My top 5 favorite indie horror game franchises
Hello this is Dabihwow and today I am listing some of my top 5 favorite indie horror franchises in gaming. Now this just my opinion and you can gladly disagree with me, For this list I'm mostly focusing on my favorite Indie horror franchises, I'm excluding games that are stand alone and are from bigger gaming companies, so that includes games like The Forest, Blair Witch, Yuki literature club, Among the sleep, Silent Hill, and Resident Evil. So if there was a game that didn't make the list, its probably because they might just be a standalone game or from a big video gaming company. So let's begin the list
5: Dark Deception/ Released in 2018/developed by Glowstick Entertainment.
Summary: Dark deception is a very unique style of gameplay not seen in horror, this game is literally Pac man but in a horror way. However the game has been proven to be more frustrating then scary at most, with you having to be able to understand the map, and you being pinned in a corner it is still fun but slightly rage enduing, what I do like is that the monster you meet are unique and different each time.
4: Bendy and the Ink Machine/ Released in 2017/ developed by TheMeatly and Joey Drew studios.
Summary: Bendy and the Ink Machine was interesting take on horror, though with its story being very confusing and leave off some interesting questions, its overall design and atmosphere is amazing. But what I love is the art and dedication, for those who don't know almost every texture in the game, is hand drawn! That is a first for me, it's something that is quite the accomplishment, and maybe be the first in genre to do this. The characters are quite memorable and some that are very disturbing and freaky, with a demonic cartoon characters it is off putting to see these things roam around. However in aspects of horror, it becomes a bit cliche and almost unexpected, however the scares it brings are great but die due to it becoming more noticable. Overall its great in design, but it didn't focus on the horror aspects and more of the story, which is confusing if you do not put great amount thought process into it like you do Fnaf. Hopefully the next game ups the ante
3: Amnesia/ Released in 2010 Developed by The Chinese Room
Summary: Amnesia is a game that was released as one of the scariest games of its time. I absolutely love the monsters within the game and is a unique take on psychological horror, however it is kinda cliche. The fact you don't remember anything is kinda the same with most psychological horror, and psychological aspects that it wasn't even that scary in my opinion, it was disturbing but not scary. But I think it was a decent series, it just didn't fully suit me much, but I will give it that it has amazing horror aspects, and fan service of the game.
2:Outlast / Released in 2013/ developed by Red barrel Studios
Summary: Outlast is by far one of the scariest and successful horror games of the genre, with its terrifying and unnerving atmosphere, the fear it created without any monsters from something like Silent Hill or Resident Evil is very surprising, sure there was some otherworldly and hell like designs about it but it was somewhat realistic. The villains and characters are unforgettable, sure you may not remember their exact names but you remember who they are no matter what. Outlast redefined psychological horror, it greatly stripped you of help from others, and made the player question a lot of their sanity ( At least it did for me) the psychological horror is ground breaking to say the least, and really shows how messed up a human mind can be! Overall Outlast is in my eyes a landmark moment in the genre
Honorable mentions: Slender the Arrival, I cannot think of any at the moment but if you have one tell me, but has to follow the rules above.
1: Five nights at Freddy's/ Released in 2014/ developed by Scottgames
Summary: This was a hard pick between Outlast and this title. But I finally came to the conclusion of the choice. Five nights at Freddy's was a simple indie game that became a internet phenomenon overnight. In short you are a security guard who sits in his office at midnight and wait for your shift to end at 6am, but the animatronics come to life night and they try to kill you. The atmosphere and the silence of you just sitting in that one room in maddening, and makes you feel alone. The Jumpscares are a very known aspect of the game, and are at most out of nowhere. The lore of the game is confusing to say the least but if you put your thought process into it you are more then likely to understand, or watch Game Theorist he'll explain. Now this game is personal to me because it was the first horror game I really got into and enjoyed, it was because of this game I fell in love with the horror genre, and became obsessed with it. It amazes me that one guy was able to create this large of a franchise with some cheap tools, sure it might not have as much quality as the others on the list but its still fairly decent. I once embarrassingly said that it was a 'pinnacle of horror' once, but what I mean to say it was a landmark for the genre, I know Fnaf is considered childish but it really is not, it's just the community. In terms of horror Outlast would definitely take the crown, but in terms of accomplishments I think Fnaf wins this, and that is why I put Fnaf as the number 1 pick for my top 5 favorite indie horror games.
This took a while to make and it was to come out on Halloween, but I forgot about it and rushed to finish it, I hope you enjoyed this, and if there was a franchise I forgot let me know in the comments, I would also like to know what is your favorite indie horror game. Thank you all for reading and I'll see you in the fog