Seventeen years after it was released on the GameCube in North America, Resident Evil 4 will finally be receiving a remake for March 24, 2023. Not only did the title help to revitalize the series, but it inspired a slew of other games to shift to their innovative gameplay dynamic as an over-the-shoulder, third person-shooter.
Other similar Nintendo games, like the horrifying Eternal Darkness: Sanity's Requiem, get a player’s blood to run cold by using elements such as escalating music, ambient sounds and believable illusions. There really is no better time to truly appreciate the creepiness and creativity found within the most nightmarish Nintendo games than during October, but there are some that will give the player goosebumps throughout Halloween and beyond.
Super Castlevania IV
The side-scrolling platform game perfect for a nostalgic 90s Halloween, Super Castlevania IV, lets the player control Simon Belmont as he battles through eleven widely different levels in order to slay Dracula.
The game was critically loved with an odyssey epic-like soundtrack, a haunting organ, and eerie sound effects that are impressive for the Super Nintendo. To defeat the fanged menace, the player whips their way through spooky foes such as skeletons, gargoyles, bats, and other famed creatures of the night. The title holds a much a more eccentric and darker compared to previous games in the franchise making it the perfect Halloween game.
Luigi’s Mansion
The GameCube’s Luigi’s Mansion is not only responsible for the funniest Luigi memes, but fits the Halloween vibe tremendously with its Ghostbusters-like gameplay as the player tries to save Mario from being trapped inside a mirror.
The Hidden Mansion, constructed by Boo as a residency for other ghostly entities, is filled to the brim with haunting sounds, creepy chambers and eerie hallways for Luigi to explore. Furthermore, many spirits met within the house are as personable as they are frightening, like the ghost of a young woman who loved music and video games when she was alive.
Majora’s Mask
Regarded as one of the most critically-acclaimed Legend of Zelda games in the franchise that must be beaten within a time limit, Majora’s Mask follows Link as he ends up opposing a Skull Kid possessed by a haunted mask while searching for his lost fairy.
The mysterious and sometimes insidious masks plastered throughout it make the game perfect for Halloween, but that’s just the tip of the iceberg. Majora’s Mask’s masterful design, thanks to Shigeru Miyamoto and Eiji Aonuma, exposes the player to abstract elements that give it a whole other level of eerie. To top that off, the game's overarching theme of existentialism and ominous soundtrack tie in astoundingly with each different area.
Clock Tower
Nothing says Halloween quite like a horrifying serial killer that is out to get the player. Another Super Nintendo title, Clock Tower, highlights the disfigured Scissorman murderer as he cuts up innocent people with his blades.
Playing as an orphaned girl in a horrific mansion, the player must navigate through the game’s story by solving increasingly challenging puzzles and avoid the Scissorman by hiding behind objects, piecing together clues to stop his ravaging. Clock Tower is highly detailed with blood-chilling music that escalates when the killer is near, nailing a tension similar to Resident Evil.
Dementium: The Ward
Released on the DS in 2007 then remastered in 2015, Dementium: The Ward follows amnesiac William Redmoor as he journeys through the hospital he was admitted to, discovering that it's abandoned in the process.
While trying to find the exit of the facility, the player must pass eerie hallways and rooms crawling with mortifying creatures in first-person view. To beat the game, the solving of puzzle and slaying of monsters is absolutely necessary. To make it even creepier, Redmoor sees visions of his murdered daughter running in the corridor and a man dressed in black.
ZombiU
ZombiU is a truly scary first-person survival horror game released as one of the launch games for the Wii U, featuring the unique implementation of the console’s GamePad that forces the player to take their eyes off the screen and manage resources while being attacked nonstop by zombies.
The permadeath system put the stakes even higher, since respawning as a different survivor meant losing every good item collected during the previous life. The plot revolving around a 2012 zombie apocalypse makes it perfect to play after a night of binging Halloween flicks.
Fatal Frame: Maiden of Black Water
Originally launched on the Wii U in 2015, Fatal Frame: Maiden of Black Water, is a horror game like no other, packed with horrifying urban legends from Japan in the 1980s. The player is tasked with investigating paranormal events and extinguishing ghosts with the Camera Obscura.
As players navigate the areas of Hikami Mountain that are infested with malicious ghouls using three different protagonists, they attempt to seal away the destructive force responsible for the hauntings, the Black Water. Some of the creatures within the game may even look familiar, as many are inspired by an array of Japanese horror movies.
Silent Hill: Shattered Memories
In Silent Hill: Shattered Memories, arguably the best game of the franchise, the player follows the story of Harry Mason as he struggles to find his missing daughter. As events unfold, Harry’s consciousness moves between the “real world” and Nightmare, a version of his hometown where monsters sought to slaughter him.
Though Shattered Memories might not be quite as scary as other installments of the series, its interactive elements and thought-provoking ideas create a chilling atmosphere. Within the game, the player is equipped with "Psych Profiles” that affect multiple aspects of the game like themes and storylines meaning each playthrough is slightly different.
Eternal Darkness: Sanity's Requiem
Out of all the astonishing horror games released on the GameCube, Eternal Darkness is debatably most twisted. Protagonist Alexandra Roivas must uncover the mystery behind her grandfather’s brutal murder as she solves puzzles to unleash the truth.
What makes the experience so special are its “insanity effects”, which give the player illusions of fake deaths and warped vision. Even the screen will seem to have turned off altogether at times, tricking the player into thinking the system stopped running.
Resident Evil 4
As one of the most groundbreaking survival-horror games, Resident Evil 4 is an unforgettably bloodcurdling third-person shooter that led to the rise of several other sinister titles with similar gameplay.
The hair-raising tension built up as Leon explores isolated locations mixed with the haunting soundtrack gives even the bravest souls a run for their money, especially when the player is surrounded by foes while the music picks up, making it exceedingly tempting to run away. Seeing every terrifying monster born from the virus is excuse enough make anyone sleep with one eye open, acting, as the perfect accompaniment to an evening of spooky Halloween fun.
Source:gamerant.com