Summary
Manygreat horror gameshave seemingly infinite replay value and reward exploration with a whole hoard of collectibles to find in exchange for trophies and, eventually, 100% completion. No game has yet to topDonkey Kong 64’s Guinness World Record for a whopping 3,821 collectibles, but a few horror games — particularly modern sequels and remakes — have started hitting triple digits, surprisingly, and that’s still impressive for a subgenre that doesn’t necessarily prioritize collectibles like platformers might.
A lot of horror games tend to sit around the 100 mark or just below for collectibles, but with a handful of games exceeding that total, their stories warrant multiple playthroughs to discover everything. Some Platinum trophies are easy(ish) to obtain,likeUntil Dawn’s cluesand totems, but others require a keen eye and some formidable patience.Here are some horror games with the most collectibles, just begging for numerous replays.
In the originalSilent Hill 2from 2001, the only collectible items were Memos, which numbered 68 in total. For theSilent Hill 2Remake, the total number of collectibles almost doubled to reach 120! This includes the 68 Memos from the source material, as well as 26 Glimpses of the Past, and 26 Strange Photos.
Each Glimpse of the Past is essentially an Easter egg disguised as an in-game collectible and offers a callback to the originalSilent Hill 2.Any players who obtain all of themwill receive theEchoes trophy. As for Strange Photos, these are Polaroids that hint to specific events involving James and Mary’s past.
Compared toits sequel’s grand total of 122,The Evil Withinoffers an additional 29 collectibles broken up into certain categories, namely: 45 Keys, 28 Map Fragments, 21 Newspapers, 16 Personal Documents, 16 Documents, 15 Posters, and 10 Audio Tapes. Obtaining all of these will award the player with the Every Nook and Cranny and the Master of Unlocking trophies.
None of the collectibles are missable, as they luckily carry over into a new game, so if some of them are missed during the initial playthrough, it’s easy to start over or select specific chapters afterward to do a little sweep of any stragglers.
AlthoughAlien: Isolation’s collectibles consist of 151 Archive Logs, 50 ID Tags, and 10 Nostromo Logs, there are an additional 16 archive logs in the game’s various DLC levels. The game’s archive logs are recorded by various people aboard the Sevastapol Station during the Xenomorph outbreak.
Amanda Ripleycan recover several audio recordings made by the Nostromo crew during its final voyage. As for ID tags, those belong to all the lost crew members of the Sevastapol and can often be scavenged near dead bodies. Nostomo Logs are identical to Archive Logs but simply recount the game’s events in audio format rather than written documentation.
There are 254 collectibles to be found acrossThe Last of Usand its expansion pack,Left Behind. Collectibles inThe Last of Us Part 1include 30 Firefly Pendants, 13 Comics, 54 Optional Conversations, 6 of Ellie’s Jokes (which also count as optional conversations), 97 Artifacts, 13 Shiv Doors (behind which are valuable items and resources), 11 Workbenches, 5 Workbench Tools, 12 Training Manuals, 4 Safes, and 9 Chapter-specific Trophies.
Some of the Artifacts found inThe Last of Usinclude wanted posters, maps, leaflets, and even some of Bill’s handwritten notes. Training Manuals are used to improve Joel’s abilities during the game, whereas Comic Books are just fun little trinkets to find to entertain Ellie and her superhero obsession. Some of these collectibles can be pretty tricky, like getting certain conversations to trigger, but they’re well worth it for any fan of themoving post-apocalyptic adventure.
The Last of Us Part 2has a total of 34 more collectibles compared to its predecessor, including a more diverse range of items. All the game’s collectibles are broken down into the following categories: 127 Artifacts, 20 Journal Entries, 48 Trading Cards, 32 Coins, 14 Safes, 25 Workbenches, 7 Weapons, 8 Training Manuals, and 7 Items.
Artifacts inThe Last of Us Part 2range from things like Seth’s Note (found in Jackson) to Leah’s Photograph (found in Eastbrook Elementary). Everything else is pretty self-explanatory, as Items pertain to Molotov Cocktails, Trap Mines, Stun Bombs, etc.
In the originalResident Evil 4from 2005, the only collectibles really obtainable were the 15 Medallions and some Treasures. However, in the 2023 remake, the game reworks these to include the following: 16 Clockwork Castellans, 104 Treasures (39 Village, 41 Castle, 24 Island), 19 Merchant Requests, 29 Weapons, 7 Weapon Parts, 5 Crafting Recipes, and 113 Key Items for a total of 293!
There are also Chapter-specific Trophies and Merchant Request Items (such as the Medallions from the 2005 version).Clockwork Castellans are destructible Salazar Wind-Up Dolls, Treasures can be anything from gemstones to masks, and Key Items refer to Keycards, Bloodied Swords, and the like.
In 2008’sDead Space, it was possible to collect Logs and Schematics, but the remake takes it to a whole new level by introducing a seemingly endless amount of collectibles for a staggering 327! These items comprise 188 Logs, 13 Schematics, 10 Weapons, 21 Weapon Upgrades, 6 Suit Upgrades, 69 Nodes, 3 Side Missions, 5 Chapter-specific Trophies, and 12 Marker Fragments.
As Isaac explores the UGS Ishimura, he can find text and audio logs from the crew to gain some insight as tothe events that led to the Necromorph uprising. Power Nodes can be used to upgrade equipment at workbenches, while Marker Fragments are used to obtain the remake’s secret ending.
