8 Criminally Underrated Horror Video Games

WhatCulture

05/02/2025

The Suffering F.T.W.

Transcript

00:00Horror remains one of gaming's staple genres, with multiple enormous titles and franchises

00:05springing up over the years that everyone loves, and everyone loves even more to talk about.

00:10However, whilst many of these popular franchises still receive new entries to this day,

00:15plenty have fallen to the wayside, being cancelled, or just simply forgotten.

00:19With that in mind then, I'm Josh from WhatCulture.com,

00:22and these are 8 Criminally Underrated Horror Video Games.

00:26Number 8, The Persistence

00:27The Persistence is one of the most underrated PSVR games you can play.

00:32Now, before you go and say, Josh, only like 10 people bought a PSVR,

00:36why are you kicking off this list with such a niche game, and then skip to the next entry,

00:40there actually is a VR-less port of the title that made its way to consoles and PC.

00:46Trapped on a space station, The Persistence's roguelike nature means that each new section

00:51of the station is procedurally generated, and as you venture further into the depths,

00:56you run the risk of losing the loot and gear that you've acquired

00:59to tackle the ship's various monsters out to get you.

01:02Despite the inherent repetition of the genre,

01:04The Persistence manages to constantly conjure up new content with each new run.

01:09If you like your sci-fi horror, and you like your roguelikes,

01:12then you should absolutely check out this game that you probably never even knew existed.

01:16Number 7, Visage

01:18If I'm gonna get a chance to shout out Visage,

01:20then you can bet your bottom ass that I'm going to take you up on it.

01:23Riffing on PT, Visage sees you waking up in an initially unassuming suburban home.

01:29It's night, the place is empty, and it quickly becomes apparent

01:32that you're being haunted by something.

01:35Through a handful of vignettes, Visage takes you on a whirlwind horror adventure,

01:39keeping you on your toes through unpredictable scares, and a small environment that is

01:44constantly changing and finding new ways to terrify you.

01:47Though initially small scale, like I said, the ambition of the title grows with each new chapter,

01:53until you're heading into dreamscapes filled with rivers of blood.

01:57The set pieces are inventive, the monsters frighteningly ghoulish,

02:01and the tale being told is suitably dark.

02:04If your sad PT got cancelled, then pick this game up instead.

02:08Number 6, Parasite Eve

02:10It's not too often that video games are based on novels,

02:13but there are some excellent examples of this, such as The Witcher and Metro series,

02:18and this next entry is right at home next to those.

02:21Parasite Eve is actually an unauthorised sequel to the novel of the same name,

02:26following New York City police officer Eya during an attempt to stop the Eve,

02:30a woman set on destroying all life on Earth.

02:33The survival game features a pausable real-time combat system,

02:36where you can move around to dodge attacks

02:38from the mutated monsters across the varying New York-based locations.

02:43What distinguishes the combat system is that the player is granted some strange powers,

02:47referred to as Parasite Energy,

02:50that allows the player to access some useful abilities in combat and in the story,

02:54as it binds you to the villain until one of you dies.

02:58The weapons and powers can be upgraded as well across the five-day spanning story,

03:02to give you the best chance to save NYC.

03:05Parasite Eve is an absolutely iconic title which should be remembered

03:09for some interesting story moments,

03:11such as an entire opera audience spontaneously combusting

03:15and dying at the beginning of the game.

03:17Number 5, Moondawn

03:19Unlike some of the games on this list,

03:21I can at least see why Moondawn didn't pick up much steam.

03:24It's a small indie horror game made by a handful of people,

03:28and it isn't your conventional jump scare fest.

03:31Instead, the title drops you into the middle of the Alps,

03:34as a character attending their grandfather's funeral.

03:36Upon returning to the secluded village of Moondawn,

03:39it's apparent that the death wasn't natural causes,

03:43and that there's something haunting this town.

03:45Brought to life by the beautiful hand-drawn artwork

03:48that makes up the character models and environments.

03:51Seriously, for as much as I like roaming around photo-real areas

03:55waiting for a monster to jump out at me,

03:57the atmosphere of Moondawn offers a different kind of horror vibe,

04:01one that is executed to perfection.

04:04If you enjoy stuff like The Witch and Midsommar and The Wicker Man,

04:07then get on this.

04:08Number 4, Siren

04:10Siren, or Forbidden Siren depending on your region,

04:13is a survival horror game released for the PS2 in 2003,

04:17following a supernatural disaster in a fictional Japanese town called Hanuda,

04:21you are thrust into the shoes of 10 survivors

04:23who are trying to escape the town

04:25and unravel the mysterious happenings in the area.

04:28The cataclysmic event has caused a strange affliction

04:32to some of the townspeople,

04:33leading them to bleed from the eyes,

04:36which, according to my doctor anyway, is not good,

04:39and become hostile towards each of the protagonists

04:42due to a mysterious substance known as the Red Water.

04:46Across 10 non-linear levels,

04:48you must sneak past enemies

04:49using a psychic ability referred to as sightjacking,

04:52which allows you to see and hear

04:54from the perspective of other characters,

04:56both hostile and friendly.

04:58Combat is not the focus in Siren then,

05:01so don't expect to be whacking fools

05:03with planks of wood or anything like that,

05:05as the game encourages you to avoid confrontation,

05:08since the undead enemies cannot be permanently killed

05:10and you are burdened with limited stamina for attacks.

05:14And just be careful, of the 10 survivors,

05:16not everyone is going to make it out alive,

05:18so be careful.

05:20Number three, Nocturne.

05:21The Prohibition and Great Depression era

05:23is not really a timeframe explored enough in video games,

05:26let alone horror video games,

05:28but Nocturne uses this unique setting incredibly effectively.

05:33Originally released in 1999 for the PC,

05:35you play as a character known only as The Stranger,

05:39who works for a fictional government organization

05:41referred to as Spook House,

05:43who are tasked with investigating and eliminating

05:46monstrous threats from the United States of America.

05:49Across Nocturne,

05:50you take on a bunch of different paranormal cases,

05:52each containing a new supernatural monster.

05:55Vampires, werewolves, zombies, and demons,

05:58the game has you covered

05:59no matter which sub-genre you prefer.

06:01It's a proper globe-trotting tale too.

06:04You'll find yourself battling the undead in a wild west town,

06:07accompanying a half-vampire to explore a castle in Germany,

06:11and even taking on Al Capone's zombie mobsters in Chicago.

06:15In terms of gameplay,

06:16Nocturne utilises pre-rendered backgrounds

06:18with 3D characters seen through fixed camera angles,

06:21you know, the classic Resident Evil model.

06:24With innovative camera angles though,

06:26stunning backgrounds for the time,

06:27and high-quality character models,

06:29Nocturne is a sadly lesser-remembered survival horror classic

06:33that serves up a campy but fun monster-hunting narrative.

06:37Number two, The Suffering.

06:38It's somewhat rare that games allow you to switch

06:40between third- and first-person perspectives,

06:43especially in the horror genre.

06:44I mean, The Evil Within eventually patched in a first-person mode,

06:48while Resident Evil has just announced a third-person mode for Resi 8.

06:52The Suffering, though, is a 2004 horror shooter

06:55that allowed you to do just this,

06:57following a prisoner on death row accused of murdering his family,

07:01although he has no memory of doing it.

07:04So, you control this dude called Talk,

07:06as you attempt to escape the prison,

07:08facing ghosts and grotesque creatures that you battle with melee and ranged combat,

07:13using a variety of weaponry.

07:15Like most of the best horror games,

07:16you have to manage an insanity meter as well,

07:19which fills as you defeat enemies,

07:21transforming the character into a monstrous form when full

07:23that allows the player to tear through hostiles with devastating attacks.

07:27While in this form as well,

07:28your health will start to deplete,

07:30and you will die if you do not transform back in time.

07:34There is also a morality system in place

07:36that allows Talk to make certain decisions throughout the story,

07:38to influence one of three unique endings.

07:41Number one, Cold Fear.

07:43Resident Evil 4 is considered to be one of the very best survival horror games of all time.

07:48Hell, it's considered to be one of the best video games of all time.

07:51And inevitably, all games in the genre were compared to it for years to come.

07:56And Cold Fear unfortunately released just a couple of months after Resident Evil 4

08:01and was overshadowed by it at every level,

08:03fading into obscurity over the years

08:05and becoming forgotten by the masses.

08:07Which sucks because while, yeah, it's obviously no Resident Evil 4,

08:11Cold Fear deserved way more than to be a one and done.

08:15This title takes place on a tanker at sea,

08:17which has become infested with zombie-like monsters.

08:21Visually, it still looks pretty impressive to this day as well.

08:24And while the over-the-shoulder combat is a little bit clunky,

08:27it is still serviceable.

08:28I mean, there's a reason that the people who played Cold Fear

08:31still talk about Cold Fear all these decades later,

08:34and that's because it absolutely ruled.

08:36So that's our list.

08:37I want to know what you guys think down in the comments below.

08:39Did you play any of these horror games or did they pass you by as well?

08:43Let me know and also give me a message if you do decide to check them out.

08:46But in the meantime, could you also please give us a like, share, subscribe

08:49and head over to whatculture.com for more lists and news like this every single day.

08:54Even if you don't though, I've been Josh.

08:55Thanks so much for watching and I'll see you soon.

8 Criminally Underrated Horror Video Games

Category

Transcript

Recommended