When you start a game, you usually know what to expect. If you play a military shooter like Call of Duty or Battlefield, you will likely experience a global warfare story, perhaps in a specific time period. However, when you turn on a Super Mario title, you probably need to rescue a kidnapped princess.
While there can still be surprises in each story, the game rarely changes genre halfway through. But ‘rarely’ does not mean never. For example, some games suddenly dive into the horror genre without any notice. Sometimes it’s just for one scene, while sometimes it can be for the rest of the story. The following examples fit into the latter group.
7/7 life is strange
At first glance, Life Is Strange seems like a game about teenage anxiety, where you have to guide young Max Caulfield through her difficult school life. Things get a little more interesting with the addition of supernatural elements, as Max can rewind time. But it still seems like a pretty light-hearted story.
This is until you get a few episodes and find out what happened to the girls at school. Art teacher Mark Jefferson dries the teens, takes them into his darkroom and takes pictures of them in a vulnerable state. While it’s not the kind of story you’d see in Dead Space or Outlast, it’s still a horror story in its own way.
6/7 Halo: Combat Evolved
In the early stages of the original Halo, the game is about humans versus the alien force known as The Covenant. They aren’t the friendliest aliens in gaming, but they aren’t exactly horror monsters.
However, a tone shift occurs a few hours later, when The Flood is introduced into the story. These creatures are certainly horror-like because they infect and take over the bodies of organics in the same way that zombies do. And as in many zombie stories, the main characters’ goal is to eradicate the threat posed by the monsters.
5/7 Ox free
Oxenfree starts innocently enough with a group of teenagers who go to an island to party. It looks like it’s going to be a coming-of-age story that focuses heavily on the relationships between these friends. That’s a big theme of the story, but supernatural horror elements are also added to it.
It starts with a journey to some dark caves. Then fractures appear and people begin to have visions. There are even ghosts that show up and begin to possess people. The rest of the game revolves around discovering the secrets of the eerie island while trying to leave safely.
4/7 WWE Smackdown vs. Raw 2011
The Story Mode in WWE Smackdown Vs. Raw 2011 features a few separate storylines that put you in the shoes of certain wrestlers. Most are standard wrestling stories. However, the one where you go up against The Undertaker to end his WrestleMania series is a bit different.
A lot of horror-like things happen during the story. For example, your screen will be distorted, humans will be replaced by creepy druids, and you will be given the ability to capture souls. This goes along with Undertaker’s supernatural gimmick, but it’s still surprising to watch and serves as a significant tone shift from the rest of the game.
3/7 bugsnax
Sometimes fun games can be deceiving, and that’s the case for Bugsnax. At the start of the game, you will visit a unique island full of friendly creatures called Grumpuses and their food, which is known as Bugsnax. Your goal is to bring all the Grumpuses together.
It’s a bit strange, but nothing horror worthy. This is until you get deeper into the story and learn more about the Bugsnax. The explorer known as Lizbert reveals that the Bugsnax aren’t just cute snacks – they’re parasites. They trick people into consuming them so they can take over their minds and bodies. Sometimes they even put themselves in the mouth of their victims. Once you’ve learned this, the story is about getting away from these beasts.
2/7 Doki Doki Literature Club!
If you look at a promo image of Doki Doki Literature Club, it looks like a healthy experience. The game also starts out that way as it plays like a visual novel dating sim filled with cute anime girls. However, as you progress through the game, things start to take a turn.
The story suddenly gets much darker as people die in horrific ways. In addition, topics such as abuse and suicide are discussed. The title also starts repeatedly breaking the fourth wall to mess with your mind as the game turns into a psychological horror adventure. It’s a very freaky and unexpected tone shift that completely changes the game.
1/7 Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune
When you start the first Uncharted game, you have certain expectations. For example, you probably assume that the game will be the classic treasure hunter affair, where you climb around, explore caves and fight bad guys. That’s pretty much what happens for much of the game when Nathan Drake goes in search of El Dorado’s treasure.
But things take a turn when monsters appear. These dangerous creepy creatures wouldn’t look out of place in any horror game. It turns out that El Dorado contains a virus that turns people into these monsters. And the antagonist plans to sell the gold as a bioweapon. It sounds like the plot of a Resident Evil game, not one about a witty treasure hunter.
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