By the end of this year, both Oxenfree II: Lost Signals and Stasis: Bottotem, which are sequels to the critically acclaimed point-and-click horror games, are slated to finally be released. Along with brand new upcoming games like The excavation of Hob’s Barrowthese titles prove that now is the perfect time to explore this particular horror subgenre.
While point-and-click adventure games haven’t been able to regain the genre’s immense popularity in the 1990s, certain modern horror games, such as detention, have shown that the gameplay style can still provide excellent immersive experiences.
Who is Lila? (2022)
Created by indie developer Garage Heathen, who also Your awesome T-gotchi, who is Lila? is a reverse detective horror game released early this year. Inspired by twin peaks, the game follows a college student named William “Will” Clarke, who was the last person to see a local woman named Tanya Kennedy before her mysterious disappearance.
In addition to the pixelated monochromatic retro art style, Who is Lila? is also unique in that the player must control Will’s expressions by manipulating his facial muscles, which will directly determine how conversations develop and what endings the player achieves. As the player explores this world, they slowly discover the truth behind what happened to Tanya, how Will is connected to it and of course who Lila is.
Cube Escape/ Rusty Lake Series (2015-present)
Another example inspired by David Lynch’s work is the ongoing horror puzzle franchise known as the Cube Escape or Rusty Lake series. Originally released as a series of escape-the-room Flash games, the franchise now contains 15 episodes and mainly follows a detective named Dale Vandermeer as he investigates the death of a woman named Laura Vanderboom.
As the nonlinear story progresses, the player slowly discovers how her death is connected to mysterious black and white cubes and their connection to a location known as Rusty Lake. Featuring the latest entry, simply titled the past inside, slated for release in the fall, now is the perfect time to join this intriguing series, which even includes an official short film titled Paradox – A Rusty Lake Movie that is based on the game of 2018 Cube Escape: Paradox.
Lydia (2017)
Released in 2017, Lydia is a short atmospheric adventure game whose horror is probably close to home for some players. Following on from the titular Lydia, who starts the game as a young girl, the player controls her as she grows up in a terrifying environment filled with substance abuse. After her parents force Lydia to go to bed early so they can have their parties, Lydia’s best friend, Teddy, takes her into another world through her closet.
As she explores this new world, she slowly works through her trauma and discovers the truth behind what the “monster” is. With beautifully bleak storybook-esque graphics, Lydia delivers an impressive horror experience by focusing on realistic struggles that unfortunately many children face, such as abusive parents and alcoholism.
Bad Dream series (2013-2018)
Created by Desert Fox, who would later develop the 2021 horror game Darkness under my bed (one of the best horror games with scary dolls), the bad dream franchise is a series of hand-drawn surreal horror games where the protagonist has to solve puzzles to escape his dreams. While the six original games in the series were originally released as standalone Flash games, the 2017 game Bad dream: Coma delivered a complete narrative experience that tied all previous titles together.
As Death has left the dream world, the inhabitants suffer and the protagonist must decide their fate, for better or for worse, with the help of a mysterious masked man. In 2018, another episode titled Bad dream: fever was released where the player must help a masked girl to solve a strange blue ink plague.
The Last Door (2013-2016)
Inspired by the work of Edgar Allan Poe and HP Lovecraft, The last door is an episodic horror series set in Victorian England and consists of eight episodes. During the first four episodes, which are part of the first season of the game, the player controls a young man named Jeremiah Devitt who must investigate a supernatural place known as the Veil to solve the death of his old academy friend Anthony Beechworth. .
In the second season, the player instead controls Devitt’s former psychiatrist, Doctor John Wakefield, as he tries to uncover the mysterious circumstances surrounding Devitt and his friends. With the beautiful pixel art that creates a vague atmosphere and the excellently creepy sound design, The last door is possibly one of the most accurate adaptations of Poe and Lovecraftian horror.
Stasis (2015)
Since the sequel Stasis: Bottotem scheduled for late this year, now is the perfect time to play the original 2015 isometric science fiction adventure game Stasis. Wanting to start a new life on Titan, one of Saturn’s moons, the main character, John Maracheck, and his wife and daughter are brought to a halt. However, when he wakes up, he finds himself on the seemingly abandoned spaceship Groomlake.
While trying to find his wife and daughter, he slowly reveals the horrifying secrets behind the ship’s ruined corridors and bloodied floors. Even if the player is not a fan of isometric games, the beautifully detailed environments and captivating story make this game a worthwhile experience.
The Cat Lady (2012)
Released in 2012, The Cat Lady is a side scrolling psychological horror adventure game and it is also one of many great games that discuss mental health. Created as the second entry in the Devil came through here trilogy, including the 2009 game demise and the game of 2019 Lorelai the cat lady follows a middle-aged woman named Susan Ashworth, who struggles with chronic depression and has only stray cats for company.
When she tries to end her life, she finds herself in a surreal realm where she meets the queen of maggots, who immortalizes Susan and instructs her to kill five “parasites”. Although the game is filled with dark and violent visuals, it realistically depicts depression and also has a unique collage-like art style.
Detention (2017)
It is set in the 1960s, when Taiwan was under martial law by the Kuomintang (KMT), Detention is a 2017 side-scrolling psychological survival horror game that revolves around two high school students named Wei Chung Ting and Fang Ray Shin. When the two characters wake up, they discover that a typhoon has hit the area and are now trapped in the school.
But this natural disaster proves to be the least of their problems when Ray later wakes up to find Wei already dead, the school twisted into a nightmarish shape and ghosts patrolling the hallways. As the player explores the world, solving puzzles and dodging monsters, they slowly discover the dark history behind Ray, Wei and the rest of the school.
Annual walk (2013)
It is mainly set in 19th century Sweden, annual walk is a 2013 adventure game in which the main character, a man named Daniel Svensson, decides to do an old Swedish tradition known as “Årsgång” or “Year Walk” to see his future with his lover, Stina. To do this, he has to solve various puzzles and encounter supernatural creatures in the snow-covered forest.
But there’s a reason annual running is considered dangerous, and every gift has a price. Meanwhile, in the present day, a folklorist named Theodor Almsten discovers Daniel’s past actions and tries to stop him from meeting his terrible fate, which the player experiences by reading his diary entries.
Ox free (2016)
Inspired by iconic coming-of-age movies and shows for teens, Ox free is a 2016 2.5D supernatural thriller adventure game in which the player controls a teenage girl named Alex who takes her new stepbrother, Jonas, and her boyfriend, Ren, to Edwards Island for a weekend beach party. After meeting Clarissa’s best friend Nona and Clarissa, his late brother’s ex-girlfriend, Alex accidentally opens a dimensional rift by tuning an old radio in a cave on the island.
As supernatural events unfold and time seems to unravel around them, Alex must try to help the group escape from the island while uncovering its dark history. Depending on how the player reacts to the characters in real time, there are multiple possible endings. A sequel set five years later titled Oxenfree II: Lost Signals is planned for this year.
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