6 Scary Horror Games Without Any Monsters

The pairing of horror and creatures has consistently been connected, evident in creature-centric films and well-liked survival horror video games like Resident Evil and Silent Hill. These monsters serve to pose a danger to players, evoking fear through their alarming looks and behavior.

However, not all horror games necessarily incorporate the explicit presence of monsters, or if they do, those monsters might not be genuine. Such games depend on crafting an environment of unease and mood, generating ample suspense to prompt players into envisioning various monsters potentially hiding around each bend and behind every door they open.

Here are the 6 best and most scary horror games without any monsters.

Stories Untold

The game "Stories Untold" contains games embedded within its structure, introducing a sense of self-referential chaos and fear in the shape of predominantly text-driven games. In most instances, players engage with a computer, whether it's a personal computer for gaming or a laboratory terminal designed for specific experiments. There are a total of four stories available, primarily centered around a character named James Ation. These stories drop hints that James might be trapped in a coma, experiencing these escapades as part of a dream during his unconscious state.

Although the central narrative involving James's coma and Jennifer's death carries tragic undertones, instances of horror are scattered throughout. These come from certain text sections that players encounter on the terminal, featuring text glitches and indications of potential sentience within the terminal itself. These elements collectively contribute to a growing sense of impending doom that is guaranteed to send shivers down the spine, particularly as the story progresses to later episodes.

Manhunt

Manhunt is yet another game that underscores the notion that humans themselves can be the most dreadful entities, capable of committing horrendous and exceedingly brutal deeds, often driven by nothing more than their inherent inclination toward such behavior. Manhunt embodies this concept by placing James Earl Cash, a death-row convict, within a sequence of illicit films where he must commit killings in order to secure his release and escape execution.

In this game, players are required to utilize stealth and combat skills to eliminate fellow inmates, all while their actions are being recorded on camera. The game doesn't hold back on portraying explicit violence, allowing players to employ a wide array of weapons ranging from firearms to plastic bags. The horror element in Manhunt emanates from the macabre nature of the content and the unsettling reality that James is coerced into accessing his darker instincts as a means to achieve his freedom.

Penumbra: Requiem

When discussing horror, the Penumbra games are renowned for the high levels of fright induced by their deteriorated settings and the creatures that inhabit them, such as the aggressive canines in Overture or the extraterrestrial-like infected beings in the Black Plague. Nevertheless, Requiem takes a different approach by completely eliminating monsters, opting instead to generate peril and anxiety through more inventive means.

The gameplay shifts its focus towards solving puzzles and engaging in exploration, rather than tiptoeing around adversaries. Nonetheless, the tension in Requiem remains tangible, effectively keeping players in a perpetual state of apprehension. Despite the absence of traditional monsters, the game effectively sustains a sense of fear owing to the genuine hazards embedded within the environment.

Dark Pictures Anthology: Little Hope

This installment within the Dark Pictures Anthology transported players to the somber and unsettling town of Little Hope, following a bus accident involving driver John and four students on a school trip. The brave group opted to navigate the misty confines of the town in search of assistance. However, their expectations were swiftly surpassed when vengeful spirits of those persecuted during the Salem witch trials commenced an unrelenting pursuit.

Nonetheless, an unforeseen revelation emerges towards the conclusion, shedding light on the truth behind these chilling apparitions. Surprisingly, nothing of John's encounters was grounded in reality, including the presence of the students aboard the bus. Similar to Man of Medan, the threats witnessed by the player were illusory, born from one's own psyche. In the case of Little Hope, these hallucinations were rooted in survivor's guilt stemming from a devastating house fire that claimed his family's lives.

Fears to Fathom

The most unsettling form of horror is often the one grounded in actuality, as it forces individuals to confront the chilling possibility that such events could happen to them. Fears to Fathom capitalizes on this unsettling concept, presenting an episodic game that draws from authentic tales shared on Reddit. These stories involve individuals who have survived unsettling encounters, like the inaugural episode centered around a home intrusion by strangers.

Throughout the game, players are entrusted with a series of decisions that will determine the protagonist's destiny. Immersing oneself in these supposedly genuine narratives casts a spotlight on the disturbing facets of human nature, underscoring that humans themselves are capable of monstrous actions, and the fear they elicit is every bit as genuine and tangible as that instigated by supernatural beings.

Layers of Fear

Frequently acknowledged as a pinnacle among walking simulators, Layers of Fear chronicles the journey of a tormented artist as he traverses the corridors and chambers of his grand residence, a place where inexplicable occurrences allude to his deteriorating mental state. As the narrative advances, his once-muse, his wife's portrait, transforms into an eerie, otherworldly entity. The gradual revelation of the painter's tragic saga and his family's story unfolds throughout the gameplay.

Layers of Fear employs horror through hallucinatory experiences that accompany his exploration, all heightened by a lavish ambiance and an auditory design that perpetually maintains players in a state of anticipation. While tangible monsters don't lurk within the hallways, the palpable menace of death undeniably sustains the sense of peril typically associated with monstrous threats.

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