And I’m not talking about the mainstream releases like RE and Amnesia either. There’s some streamer dude that YT algorithm recommended, and I have heard of none of the stuff he played. So I dug deeper and wtf they just keep popping up like mushrooms. The Dire? Rootman? Graveyard Shift? Fears to Fathom? Visage? Zoochosis? Mortuary Assistant? Welcome to fking Kowloon? And all these grainy Jap titles about god knows what… i don’t even…. wait, “15 stunning horror games coming in 2024”. So there are more. ok. And this is just YT. I haven’t even checked on Steam yet.
Seriously tho, this ain’t a new phenomenon – horror has been quietly booming as an indie genre for almost a decade now? *Which is great*, I’m not sure how this trend started. I think the streaming community is a driver… but are these games just easier to make?
And….what the heck – what’s your favorite?
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That is a cool picture. Thanks for telling me about these, I love horror and will check them out.
My favorite was Until Dawn and RE2, but they’re pretty mainstream. Those Indie ones look great.
the indie horror scene has always been active, it’s just been *indie* so they don’t get much promotion
Horror games are very easy to make so you’re probably hearing about a lot of indie devs slapping some new scary concept together.
They’re usually pretty simple but effective.
Mortuary assistant is pretty good
Which one of those games is the source of the image in the original post?
I’m guessing the excellent Silent Hills PT demo back in 2014 helped bring the resurgence of horror games we see today
It’s crazy to think a short vertical slice of a cancelled game can bring so much influence to the horror genre
What’s this picture from?
My all-time favorite horror game is F.E.A.R
However, out of the “newer” releases, Phasmophobia has been an absolute gagglefuck of fun for me. Grab a few buddies and get absolutely blasted and hunt some ghosts? Sign me tf up!
I feel that many current ones are too reliant on jumpscares, e.g. Mortuary Assistant. Hope the new batch can be more restrained.
What game is that you posted?
Japan hasn’t stopped making grainy foggy horror games(j horror) in a long time.
Favorite is doki doki literature club
Fears to fathom is great
Was the steamer Insym by chance? I don’t watch a lot of streamers but he’s always trying a bunch of indoor horror games out and keeps my interest
There’s tons of the photo-realistic “body-cam” POV found-footage horror games coming out too. Eventually. Maybe. Seems like a new preview for one is popping up weekly, but I’m not sure if any have actually been released. The environments look like real life, but the monsters are incredibly off putting and outdated looking, it’s a bit jarring.
These titles are definitely easy to make, that’s why they’re being churned out so fast. Most are pretty uninspired, janky, and short. That’s the reason why they don’t really pop up on most peoples radar. They’re more fun to watch a streamer play, rather than endure it yourself. I actually enjoyed Visage though, but that one isn’t particularly obscure (it’s even hit PS5 I think)
Definitely check out Visage. I’m not one to get spooked but this game fucks with your head.