#horrorvisuals

【𝕾𝖎𝖌𝖓 𝕱𝖗𝖔𝖒 𝕲𝖔𝖉】

Baroque (1998) is a post-apocalyptic first-person action RPG taking place inside the Neuro Tower, a mysterious place nobody dared to enter before.

It's a game that uses death as a core mechanic to advance the plot, rather than resulting in a game over.

Developed by Sting Entertainment for Sega Saturn, it later got ported to PSX, PS2 (remake), Nintendo Wii, and Switch (JP exclusive).

It looks and plays similarly to the classic Shin Megami Tensei games. (Fun fact: Atlus published it for NA)

Set in a post-apocalyptic world, it shows us a world hit by catastrophic climate changes on May 14, 2032, after conducting an experiment to understand the Absolute God.

Its surviving humans got physically twisted by manifestations of guilt, pain, and suffering.

As the amnesiac, mute, and nameless protagonist, you are picked by Archangel and tasked with entering the Neuro Tower.

You have to advance its levels, find the Absolute God, and fix the world.

Each floor is randomly generated and your aim is not to reach the top floor. It's to reach the bottom.

You explore the floor, gather items, fight enemies, and reach the next floor. The usual dungeon-crawler gameplay.

Upon death, contrary to other games of the time, it doesn't result in a game over but rather teleports you back to your hometown. Every death progresses the narrative, unlocking new dialogue and areas. It's a core part of the game.

You are able to save some of your items using consciousness orbs and gather them on your next playthrough.

Incident at Grove Lake

A private investigator receives top-secret files and a tape from an Area 51 worker and decides to take a look at the footage.

It's a PSX-style horror adventure game based on alien abduction accounts throughout history.

It takes about 20 minutes to finish. As someone who is particularly interested in even the smallest possibility of extraterrestrial life, I enjoyed this a lot. Very well made.

The Dark Eye (1995) is a first-person psychological horror adventure where you recite Edgar Allan Poe's stories through the perspectives of both murderer and the victim.

It features uncanny valley grotesque, stop-motion visuals, and clay-modeled characters.

Plays in a classic point-and-click adventure style, the game doesn't really put you into any life-or-death situations or doesn't give you choices. There are stories to go through and you are there to witness them.

Throughout the game, you go through some of Poe's favorite stories: The Cask of Amontillado, The Tell-Tale Heart, and Berenice.

Additionally, you can listen to William S. Burroughs' voiceovers featuring The Masque of the Red Death and Annabel Lee.

Many of these scenes play as QuickTime movies. Sometimes in full-screen, or sometimes in smaller, looping segments. The game as a whole has an experimental look and these only add to its already creepy atmosphere.

While the game features Poe's known stories, it doesn't ONLY rely on them but rather uses a unique plotline as a framing device. The gameplay occurs in two different aesthetic modes. While one is more realistic, the other is dreamy or perhaps even nightmarish.

Set in the late 1800s (as interpreted, not confirmed), the nameless character visits his uncle Edwin. Controlling this character, you meet Edwin himself and your brother Henry.

You then have a whiff of the paint thinner Edwin was using while painting, and go into a "trip".

Developed by Inscape, it was released for Windows and Mac OS. The game is now in abandonware status and you should be able to find it online.