Third and Fourth Generation Horror Games
Sweet Home (Famicom, 1989)
Before Resident Evil, there was Sweet Home. In terms of gameplay, they don’t share much in common, but the character design and story served as the inspiration for the monumental horror game.
Sweet Home is an RPG developed by Capcom and based on a Japanese horror film of the same name. RPGs and horror is a match made in heaven that we really need to see more of.
Unfortunately, possibly due to its source material, Sweet Home was never made available outside of Japan. A remaster or port to current systems would be a great way to honor the game’s legacy. Make it happen, Capcom.
Alone in the Dark (MS-DOS, 1992)
It may not have much relevance nowadays, but there was a time when Alone in the Dark was one of the most well-known horror franchises, up there with the likes of Resident Evil and Silent Hill.
Private investigator Edward Carnby takes to a haunted mansion in order to see what all of the fuss is about. Needless to say, haunted happenings happen.
It’s a traditional point and clink adventure game in which you need to collect different objects in order to solve different puzzles. It’s a blast to see just how many ways you can accidentally die in this game —there are a ton.
The 7th Guest (MS-DOS/CD-i, 1993)
FMV games often get a bad rap today, and I don’t think it’s unfair to say that these types of games are an acquired taste.
They certainly have a high level of cheesiness, which is something that you could also say about many 80s and 90s horror flicks. Therefore, a 90s FMV horror game could arguably be the cheesiest thing on the planet. That’s what The 7th Guest is.
The live-action cutscenes weren’t the game’s only selling point; the pre-rendered graphics were also revolutionary for the time thanks to the use of the new CD-ROM technology.
Clock Tower (Super Famicom, 1995)
When people talk about 16-bit games with incredible atmospheres, Super Metroid is usually the one brought up, but it honestly doesn’t hold a candle to Clock Tower. It’s as close as you’ll get to a retro version of Amnesia: The Dark Descent.
It doesn’t matter that the game is on the Super Famicom —a system that been surpassed by the Saturn and PlayStation at this point— Clock Tower is terrfying.
Throughout most of the game, you’re under the constant threat of being caught by the Scissorman, and you have to hide from him at all costs. There are times when you have to watch the screen and just hope that he walks past the spot where you’re hiding.
