This Horror-Only Games Showcase Features Very Creepy Pokemon And Lots More

Encryptid

Encryptid combines Game Boy-era Pokemon visuals and gameplay with internationally famous crytids, like Mothman and the Loch Ness Monster. You’ll explore regions in black-and-white, top-down presentation, seeking to capture evidence of the world’s most camera-shy monsters. It feels like it could be a huge hit.

Nowhere

I actually played a very early build of Nowhere about two years ago, and I’m glad to see it shaping up to be the interesting horror-detective game it hoped to be. This is the type of game that doesn’t hold your hand much, which is exactly how I prefer a detective story.

In Hope Voiden

Anything the Horror Game Awards does is a must-watch for me, and In Hope Voiden is a great example of why that is. This is a first-person horror game that features 12 characters and a permadeath system, and you’ll uncover the complete story by playing all of them. It’s a fantastic premise and I’d not have heard about it without today’s show.

Becrowned

On the flipside of the above example, Becrowned is a game I’ve known about for a long time now, and I remain very excited for it. While old-school Resident Evil was maybe the inspiration du jour of the showcase, Becrowned goes for more of a Silent Hill approach, and that’s always been my personal preference.

Deadly Rehearsal

I’ve always loved plays more than I’ve shown it, since I hardly ever get to them. I’m particularly keen on the idea of “cursed plays,” which is what Deadly Rehearsal is all about. The show must go on, and it’s up to you to put it on, even when it feels like it’s meant to be your doom.

Silver Pines

Silver Pines combines a comic-booky aesthetic that reminds me of Tequila Works’ Deadlight with a classic metroidvania world design. I don’t often enjoy metroidvanias, but one way to get me interested is to make one look this cool. It kind of reminds me of a 2D Alan Wake.

Cosmic Fear

I’ve been saying it for years: There aren’t enough games about alien abductions. I don’t want to fight aliens. I want them to feel like gods, X-Files-style. Just totally incomprehensible, leaving me feeling terrifyingly unmatched. Cosmic Fear’s latest trailer hints that this elusive trait may have a home in its story.

Farsight

There’s not much known on Farsight outside of what today’s trailer showed (as I type this, there’s not even a Steam page for it yet), but what I do know is it comes from developers who previously made the Fears to Fathom series, which I’ve enjoyed as an anthology of short, PS1-stylized horror stories, and it uses a clever mechanic in which a Game Boy Camera-like device seems to reveal hidden ghosts.

The Mound: Omen of Cthulhu

The most photorealistic of the games shown off in today’s show is The Mound: Omen of Cthulhu, a four-player horror game that combines elements of Lethal Company and GTFO, but setting it all in the woods haunted by Lovecraftian horrors that make you and your friends literally lose your minds.

Cordura

The Mound wasn’t the only co-op horror game in the show. Cordura (Spanish for “sanity”) also plays off the idea of distrust and monsters mimicking your teammates. This one is set in procedurally generated Victorian labyrinths, which may help it stand alongside both The Mound and the many other co-op horror games out right now.

The Victor Initiative

The Victor Initiative feels inspired by Control, set in an abandoned government facility full of supernatural horrors. It also boasts a rather remarkable voice cast, including Ben Starr and Remedy’s Sam Lake. But perhaps most exciting is that its finale, Chapter 7, is out today.

The Horror Game Awards is held annually in December, while the brand puts together other showcases like today’s throughout the year.