People play horror games because they are in the mood to be frightened, or perhaps they hype themselves up not be scared to show off how brave they are for not flinching at grotesque images and haunting atmospheres. None of this helps when a game takes players by surprise and frightens them in completely unsuspecting ways.
The ten games below took fans off guard either on purpose or unintentionally made certain creatures and environments too scary for the young audience playing them. Imagine anxiously waiting until a birthday or a holiday to receive a sought-after title, only to end up too frozen in fear to boot it up.
10 Super Mario 64
What could so scary about this delightful 3D platformer that revolutionized the gaming industry? How about man-eating pianos. Big Boo's Haunt holds plenty of surprises in store for children, but nothing in there compares to the eel in Jolly Roger Bay. Some gamers are already scared of water as it is, and the big-eyed, slithery, underwater creature popping out from its hole does nothing to assuage their fears.
9 Dark Souls
FromSoftware has quickly established themselves as one of the most relevant and influential game studios of the past fifteen years. Part of the Dark Souls series' genius is how ambiguous the narrative is.
Players are thrown into a massive, often barren world with little direction and few clues as to what is even going on. This sense of mystery surrounding every corner and the brutal difficulty is enough to set most hearts racing. Plus, need we mention the Catacombs and the Tomb of the Giants?
8 Earthbound
The Mother series is known for quirky humor in grounded worlds with supernatural themes. Things take a wild turn during Earthbound's ending, however, when players are tasked with defeating the ultimate evil, Giygas, a formless mass which populates the whole screen and subtly changes to eventually resemble a human embryo.
It almost wins the battle until all of Earth's inhabitants bind together to pray for Ness's success. Interpretations differ on the ending to the legendary RPG, but all agree on the fight being creepy and unexpected.
7 Uncharted
For the first three-fourths of the game, Uncharted is a tight action-adventure romp reminiscent of Indiana Jones, complete with unforgettable quips from the lead character. Nowhere did Naughty Dog or the marketing ever mention transmogrified submarine crew members trying to eat Nathan Drake, but this is exactly what happens when the characters finally find the treasure hidden on the island. It was a solid foreshadowing of the terror that would come years later in The Last of Us.
6 Metroid
As the tagline for Ridley Scott's Alien goes, "in space, no one can hear you scream." Unfortunately, plenty can hear you scream in the living room as Metroid's labyrinthine level design gets players lost within the world.
The minimal detail on the NES also lend to the fright, as the primitive hardware leaves filling in the details to the player's imagination. Half of any game's terror is the atmosphere, and the loneliness of space certainly turns up the stress while venturing through it as Samus.
5 Ocarina Of Time
Legend of Zelda is notable for its grand sense of adventure and discovery. However, venturing into the unknown sometimes results in some frightful finds. While most of Ocarina of Time's environments are friendly and welcoming, some of the creature designs are sure to scare even today's kid gamers.
The ReDeads are particularly ghastly creatures. They look like rotting zombies and suck out Link's health by latching themselves onto him and never letting go.
4 Max Payne
Every moment of Max Payne is brutal and uncomfortable, but only a few chapters dive into the realm of true terror. The introduction made unsuspecting gamers' stomachs crawl as they rushed up the stairs while the titular character's family was slain.
Later on in the game, Max experiences several nightmares fans also play through. Gameplay wise, these are incredibly frustrating endeavors, and, in the narrative, it is highly unsettling as one hears the screams of his dying family.
3 Bloodborne
Bloodborne is a spinoff of the Dark Souls franchise, coming from the same developer and featuring the same formula, albeit with different combat mechanics.
The aesthetic is also changed, going from a medieval-inspired look to a world heavily inspired by H.P. Lovecraft and Victorian Era England. While an action game at heart, all these elements come together to put gamers into. sufficiently creepy world.
2 Final Fantasy VII
Before Final Fantasy VII, the series was focused on high fantasy and purely supernatural themes. The seventh numbered entry in the franchise deals with aliens, an evil corporation destroying the planet, and mad scientists.
Early on in the game, players understand the extent of the game's horror as they run through the Shinra HQ, following the massive blood trails left by Sephiroth. If Final Fantasy VII Remake featured the same level of violence, it would have earned itself an M rating.
1 Half-Life 2
While the first Half-Life makes fewer illusions about its terror, with Gordon Freeman facing off against head crabs and infected scientists almost right off the bat, Half-Life 2 starts the player off fighting more humanoid enemies. Later on, however, players journey through Ravenholm, a town devastated by the mysterious aliens, with only one survivor remaining to guide Gordon Freeman.
Not only is it a terrifying chapter, but it is one of the most unique, as players only just received the Gravity Gun and use it to dispose of the zombie-like enemies by throwing saws at them and spinning fan traps to split them in half.