What’s so cool about playing horror video games on Halloween
Playing horror video games on Halloween combines the festivity of the holiday with the interactive and immersive nature of gaming, creating an unforgettable experience for those who dare to play.
- Enhanced Immersion: The ambiance, the decorations, dim lighting, and an overall spooky atmosphere, can greatly enhance the immersive experience of a horror video game on Halloween. The surroundings can make in-game scares feel even more real and intense.
- Cultural Relevance: Halloween is a time when many people around the world celebrate all things scary. Engaging in a horror video game during this time taps into that collective cultural moment, making it a shared and communal experience.
- Shared Experience: If you’re playing with friends, it can be a fun group activity. Everyone can gather around, share in the scares, and have a good time reacting to the game together.
- Variety: There’s a wide range of horror games available, from psychological thrillers to survival horrors to jump-scare based games. Halloween is the perfect excuse to dive into this genre and explore different types of scares.
- Tapping into Fear: Halloween is about confronting and even celebrating our fears in a controlled environment. Horror games allow players to face frightening scenarios in a safe way, where they can control the pace and even turn off the game if it becomes too intense.
- Tradition: For many gamers, playing a horror video game on Halloween has become a Halloween tradition, just like watching horror movies. It’s a fun way to get into the spirit of the holiday.
- Special Events & Discounts: Many game developers and platforms offer Halloween-themed events, updates, or discounts during the season. This can be an exciting time to experience new content or get a great deal on a horror game you’ve been wanting to try.
- Endorphin Rush: Just like watching a horror film, playing a horror video game can cause an adrenaline rush. The suspense, tension, and occasional jump-scares lead to a release of endorphins, making the experience both thrilling and rewarding.
- Challenge: Many horror games also offer challenging gameplay mechanics, puzzles, or enemy encounters. Overcoming these challenges can be even more satisfying when enveloped in the Halloween mood.
- Stories and Lore: Horror games often have deep, intricate stories or lore. Engaging with these narratives during Halloween can make the tales feel more profound and haunting.
In summary, playing horror video games on Halloween offers a memorable experience due to the enhanced atmosphere, cultural significance, communal shared scares, tradition, and the unique blend of festive and interactive elements that amplify the game’s immersion and suspense.
Video Games to Play on Halloween 2023
On Halloween, ideal video games envelop players in haunting atmospheres and gripping narratives. Seek titles that combine eerie soundscapes with visually arresting, dark aesthetics. Opt for those with chilling lore, like ancient curses or haunted locales. Games that blend suspenseful exploration with sudden scares heighten adrenaline. Whether it’s navigating haunted mansions, eluding relentless pursuers, solving cryptic puzzles, or facing supernatural entities, select games that mirror the macabre spirit of Halloween. Such experiences, whether solo or multiplayer, magnify the holiday’s thrilling essence.
Five Nights at Freddy’s: Security Breach (PEGI 12) – Release date: December 16, 2021
Five Nights at Freddy’s: Security Breach is set in the vast Mega Pizza Plex mall, expanding the familiar horror series by Scott Cawthon. Players explore the mall, avoiding new and known animatronics, with enhanced freedom of movement. The game introduces dynamic gameplay mechanics, improved graphics, and deeper lore. As with previous FNaF titles, it offers tension, jump scares, and mysteries, providing a fresh and exciting adventure for horror enthusiasts.
The Texas Chain Massacre (PEGI 18) – Release date: August 18, 2023
The Texas Chain Massacre is an online multiplayer horror game where players either become part of the sinister Sawyer Family or the pursued victims. Its gameplay shares similarities with other asymmetric horror games like “Dead by Daylight” and “Friday The 13th Game”. Each match has three Sawyers hunting four survivors in a large map filled with hiding spots. Both teams can upgrade their abilities: survivors enhance stealth and senses, while the Sawyers boost damage and blood collection. Grandpa Sawyer is pivotal; by collecting blood for him, the Sawyers gain advantages. However, survivors can counteract by attacking Grandpa: by targeting Grandpa Sawyer, survivors can sever the familial bond and nullify the extra benefits his skills provide, leveling the playing field.
Stray Souls (PEGI 18) – Release date: October 25, 2023
In the enigmatic town of Aspen Falls, Daniel uncovers startling family connections after inheriting his grandmother’s house, meeting a perplexing woman, and facing eerie adversaries. Influenced by classic horror and soulslike precision, this game reinvents the action-horror genre. Players shape Daniel’s journey through pivotal dialogue choices, engage in streamlined combat, crack ingenious enigmas, and experience diverse playthroughs with unpredictable game elements. Powered by Unreal Engine 5 and MetaHuman technology, the game offers heightened realism and a haunting ambiance.
Alan Wake 2 (PEGI 18) – Release date: October 27, 2023
Alan Wake 2 introduces a significant shift in gameplay from its predecessor, exploring deeper psychological horror elements after Alan’s 13-year confinement in the Dark Place. The sequel features a new main character, Saga Anderson, an FBI agent probing ritualistic murders in Bright Falls with her colleague, Alex Casey. While the narrative delves into Saga’s investigations, players also step into Alan’s shoes, navigating a nightmarish version of New York City. The game allows toggling between these intertwined tales. Gameplay alterations include a closer over-the-shoulder camera view reminiscent of recent Resident Evil titles and a heightened focus on survival horror with scarcer resources to combat supernatural foes.
The Mortuary Assistant (PEGI 16) – Release date: August 2, 2023
In the game, players become Rebecca, a mortuary assistant. She embalms bodies while dodging demonic forces under supervisor Raymond’s gaze. Blending routine tasks with horror elements, players face jump scares and puzzles. Described as a “haunted walking simulator,” it uses a first-person viewpoint. Players identify and exorcise possessed corpses within a time limit. Players can gather notes from the mortuary’s front desk in the game. These track increasing possession levels, evolving from mere scribbles to the final demonic symbol linked to the target demon. With multiple endings, a new one was added in July 2023. The storyline is dynamic, adjusting based on previous playthroughs. Venturing into this horror video game on Halloween is truly for the courageous.
Conclusion
Playing horror video games on Halloween provides a unique fusion of the holiday’s spooky atmosphere with the game’s inherent suspense. This combination heightens the adrenaline rush and immerses players deeply into the chilling narrative. Engaging in this timely tradition becomes not just about gaming, but about experiencing Halloween in its most intense and exhilarating form, a treat for thrill-seekers.