It’s that time of year again when grinning pumpkins adorn the streets, and candy becomes our preferred choice of sustenance. We can’t believe it ourselves, but Halloween is nearly here! With only 4 days left in October, we figured now would be our last chance to publish a list of spooky recommendations for the creepy season. While we’ve previously done this list before, we’ve tried to compile titles that haven’t been featured on any previous listicle. So without further ado, here’s our suggestions for what you should be playing in preparation for Halloween 2022.
Evil Dead: The Game
Not to be confused with previous Evil Dead video game titles, this entirely-new entry launched as recent as May of this year. The gameplay mirrors the sort of versus mode you’d find in the Left 4 Dead franchise, and allows players to take on the role of survivors, or the evil Deadites. Like many other multiplayer survival horror games, Evil Dead: The Game challenges groups of players to survive an entire round by working towards completing tasks and goals while the opposing player uses a variety of Deadite forces to try and stop them. Fans of the films will recognize many of the playable characters from the movies, and the game is brimming with callbacks and references to Sam Raimi’s iconic saga. The game is surprisingly difficult, and requires a significant amount of strategy from both sides in order to properly compete in each round. Co-op multiplayer is also an option, and for those who wish to fly solo, an offline single player mode is available as well. While the game’s central focus is on the multiplayer modes, the single player missions are not to be taken lightly. These challenges are rigorous and offer a significant challenge to players willing to brave them. If you’re a fan of other asymmetric multiplayer horror games such as Dead by Daylight or Friday the 13th: The Game, chances are you’ll have a blast with this one. We highly recommend you check it out!
Amnesia: Rebirth
Released in October 2020, Amnesia: Rebirth somehow seemed to go unnoticed upon its initial launch—which is extremely unfortunate because this game is great! The third entry in the iconic survival horror franchise from Frictional Games, Amnesia: Rebirth sees the player take on the role of Tasi Trianon, a French engineer who awakens deep within the Algerian desert with no memory of how she got there. From here, the game challenges you to retrace your journey to the desert, and explore the mysteries of the Lovecraftian world that lies within. If you’ve played an Amnesia game before, the mechanics are more or less the same with this entry—a hybrid of solving puzzles while evading enemies at every turn. Like the series entries before it, Rebirth is a strenuous and tense experience, not for the faint of heart. While it seems the game’s PC-exclusive release may have alienated some players from discovering it, that’s all been remedied as of October 20th of this year! That’s right, the game is now available to play on all consoles, and we’re hoping this means it will find a whole new audience of gamers ready to tackle its terrifying gauntlet. Just in time for Halloween!
The Dark Pictures Anthology: House of Ashes
Over the last decade or so, Supermassive Games have become the quintessential developer for these choose-your-own-adventure style horror games. If you’ve played the now-classic Until Dawn, or any other entry in the Dark Pictures Anthology, you’ll already know what to expect from House of Ashes. Set during the Iraqi War, you take control of a special unit of United States soldiers, investigating what they think to be an enemy weapons silo in a remote part of Iraq. When a sudden earthquake causes the very ground you’re investigating to split apart, your cast of characters become trapped inside the ruins of an ancient Akkadian temple—but they’re not alone. Without giving too many surprises away, you’ll have to face both the challenges of finding a way out of the ruins, while also evading and even battling the monsters that await you in the darkness. The entire game plays out like an actual horror movie (there’s even a cool cinematic mode you can play in), only YOU call all of the shots in this film! You’ll have to make split-second decisions based on your best gut instincts in order to help your characters survive. Through a combination of conversation choices and quicktime events you’ll guide the story progression with your crucial decisions… and their consequences. If you’ve ever yelled at a dumb character in a horror movie before, this is your chance to have complete control over all of the choices they make! House of Ashes, and any of the Supermassive Games collection for that matter, make for fun Halloween entertainment that will have you on the edge of your seat from start to finish.
Phasmophobia
The word phasmophobia means “fear of ghosts,” which makes it a fitting title for the game we’re about to discuss. Phasmophobia is an online multiplayer ghost-hunting game in which you team up with friends or strangers in order to track and identify spirits within haunted game maps. Throughout your investigation you’ll use various ghost hunting tools to help gather evidence, with which you can identify the type of spirit you’re hunting. If you can correctly guess the spirit type, and collect specific pieces of evidence, you’ll collect a cash reward at the end of the investigation, which you can use to buy newer, and fancier ghost hunting equipment. One of the most unique and interesting features of this game is that it’s partially voice activated. At the beginning of each hunt, you’ll be given the spirit’s name, and saying that name into a connected mic will provoke the spirit into being more active. But be careful about how much you say the spirit’s name, as saying it too often will enrage the ghost, causing it to HUNT YOU! While the ghost is hunting you can attempt to hide in various closets or lockers placed around the map—but if you take too long, you risk being captured and killed by the ghost! Swearing too much will also irritate the ghost, so watch your mouth when you’re being scared! While you can play the game solo, it’s better with a group of friends. This is a perfect party game for Halloween, and we’ve been having an absolute blast playing it. Even though it’s currently only available to play on PC, it’s worth the trouble if you have access to a computer.
And there you have it! This is our most recent short list of the games we’d recommend to play in preparation for Halloween. We’ll be back soon enough with more reviews and recommendations, and as always we appreciate you taking the time to read our stuff! Thanks again, and have a Happy Halloween!
The Couch Bandits 