Let's take a look at some of the horror games inspired by real-life events. Legends, myths, and unexplained happenings have inspired countless tales of fear, mystery, and the unknown, and you know what? Some of the most memorable horror games draw directly from them.
The stories and themes from these horror games live with us long after the ending, because they feel like they could be real! They take us into strange forests, haunted mansions, and desolate towns that have existed in our very own world. So, without further delay, let's look at five horror games based on true myths and legends below!
Fatal Frame/Project Zero (2001)
.webp?width=700&quality=10&blur=40)
Some stories are scarier because people believed them to be true. Are you familiar with the term spirit photography? In Japan in the early 1900s, people believed that cameras could capture souls, and in some instances, the wandering spirits of those who had died. Fatal Frame took this strange belief as a foundation for its game.
In this survival horror, you play as Miku Hinasaki, who has to explore a haunted mansion filled with evil spirits. The only weapons you will possess are your Camera, which will allow you to engage with, photograph, and subsequently destroy ghosts.
Not to mention, the sound design of Fatal Frame is equally haunting. For instance, every whisper, a faint giggle, or the sudden snap of the camera shutter can send chills down your spine.
Detention (2017)
Detention takes place during Taiwan's White Terror, a dark period of political oppression in the 1960s. Students, teachers, and citizens lived with the constant fear of being arrested or disappearing one night.
The game brings together this dark period in Taiwanese history with supernatural horror, an unsettling combination that makes for both a unique experience and a chance to reflect on that painful period in Taiwanese history.
You take the role of a student trapped in a high school at night. The school is haunted, and the spirits of students appear, representing the trauma and secrets of the past. While avoiding hostile spirits, the player explores the classrooms, hallways, and hidden rooms of the haunted high school, solving puzzles and collecting items.
The experience of this game is enhanced by the use of classical Taiwanese symbols representing the dead, rituals from Taoism, and designed visuals.
S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Shadow of Chernobyl (2007)
.webp?width=700&quality=10&blur=40)
Some places become famous because of what happened there, but unfortunately, not all of them are well-known for positive reasons. The 1986 Chernobyl disaster left a large area of land abandoned because of radiation exposure. Stories began to surface over time about odd phenomena occurring within the surrounding areas, mutated animals being sighted, and anomalies that no one could explain.
With these stories came the inspiration for the game S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Shadow of Chernobyl, which turned fears from real life into a video game experience.
You play as the "stalker" within the game, where you are a scavenger/explorer within the Exclusion Zone. You explore irradiated towns, abandoned laboratories, and forests, and have to unravel all the secrets with the help of clues.
Kholat (2015)
.webp?width=700&quality=10&blur=40)
In 1959, nine hikers died mysteriously on the slopes of the Ural Mountains in Russia. Their tent was cut open from the inside, some were barefoot in the snow, and some had strange wounds. The incident became known as the Dyatlov Pass Incident and attracted various conspiracy theories around it over the years, including Yeti attacks, military experiments, and some other natural events.
In the game, you assume the role of the investigator in the mountains, using notes and diaries, and mysterious clues as your guide. You will explore forests that are covered with snow, steep and icy declines, and abandoned campers, slowly revealing what happened to the hikers.
There is no weapon to fight. All you have to rely on is your cognitive skills. The game’s narration, provided by Sean Bean, adds a haunting, documentary-like feel.
The Forest (2018)
.webp?width=700&quality=10&blur=40)
The Forest derives from stories of cannibal tribes or wilderness cursed with evil spirits. You can categorise it as a unique survival horror game that perfectly blends fears in the real world and fears born from imagination.
In The Forest, you play as a plane-crash survivor stranded on a remote forested peninsula. Now, challenges start from here. Your goal is to survive while searching for your missing son. The forest is inhabited by hostile, mutated tribes who react intelligently to your actions, hunting you if they spot your camp or hear your movements.
Players scavenge for and build resources, craft weapons, and also have the choice of survivability, exploration, or stealth-based story mechanics. There are also some folklore-inspired taboo elements in the game.
And there you have it, five horror games based on real-life myths and legends. If you want even more spooky suggestions, be sure to check out the Bone-Chilling Horror Games to Play for a Perfect Halloween Season.
For more listicles like this, stick with us here at Gfinityesports.com, the best website for gamers.