Summary
While horror games often reach into the supernatural or fantastical to evoke fear, everyone knows that human history is full of scary things that make for perfect fodder in such titles. When based on reality, sometimes the horror can feel all the stronger.
Whether it’s a fantastical alternate scenario based on the optimism of the 1950s or the brutal day-to-day life of living during the Black Plague, historical horror games are a lively subgenre well worth exploring for history and horror fans alike. For history buffs and horror enthusiasts alike, there are plenty of incredible historical horror games available, but some are arguably better than others.
Set during the 1920s but witha predominantly Victorian flairgiven the mansion in which it takes place,Layers of Fearfollows a painter protagonist as they explore and uncover the story of how they went mad through environmental exploration and puzzle solving. The game maintains a strong focus on psychological horror that generates a heavy and dread-filled atmosphere.
This atmosphere is helped a lot by the Victorian-style mansion it takes place in. The ornate rooms with paintings that begin to decay as the game progresses provide a strong feeling of Gothic haunting, where ghosts or surreal visions could be lurking behind every corner. It’s a unique and delightful experience for history and horror fans alike. Even better, it even recently received a fantastic remake.
4A Plague Tale: Innocence
An Unnerving Story Set During The Time Of The Black Death
The Medieval period is poorly explored in video gamesoutside of traditional knights and lords combat.A Plague Tale: Innocencetakes the pointed step of following a brother and sister pair of commoners during the height of the Black Death epidemic and what it must have felt like from an everyday perspective.
Though the game certainly leans into the supernatural every so often, its historical setting is richly realized, and it’s an absolute joy to explore as a history fan. Paired with a genuinely emotional story and an appropriately meaty difficultythat some beginners may have trouble with, this one is a must-play for horror fans looking for a great game based on historical events.
Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrificewas a revolutionary game for a lot of reasons. Its graphics were (and to some degree, still are) unparalleled by its peers, it took an important and surprising approach tothe topic of mental health, and it also depicts a rarely seen period of human history.
Taking place in the late 8th century AD (around 790-800), Senua is a member of the Pictish people, an entirely unexplored Celtic culture in video games, but it fuses this Celtic perspective on the historical past with Norse legend as the Viking Age begins. Though Vikings are well explored in video games, this particular perspective is completely new and is essential playing for history fans and horror fans who enjoy psychological horror.
Amnesia: The Dark Descentchanged horror games forever in a lot of ways, but it may also be one reason why horror games seem increasingly willing to go to historical settings. Developers made the off-beat and unique choice of setting the game in early 19th Century Prussia, a wholly unique dimension that gives the title a unique flavor that’sactually perfect for beginners.
That means that, when exploring the game’s massive mansion setting, it is filled to the brim with a heady mix of enlightenment, Napoleonic, and early Victorian antiques and architecture, whenever the terrifying monsters aren’t getting in the way. It’s a fun setting that isn’t explored much in games, which is what makes it stand out so much.
Despite the setting of Rapture, the city under the sea, some might be surprised to know thatBioshockactually takes place in 1960, while the actual city of Rapture is still figuratively stuck in New Year’s Eve, 1958, when everything collapsed, spurred onby a litany of plasmids.
The historical setting means that the game designers could play with 1950s techno-optimism but also play thematically in the realm of McCarthyist witch hunts and the ongoing Cold War that would soon heat up to boiling point. It’s a distinctive and fun setting that provides a brilliant slice-of-life understanding of what ideologies were popular during this time, especially while avoiding the terrifying Big Daddies.
