Key foods
- The horror and puzzle genres are often combined in games, as puzzles can enhance the spooky atmosphere, while scares add intensity to puzzle solving.
- Amnesia: The Dark Descent, Silent Hill 2, and Tormented Souls are notable titles that successfully combine horror and mystery.
- These games offer unique experiences with elements like physics-based puzzles, complex narratives, and creepy monsters, making them a must-have for fans of both genres.
What both horror and puzzle genres have in common is that they often make their way into other types of games. For example, there are plenty of scary moments in non-horror titles, and you'll often find puzzles in your typical action-adventure and RPG games.
Therefore, it is not surprising that these two popular genres are often combined with each other. They often make good combinations too, as the puzzles generally don't detract from a spooky atmosphere. In fact, they can sometimes reinforce it. However, doing a puzzle while a monster is running over you makes the situation more intense. The following titles are the best combination of these two genres.
Updated on September 27, 2024 by Ben Jesse: Some of the best horror games can also be considered puzzle games. We have listed the best of them. It's been a while, though, and with horror season approaching, we thought we'd update the collection to add a few more worthy games.
12 Media
There's one thing that separates The Medium from most other games in general: it's a split-screen single player. Each part of the screen takes place in a different world. So, you roam around both at the same time. Their environment is very different from each other. One is the normal world and the other is the spirit world.
The game is all about guiding the protagonist, Marian, around an abandoned hotel while being chased by a creepy creature. In this process, you need to navigate the location in both dimensions. This often requires puzzle solving, which is usually about moving objects in one world to allow you to progress in another.
11 I am in charge of supervision
Running away is a viable strategy in most horror games, but it's not an option in I'm On Observation Duty because you're on observation duty. You have to sit there and look through a series of cameras to see if anything unusual is happening.
If something has changed, you should list it. So, it's a bit of a memory game, because you have to realize that things have changed or changed. You should also watch out for pesky monsters that may appear on your camera. The whole experience is very scary.
10 Oblivion: Dark Descent
Games don't come much scarier than Amnesia: The Dark Descent. This is a classic contemporary horror game that forces you to guide the protagonist around a dark and spooky castle.
The main character doesn't deal with this very well as the darkness and every disturbing event he witnesses messes with his sanity. But you have to fight through this fight and avoid the surrounding monsters while trying to solve the puzzles and progress through the game. Fear for your life adds more intensity to physics-based puzzles.
9 Silent Hill 2
Silent Hill 2 is one of the best psychological horror games of all time. It is mostly praised for its deep and complex story that has the ability to surprise you on many occasions. In fact, it's one of the best narratives the genre has ever seen.
As you make your way through the town of Silent Hill, you have to solve various puzzles. Many of them involve finding a written note that gives you a clue about the solution. But even with the notes, the puzzles usually take a while to figure out.
8 Roses in the twilight
In A Rose In The Twilight, you play as both a girl and a giant, which you can switch between. Not only are you given the freedom to do this, but you have to do it at certain points to get past the obstacles. This is the main puzzle solving aspect of the game.
On the other hand, fear is the scary world in which the game takes place. The location looks great as the game has a nice art style. But the art style is also a little unsettling, especially when it comes to the monsters you encounter.
7 Tormented souls
Tormented Souls is clearly influenced by the classic Resident Evil games, as it plays very much like them – even down to the fixed camera angles. The puzzles are similar in style as you have to find a variety of different items and occasionally combine them to progress through the game.
Stopping your progress is a horde of strange monsters. However, they don't seem out of place as the game takes place in a creepy abandoned mansion. The protagonist is there to find two missing twins. But as you search for them, when you encounter a multitude of fears, you wonder if it's worth it.
6 Layers of fear
Layers of Fear is basically a walking simulator and a very scary one at that. In it, you crawl around a very unusual Victorian house. Or at least, it seems unusual because you and your character are seeing things.
This is the game's way of scaring you, as it will blow your mind using various visual tricks. If pure psychological terror isn't enough, there are also plenty of jump scares. Sometimes, visual tricks are also involved in puzzles. But they are not the only puzzles in the game, as there are many other creative puzzles as well.
5 Catherine
Catherine has more of a horror aesthetic than a horror game. As such, the title is not too scary. That being said, there are some pretty weird visuals in the game that might at least keep you occupied. The story is about a man named Vincent who cheats on his girlfriend with an unconventional woman.
After that, he starts having nightmares, which is where the puzzle aspect of the game comes into play. Each stage consists of a tower of blocks and your goal is to reach the top. To do this, you have to arrange the blocks to build yourself a makeshift staircase.
4 Resident Evil 2
Resident Evil games are not generally considered puzzle titles. However, puzzles play an important role in the early episodes, or in this case, the remake of one. After all, much of what moves the narrative forward involves solving various kinds of challenges.
Some are simple, where you have to place a gem in an open slot, while others are a bit more complicated. The RE2 remake has some of the most enjoyable puzzles in the series' history. And it sure is scary, especially when the dangerous Mr. X is chasing you.
3 purgatory
What immediately stands out about Limbo is its unique visuals and color palette. But there is content to this style. This game is a scary and atmospheric puzzle platformer. Basically, the gameplay is simple as you can only run, jump, climb, pull and push things. Plus, there are only two directions to go, so you won't get lost.
However, even with the minimalist gameplay, the developers manage to create a series of interesting puzzles for you, which usually involve a lot of pushing and dragging. And if you don't solve them, you almost always die instantly. The horror aspects are less common, but certainly present in the form of a few spooky creatures, most notably a giant spider.
2 Small nightmares series
Or the Little Nightmares games are good options for anyone who wants to get creeped out while completing some puzzles. Reptile comes from the weird and often strange creatures you come across on your adventure. They are not only scary to look at – they are also dangerous.
During the games, many of them try to grab you, which forces you to play a lot of high-risk hide and seek games. Finding ways to avoid and understand them is part of what makes the game a puzzle. You also sometimes have to figure out how to get to the next area. However, you probably don't want to see what monster awaits you on the other side.
1 inside
Inside isn't the scariest game you'll ever play, but it's a little scary. Much of its horror comes from its atmosphere and the constant threat of death. Plus, fear of the unknown is a common emotion and there are many unknown aspects to this game. After all, the whole experience is pretty mysterious because the game doesn't really tell you anything about who you are or where you are. You have to put everything together yourself.
It's not because it's considered a puzzle game. There are actually puzzles in the gameplay. For most of them, you have to push, drag, or jump to a solution, which often allows you to progress to the next area. They are a joy to complete and everything else in the title is just as great.
