Best Horror Games That Explore Personal Trauma

One impressive aspect of the horror genre is its versatility, as it has shown its ability over the years to run the gamut of emotions. It can be grotesque and bloody, or it can evoke the same feeling of a cheesy action movie where the heroes are outnumbered against a horde of monsters. But its exploration of trauma, and how grief can manifest, has produced some of the most interesting games in the genre.

The likes of Silent Hill and The Last of Us feature stirring examinations of loss and how that can affect a person, which have made them some of the industry’s most celebrated titles. Be it through guilt, the death of a loved one, or some sort of traumatic experience as a child, these horror games have delved deep into the human psyche, exploring mature and complex themes that have resonated in outstanding ways.

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6 Fran Bow

Point-And-Click Horror Game Explores The Loss Of Parents

Fran Bow is a point-and-click horror game about a young girl who is dealing with the aftermath of her parents’ murder, as their untimely deaths take a toll on her. Developed by Swedish studio Killmonday Games, Fran Bow uses elements of classic point-and-click games from the past, within the framework of a psychological horror story, in order to convey feelings of trauma and how to grieve for the loss of a loved one.

Making use of a haunting art style, Fran Bow also utilizes dark humor and surreal characters in order to fully flesh out its bizarre world. Fran is a fascinating character, as her journey through the stages of loss and how to start moving on tie in brilliantly with the game’s off-kilter atmosphere.

5 Little Nightmares

Unnerving 2.5D Horror Game Examines Human Atrocities

Little Nightmares has been one of the indie scene’s most successful horror games, as it produced a sequel and a third entry is on the way for a 2025 launch. With the first game, developers Tarsier Studios crafted a dark, twisted world that saw a little girl named Six attempt to escape the Maw. It is still one of the most intense horror games one can find on the market today.

Little Nightmares is a sinister examination of survival, with visceral imagery that is still tough to take in seven years later. It has consistently been seen as a metaphor for various different human atrocities over the years. This complex horror experience is absolutely worth playing today.

4 Omori

EarthBound-Inspired Horror RPG Features Dark Topics

Developed over six years by Tumblr artist Omocat, Omori is based on a web comic that they wrote, then transformed into a video game using RPG Maker. Dealing with serious topics, including suicide and self-harm, Omori is still one of the genre’s most riveting and engaging experiences.

Influenced by games like EarthBound, its presentation is stellar, and the pixel art is wonderfully done. Like the games that influenced it, Omori both hides the horror behind its vibrancy and also presents it full-steam ahead. It’s a fascinating game that is one of the most engaging horror RPGs of the last decade.

3 The Last Of Us Part II

The Sequel Breaks The Cycle Of Revenge

The Last Of Us Part II Remastered

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Released

January 19, 2024

Engine

Proprietary Engine

While the first game in The Last of Us franchise explored the trauma of loss and guilt, the 2020 sequel takes Joel and Ellie into some uncharted territories in gaming. Focused on themes of violence and how the cycles of violence can be broken, The Last of Us Part II sends Ellie on a quest for blood after the murder of Joel by Abby.

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Ellie’s journey in The Last of Us Part II is fraught with the perils of morality and coping with the death of a father figure, as she matures from the child seen in the first game into one of gaming’s most compelling heroines. Thanks to Naughty Dog’s efforts, the best version of this outstanding game is available on the PS5 and is one of the genre’s most incredible titles.

2 The Walking Dead

Humans Try To Survive Each Other In Zombie Apocalypse

Launching in 2012 as an episodic series, The Walking Dead by Telltale Games is based more on the Robert Kirkman comic book than the smash hit AMC TV series. Spread across four seasons and multiple spin-offs, The Walking Dead is a graphic adventure game that focuses on player choice and the dark side of humanity’s quest to survive a zombie apocalypse.

Throughout its emotionally charged story, The Walking Dead sees multiple characters sacrificed, murdered, and ravaged by not just the shambling corpses of the zombie horde, but other humans as well. Right in the middle of this story is Clementine, a young girl who faces it all and emerges on the other side as a fully-formed character. In spite of all the trauma she faces, Clementine uses the lessons taught to her by Lee before his death in season one to survive and become one of the industry’s most outstanding characters.

1 Silent Hill 2 Remake

Features Guilt And Punishment As Major Themes

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Influenced by the 1990 film Jacob’s Ladder, the Silent Hill franchise has been one of the genre’s most prolific examples of psychological horror, as opposed to the more action-focused efforts of games like Resident Evil and Doom. And with Silent Hill 2, that could not have been more clear. This outstanding PS2 horror game explored the themes of guilt and punishing one’s self for past sins.

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With the 2024 remake, Bloober Team took that to the next level and crafted a game that is both faithful to the original and injects some new life into it. Thanks to the improvements made possible by modern technology, the characters have never felt or looked more alive. James Sunderland’s tragic tale of paranoia, guilt and how it manifests via unspeakable horrors is one of the best games on PS5 right now, and the remake is the best way to experience this classic today.

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