The horror genre has always been a favorite among audiences of all age groups due to its thrilling and spine-chilling context. From movies, and books to video games, the horror genre has ruled all over the gaming industry. To make it more intriguing, the producers and game developers have put efforts into coming up with new ideas to engage the audiences.
They have come up with new horror genre games that are based on real-life events. These intriguing games draw a line between science fiction and real facts and figures. Some elements of folklore and real historical events add more horror and thriller to these games.
We’ll discover ten horror games that are based on real events and stories:
10) Forbidden Siren:
Source: Wikipedia
The Forbidden Siren is a thrilling and horror game which is based on a Japanese village from 1942. In this game, the villagers turn into zombies which cause chaos to be spread across the village. The player in this game is in action to survive the zombie attack and find the cure for the situation. The interesting part is that it is based on a true story. It is taken from the reference of The Tsuyama Massacre in 1938. During this chaos, more than 30 people were killed, adding horror and thrilling action to the video game. According to sources, the Massacre happened due to the natural disaster.
9) The Town Of Light:
Source: Wikipedia
The Town Of Light is a horror game based on the true story of a Psychiatric Hospital in Italy. The game is inspired by the true architecture of the hospital’s history. In this game, the players are supposed to solve the puzzles and rescue the 16-year-old patient who is traumatized by the hospital’s barbaric treatment.
The Psychiatric Hospital is Volterra Asylum, which was opened in 1888 in Italy. The asylum is famous for its dark history and inhumane treatment of its patients. The practices further traumatized the patients as they were against the practices of standard medical practice. Following Law 180, which advocated for reforms of Italy’s mental health system the asylum was permanently closed in 1978. Although, the dark remains of the horrible abandoned buildings still traumatize the patient’s loved ones.
8) Visage:
Source: Wikipedia
Visage is a horror game that unfolds the dark side of a mysterious place. The game revolves around themes of possession, thriller, mental health and psychosis. This real-life event is based on the story of Anneliese Michel, a girl who suffered from epilepsy. Her parents believed she was possessed, hence took her to seek an exorcism to find the cure. This misdiagnosis led to the extremely declining health of the poor girl who met with tragic consequences and as a result, died. This case raised a lot of concerns about struggling with psychological conditions.
7) The Dark Pictures Anthology: The Devil In Me:
Source: Wikipedia
The Devil In Me is a horror game that took its inspiration from a real-life serial killer’s story. H. Holmes was an American serial killer, who built a mysterious hotel calling it “Murder Castle”. He’d deceive people, mostly the ones that were close to him and kill them in that place. The hotel had many rooms, secret passages and a maze of asphyxiation chambers. The basement of the hotel had the most horrible architecture. It contained many traps and horror rooms. The game revolves around the escape from this horrible maze. The theme is based on “Murder Castle” by Holmes.
6) Granny:
Source: Steam
The Granny is a horror game that took its inspiration from a real-life event. The Russian serial killer Tamara Samsonova was a very sweet and kind woman. After her husband’s disappearance, many locals who visited her also disappeared. She had a dark side, as she would always trap the inmates and kill them.
In the game, the player has to escape from an angry granny. She is very clever and can hear anything if the players make noise or cause disturbance. This suspenseful game intrigued its audience.
5) 9 Child’s Street:
Source: Steam
The 9 Child’s Street is an indie horror game that revolves around real-life events. The event can be unfolded as, a Russian man Anatoly Moskvin’s fascination with the dead bodies. He was a philologist and later became a grave digger to rob the dead bodies and mummify them. After the corpse goes through the mummification process, they are then turned into dolls.
According to sources, a total number of 29 dolls were created mostly young girls. This twisted psychology altered Moskvin’s mind when he was forced to kiss a dead girl’s face during the funeral procession. The game revolves around this dark and disturbing story.
4) Evil Nun:
Source: Steam
The Evil Nun is an epic horror game that revolves around the true story of Marie Hargreaves. She was a six-year-old girl who was sent to a convent. The convent severely abused her mentally and physically. The nun used to beat her and force her into the Labour. She was sexually abused by many older women there. Although, she stood for justice Alas! She died before justice could be served.
The game revolves around an evil nun who is after the player. The player has to escape before an evil nun can trap and kill them. There are a series of puzzles and secret passages from where the game player has to find the route to escape.
3) Resident Evil Village:
Source: Wikipedia
The Resident Evil Village is a horror and thrilling game with intense action and adventure. The game’s architecture and graphics are inspired by the castle based in Romania. One of the game’s characters is also based on a real-life figure, Elizabeth Bathory. She is known for her brutal skin care practices as she was involved in bathing in the blood of her victims, which earned her the title of “Blood Countess”.
2) Outlast:
Source: Wikipedia
Outlast is a horror and survival game mode. The game is based on real and disturbing events. It is based on an asylum of psychiatric patients who are involved in the testing of drugs and LSD. These multiple unethical treatment conditions cause brain damage, paranoia and panic. It depicts hallucinations and paranoia based on real life.
The game’s theme is based on dark events and thought-provoking experiences that have engaged audiences and fans all around the world.
1) Outlast 2:
Source: Wikipedia
Outlast 2 is a horror and thrilling action video game. It is inspired by a real-life event i-e the Jonestown Massacre. In this massacre, more than 900 people died in a mass suicide led by a cult which was led by Sullivan Knoth. This cult followed abuse, coercion and mind-controlling psychosis. Many relatives rescued their loved ones from this cult but many victims were met with their devastating fate.
Jones founded the People’s Temple and gained fame through his followers in South America, later they built a cult. The game’s plot revolves around this chilling experience which is set in Temple Gate.
Conclusion
These horror games are based on reality, which is enjoyed by the players due to its thrilling and action genre. Due to this quality, the directors have adapted different landscapes based on real events to give a hint of dark themes and make the gameplay more interesting.