By Mary Ellison
As the weather gets colder and the nights get longer, video games are a great activity for a night in. Halloween is right around the corner, so it’s no secret that students are prepping for the season and thinking about their spooky activities at the end of the month. To honor the Halloween spirit, here are some of my scary video game favorites, just in time for us all to procrastinate studying during the tail end of prelim season. All of these games are available on Steam, which is accessible from any PC. If you don’t have your own gaming setup, the Esports Gaming Lounge in RPCC on North Campus is worth a visit.
Resident Evil Village
Resident Evil Village is a tense, exciting first-person survival horror that will keep you on the edge of your seat the entire time you play. The game follows Ethan Winters, the same protagonist from its predecessor, Resident Evil 7: Biohazard, as he searches for his daughter. Ethan must navigate several labyrinths in unfamiliar enemy territory while fleeing dangerous cult members that include vampires, a doll brought to life, a fish creature and a veritable engineering genius with the ability to reanimate corpses. The world is rich in lore exclusive to the game, while still making little references to previous Resident Evil editions. The abandoned snowy town setting is perfect for our Ithaca (though when winter comes around, we should hope no such monsters come with it).
Signalis
An indie third-person survival horror reminiscent of the early Resident Evil games, Signalis has the player control a Replika android unit called Elster on a search for her human lover, Ariane. Elster awakens on a crashed spaceship and for most of the game travels through the ruins of a mining facility in order to find out what happened to Ariane. She fights other rogue Replika units throughout her search. Fans of H. P. Lovecraft and The King in Yellow will enjoy many references in these games, and if you enjoy classical music, Signalis gives us many moments of popular pieces like Schubert’s Serenade and Rachmaninoff’s Isle of the Dead.
Silent Hill 2
Whenever it gets foggy, without fail, Ithaca’s thick fog is often characteristic of Silent Hill. Yet another survival horror (I’m sensing a slight trend here), Silent Hill 2 just got a remake and would be the perfect endeavor for someone looking for a spooky game this Halloween. There is a dreamlike, psychological quality to it that isn’t too common in the genre, and its soundtrack is phenomenal. The player acts from a third-person perspective as the widower James Sunderland and embarks on a search for Sunderland’s long-dead wife after he receives a letter from her. Prepare for more monsters, more riddles, and more disorientation, with flavors of Dostoevsky.
Dead by Daylight
Dead by Daylight is another survival horror, but this time it’s online and multiplayer. Four players are designated Survivors, who are trapped in a small area and must repair and power generators to open the gates to their freedom, and a fifth plays as a Killer, who must hunt the Survivors and prevent their escape. Survivors must work together to free each other upon being caught by the Killer. The game allows some character customization as well. Killers can play as many famous names, such as Ghostface, Freddy Krueger, Leatherface, Pyramid Head (whom you would encounter in Silent Hill 2), and Chucky. Additionally, there are some notable appearances for the Survivor role as well, like Lara Croft, David Tapp, Steve Harrington and Leon Kennedy. The character selection option gives various perks to players depending on their choices, making for more unique matches each time.
Devour
This one is not quite a survival horror. Devour is an indie player-versus-environment (PvE) horror game that can be played either alone or with up to three other friends. It has been compared to Phasmophobia, with the same feature of proximity voice chat. Players control members of a cult called the Watchers of Azazel and the goal of the game is to destroy various totems in order to prevent another member of the cult from summoning the demon. Players are not provided with weapons or anything significant to defend themselves from the hostile entities they encounter, except for a flashlight that can drive away the enemies for a time when shined at them. It is very tense and creepy, as you, the player, must navigate near-pitch darkness with no light but that of your flashlight, while also ensuring the safety of your companions.
Hopefully these games can scratch your horror itch, prepare you for Halloween, give you something to do while skirting the inevitable cold that will be upon us soon, distracting you from the fast-approaching ghouls at the end of the semester.
Mary Ellison is a junior in the College of Arts and Sciences. She can be reached at [email protected].