Six of the best retro horror games to play for Spooky Season

You know the drill at this point. It’s October, the perfect time to turn out the lights, crank up the volume and play a video game specifically intended to make you varying degrees of uncomfortable, from “mildly unsettled” to “I think I just sharted out of fear”. So far we’ve looked at modern indie offerings and mid-tier commercial releases — so now it’s time to turn back the clock and look at some of the best retro horror games out there.

Many of these retro horror games are still readily available to play on their original platforms — though with retro game prices being what they are today, I frankly wouldn’t blame you if you sought out “alternative means” of playing these games if they looked interesting but were out of your price range. Just be sure to support official, reasonably priced rereleases whenever possible and we won’t judge you.

All right. Let’s begin!

Silent Hill 2

You knew this one was coming. One of the all-time finest retro horror games, Silent Hill 2 is an absolute masterpiece of psychological horror, combining a wonderfully atmospheric sense of unease that runs through the entire game even when nothing is happening, some genuinely horrifying imagery and an incredibly thought-provoking narrative.

As James Sunderland, you’ve come to the cursed town of Silent Hill after receiving a letter from your dead wife Mary. How did this letter get to you? Why were you drawn to this fog-covered town, both back when Mary was alive and now? And what’s the deal with all the creepy, vaguely sexual monsters wandering around the place…?

Silent Hill 2 was originally released for PlayStation 2. There’s also an Xbox version and a terrible PlayStation 3 port, and an exceedingly rare PC version. Avoid the latter, but both the PS2 and Xbox versions are pretty much identical to one another in terms of presentation and performance. Try and nab the “Director’s Cut” version for PS2 (or the Xbox “Inner Fears” version) if you can, as it has an additional scenario to explore.

Project Zero 4: Mask of the Lunar Eclipse

Koei Tecmo has recently announced that this game, a Japan-exclusive Wii title since 2008, is finally getting an official English version for modern platforms. And you absolutely should check out this horror masterpiece, as it’s an incredible experience — one of the best retro horror games of all time. Originally developed by a dream team of Koei Tecmo, Suda 51’s Grasshopper Manufacture and representatives from Nintendo, this is a masterfully crafted horror game with an incredibly unsettling story.

Taking on the role of several playable characters as you explore an abandoned mental hospital on an isolated Japanese island, you’ll gradually uncover the truth behind some mysterious happenings — including both medical horror and plenty of supernatural shenanigans also. Plus, this being a Project Zero game, you get to fight with an awesome magic camera.

The modern port of this game is coming in 2023 from Koei Tecmo. In the meantime, the original Wii version (which you’ll need to import if you want a physical copy) has a fan translation available, though you’ll need to either emulate or hack your Wii to apply and use it. However you choose to play it, this is a horror game you shouldn’t miss.

Shadow Hearts

With the Armed Fantasia and Penny Blood Kickstarter rekindling interest in both the Wild Arms and Shadow Hearts series, it’s well worth revisiting both — with a particular emphasis on the latter, given the “retro horror games” focus of this feature. Shadow Hearts is a series of horror-themed RPGs that feature a magnificent Gothic atmosphere combined with a wonderfully offbeat sense of humour, as well as some truly memorable characters.

The first two games in the series are an essential play as they’re narratively interconnected with one another. Opinion is a bit divided on the third installment, which stands by itself, but it’s by no means a bad game. You should definitely play both Shadow Hearts and Shadow Hearts: Covenant, though, if only to see a muscle-bound vampire slap the shit out of enemies using an old-school postbox as his weapon of choice.

Shadow Hearts and Shadow Hearts Covenant are PS2 titles. Expect to pay around £40-50 for each.

Quake

FPS classic Quake is an interesting game to return to today — because I actually think it’s a much better game now than it was on its original release. Back when it first came out, everyone was fatigued from the mass of “Doom clones”, as they were called at the time, on the market — and while technically impressive, Quake felt like it was just a fancy-looking evolution of the Doom formula.

It didn’t help that it lacked a lot of the features developer id Software had previously teased during development — though it did revolutionise the modding scene, allowing players to turn the base game into pretty much anything you can think of.

Today, meanwhile, Quake stands out as an excellent example of a high-speed first-person shooter with an unparalleled atmosphere that combines elements of sci-fi horror, Gothic fantasy and Lovecraftian horror to create a thoroughly compelling whole. And the enhancements of the recent rerelease are subtle and respectful, making the game feel both up to date and authentic to its original version. One of the all-time great retro horror games, for sure.

Quake’s remaster is readily available now on all modern platforms.

Haunting Ground

This PS2 title from Capcom is notable for a number of reasons in the field of retro horror games. It’s considered by many to be a spiritual successor to the classic Clock Tower series, and, in an odd inversion of the usual situation with more mainstream reviewers, has actually been praised for the objectification and sexualisation of its main character Fiona. Specifically, the way in which Fiona is presented as a desirable object to the game’s enemies is often highlighted as an incredibly effective means of making the player feel vulnerable.

Haunting Ground is also interesting mechanically, in that as well as controlling Fiona, you’re also able to give commands to her canine companion Hewie. At the outset of the game, the pair don’t quite trust each other, so a key part of the game is building that relationship between Fiona and Hewie, and as you progress, Hewie becomes essential to progress.

Haunting Ground is pretty pricey today, though you can occasionally get lucky with sealed new-old stock versions. Shop around if you want a physical copy.

Super Metroid

Don’t be me. Don’t put off playing Super Metroid for years and years and years despite repeatedly hearing how good it is ever since it originally came out on Super NES. Super Metroid is a horror masterpiece, and the fact this was pulled off on the relatively humble hardware of the Super NES makes it all the more remarkable.

Featuring an unsettling atmosphere created through a combination of its visuals and music, an intriguing but understated story and some of the best exploration platformer gameplay you’ll ever experience, Super Metroid is an absolutely must-play title. And if you have a Nintendo Switch Online subscription, you don’t even have to faff around trying to track down a copy of it — it’s just right there ready for you to play. So play it — it’s absolutely one of the best retro horror games ever created.

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