Horror games usually prove to be scary and graphic based on their titles, trailers, and the screenshots of their gameplay. On rare occasions though, there are horror games dressed in sheep’s clothing. Their titles are unassuming, their trailers are suspiciously short, and their screenshots tend to look actually a little cute.
These sneaky games do their part to show that scary content often is about being unexpected. These horror games are also typically indie, as being indie gives them more freedom to commit to looking one way but turning sinister the deeper the players get into the game.
8 Eversion
Released on Steam in 2010, Eversion hides its horror very well. It presents itself as a retro side-scroller where the player must go on a mission to find the missing princess of the Flower Kingdom. The first couple of levels play along with the colorful and innocent-seeming game, but the levels and story slowly become deranged with eyeballs, monsters, and dark settings.
The game was partly inspired by quotes from H.P. Lovecraft such as, “Sounds - possibly musical - heard in the night from other worlds or realms of being.”
7 Dreaming Mary
RPG Maker games are in the top tier of creative horror, and Dreaming Mary is a prime example. The RPG game came out in 2014 and is adorable-looking in every sense. Players take the role of Mary in her dream of a pink palace, cute animal friends, and fun games.
However, the visuals, sound, and themes of the game change as more of the dream is explored. The dream basically turns into a nightmare and Mary has to figure out a way to escape.
6 Can Your Pet?
Can Your Pet? is not exactly a well-loved game. It is short and its twist from a cute little game about having fun with a chick to a violent mess is very sudden. On the surface, the game is quite simple. The player can dress up, play, and interact with an adorable little chick.
However, if they click on the bicycle then the twist is revealed. The bicycle turns upside down into saws and turns the chicken into processed food that goes into a can.
5 Doki Doki Literature Club
Of games that look innocent but are actually horrific, Doki Doki Literature Club is one of the most famous. The game is disguised as a dating simulation and plays into a lot of familiar tropes with the genre. Players take the role of a boy who joins the school literature club. The gameplay is mostly like a visual novel in which the player makes choices, but there is also poetry crafting that can win the affection of different girls.
However, the girls are not as cheerful and pleasant deep down. The game is free on Steam but one review from a player called gimp pointed out, “The game is free but the therapy is not.”
4 Wadanohara And The Great Blue Sea
Wadanohara and the Great Blue Sea is similar to Dreaming Mary in that it is an RPG Maker horror title. It is a fantasy game that dives into some mature and horrific themes. The player plays as Wadanohara, a sea witch that lives in a kingdom under the sea along with her familiars and shark boyfriend.
When a good-seeming character turns out to actually be a bad guy, the sea turns red with horrific imagery and dark themes.
3 Spooky’s Jump Scare Mansion
Released in 2015, Spooky’s Jump Scare Mansion is unique becomes it disguises itself as a horror game that is innocent. It is easy for players to walk into it expecting some cute campy fun. However, the deeper in the game the player gets, the less cute and far more serious the scares are.
The goal is to explore a ton of rooms, about seven hundred of them. With each room, the scares get less cute and more bloody and insane.
2 Error #53
Gamers are lead to believe this game is a short adventure title. The game starts off as an adventure with a king sending the player to take care of some bandits. However, strange images flash on the screen and the joyful music goes silent. The game’s colorful woods turn dark and the game purposefully glitches out in ways that are unsettling.
The game is short, but it is definitely not one that easily scared players will want to complete at night.
1 Irisu Syndrome
Irisu Syndrome is actually somewhat like Tetris in that shapes fall down and the player must make the colors match for them to disappear. There is calming music with a cute bunny girl in the background as the shapes fall. However, as the game goes on, the shapes get faster and the bunny girl gets closer to the player and the game purposefully crashes.
A story unfolds about kids camping, but there is something more sinister and cryptic going on.
