It’s spooky season! How about some spooky games?
There’s a plethora of scary games out there, but not all of us are fans of horror and gore.
I love Halloween, and I love video games. But what I also love is being able to play a game without having a heart attack every five minutes and throwing my controller at the wall.
So, I’ve put together a list of unconventional spooky games that I’ve loved playing over the last year.
They’re not going to make you want to sleep with the light on, but I think they sum up everything that is wonderful about the season.
Let’s take peek(aBOO!) at my top recommendations to get you in that spooky spirit…
My number one pick goes to…
Cult of the Lamb
This is without a doubt the best game I’ve played in 2023. You play as a small but mighty lamb who starts a cult to overthrow Satan. The game is part world-builder, part dungeon crawler – you get to decide the rules your cult follows, there are so many character designs to choose from (including the humble axolotl, and my personal favourite, the poo, which you only get after making your followers eat enough bowls of excrement). The combat plays off the idea of tarot cards, which means every single level is completely different. And, a free DLC update just dropped – what more could you want?
Other notable mentions include…
The Last of Us: if you’re loving the HBO series with Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey, you should absolutely play the game. Who doesn’t love a post-apocalyptic survival setting?
Pentiment: This one is a bit more unusual, but it deserves a place on the list. It’s essentially a medieval murder mystery with some absolutely stunning artwork. This game is so clever and funny, and left me genuinely stunned at points.
Doki Doki Literature Club: I’m putting this one here partly as a joke and partly as a homage to my fifteen-year-old self. Without giving too much away, this game is not at all what it seems. You’ll just have to play it to find out…
“The Last of Us – Joel and Ellie talking” by naughty_dog is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0.