Halloween 2024

Powah Dunk | October 31, 2024 | Feature | No Comments

With the Halloween season coming to its climax, I’m sure most of you are scrambling around to find the perfect horror experience home, be it that Halloween film slot usually taken by the SAW franchise or wanting something slightly more immersive without having to leave the comfort of your Castle with trick or treating. Well here is a selection of new horror game releases we have been looking at lately, grab your safest blanket, a handful of sweets, and turn down the lights as we return once again to the world of Survival Horror.

Alan Wake 2 Deluxe Edition.

Well, what can I say about Alan Wake 2 that hasn’t already been said? On the 1st anniversary of the long-awaited sequel to Remedy’s horror classic Alan Wake, the developers not only released the game physically with all the DLC, the Night Springs episodes and the finale The Lake House connecting the game further to Remedy’s power fantasy Control but also a massive quality of life update with fixes such as a quick turn and a “cheat menu” to help repeat playthroughs or those who may still be stuck in the Dark Place.

For those unfamiliar with the game it follows on from the events of the DLC from Alan Wake 1 and American Nightmare and stars not only the titular character but also a newcomer called Saga Anderson who finds herself quickly drawn into the darkness that lies under the lake in Bright Falls.

The dual protagonist gameplay allows the game to split into part Crime Drama and part literary horror as Saga tries her hardest to solve the mystery of the Cult of the Tree while Alan tries his hardest to escape from the Dark Place by using his writing powers to rewrite events in hopes of finally escaping after 13 years and putting an end to the reign of terror that the evil entity known as Mr Scratch has been putting his wife Alice through.

The writing in Alan Wake 2 is frankly wild, you’ll never quite know where it’s going to take you, one second you’re exploring an abandoned Theme park, and next you’ll be watching Alan, Sam Lake, and the mysterious Mr. Door performing a dance number while Poets of the Fall under the name Old Gods of Asgards shred their way through the song “Herald of Darkness”. The game fully leans into a more “meta” way of telling the story and creates such a narrative that without complete context is just a nightmare to explain and justify.

Combat is weighty and follows the format of the original Alan Wake seeing you fight The Taken with your trusty flashlight and a firearm, Saga has fewer combat sections but they are much tougher while Alan still does the bulk of throwing down, it does feel much better than that of the original which is often lamented as the weakest part of the original.

The atmosphere in Alan Wake 2 is fantastically tense, coupled with some absolute jaw-dropping graphics and the seamless jumps between gameplay and actual footage with real actors you’ll quickly be immersed in the wacky world of Alan Wake, there are genuine scares here as the game isn’t shy on bringing you down before it throws a jump scare in your face just to keep you on your toes.

The DLC is also fantastic and adds much to the lore of the game is some of the funniest and most brilliant writing, one of these sees you as the number one fan of Alan who aims to save him from his evil twin, and another sees you jumping through a multiverse ranging from the traditional forests of Alan Wake to a Text based adventure and beyond, finishing the story up with the new Lake House DLC that runs alongside the events of Alan Wake 2 and gives gamers a little more of glimpse as to what the Federal Bureau of Control have been up to.

Alan Wake was one of my all-time favourite games, Alan Wake 2 has not only knocked that off of the list but pushed its way close to the top, it’s an all-time great horror title but has so much more going for it that it would be a shame to not dive into the lake this Halloween and ride the wave of insanity.

Retrorealms Arcade

Retrorealms Arcade leans more into the 16-bit style of horror games from yesteryear, think loading in your favourite Castlevania-style game on the SNES or MegaDrive only the games are based on the familiar franchises of Halloween and Ash vs Evil Dead and you know where we are at with this release.

Starting in a first-person view you discover a mysterious arcade that houses two arcade cabinets, one donning the good looks and charm of Ashley J Williams of Evil Dead fame and one with that ever haunting visage of Michael Myers. Either game is available to purchase separately but you can also buy a double pack which has both adventures, tied together by the mysterious Overlord who wants the Necronomicon from Ash and wants to train Michael to be his strongest minion.

Co Developed by Wayforward you have a vintage 16-bit action platformer with all the tropes you would come to expect from the era, “medusa head” style enemies plague you, you can pogo jump on enemies’ heads and slowly unlock more abilities throughout the game by finding either cash or candy corn and every stage culminates in a boss fight, usually by someone iconic from either franchise and yes in terms of Evil Dead you will be coming across that iconic Knowby Cabin once again.

One of the main features of the game is the dual world system, at any point you can slip into the Overlord’s world which is a harder more demonic version of the stage, either to give yourself a challenge or to get further into the stage as a forced switch, not only do the enemies change but the background and layouts, always worth checking out to find any extra items.

It’s slightly on the pricey side for a 16-bit throwback but has some fantastic gameplay that will bring you back to the good old days of sitting in front of your CRT with a load of snacks doing what you can to have a horror experience in the days before the survival horror genre exploded.

There is also optional DLC that allows you to play as Kelly Maxwell from Ash vs Evil Dead and Laurie Strode from Halloween also if you own both games you have the option of taking Ash to Haddonfield and vice versa to further your gameplay time, and there are also a handful of extras such as interviews with the developers and concept art to unlock through tokens you can find in the games, plenty to keep you coming back to this gory horror adventure.

On the other end of the horror spectrum this is a fantastic time with some really good classic gameplay, plenty of the red stuff, and easter eggs galore, it’s not the scare-fest that Alan Wake 2 is but much like SAW isn’t exactly a scary movie, Retrorealms Arcade manages to scratch that itch for Halloween.

Clock Tower: Rewind

Combining the world of 16-bit horror and the genre of Survival Horror, Clock Tower was an iconic title by Human Entertainment when it launched on the Super Famicom and unfortunately never released outside Japan, in fact, the series was only released over here in Europe with the Playstation 1 sequel named Clock Tower, confusing naming conventions aside nothing brings this trio of games together than a re-release of the original 16-bit Clock Tower bringing the genuine terror of Scissor Man with the sprite work of the Super Nintendo system.

Clock Tower has always been unique in that it is a survival horror where you can and will die but it’s controlled and has a lot in common with the Point and Click genre, if you thought Tank Controls are wild wait until the iconic Scissor Man is walking down the hallway towards you and you have to panic click to get away, also there is a complete lack of weapons meaning its also one of the original “hide and seek” style of horror games that became prevalent with titles like Penumbra, Amnesia, and Outlast.

Clock Tower has you controlling Jennifer who along with three other orphans is adopted by the mysterious Simon Barrows, you reach his estate and within minutes realize something isn’t right, a blood-curdling scream pierces the estate and upon exploring the mansion you witness a gruesome murder by a small monster-man lovingly named Scissor Man due to his love of a giant pair of Scissors that he would love to introduce you to.

The plot changes beats depending on how long you take to get to certain events or through your actions, these culminate in up to 9 different endings meaning you’ll be replaying the game over and over again to get them all, fortunately, there is a Quick Start option, cutting out the rather lengthy intro section and putting you right before the first murder.

As mentioned previously there is a lot that can kill you in the game, not just the Scissor Man but falling from heights and other dangers, much like the Point and Click genre there is a lot of trial and error but fortunately, the game doesn’t have a huge runtime and once you know what you’re doing you’ll be able to fly back to your previous untimely death.

Developed by Wayforward and using the Limited Run developed Carbon Engine, the developers have added a whole lot into this release, so much cut content is now available in the “enhanced” version of the game, including areas that only appeared on the Playstation 1 re-release of the game and even more locations the Scissor Man can follow you to. There are also motion comics to unlock, animated cutscenes, and even a new theme song from Mary Elizabeth McGlynn famous for her works on the Silent Hill franchise.

The point-and-click gameplay may not do it for everyone but for fans of the series or someone wanting something a little new, Clock Tower: Rewind is an absolute killing of a package. You’ve got the original game, the “Enhanced” with all the cut content and quality of life improvements you’ll be hard-pressed to pass this game up, it has been far too long since Clock Tower has been relevant in the genre and this is an ideal way to remind gamers why people love the franchise and take them on a horror masterclass, yes it’s a SNES game but it has all the scares and tension of modern horror.

JusticeSte’s Scarefest.

While writing this article I asked fellow horror fan JusticeSte about some games he has been streaming over the month of October and he picked out three titles that have really stood out for him. If the blurb he wrote is not enough to sell you on this? He’s also provided the VODS for his playthrough of all three titles so you can see the horror hit him in real-time, massive thank you to JusticeSte for this.

Envelope.

A shop assistant is brought into a cult assassination in an unhinged first-person open-world adventure, finding his way around a town to get the tools to assassinate a cult leader. With some comedic tones, but an overall dark vibe, Envelope is a brief but fun adventure full of multiple pathways, lots of hidden bits to find, and multiple playthroughs to unlock everything. Visually hits them low poly vibes like a charm, some good writing, and some interesting VA delivery. Envelope is a nice time with some fun set pieces, though that final chapter hits a frustrating difficulty spike.

https://www.twitch.tv/videos/2258632198

Mouthwashing.

Currently a viral success, a heavy story leads this sci-fi first-person narrative fable. Playing as the second in command on a doomed space freighter, Mouthwashing watches the crew of the Tulpar as the crew’s fate is unfortunately bleak. Work out what’s happened to your captain ”Curly” whose striking visual is plastered over influencers’ campaigns about Mouthwashing. A hard burn on this one, with some excellent writing, and simplistic gameplay but with some heavy themes, those who like something a bit more of a slow-paced, more focused narrative will enjoy Mouthwashing. Another low poly hit, but very stylish, and still a fun play. Keep an eye on these devs as they might be going places.

https://www.twitch.tv/videos/2262493812?t=1h3m36s

The Bridge Curse 2: The Extrication

A sequel to the 2022 indie horror spin-off, from the movie of the same name. The Bridge Curse 2 The Extrication tells the story of a group of people reenacting a murder in the 60s in the ‘Wen Hua University’ for a viral video, playing as 4 characters over a timeline. We have a simple survival horror which upon first look, I thought wasn’t going to be great. Though I was hooked almost instantly, some nice puzzles and a few more challenging/vague ones, good set pieces help tell this story through the eyes of our protagonists. Nothing too horrific here, but a nice enough time if you’re into more chilling tales this would be right up your street and make you want to check out the rest of the franchise.

https://www.twitch.tv/videos/2283354854

https://www.twitch.tv/videos/2284150995

Huge thanks again to JusticeSte for providing the VODs from his Twitch channel which can be found on https://www.twitch.tv/justiceste home of games played badly, 100 original X Box games played in one year and the World Record Run of Army Men: Sarge’s War as verified HERE