It’s that spooky time of year again and what better way to celebrate than by either sitting down by yourself or with a few friends and enjoying some spooktacular indie titles! So, we’ve put together a list of five spooky games that are well worth a look this Halloween.
SPOOKWARE
SPOOKWARE is an amazing microgame-a-thon action RPG developed by BEESWAX GAMES (Adam Pyre, Viktor Kraus, Tibau VDB) and published by Dread XP (Dread X Collection, Dread X Collection: The Hunt). Following the general antics of the skelebros, Lefti, Midi and Righti you’ll play through a plethora of microgames whilst also exploring varying locales such as Gruel High, Bonehatten and much more! It’s definitely worth the look if you’re someone like me who doesn’t cope very well with extreme horror as the devs have described the game’s genre as “spooky-cute.” If you want to learn more about the title before diving in you can listen to an interview we did with the developers just before the game’s release on Indie Insight. You can also read our full review of the game here! SPOOKWARE is currently available on Steam on sale for €7.22.
DUSK ’82
Probably the most recent game to release on this list is DUSK ’82 developed by David Szymanski (DUSK, The Music Machine, The Moon Sliver) and published by New Blood Interactive (Ultrakill, Amid Evil, DUSK). DUSK ’82 acts as a simple action-puzzler demake of the critically and commercially acclaimed FPS title DUSK. This title certainly isn’t on the scary side but definitely has the spooky 8-bit aesthetic mixed with some fun strategy elements perfected. Along with a large amount of enjoyable developer built levels DUSK ’82 also has Steam Workshop support so you’ll be able to play this game long after you’ve completed the base campaign! If you’d like to hear from the creator of DUSK ’82, David Szymanski a little more on how he came up with the project you can listen to him over on our podcast, Indie Insight. You can currently pick up DUSK ’82 on Steam for €5.69.
Chasing Static
Chasing Static is a true psychological horror title set in rural Wales. Wales can be a scary place to go in the best of times but just imagine having to explore an abandoned town in an attempt to discover just where has everyone gone! This is a considerably more spooky title than the previous two mentioned and certainly not for the faint of heart! Saying that, Chasing Static is a fantastically crafted horror title brought to you by Headware Games (Guard Duty) and published by Ratalaika Games (Devious Dungeon 2, Super Destronaut DX, Concept Destruction). If you want to have a look at the game a little further before committing our good friends over at Robot Republic took a look at the title earlier this week! You can get Chasing Static on Steam for €12.49.
The Darkside Detective
Coming from the brilliant minds over at Spooky Doorway (The Darkside Detective: A Fumble in the Dark) and published by Akupara Games (GRIME, Behind the Frame: The Finest Scenery, Spinch), The Darkside Detective is the first of two titles in The Darkside Detective series. Really leaning into the paranormal, The Darkside Detective will have you investigating the weird and wacky side of alternate dimensions and much more accompanied by everyone’s favourite character, the amazing Officer Dooley. As someone who normally isn’t that into point & click adventure titles this game really blew me away and shattered my initial expectations with its captivating story and hilarious dialogue. You can pick up the title on sale for only €4.59 on Steam and its also available on Nintendo Switch for €12.99.
Mundaun
Presented in a beautifully hand-pencilled black and white art style Mundaun, developed by Hidden Fields and published by MWM Interactive (Maskmaker, Stonefly, War Remains: Dan Carlin Presents an Immersive Memory), is a psychological horror title set in a secluded valley of the alps. I have to admit I had been keeping my eye on this title since its announcement and picked it up promptly after its release and I’m happy to say it did not disappoint! Its immersive story paired with its semi open-world approach to storytelling really drew me in and it’s definitely up there with some of the best horror titles released this year. You can check it out on sale over on Steam for €11.75, on Nintendo Switch for €19.99, on PlayStation consoles for €19.99 and on Xbox consoles for €19.99.
So, what do you think? Do you agree with our picks? Why not reach out to me on Twitter to discuss @OdhranJohnson!
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