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The Rife Team

Horror Games to Watch if You’re Bored of Horror Films

Ella talks you through some of her favourite spooky scary video games to watch on Youtube instead of watching horror films.

Don’t get me wrong – horror films are great, but I can’t be the only one who doesn’t feel like the story feels immersive enough. This is what helped me stumble on watching horror games. Anyone who knows me knows that I can’t play games for a few reasons: I get really mad, I button mash, most games aren’t made to let button mashers to survive, and honestly, games are so expensive when they first come out. Watching a series of YouTubers like Markiplier, Game Grumps and Jacksepticeye (to name a few) is the cheapest way to enjoy a game.

Here are a few of my favourites!

Bendy and the Ink Machine

This vintage-looking episodic horror survival game is a nod to the cartoon characters of the late 20s and early 30s like Betty Boop and the Disney’s ‘Steamboat Willie’ – but this game is far more sinister. You play as a retired cartoonist Henry who is invited to his old studio by Joey Drew, an old friend. Once you get there, Joey is nowhere to be seen, but you are not alone. BATIM has a distinct lack of jump scares and super dark screens and yet you are still on edge the entire time.

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Littlest Nightmares

This is probably the most creepy-cute puzzle platformer that I have actually played and watched. You’re a teeny tiny character called Six trapped in a strange world, and you’re starving. Between hiding from greasy Tweedle-dee-and-Tweedle-dum-like chefs and eating mouldy bread (and sometimes worse), you try and escape by thinking in clever ways to get to your destination and maybe a nice hot meal… hopefully.

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Fran Bow

10-year-old Fran Bow gets sent away to an asylum when she’s found alone in the woods (with her cat Mr Midnight). Once at the asylum she is given several pills which give her gory and scary hallucinations and eventually blur her perceptions of real-life. This indie psychological horror game will have you questioning everything. What’s real? What isn’t? Will she ever get out?

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What Remains of Edith Finch

This isn’t the most “horror” of horror games but this almost nonsensical story is so immersive you can’t do anything but believe – and I can tell you, you will be sufficiently creeped out. This walking simulator adventure game tells the story of the Finch family and the curse that has taken nearly all of their lives.

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Alice: Madness Returns

Alice Madness Returns is the sequel game to America McGee’s Alice and both are creative adaptations of Alice in Wonderland. Alice Liddell is suffering from trauma of losing her family in a fire and is going though therapy. This causes her to go to Wonderland to face her fears head on. The game is a platform-puzzle adventure game which will have your brain busy every minute.

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I’m going to apologise in advance to your neighbours because if you make it through this list of games you most certainly won’t get through it without screaming! Have fun… Mwahahaa!

How do you feel about horror games? Do you watch any other gamers on YouTube? Send us some suggestions via Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.