ReDeads are genuinely scary (Picture: Zelda Universe)
Readers discuss the most frightening video games that aren’t survival horrors, from The Legend Of Zelda to Hitman Absolution.
The subject for this week’s Hot Topic was suggested by reader Hammeriron, who wanted to hear about the scariest moments from games that are not primarily horror titles.
Everyone had plenty of suggestions, from all different types of games, with those that had an otherwise cartoonish tone being the most jarring when something spooky happened.
Legendary horror
The ReDeads in Zelda: Ocarina of Time are famously freaky, in part just because you don’t expect anything like from a Zelda game. They way they leapt onto your back, with that horrible noise, it was proper survival horror. One of the few flaws with Tears Of The Kingdom is that its version of the same idea isn’t scary at all, and not particularly dangerous either.
Zelda game used to have quite a bit more of a horror vibe, especially Majora’s Mask, and I’d like to see that come back. I did like the depths but while the location was spooky none of the monsters really were.
Come to that, even Mario could be a bit creepy sometimes. Some of its more surreal moments can be quite disturbing, especially the Boo houses – the one in Super Mario 64 with the evil piano creeped me out as a kid.
Crespo
Eye witness
The scariest moment in a non-horror game for me was during Mafia 2 (of all games) when poor Henry is stabbed in broad daylight in the street.
It was scary for me because when I first started approaching Henry on this mission, I thought he was being beaten up, but then when the camera switched I saw the meat cleavers and my jaw dropped!
It gave me pause for thought on how this is exactly how it could play out in real life, if witnessing such an act, and that unsettled me. I am not sure if this was intended or not, but it certainly had an effect on me at the time.
Liam R.
Cartoonish horror
I have two answers to this topic.
First is the scary level in A Hat In Time, where you’re sneaking around a scary mansion trying to avoid the mistress of the house. The game has cartoon graphics and isn’t scary in the slightest, but that particular level was pretty creepy and so well made.
Second and slightly different is ToeJam & Earl, more specifically the laugh the dentist makes. It was the laugh of impending doom. Nothing was scarier hearing that sound, when you couldn’t see him yet. You’d panic, walk in one direction hoping it wasn’t towards him, but even then he just pranced so quickly about you had no chance at outrunning him (if you had no good presents to hand him, of course). Nightmare.
Liam
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The Dark Lord
The scary bit of a non-horror that comes to mind for me is the Vader chase at the end of Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order.
As the big man tore the world apart to get hold of me, I found myself laughing through the fear/stress, as I flailed around my living room.
I don’t tend to play out-and-out horror games, and I can’t remember having that reaction to any game for a long time. Maybe not since the first appearance of The Flood on the OG Xbox.
FoximusPrime81 (NN ID/Gamertag)
The bear moment
My favourite non-horror themed scare came a few years ago when I was playing Hitman Absolution. It was my first experience of the Hitman franchise and I was immersed in what I think was a hotel level, wandering nonchalantly along in silence, confident of my master ninja-like undetectability and my complete certainty that I was about to ace the level.
It was then that I had – to avoid spoiling it too much for others – The Bear Moment!
The following few seconds are a hazy, panic induced blur, although I roughly recall the following sequence.
Firstly I came right out of my chair in shock, secondly I unloaded my heaviest weaponry in a futile reaction, and thirdly guards ran in – by now all alerted by my terror fire. I sat on the floor laughing in joy at how the game had sprung such a well-designed and fun trick on me.
Finally my 12-year-old daughter emerged into the living room in mild concern, with a ‘You OK Dad? Why are you down there?’ Needless to say, her compassion was quickly replaced by mockery. I would have my revenge on her a few years later when she played Until Dawn, though that is another story…
I enjoyed the Hitman games immensely and thereafter always looked fondly at them with an extra twinkle in their eye. Lovely.
Great idea for a Hot Topic. All the best of the spooky season to GC and all the readers.
FozzieSDC
Tales from the vault
I don’t play horror games or watch horror films in general.
For me, the scariest part in a (non-horror) game comes from Fallout 3.
Not because of the technical bugs and glitches but from a side quest involving investigating Vault 108.
Once inside, you’re greeted with messy abandonment and eerie silence.
Before you see any living thing, it’s what the player hears that creeps me out.
From the depths of the corridors, all you hear is, ‘Gary? Gary! …Gaaaaarrrrrry!’
LeighDappa
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Fear generation
Though the 16-bit era was not scary in any big way, the generation after it definitely was. PlayStation’s mansion exploration game, with the incident involving canines and shattering glass, definitely introduced that spine-tingling fear in gaming.
Fallout 3 and the family of what turned out to be cannibals, which I tried to help before making the mistake of heading down into the cellar and seeing a lot of human remains, was definitely creepy – my gun was definitely unholstered not long after.
Fable 2 had a glowing house full of atmospheric Christmas cheer, with a log fire glowing and welcoming you to enter! Then, just like that, the illusion fades and a horrific scene of death, with bodies and skeletons amongst carnage appears.
Games like Oblivion and Skyrim, from The Elder Scrolls series, had many moments of darkness. Mostly from going downstairs and finding in the basement an incantation on the floor, set out amongst candles and the remains of creatures to incite an evil of some kind.
The Jack the Ripper type diaries in Windhelm, that you find around the housing area, then sets you on the trail of a killer amongst the citizens! It was an awesome small side mission, trying to solve and stop this unknown threat amongst the graveyard and houses.
None are horror games, but the developers do know how to scare you. Have a happy Halloween everyone and make it an enjoyable one.
Alucard
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Readers discuss the most frightening video games that aren’t survival horrors, from The Legend Of Zelda to Hitman Absolution.