Traditionally, horror games rely on perfectly timed jump scares or terrifying monsters to amp up the scare factor, but that isn’t always the case. In fact, some of the most effective horror games build suspense in different ways. Sometimes, the fear of the unknown is infinitely more unsettling than fighting to evade the clutches of a grotesque monster. Many psychological horror games have found innovative methods of conjuring up an unnerving atmosphere without the presence of any physical threat.
For example, Monika may be the overarching villain ofDoki Doki Literature Club!, but she doesn’t directly harm the MC in any way. Instead, her manipulative influence over Sayori, Yuri, and Natsuki proves to be the real source of danger, while Monika herself lulls the MC into a false sense of security. There are no physical threats present, but the psychological implications of Monika’s actions prove to be the MC’s undoing. Here are some horror games that adopt the same approach and manage to scare players without any enemies.
Developed by Kitty Horrorshow,Anatomyguides the player through an empty house, encouraging them to find tape recordings scattered throughout the property. As each tape is found, the player’s surroundings begin to change.Anatomyseems to draw inspiration from theP.T.demo, released a few years earlier, which implements the gameplay mechanic of an ever-changing environment.
As the player progresses, the house changes radically, degrading more and more as time goes on. Eventually,Anatomyintroduces some jarring visual and audio cues, such as static screens and sound distortions. The player never once encounters a physical enemy, but instead,Anatomyfocuses on exploiting a deep-seated fear in humankind —specifically the notion of feeling safe at home.Anatomyreinterprets the fear of the unknown as the fear of the familiar, where even the most homely spaces can seem frightening under a blanket of darkness.
5Near Death
The Biggest Threat Takes The Form Of A Relentless Blizzard
Near Deathis an atmospheric survival horror that takes place immediately after a plane crash in Antarctica that leaves the player stranded at a research base facility in the midst of a deadly blizzard. The outside temperature is 100 degrees below zero, there are limited sources of light, and the severe weather conditions forbid anyone from coming to the rescue. With the odds stacked against them, the player is forced to explore the research base themselves and use the tools at their disposal to find their way home.
The biggest threat inNear Deathisn’t the terrifying possibility of mutated monsters or hostile ghosts, but instead the cruel menace of Mother Nature. At any given moment,thanks to a dynamic weather system, the storm can switch from a howling snowstorm to an unnerving calm, which leaves the player constantly at the mercy of the environment rather than a physical entity.Near Deathproves that zero visibility in a relentless snowstorm can be equally terrifying as a malicious, bloodthirsty monster.
Layers of Fearfollowsa mentally unwell painteras he navigates a Victorian mansion, hoping to unravel the secrets there and complete his greatest artwork yet. By exploring the environment, players must complete puzzles and trigger visual clues. Each environmental change provides a foundation for new challenges, while regular jump scares are intermittent to the unfolding narrative. InLayers of Fear, there’s no singular entity hunting the painter, but instead, the player character fights against his own dwindling sanity as the world around him shifts, offering up new surprises around every corner.
Although the 2023 remake ofLayers of Feardoes add an overarching antagonist in the Rat Queen, the biggest enemy in the 2016 original is fear and madness itself. There are no physical opponents and no combat, which allowsLayers of Fearto play on the irrational fears of things that go bump in the night, allowing players to dream up horrific scenarios for themselves without actually seeing the source of their discomfort.
In 2022, developer David Szymanski releasedIron Lung, a submarine simulator that will be receiving a live-action film adaptation from famous YouTuber Markiplier. The player controlsa nameless protagonist who pilots a midget submarine, while the gameplay takes place entirely in one room. Players are tasked with piloting the submarine and capturing photographs of their surroundings to find clues as to their whereabouts, all while controlling the submarine using the navigational equipment provided.
While there is, technically, a sort of “Big Bad” prowling about the depths of the ocean, the oppressive atmosphere is the true terror ofIron Lung. Certain events occur throughout the game that relate to the precarious plight of being suspended in a steel hull hundreds of feet underwater. Around the same time as the implosion of theTitansubmersible, fans drew comparisons betweenIron Lung’s gameplay and the real-life circumstances under which five businessmen and researchers lost their lives.Iron Lung’s most prominent threat lies inthe real-world consequences of treacherous deep-sea expeditions.
Working in a morgue at night, alone, already sounds like a recipe for disaster.The Mortuary Assistantbrings irrational fears to life and reinforces the concept of one’s mind playing tricks on them. Set in small-town Connecticut, the player controls a new hire at a morgue, whose everyday tasks include prepping and embalming corpses. Players complete the ordinarily mundane tasks of Rebecca Owen’s new job, all while avoiding the telltale signs of demonic possession inside the haunted building.
The Mortuary Assistantrelies heavily on puzzle-solving mechanics and jump scares. While there are a few unsavory visitors to the morgue who torment Rebecca throughout the course of her shift, there aren’t any actual enemies to fight. Instead, the main objective of survivingThe Mortuary Assistantinvolves correctly identifying demonically possessed corpses and exorcizing them. The main threat lurks in the timed tasks at hand, as Rebecca will become possessed herself if the process isn’t completed in time.
Set during the events of the Chornobyl disaster,Liquidatorsfollow three nuclear plant workers who are tasked with traversing the Chornobyl blast site to drain water from the wreckage. The player can control one of three liquidators; Alexei Ananenko, Valeri Bezpalov, and Boris Baranov,all of whom are real-life people(known as the Chernobyl divers) who undertook a selfless mission that many considered to be suicide. InLiquidators, Alexei, Valeri, and Boris all possess unique skill sets that provide a varied approach to challenges.
There are no physical enemies to be found at the site of the in-game Chornobyl disaster, which stays true to the consequences of human-induced and circumstantial errors. Instead of being hunted by some monstrosity produced by the environment, the real opponent is the environment itself. As the nuclear workers explore the ruins of Chornobyl, the very real, very deadly possibility of radiation poisoning and the desperate cries of family members begging for their safe return only serve to heighten the intensity of what these brave men truly experienced.
