Pandemic Catch-Up 6: Into the Dark

Despite being an avid fan of horror films and books, I am not particularly good with horror games, though I'm not sure why. Is it the loss of offensive and defensive options that the player possesses? Is it the slow movement? is it the fact that haunted houses absolutely terrify me? Perhaps it's all three, but I worked on it during the summer I spent largely shut-in, and I'm sort of proud to say that perhaps they aren't so bad, maybe not really to my taste, but they're no longer the kind of thing I'll quit and uninstall the minute scary stuff starts happening. This one is a bit more of a loose topic, but in all four games there's a decent amount of spooky and scary happenings.

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Resident Evil VII: Biohazard (and Not a Hero)

Just when I thought I couldn't possibly visit another escape room, I ran into yet another...Though to be honest this one is pretty fun.

Starting off pretty strong, this was the first horror game I played since I got scared out of my mind playing Garry's Mod horror maps when I was thirteen, and all in all it was a pretty good introduction to the genre. On the one hand, the beginning of the game is a tense horror-house experience and a decent survival horror adventure, but closer to the end as the horrors lose their tension the game shifts into a slow and methodical game of blasting (or running past) oily abominations. Admittedly much of the progression and the entire game is pretty quick, if you know what to do, otherwise it's a murderous escape room, with guns. Really that is probably the best thing to call it, a horror escape room with a few boss fights, and though neither were my forte at the time I really liked it. It does stumble near the end by sending you against a horde of monsters, but besides that and a section on a derelict ship that slows things to a crawl the game is actually a pretty good time. Each member of the family is a little overhyped in my opinion, but they have a great presence and excellently characterize their respective locations of their big murderhouse. I'd recommend it, a little more horror than action but it's a good introduction to newcomers. The DLC I got somehow, called Not a Hero, is essentially all action, and while this highlights the mediocre shooting of the game, it's a neat little episode that felt like I was plopped in the endgame with even better equipment to enjoy the reward of completing the game (even though you don't have to complete the game to access it).

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Metro 2033 Redux

Metro 2033's true strong suit, rather than the edgy world is rather creating those moments from adventure movies where the hero whispers 'shit' under their breath, which is nevertheless quite effective.

Not necessarily a horror experience in the strictest sense, Metro 2033 is nevertheless a heart-pumping thrill ride of a game, essentially being also a triumph of the so-called "middle market" of video games*. Taking almost entirely in the cramped hallways and subway stations of the Moscow Metro, the game takes you on a tour of this ruined world brought about by nuclear armageddon. While very much more restrictive (the came is essentially all corridors with a linear story) than the open-world experiences that have become the norm in recent years, Metro 2033's focus on close quarters combat is very refreshing, even if it can be brutal and unrelenting. The sequences fighting mutants were some of my favorites, as counting shots and timing reloads became essential while keeping track of multiple enemies circling around your back, creating really tense episodes that really nailed the desperate feeling of the world. It also looks quite good, even today, and the UI is almost entirely immersive with few displays, which is something I'd like to see more these days, but that seems to be not the case unfortunately.

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Kholat

Kholat had a really strong and intriguing opening with great visuals and voiceovers, but truthfully the open-world approach was not a good idea. They really should have picked between horror or orienteering, because the combination didn't work.

I hadn't played any "walking horror" games before Kholat, but needless to say it was a disappointing experience. On top of the fact that the potential horror of the game is lost once I realized that the monsters were simply these shadow people that kill you with a single hit, it's not a very threatening game, more tedious than anything. I wish there was a way to get rid of them because otherwise it was a pretty enjoyable hiking experience through the Ural Mountains with a dose of orienteering. However at the end of the day that is all the game offers besides some cool sequences and good voice acting. If you want a spooky hike, it's alright, but otherwise it's a hard pass from me. It was bearable streaming to friends but I could not see myself completing the game if I wasn't playing for an audience.

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After these three generally different exposures to the horror genre I have to say that I have definitely been sleeping on the genre as a whole in the years that I have been playing video games. Admittedly I will most likely always skew towards the action horror side, but stepping out of my comfort zone with more slow-paced and less power-fantasy experiences like Kholat and Resident Evil VII were nevertheless fun experiences for me, doubly so streaming Kholat for my friends.

* Middle market refers to studios that are not at the level of AAA studios, but clearly not indie groups. They are pretty well-known for shovelware, but the Eastern European ones have produced cult classics such as the Stalker and Witcher video game franchises

Next up is some light and fluffy stuff, but then again that's not much of a stretch for me coming straight from the horror genre