Featuring tons of upcoming HR Giger-inspired titles, such as the survival horror game contempt that is slated for release on October 21, it’s clear that Giger’s signature surreal “biomechanical” art style continues to inspire. Since horror is all about subverting and crossing established social dichotomies and norms, the combination of mechanical and organic elements, normally seen as opposing forces, is perfect for the genre.
Although many games, such as the Resident Evil franchise, include some of these elements, certain titles such as: Tormentum – Dark Sorrow base most content on this stylistic concept.
Mystical Nights (2005)
Released in 2005 for the PlayStation 2, Mystical nights is a survival horror game that tried to differentiate itself from other titles in the genre by having a multiplayer mode in which players try to kill as many enemies as possible, find the exit and figure out which of them is the traitor. While social deduction games and multiplayer horror games are now becoming more and more common, this game tackled these genres more than a decade in advance.
In single-player mode, the game follows a scientist named Bruce who is invited to a new research facility by his former friend Allen, where he travels alone to see his former love interest Monica. Shortly after arriving, however, he finds himself trapped in the building and discovers that it has been overrun by strange biomechanical creatures. Although this game has only been officially released in South Korea, there is an English fan translation.
Hell Night (1998)
Developed by Atlus, who are best known for the Megami Tensei franchise and other JRPGs, hell night is a 1998 PlayStation first-person survival horror game released in Japan and Europe. While on the run from a group of cultists in Tokyo, the protagonist escapes on a nighttime subway train, only to be attacked by a strange creature. Although this causes the train to crash, the main character and a high school girl named Naomi survive.
To escape the creature, the two characters run into the sewers and discover that there is an entire city below Tokyo called “The Mesh”. find a way back to the surface. Ultimately, the player discovers that all of these events are related to an ancient biomechanical alien species that resides deep within the Earth. In 2019, Puppet Combo released a horror game titled day 7, which was partly inspired by Hell night.
Dark Seed Duology (1992-1995)
While multiple games have been inspired by the artwork of HR Giger, the surreal 90s horror adventure games are dark seed and Dark Seed II were allowed to use his actual artwork to create a story. Both games follow a man named Mike Dawson who discovers a parallel universe known as the ‘Dark World’, which is ruled by an alien race called the ‘Ancients’.
With the help of a friendly dark worlder known as the “Keeper of Scrolls”, Mike must traverse between the two universes and solve puzzles to stop the alien race from destroying the human world. While both games suffer from poorly implemented gameplay mechanics, they are fondly remembered for their artistic merits.
Garage: Bad Dream Adventure (1999)
One of the most surreal games of the 90s is Garage: Bad Dream Adventure, which is a 1999 PC horror adventure game. Designed by Japanese surrealist Tomomi Sakuba, the game follows a biomechanical creature named Yan who gets trapped in a bizarre world created by the psychotherapeutic machine known as ‘ Garage’. To escape from his own inner self, he must explore this world and find his ‘shadow’.
Though the game was considered a media lost for years, it was finally rediscovered in 2014 and later translated into English by fans in 2020. Then, in 2021, the game was officially remade with new content, side missions, and endings.
I Have No Mouth, And I Have To Scream (1995)
Based on the short story of the same name by award-winning American author Harlan Ellison, I have no mouth, and I have to scream is a 1995 science fiction adventure game that is sadly not as well known as it should be. Co-designed by Ellison himself, the game is set in a post-apocalyptic world where seemingly all of humanity has been wiped out except for five selected individuals by an evil supercomputer called ‘AM’, which was also voiced by Ellison.
During the game, AM forces each human to go through a simulated scenario that leaves them facing their own flaws and various ethical dilemmas. Since many parts of the game take place within AM itself, this experience is filled with biomechanical imagery. This is best demonstrated by how the last part of the game takes place in AM’s brain, which looks something like a large mechanical human brain.
Alien Syndrome (1987)
Developed by Sega, Alien Syndrome is a 1987 arcade game in which players control one of two soldiers, Mary or Ricky, as they progress through different levels and fight aliens. After saving enough survivors in a level, the player can go through the exit and fight against the boss of the level, who must defeat the player before moving to the next area.
Because the game was heavily inspired by the Alien franchise, unsurprisingly, the experience is filled with Giger-inspired monstrosities. The immense success of this game led to many ports, a PlayStation 2 remake and a 2007 sequel that is also called Alien Syndrome.
Life at a distance (2019)
Released in 2019, Life at a distance is a 2D side-scrolling space shooter in which the player controls a pilot named John Leone who tries to save the planet earth from an alien beehive that is approaching him. To do this, the player flies directly into the hive, navigates through obstacles and battles detailed biomechanical creatures.
As the player explores the beehive, they discover the secrets behind why the aliens are attacking the planet. Even with three difficulty levels to choose from and customizable ships, players are likely to die many times over when faced with this game’s challenging gameplay.
Tormentum – Dark Sorrow (2015)
With the sequel titled Tormentum II currently in development, now is the perfect time to play the original 2015 point and click adventure game Tormentum – Dark sadness. Just like the coming contempt, this game was inspired by both HR Giger and the Polish dystopian surrealist Zdzisław Beksinski, but also borrowed some elements from the dark seed games and Demon souls.
After waking up in this gloomy world, the main character discovers that they have lost their memory and that they are a prisoner sent to a dark castle. While exploring the three realms, talking to different characters and solving puzzles, the player must make moral decisions that affect the end of the game.
Alien: Isolation (2014)
No discussion of biomechanical horror would be complete without the iconic Alien franchisee. While the series has had several great games over the years, the best example is still the 2014 survival horror game. Alien: isolation. Set years after the events of the original 1979 film Alien, Ellen Ripley’s daughter, Amanda, travels to the Sevastopol space station to investigate Ellen’s disappearance.
Shortly after entering the station, however, she soon discovers that it has been destroyed by an alien, so she must find a way to survive and escape. Even years after the release of this game, the AI of the Alien is still hailed as one of the best.
Axiom Verge (2015)
Released in 2015, Axiom Verge is a beautiful pixelated metroidvania that follows a scientist named Trace. After a lab accident, Trace wakes up in a strange biomechanical world destroyed by a man named Athetos. With the help of a mechanical giant named Elsenova, Trace will try to solve the mysteries behind this world and how he got there.
Similar to other metroidvanias, Trace must explore the interconnected world to find weapons, items, and skills to progress. But some of these abilities, such as the ability to intentionally “glitch” the game, are unique to this title. A sequel titled Axiom Verge 2 was just released on August 11.
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