Games

The Best Side-Scrolling Horror Games

Published

3 days ago

January 1, 2025

Christoph Rediske

Summary

Table of Contents

Side-scrolling horror games use limited perspective and great sound design for immersive gameplay experiences.
Different 2D horror games offer unique narratives and gameplay mechanics to explore.
Visuals, puzzles, and atmosphere in side-scrolling horror games create terrifying and enjoyable experiences.

Side-scrolling games cover a wide variety of styles and genres. Horror, specifically, utilizes this style of gameplay to its advantage due to the claustrophobic spaces, hiding mechanics, heart-pounding chase sequences, and fear of the unknown. Players are made to feel vulnerable with a limited perspective; being unable to see what’s around the protagonist is certain to make any desensitized gamer feel even a little spooked.

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Audio design is also a crucial element in this type of game, as it can make the player feel uneasy since it would be hard to tell which direction the sound of glass smashing or a creature’s groaning is coming from. As such, these elements ensure that side-scrolling horror games are immersive, terrifying, and enjoyable.

8

Re:Turn – One Way Trip

Spooky Coming-Of-Age Tale Set On A Train

Saki and her friends go camping to celebrate graduation, unknowingly, for the last time. Jumping between the past and present, explore an abandoned train as Saki to discover where her friends have suddenly disappeared to. Switching between pixel art and digitally painted graphics, the visuals really add a spark to the proceedings.

Since it’s primarily set in a single location, there’s quite a bit of backtracking, so it can often feel a little tedious. However, the creepy atmosphere, chilling antagonists, and mysterious story make up for some lacking areas. If players enjoy simple puzzle mechanics and fetch quest gameplay, they will enjoy what the Re:Turn series has to offer.

7

The Coma: Recut

A Nightmarish Glance Into Korean School Culture

School-based Korean horror The Coma: Recut (2017) is a remastered version of The Coma: Cutting Class (2015). Student Youngho falls asleep during the final exams at Sehwa High and finds himself trapped within the dark corridors of the school – no end seemingly in sight.

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Best Supernatural Horror Manhwa

Horror fans will love what the following supernatural manhwa bring to the table.

Whilst also being stalked by a killer, the player must help him navigate through this nightmare by picking up notes and talking to fellow classmates to unravel the mystery. With hand-illustrated visuals straight out of a manhwa and social commentary about the Korean school system, it offers a narrative worth playing.

6

Withering Rooms

A Souls-like Rogue-like In A Creepy Mansion

Explore the ever-changing Mostyn House – a Victorian mansion that houses a variety of enemies, including ghosts and witches that have their sights set on the protagonist. Players can tailor the gameplay however they like, by making use of stealth mechanics to avoid creatures or by fighting them head-on.

From rituals and crafting to melee combat, it’s up to the player’s decisions whether main character Nightingale will make it out alive or not. This one has a difficult learning curve to begin with, but an interesting and unique experience nonetheless.

5

Neverending Nightmares

A Frightening, Infinite Depiction Of Mental Health

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Neverending Nightmares
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Released: September 26, 2014
OpenCritic Rating: Advertisement

Fair

Inspired by the developer’s own struggles with depression and OCD, Neverending Nightmares follows Thomas who is trapped in a revolving door of horrifying dreams, not knowing when he’ll wake up. In each nightmare, there are different ways Thomas can die – whether it’s from a manifestation of a monster, or self-harm.

The cover of Lisa: The Painful, which has a small man being overshadowed by frightening mutants, next to the cover of Omori, which is a black and white boy with an sad face

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The black-and-white visuals really help to make the world seem empty, besides a pop of bright red to highlight the horror that Thomas is facing. With the reflection of the creator’s struggles, it could be relatable to some players, making the fear factor much more realistic.

4

Detention

Trapped Students In 1960s Taiwan

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Detention
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Released: January 12, 2017

Set at a Taiwanese school, explore Greenwood High as students Wei and Ray work together to uncover the mystery behind it, whilst avoiding spirits and other evil beings. As they are under strict martial law, combined with a desaturated color scheme, the world feels bleak and hopeless.

More focus is on solving puzzles and stealth instead of quick platforming, which helps ratchet up the horror. The characters hold their breath to walk past enemies, which makes it very tense with having restricted vision. Some of the visuals are quite eerie and will make anybody want to leave the school as quickly as possible.

3

Clock Tower: Rewind

Classic Point-And-Click Survival Horror Revived

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Clock Tower: Rewind
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Released: 2024
Franchise: Clock Tower

Getting a fresh coat of paint with a remastered version of the 1995 classic Clock Tower, take on young orphan Jennifer as she explores the Barrows Mansion. For the first time ever, it’s officially translated outside of Japan, bringing fear to a new, modern audience.

This 16-bit game provides stunning animated cutscenes, gore, and jump scares whilst puzzle-solving and avoiding the threat of the Scissorman. Jennifer is unable to fight back besides using traps, and players will have to keep an eye on her health and stamina, which can make it stressful for some. The remaster adds extra content and quality-of-life improvements, complete with a choice to play in its original or revised state.

2

Inside

Escaping A Disturbing Dystopian World

9/10

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Inside
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Released: June 29, 2016
Developer(s): Advertisement

Playdead
OpenCritic Rating: Mighty
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Set against an eerie, desaturated backdrop with only a hint of color, a young boy finds himself evading capture from the watchful eyes of those participating in mind control experimentation. Utilizing the environment whilst carefully making his way to freedom, Inside proves to be rather anxiety-inducing.

Alongside an ominous narrative and an unexpected hard-hitting ending, the use of platforming and puzzle-solving are an integral part of Inside, encouraging the player to think about their actions and to keep this young boy from just being another number in the system.

1

Little Nightmares

A Deeply Unnerving View Of Human Nature

8/10

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Little Nightmares

Survival Horror

Puzzle

Platformer

Released: April 28, 2017
Developer(s): Tarsier Studios
OpenCritic Rating: Strong

Embodying a faceless child in a bright yellow raincoat, traverse a creaking ship-like vessel as protagonist Six to uncover the disturbing underbelly of human consumption, whilst examining themes between childhood and adulthood. Little Nightmares is as dark as it is captivating.

Dodge grotesque monsters using stealth mechanics or time jumps just right during a chase sequence to not get caught. Due to the size difference between the protagonist and the antagonists, the limited perspective is really abundant here, making the player feel more vulnerable and susceptible to the added tension, as it can sometimes be difficult to anticipate what the next step is.