In the history of gaming, there have been moments where games go above and beyond to scare the player. Whether it be a good jump scare, a creepy monster, or a scene that really gets under your skin; there are moments in gaming that put horror movies to shame. Some of these moments don’t even come from horror games.
On the off chance that you decide to give these games another whirl, most of them can be found on Steam, so buy Steam Wallet Codes and get to playing!
Here are some of the scariest moments in gaming.
Psycho Mantis – Metal Gear Solid
This one’s an older one. In the original Metal Gear Solid, you play as Solid Snake as he attempts to sneak his way through various missions to eliminate the terrorist organization FOXHOUND. At one point in the game, you must face the boss known as Psycho Mantis, and if the name is any indicator, it’s a weird fight.
What makes this such an odd fight, and one of the scariest moments in gaming is Psycho Mantis’s psychic abilities. Using his supernatural abilities Psycho Mantis breaks the fourth wall and affects the player directly. The player’s controller vibrates as your enemy uses his immense power. He boasts that he knows your every move and will evade any attacks you make against him. He even at one point will read the saved data on your console and remark at other games you play.
The key to beating him is breaking his ESP by switching your controller to the Player 2 slot, ending his supernatural abilities. For those who played the game back when it first came out on the original PlayStation, this was an incredibly eerie experience. Konami went above and beyond to use the console as a weapon against you. It was by far one of the weirdest and scariest moments back in the day, and those who remember playing it probably have a story about it.
Rainbow Road – Mario Kart Series
Most of us have encountered Mario Kart at some point in our lives. The bright colors and lighthearted take on the racing game genre have made it a classic series. However, there is a track that has appeared in several editions that brings forth anxiety and fear at the mere mention of its name. It may seem like a joke, but those of us who have braved the Rainbow Road know the fear it can bring about.
This map stands out for its winding curves and lack of any barrier to keep your kart from flying off the edge into the abyss of space. Generations of players will remember the sheer terror at being pushed towards the edge of the prismatic track by another player or an errant banana peel.
The frustration and dread at falling off have led to many a rage quit and the name of Rainbow Road to be etched in the memories of many more.
The End – Dead Space
Despite being an older game, I’ll start this off by saying “Spoiler Warning.”
The Dead Space series are some of the most memorable horror games in recent memory. Combining survival horror and third-person shooter, the series has a unique feel to it that is only heightened by the science fiction zombies and psychological twists you face at every turn.
At the end of the original Dead Space; Issac has discovered the mysteries behind Ishimura and the planet it orbited. In doing so, you have survived a crew now warped and turned hostile as creatures known as necromorphs. After killing the Hive Mind boss and entering a shuttle off the planet, you are seemingly free to absorb the bittersweet emotions of survival at the cost of realizing your wife was killed long ago by the necromorphs and you have been hallucinating her the whole time. Except… until Isaac turns his head and sees the twisted form of his wife lurch at him.
This last moment scene was a gut-punch of fear to anyone who had dared to brave the game. It led to an amazing following into the next game and the whole series as well. It was a great voice by the developers to have that one last little trick up their sleeves right when you thought you were safe.
Welcome to Rapture – BioShock
The first of the BioShock trilogy rides the line of horror and FPS incredibly well. The first few moments of the game are truly creepy and set the mood for the adventure to come.
You would think surviving a plane crash and finding a mysterious undersea utopia in the middle of the ocean wasn’t horrifying enough, but well, the developers didn’t think so.
After the town’s creator finishes a chilling monologue and the music fades, your bathysphere begins to rise into the airlock of the first of many buildings you will explore in Rapture. The grand architecture is instantly at odds with the claustrophobic pressure you feel at being stuck at the bottom of the ocean. As you dock, you are put face to face with one of your main enemies throughout the game, a splicer.
Splicers have long gone mad from the overuse of DNA altering plasmids that give the user superhuman abilities. As his splicer whispers to you, hanging onto your bathysphere, you realize just how far the people of this city have fallen. You are finally saved from the crazed hook wielding splicer by automated security drones sent by an apparent friend.
This one scene sets the tone for the entire game, and from that point on you know most of the people you meet in Rapture aren’t exactly people anymore.
Upside Down – The Last of Us
In The Last of Us, you take control of Joel as you attempt to bring your companion Ellie across the United States. The catch? The world has ended due to an infectious fungus that turns people into zombies, and Ellie is the only immune.
There are a lot of amazing moments that raise The Last of Us above the average zombie game. But, one of the most recognizable and most horrifying moments occurs rather early in the game.
Joel has led the pair to a small town where they hope to meet an old friend and acquire a vehicle. As they explore the town they run into small groups of infected and a lot of homemade traps created by Joel’s friend. At one point you enter a small warehouse and find you have stepped into a trap. A rope snaps close around your leg and you are hauled into the air to hang upside down as a counterweight in the form of a large safe falls to the ground.
What follows is one of the most heart-racing moments in gaming. You struggle to kill the incoming infected drawn by the noise, you are dazed from hitting your head and attempt to aim while swinging inverted, all while protecting Ellie as she tries to cut the rope.
It is an amazing moment that instantly changes the pace of the game and reminds you how outnumbered you are in the world.
To Conclude
While there’s an endless list of horrifying moments in gaming, this has been a list of some of the most prominent. Whether they still haunt your nightmares or made you throw your controller across the room in fear, there’s plenty of gamers who recall these moments with equal parts amazement and dread.
If there was a game here that you haven’t played, make sure to go pick it up. But, maybe just keep the lights on.
I am a junior content outreach writer for OffGamers. I foster relationships between gaming enthusiasts and gaming developers to create relevant content for gamers worldwide. I also happen to be a passionate writer and a certified night owl.
