The best analog horror games

summary

• Analog horror focuses on the environment in jumpscares, using low-fidelity graphics for strange scenes.
• Like games
  The iron lung
  and
  Home Security Hotline
  Deliver immersive experiences with unique gameplay.
• Assessment test
  offers a thought provoking experience
  The Mandela List
  universe, leaving players questioning reality.

Analog horror is a new sub-genre that has flourished through many series on YouTube. It's a unique kind of horror, focusing less on making the audience jump, instead, in the mess The viewer through the environment and unique scenes. A key feature of analog horror is the use of low-fidelity graphics to capture the aesthetics of late 20th century media. This is usually done with film grain, making each game feel like it's playing on a VHS tape.

See the following list Great games that try to use the analog horror styleWith varying degrees of success, but all of them will leave the player feeling frustrated. Many of these games are only available as Itch.io downloads, and are made by small teams or single developers, and as such, any that are not available on traditional digital storefronts will have download links attached.

8 The iron lung

Claustrophobia in sports form

Soon to become a major movie, The iron lung Thanks to its popularity among YouTubers like Markiplier, this is probably the most famous game on the list. The game is simple, the player takes control of a submarine and searches for an ocean of blood on an unknown planet. The only way they can see anything outside their tiny metal tube is through a grainy, unfocused camera.

As the player explores, they will be fed progressively more disturbing images through the sub's camera, each one coated in a thick layer of analog grain. As oxygen levels drop, and outside noises become louder, it becomes increasingly difficult for players to want to take another picture, as they are unsure of what might appear.

7 Group-864 Training Program

A new take on SCP

Many gamers will be familiar with the concept of the SCP Foundation, from its website and the stories written in its many successful games. Group-864 Training Program It has a new take on it. Instead of putting the player in the shoes of an employee being chased by a terrifying creature, the game makes the player a new hire at the foundation, as they are told what their new life will be like.

The game is a short, text-based experience, and it doesn't feel as distracting as it should. However, it's a great little addition to the SCP canon for any fan of the franchise, and it feels like an old computer program running on a cheap CRT monitor.

6 Home Security Hotline

Do the job right

Home Security Hotline is a creepy game, placing the player as a call center worker tasked with helping callers find out what strange creature is living in their home. Using the text guide on the sick green monitor, the player must correctly diagnose each infection and give the caller the correct advice on how to get rid of it.

Failure leads to management scolding players and eventually sacking them. There are many layers to peel back Home Security Hotline And each monster's unique visuals add an extra level of fear, without the need for a jumpscare.

5 8 am

A terrific location difference game

• platforms: pc
• issued: March 28, 2024
• developer: Head Arrow

A surprising number of these analog horror games make the player do some kind of work, and 8 am There are no exceptions. Players are given a desk with a monitor and a notepad, and it's their job to check the monitor every hour between midnight and 8am to make sure nothing goes wrong. In Monitor, the player faces 16 CCTV cameras placed around the family's home.

8 am Sounds like a twisted game of spot-the-difference. If players notice a difference each time they check the camera, they should note it. This can range from a family member being out of bed to some very disturbing scenes. While the models aren't super detailed, it's scary to keep flicking through the cameras, knowing that, at any moment, something could happen.

4 Discover the ocean

Much more than a game

Good relief from panic attacks, Discover the ocean Only one is an interactive, educational DVD, which allows players to explore the vast world of the ocean. Until, the camera starts to drop, and drop, and drop, and the player encounters indescribable sights and sounds and just sits there with questions.

It's a very short experience to start with, but if a player wants to get the full experience, they must follow through to unlock an elaborate ARG with secret codes left in the video. Discover the ocean Despite looking like a video from the pre-2000s, it takes full advantage of being made in the internet age.

3 Maple County

Training the police how to deal with the odd

Maple County is a short but terrifying experience in which the player takes the place of a recruit in the Maple County Police Department. However, the training tapes shown to them show that something is deeply wrong in Maple County. Police are being trained in how to deal with threats that appear humane but are not complete.

As is common in most analog horror games, Maple County Filled with distorted faces, strange visuals, and jarring audio. Mainly inspired by The Mandela ListOne of the pinnacle of analog horror, Maple County will send shivers down the spine of the player, and after a while will require second-guessing any portraits they see.

Backroom, but analog

• platforms: pc
• issued: August 18, 2022
• developer: pgWave

Complex: Found footage is one of many, many sinking into the backroom, all liminal, inspired by images of empty spaces. While not the scariest backroom game, and far from the most entertaining, complex Definitely the one that feels the most annoying. Unlike other iterations of this setting, complex Scary creatures and jumpscares won't overwhelm the player.

Instead, the game forces players to compromise by living alone, listening only to their footsteps. They will see flashes of creatures around corners, and brief glimpses of movement, but nothing will ever attack. The player is simply lost in an endless maze of sickly fluorescent lights and gross yellow wallpaper.

1 Assessment test

Don't fail the exam

• platforms: PC, macOS, HTML5
• developer: Wunderly Games
• Download link

This is the last entry in the list Assessment testAnother game in the universe The Mandela List. Yet another simple text and image-based game, the player is given a test to determine if they are suitable for a job with AAD. The player must decide which images depict dangers, which are believable, and then discard their innermost thoughts.

They are finally left with the message, if they don't hear back, they should pray, and hope that whatever God they believe in will hear them. The game does not answer anything, requiring players to be somewhat familiar with the contents. The Mandela List. Whether the player knows what's going on or not, Assessment test It's a great short experience that leaves you questioning your understanding of the universe.