil meets Jurassic Park, as the game set in the Ibis lsland where the research facility took place.
It follows a special operations agent named Regina and her team as they infiltrate a remote facility to capture a scientist is only to find the complex overrun by prehistoric dinosaurs.
The game plays just like you're expecting from the Capcom's previous horror series with same tank-controls, similar inventory screen, and of course the fixed-camera angle.
The puzzle systems are also similar, but rather than finding the key to unlock the doors, there are bunch of security doors blocked by the security locking system which means that you must rely on combining code discs and input discs to decipher and hack digital disk key security doors, so this makes the game quite unique which I liked the idea of using the code discs to type the correct passcode to validate the security door system just makes the puzzle elements quite fascinating to play.
What made the game quite different from the Capcom's flagship horror series is that they wanted to create a fearsome terror that was designed to have more consistant fright with the dinosaurs being more intelligent and quick making them able to chase the player room to room, so this adds-up a high level of scare factor that you'll be chased-off by a primal beast that are aggressive and imitating throughout the areas just makes it really frightening your ass off.
The game also made improvements on graphic technologies using the 3D engine with real-time environments, as opposed to the Resident Evil's pre-rendered backgrounds, which enables a better cinematic action and more dramatic character depictions, as well as adding a detailed environments to make the game's visuals look appealing and realistic.
While the game are also had solid reception and decent commerical sale along with the 2001's sequel like Dino Crisis 2 for PS1 had similar praises as the predecessor, it was being overshadowed by the Capcom's Resident Evil series still remains more popular and had a massive fan community which left Dino Crisis series not being attacted enough to it's new audience.
It was also completely destroyed by third installiment like Dino Crisis 3 for Xbox Original didn't deliver anything justice which led the discontinuation of the series that are once good but went fell apart at the end meaning we never get to see the 4th title a light of the day.
It's a shame is because I love Dino Crisis which is criminally underrated as a today standards, so I was hoping that this series should deserve a second chance if Capcom were concidering to be interested to revive the long-gone series in near future.
1. Deep Fear (Saturn)
Due to popularity of Capcom's Resident Evil had inspired many game developers went to create their own horror games, so that's why we had SEGA creating a successful light-gun shooter like The House of the Dead where you had a light-gun controller as a weapon to shoot down a horde of zombies on the screen which was a bloody-fun horror shooter back in the 90s.
There's one of the game that I didn't really know SEGA had already made a survival-horror title for SEGA Saturn, so that is Deep Fear.
It's a 1998's survival-horror game developed by System Sacom was released exclusivity for SEGA Saturn.
The game set on the underwater big table research facility in the pacific ocean, as the game begins the submarine delivers a capsule to the base which recently fell out from space, but unfortnately the submarine crashes into the facility causing the capsule that carries a virus or parasite cell to break off spreading across the station infecting many human crew members and animals transformed into a dangerous creatures.
You take control of John Mayor, an ex-navy seal and rescue worker, must explore the base, fix critical systems, and rescue survivors.
I believe the game took inspiration from the likes of 1982's sci-fi horror films like John Capenter's The Thing in terms of narration and monster design which I adored these concepts that focuses on not only just fighting for the survival but also creating a large terrifying creatures that are mencing and deadly.
What made the game quite interesting is the game's design and mechanics which has oxygen level system that you'll be needing these to keep you protected from unsafe areas such as the room filled with underwater or carbon dioxide that depletes faster, so this really adds the fear and tensivity in a searching for the room-oxygen/respirator system.
I say the presentation design is pretty decent for its atmospheric settings of underwater facility that are incredibly self-isolated in many areas and being in the 300 meters underwater which creating claustrophobic and tense vibe to prove that what is like to be stuck inside the underwater facility for the rest of the life is genunely quite scary to deal with fighting creatures and finding way of escaping from the horrific place, and I also find the transformation of human being formed into a monster are also quite disturbing to watch especially being on SEGA 32-bit machine.
The game's story is actually not bad well even though the voice acting has pretty awkward dialogue, I say I like the plot of the accidential outbreak had occured in the underwater facility and uses the pre-rendered CGI cutscenes just adds-up a game's charm.
The gameplay is quite enjoyable filled with many fun puzzles to solve, has many rooms to uncover the mysteries behind the outbreak, and of course the great segments throughout the areas is something to adore this game.
Sadly the game is remain forgotten is due to being released in the same year as the Saturn's lifespan had ended the production as in 1998 making it the final game ever released in Europe and also leaving the US version been unreleased is the reason why it suffered with the poor commerical sales that leaves the game closed behind doors.
It also gained cult-following among with SEGA Saturn's fans had enjoyed the niche horror title that are actually pretty good, so it may be difficult to search for european copy which is downright expensive is due to rarity of item unless you may want to go for a cheaper option like the Japanese import copy which are also English friendly for spoken dialogue and menus & UI.
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This is Zeeshan Mirza's Blog and I'll see you next time, happy blogging and have a nice spooky Halloween everyone, MUHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!
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