The world of Azeroth has changed a lot over the last 20 years, and so have those who inhabit it. Today I'm showing some of the places that may be less well known, as well as some that mean a great deal to me personally. It's a bonus that they just happen to be mysterious, or in some cases, disturbing.
More information on Hauntology: jstor.org/stable/10.1525/fq.2012.66.1.16 - this article by Mark Fisher is one of the best jumping off points for the whole area of study. You'll find that definitions of hauntology differ from person to person - and even the person that coined the term, Jacques Derrida in Spectres of Marx, didn't write that much about its specifics. Mark Fisher's definition is the one I used in my dissertation, and it's the one that best fits the content of this video too. Rest in Peace, Mark, and thank you for your work.
All video clips were used under the UK's 'fair dealing' laws (similar to the USA's 'fair use'), but if any of the listed channels wish for me to remove or change their inclusion, I will do so.
The world of Azeroth has changed a lot over the last 20 years, and so have those who inhabit it. Today I'm showing some of the places that may be less well known, as well as some that mean a great deal to me personally. It's a bonus that they just happen to be mysterious, or in some cases, disturbing.
More information on Hauntology: jstor.org/stable/10.1525/fq.2012.66.1.16 - this article by Mark Fisher is one of the best jumping off points for the whole area of study. You'll find that definitions of hauntology differ from person to person - and even the person that coined the term, Jacques Derrida in Spectres of Marx, didn't write that much about its specifics. Mark Fisher's definition is the one I used in my dissertation, and it's the one that best fits the content of this video too. Rest in Peace, Mark, and thank you for your work.
All video clips were used under the UK's 'fair dealing' laws (similar to the USA's 'fair use'), but if any of the listed channels wish for me to remove or change their inclusion, I will do so.Sad Satan... on SteamPainticus2024-08-20 | Finally a game that lets us "face the Satans within you".
Sad Satan is one of the most infamous games to ever appear online. Its existence is even arguable - as the only confirmed "real" version of the game is that shown in the original video series by Obscure Horror Corner - with all of the others being clones of that. After gaining a reputation for horrific and potentially illegal content, Sad Satan is not a game that should ever have come close to a reputable storefront such as Steam. Alas, here it is. Let's take a look.
Not to be confused with the episode of Smiling Friends. That's a different sad Satan.
Music used:
Myuu - A Deep Voice Myuu - Untold Secrets Myuu - Unspoken STALKER: Clear Sky - Ghost City Marc van der Meulen - Domovoi Prelude Silent Hill 3 - Never Forgive Me, Never Forget Me REPULSIVE - 1908 Vol II
Still Wakes the Deep is the newest game from developer The Chinese Room. The Chinese Room are known for their walking simulators Dear Esther and Everybody's Gone To The Rapture, as well as their mixed-reviewed Amnesia: A Machine for Pigs. Now they have created a narrative horror game set in 1970s Scotland. And it's brilliant.
Still Wakes the Deep is likely my top horror game of 2024 so far.
Video sources:
Amnesia: A Machine for Pigs Still Wakes the Deep Silent Hill 2 Call of Duty: Black Ops Limmy's Show
Audio Sources:
Still Wakes the Deep Amnesia: A Machine for Pigs TimeSplitters: Future Perfect Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic 2 - The Sith Lords Silent Hill 2 Kevin MacLeod - Disco Sting DJ Badboy - Friday NiteRotting Code - The Horrors of a Dying GamePainticus2024-05-25 | It seems the strange aeons may have arrived.
EU residents, please vote against the killing of games here: https://eci.ec.europa.eu/045/public/#/screen/home
A game dying can mean many things. Dead games can be empty, forgotten, or abandoned. But we shouldn't let them vanish.
Music used:
Deus Ex OST STALKER: Shadow of Chernobyl OST World of Warcraft OST Scratches OST The Caretaker - Libet's Delay TimeSplitters 2 OST TimeSplitters: Future Perfect OST Penumbra OST Myuu - Promise (Reprise) (Silent Hill 2 Cover) - youtube.com/watch?v=LApkHzyKxrw Komm, Susser Tod (Anna Christiane Neumann version) - youtube.com/watch?v=_AeanXwSZSEThe Internets Most Infamous GamePainticus2024-03-25 | Satan weeps for he cannot compete with the Terror Engine level randomiser.
Sad Satan is a game that has haunted the internet since its first appearances in 2015. Some claim that it is the creation of a sadistic criminal, others claim it is an innocent game that was hijacked. Dozens of versions of the game exist online - both on the surface web and dark web. Today, I'm trying out four of them, with some even claiming to be real.
Few indie horror games have experienced the notoriety and praise that Fear & Hunger has - and for the longest time it has been recommended to me over and over again. Now I've finally played it, and I have many, many thoughts to share.
Known for its bleak world, dark themes, and ultraviolent content, Fear & Hunger is often cited as one of the most disturbing games on the internet. But there's a running theme with for games that are disturbing/bleak/dark as their main selling point - that being that they are often reliant on shock value, subversion, and controversy rather than the quality of their own content. Does this apply to Fear & Hunger too? Let's find out.
Fear & Hunger Amnesia: The Dark Descent Elden RingFinally, More Cowboy Horror - Blood WestPainticus2024-02-08 | Demons, ghouls, ghosts, bastards - and no Tahiti in sight. True Wild West horror.
Blood West is a recently released horror game from Polish developer HyperStrange that gives us a rare and wonderful look into what the Wild West would look like under even more horrific circumstances.
Some may argue it's an immersive sim as well. I don't want to touch that conversation at risk of being utterly consumed by it and joining that particular endless choir of discourse.
Blood West The Last Cowboy Dark Souls: Prepare to Die EditionLunacid Is Really Quite GoodPainticus2023-12-13 | This one's for all my Human Warriors out there.
Lunacid is the newest offering from the wonderful Akuma Kira, developer of Lost in Vivo and Spooky's Jumpscare Mansion. Being heavily inspired by FromSoftware's King's Field and Shadow Tower games, Lunacid is a wonderful retro-themed exploration through a comfortably ominous dark fantasy world.
2023 has had a lot of excellent horror games, but we've been lacking games with the same kind of quiet unsettling nature that games from past years - like PAGAN: Autogeny - have offered. Thankfully, Lunacid covers that base too.
Music used: Lunacid OST The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion OST
Video sources: Lunacid Stay Out of the House PAGAN: AutogenyThe Official Saw Video Game is... StrangePainticus2023-10-31 | Hello, Detective. I want to play a(n officially licensed) game.
The Saw movie franchise is a staple of 2000s horror. Another staple of the 2000s is the enormous quantity of unnecessary licensed games. These two behemoths cross over in the topic of this video - Saw: The Video Game.
The game follows the events of Saw 1 where detective David Tapp (of Dead By Daylight fame) gets his chest absolutely blown to bits. But he's fine now. And he has to escape some miscellaneous saw traps and fight some angry men.
Thank you for watching, and thank you for bearing with me for a whole 5 years. Oh - also, happy Halloween!
With Saw X - the tenth instalment of the legendary series coming out in just a few days, I figured it was time to look at video games that capture the series' unique feel. But not the official games. Saw: The Video game and Saw 2: Flesh and Blood are not good. To be fair to them however, neither is Heavy Rain, and that's getting a whole section in this video.
The games I am looking at today are Heavy Rain - an interactive drama/thriller from Quantic Dream, The Outlast Trials - a newly released multiplayer horror game spawned from the popular Outlast series, and Fallout: New Vegas's Dead Money expansion - a DLC for a non-horror game that introduces horror elements. And bomb collars.
Video Sources: The Outlast Trials Saw 6 Heavy Rain Fallout: New Vegas - Dead Money Jerma Green Screen Expansion Pack Five Nights At Freddy's Amnesia: The Dark Descent The Room 2 youtube.com/watch?v=Rszq5bvwWMg
Music Sources: youtube.com/watch?v=8gI04Mx59M0 Saw Movie OST (Several of them) Heavy Rain OST The Outlast Trials OST Donkey Kong Country OST Fallout OST (Several)Amnesia: The Bunker is Not AmnesiaPainticus2023-09-03 | The things before Amnesia are often forgotten.
Amnesia: The Bunker has received almost universally positive reviews since its release in Summer 2023 - and as it is one of the few big-name horror releases this year (that isn't a remake) it has certainly carved its own place in people's minds.
Amnesia as a series is horror royalty - or at least The Dark Descent is - so carrying that name is a big deal. But is The Bunker really befitting that name? I'd argue not, as something older fits much more nicely.
Patrons:
Untrustedlife Ernst the Ace Karissa Fulcher Tyler Parker - Christopher Kittrell Jasonguy peepeepoopoodumdum Sam Vic Góra - JC Mad Ambassador
Music used:
Amnesia: The Bunker OST Penumbra OST
Video sources:
Amnesia: The Dark Descent Amnesia: A Machine for Pigs Amnesia: Rebirth Amnesia: The Bunker Penumbra: Overture Penumbra: Black Plague Penumbra: RequiemBloober Team Made Me Hate Blair WitchPainticus2023-06-22 | Bloober Team - into the naughty corner with you.
Blair Witch (2019) is one of Bloober Team's many psychological horror games released in the 2010s. With their upcoming remake of Silent Hill 2 on the horizon, I thought I'd start looking at some of their games to gauge my own expectations. It did not go well.
Blair Witch (2019) is part of the Blair Witch universe, starting in the late 1990s with The Blair Witch Project, a revolutionary film that popularised the found footage horror genre. This game is more tightly tied to the 2016 film Blair Witch which served as a sequel to the original film, and not the entirely forgotten Book of Shadows: Blair Witch 2.
One of the main reasons that Bloober Team is contentious is due to their famous and potentially damaging mistreatment of mental illness in their narratives, with them often painting those afflicted as villainous, beyond saving, or otherwise cartoonish and outdated. Of course, in this game, they do nothing different - this time making a mockery of PTSD.
Video sources: Amnesia: Rebirth Blair Witch (2019) Blair Witch (2016) Modern Warfare 2 (2009) Resident Evil 6 Resident Evil 7Metal Gear Survive is a Game That ExistsPainticus2023-02-26 | Kept you waiting, huh?
Metal Gear Survive is a controversial game to say the least. Having been made after Hideo Kojima's departure from Konami, Survive takes the Metal Gear series in a strange new direction - live service zombie survival. In this video, I go through it all so you don't have to.
Having usurped the much anticipated Silent Hills as Konami's Fox Engine horror game, Metal Gear Survive has a fair amount to live up to - which is something that will be hard to achieve given its rocky foundations.
RIP John Metal Gear
Music used: Metal Gear Solid Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain Metal Gear Survive Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Video sources: Metal Gear Solid Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain Metal Gear Survive Metal Gear Rising: RevengeanceConcrete Misery - ROADKILL AGORAPainticus2021-11-16 | Gather the crushed and the maimed and lead them to this city.
Roadkill Agora is the first game released by artist and game developer ClaymoreGwen (twitter.com/ClaymoreGwen). The game takes inspiration from others in the exploration/horror genre such as PAGAN: Autogeny and Hexcraft: Eventide Sigil. It's pretty bleak and neat :)
Music used:
Darkwood OST Stalker: Clear Sky OST
Video sources:
Roadkill AgoraThe Cryptids of Fallout 76Painticus2021-11-02 | Of all the games to have a menagerie of cryptids, why did it have to be you?
For the last few months I have been exploring the world of Fallout 76 in pursuit of the cryptids within. Today I share my findings.
Timestamps: 00:00 - Introduction 00:53 - Fallout 76's Shortcomings 03:24 - Fallout 76's Gamemodes 08:10 - Grafton Monster 10:07 - Snallygaster 11:43 - Flatwoods Monster 13:20 - Queen of the Hunt 14:36 - Sheepsquatch 16:02 - Beast of Beckley 16:06 - Wendigo 19:10 - Nukes and the Enclave 24:14 - Mothman 29:26 - The Mothman Miracle 33:06 - ???
Music used: Fallout: New Vegas OST
Video sources: Fallout: New Vegas Fallout 3 Fallout 4 Fallout 76The Tragedy of Mothman Games | Cryptid MonthPainticus2021-08-31 | Wherever it appears, disaster follows.
Mothman is a cryptid that was first discovered in the vicinity of Point Pleasant in West Virginia in the late 1960s. Since it has become one of America's best known cryptids, standing alongside the likes of Bigfoot and the Jersey Devil. Today I'm looking at some horror games that are based on this elusive cryptid, and perhaps more importantly, looking at non-horror games that are based on Mothman too.
Music used: Myuu - Fernweh Myuu - The End is Always Near Myuu - Ghost Town S.T.A.L.K.E.R. OST - Army Warehouses Scratches: Director's Cut OST - Frozen in Death youtube.com/watch?v=dE7XEIAMutk
Goatman/Goat Man is a cryptid with many contradictory origins and sources. With some claiming that he is a beast of the woods that attacks local pets, others a myth that haunts the Old Alton Bridge which began after a Denton farmer was killed, and others a complete joke.
The Goatman is a co-op horror game developed by MC Games which follows similar mechanics to Rake, Bigfoot/Finding Bigfoot, and Folklore Hunter.
Music used: Myuu
Video sources: Infra The GoatmanThe Wendigo... In Video Games | Cryptid MonthPainticus2021-06-22 | Cryptids aren't real.
The Wendigo (or Windigo or Witiko among other spellings) is a creation of Native American folklore that represents the gluttony and greed of those who do not care for their fellow man. In Western media, however, they are a scary deer creature. In this video, I will be looking at how Wendigos are portrayed across three indie games, and in doing so will explore how Native American beliefs and culture are represented at large.
Cryptids are scary things. Humans can be a little scarier.
Music sources (on top of youtube.com/arrrash and his little voice cameo!): Myuu Stalker: Clear Sky
Video sources: The Wendigo Seeking Evil: The Wendigo Folklore Hunter Nosferatu: The Wrath of Malachi Garth Merenghi's DarkplaceThree Eras of Cryptids (in Indie Games) | Cryptid MonthPainticus2021-03-08 | Is the Butter Dog a cryptid?
Depending on how you look at it, cryptids have been around for as long as humans have. Be they born of superstition, misplaced fears, or simple morbid fascination. Entities like the Dogman, Chupacabra, and the Rake represent three different eras of cryptids and cryptozoology which show the way that the mythical creature subculture has developed over the last century.
Bigfoot is one of the most prominent cryptids/mythical creatures in Western cultures, despite being little more than a big monkey. Nonetheless, his potential existence has created generations worth of folklore, movies, and games. In this video, I look at three of them! Let's get to hunting.
Doctor Who is a show known for being campy, bad with CGI, and being exceptionally British. What is less talked about are the darker and more disturbing elements that it brings to the table. The episode discussed in this video, Turn Left, is a prime example of this. While aimed at a family audience, the episode discusses and even shows the effects of incredibly dark events. Other episodes such as The Family of Blood, The End of Time, The Rise of the Cybermen and several more all share this as well - each having their own disturbing commentary or subject matter delivered in an accessible and child-friendly way.
Episode synopsis: while travelling with 10th Doctor (played by David Tennant), Donna Noble (played by Catherine Tate) is sent into the past by a malevolent force that changes one seemingly minor decision in her life, leading to disastrous consequences.
Christmas is usually a happy time, but in reality, it's based on something horrific: the cold embrace of winter. And ghosts or something. In this video I will be looking at five horror games that remind me of, or get me in the mood for, Christmas.
I actually forgot to upload my Nightmare difficulty Nosferatu: The Wrath of Malachi stream, so... There is no link. My bad. You can check out my normal difficulty one instead though! youtube.com/watch?v=UZ1aHoESS4E
Video sources: Penumbra: Requiem Home Alone Nosferatu: The Wrath of Malachi Amnesia: A Machine for Pigs Call of Duty: Black Ops Five Nights at Freddy'sSome Things Mustnt Be Forgotten - Amnesia: Rebirth ReviewPainticus2020-10-31 | Amnesia: The Dark Descent caused the rebirth of horror, so how will Amnesia: Rebirth fare?
Amnesia: Rebirth is the newest horror game by Frictional Games, a company known for producing horror legends such as Penumbra: Black Plague, and Amnesia: The Dark Descent. In it you play as Tasi, a pregnant woman who gets stuck in the Sahara desert while on an expedition alongside her husband and their crew. There's also scary alien sh*t. And ghosts and bugs. And scary scary dark scary stuff. Let's see how it compares to their previous games!
Thank you for a wonderful 2 years.
Patrons: Martyr: Ernst the Ace Archon: Dabbin4KoolaidJammers, Emski, Manwards84, The Teeps, Cthulhu135, Untrustedlife Arbiter: Automatic_Bobcat, Bobby Musto, Joey Monster Zealot: Avatar_of_Chaos, BigOrseTV, C O S, Flighty Broad, Nekromorg, ProjectArk Cultist: Christopher Kittrell, Egil Saether, IhazID, Jay, Lily Atari, Milo Andotis, Philippe "Robifouche"
Music used: Amnesia: The Dark Descent Penumbra: Overture S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Clear Sky Kenny Loggins - Danger Zone
Video sources: Amnesia: Rebirth Amnesia: The Dark Descent Amnesia: A Machine for Pigs Penumbra: Overture UAYEB Episode 1Reviewing 13(ish) Siren Head Fan Games in 13(ish) MinutesPainticus2020-10-19 | A collection of short reviews of Siren Head/Sirenhead fan games - celebrating the world's premier Toothed Pole.
Siren Head/Sirenhead is a creation of horror artist Trevor Henderson (@slimyswampghost on Twitter) that has captured the imaginations of dozens of people within the horror genre. From creepypasta writers, musicians, Chills, artists, and gamedevs - the world has not seen an indie horror icon rise in this way since Slenderman back in the early 2010s. This video showcases some of the more obscure Siren Head fan games that are all... well, interesting to say the least.
Hexcraft: Eventide Sigil is the newest release by channel favourite developer Oleander Garden, who has previously created the PAGAN trilogy of games (youtube.com/watch?v=fx1Ff-kUmCY, youtube.com/watch?v=gv1y6xt8qAE). It is an immersive sim where the player takes the role of a knight of King Arthur that is attempting to gather five holy relics that will lead them to the holy grail.
But it gets real dark.
Music used: Deus Ex OST Fallout OST PAGAN: Autogeny/Oleander Garden
Video sources: Hexcraft: Eventide Sigil Postal 2 Pathologic Classic HD S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Shadow of Chernobyl Some Siren Head game lmaoA Bad Look For Creepypasta - Slender Man (2018) ReviewPainticus2020-08-31 | This is fair use, I promise. I think.
Slender Man is a Sony distributed horror movie based on the infamous internet urban legend, Slender Man/Slenderman. Created in 2009 by Victor Surge (Erik Knudsen) on the SomethingAwful forums, Slenderman has become an icon in internet horror culture - especially within the creepypasta community.
The film received universally negative reviews upon release and in the years following due to a number of reasons. The largest contributor was the 2014 Slender Man Stabbing case in which one young girl narrowly survived being stabbed by her alleged "friends." Bold move, making a movie AFTER that.
Patrons: Martyr - Ernst the Ace Archon - IhazID, Manwards84, Cthulhu134, Untrustedlife Arbiter - Automatic Bobcat, Bobby Musto Zealot - Avatar-Of-Chaos, BigOrseTV, C O S, Nekromorg, ProjectArk, Duncan Clark Cultist - Christopher Kittrell, Egil Saether, Jay, Lily Atari, Milo Andotis, Philippe "Robifouche"
The footage and images featured in the video were for critical review and parody, which are protected under the Fair Use laws of the United States Copyright act of 1976.A Lovecraftian, ASCII Art, Roguelike RPG - Roguelegends: Dark Realms ReviewPainticus2020-08-17 | Go ahead, try to come up with better Goblin names than I did. Get the game here: www.untrustedlife.com / untrustedlife.itch.io/roguelegends-dark-realms-0182
Roguelegends: Dark Realms (or simply RLDR) is an in-development roguelike/lite horror game influenced by the works of channel mascot H.P. Lovecraft. It has the players diving into a dark fantasy setting where, to put it bluntly, stuff be bad. You can also play as a goblin. That's pretty sweet.
The game utilises retro graphics and classic RPG mechanics in a way that invokes older games while also being wholly unique. Pretty impressive for a single-person indie development team! Shoutout to Untrustedlife for managing that.
Patrons: Martyr - Ernst the Ace Archon - IhazID, Manwards84, Cthulhu134, Untrustedlife Arbiter - Automatic Bobcat, Bobby Musto Zealot - Avatar-Of-Chaos, BigOrseTV, C O S, Nekromorg, ProjectArk Cultist - Christopher Kittrell, Egil Saether, Jay, Lily Atari, Milo Andotis, Philippe "Robifouche"
The Binding of Isaac (Original) OST Unanswered Questions - Kevin MacLeod (Incompetech.filmmusic.io) Video Dungeon Crawl - Kevin MacLeod Alone in the Dark OST Ghost Town - MyuuAfter a Decade of Suspense... - Asylum Demo ReviewPainticus2020-07-30 | Fourteen years have passed since Scratches' release, and a full decade since it was first teased... How does the Asylum demo hold up to the immense hype?
Senscape are known as the successors to Nucleosys, the developers of Scratches. They have earned a cult following in the last 15 years as some of the best adventure/horror developers out there, and for the last 10 years, fans have been waiting for their next game: Asylum. Now we have a demo.
Patrons: Martyrs - Ernst the Ace Archons - IhazID, Manwards84, Untrustedlife Arbiters - Automatic_Bobcat, Bobby Musto, Cthulhu135 Zealots - Avatar-of-Chaos, BigOrseTV, C O S, Nekromorg, ProjectArk Cultist - Christopher Kittrell, Egil Sæther, Jay, Lily Atari, Milo Andotis, Philippe "Robifouche"
Music used: Darkwood Alone in the Dark (1993) STALKER: Clear Sky Scratches
Video/Image sources: Harris & Ewing (Orange Suited Patron Image) youtube.com/watch?v=-B3xkr8szBI The Shining Resident Evil 7: Biohazard Scratches: Director's Cut Alone in the Dark (1993) L.A. Noire No Players Online PAGAN: Autogeny AsylumIn My Restless Dreams, I See That Bobcat - Bubsy Two-Fur ReviewPainticus2020-07-01 | Please, feel free to abuse my impressionability.
Bubsy Two-Fur is a collection of the first two games in Accolade's Bubsy series, starring the infamous amalgamation of dread that is Bubsy the Bobcat. The first game, Bubsy: Claws Encounters of the Furred Kind has the worst name ever realised, and was also known for being a blatant Sonic clone. The second game, Bubsy 2, is also a thing. I don't have much to say about that.
Should I review Bubsy 3D? Do you hate me? Is life meaningless? All of these answers will have the same answer.
Patrons: Archon - Manwards84, IhazID Arbiter - Bobby Musto, Untrustedlife Zealot - Avatar-of-Chaos, C O S, ProjectArk, Untrustedlife, Nekromorg, BigOrseTV Cultist - Egil Sæther, Jay, Lily Atari, Milo Andotis, Philippe "Robifouche", Christopher Kittrell
Thank you to Jenicide81 and FinalGwen for the haunting TEEPS image!Goodbye, Madness - System Shock Remake Demo ReviewPainticus2020-06-24 | Don't worry about the framerate dips, it's a pre-alpha Unreal Engine game. Go easy on it!
System Shock was the first game that I covered on this channel, and on top of it being massively influential to sci-fi, horror and immersive sim games, that makes it a pretty big deal. When I heard that Nightdive Studios was making System Shock Remastered/System Shock Remake, I was a little concerned that it would lose some of it's charm.
And it has.
But it's not a bad thing! The game could certainly stand on its own and is more in line with the current image of the System Shock series than the original is. So join me as I wave goodbye to the old, and say hello to the... new old.
Thank you for 1,000 subscribers.
Patrons: Archon - Manwards84, IhazID Arbiter - Bobby Musto, Untrustedlife Zealot - Avatar-of-Chaos, C O S, ProjectArk, Untrustedlife, Nekromorg, BigOrseTV Cultist - Egil Sæther, Jay, Lily Atari, Milo Andotis, Philippe "Robifouche", Christopher Kittrell
Video sources: System Shock Remaster Demo System Shock Enhanced EditionLooking at Procedurally Generated Horror GamesPainticus2020-06-20 | Procedurally Generated horror games might seem pretty rare, but there's actually quite a few of them. Weirdly, most of the big ones are... actually pretty good.
For the uninitiated, 'procedurally generated' means that parts of the game are generated upon the player starting a new game. For example, in a game such as The Binding of Isaac, no two playthroughs will be the same. This works pretty well in horror because much of standard horror is based on the careful buildup towards scares, whereas procedural generation allows for a much less predictable - and therefore more potentially frightening - experience.
Patrons: Archon - Manwards84, IhazID Arbiter - Bobby Musto, Untrustedlife Zealot - Avatar-of-Chaos, C O S, ProjectArk, Untrustedlife, Nekromorg, BigOrseTV Cultist - Egil Sæther, Jay, Lily Atari, Milo Andotis, Philippe "Robifouche", Christopher Kittrell
Music used: Scratches OST STALKER: Clear Sky/Call of Pripyat OST Prey OST Alone in the Dark OST Sam & Max Season 1 OST Myuu - Bad Encounter
A Place, Forbidden is a retro styled horror/puzzle game which has you trapped in the infinite confines of the Library of Ouroboros - an institution that lures in and consumes those who are too curious for their own good. It's spooky without having jumpscares or monster chases - just hell and miscellaneous hell-like locales.
Oh, also, I voice acted for this game. Wow!
Patrons: Archon - Manwards84 (executor for the dreaded TEEPS) Arbiter - Bobby Musto, Untrustedlife Zealot - Avatar-of-Chaos, C O S, ProjectArk, Nekromorg Cultist - Egil Sæther, Jay, Lily Atari, Milo Andotis, Philippe "Robifouche", Joey Monster
Video sources: A Place, ForbiddenChernobyl in Video GamesPainticus2020-04-26 | 34 years ago today, the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant encountered what scientists call a major "uh oh" and now we have games based on it.
Chernobyl isn't featured in many video games, but when it is - it's a pretty big deal. In this video I talk about... 7 different games? I think it's 7. But mainly these 4: Chernobylite, Chernobyl Commando, Chernobyl: Road of Death, and S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Shadow of Chernobyl. Each takes a fairly different approach to representing the Chernobyl exclusion zone in the video game format, and one of them is unadulterated trash.
Patrons: Archon - Manwards84 Zealot - Avatar-of-Chaos, C O S, ProjectArk, Untrustedlife, Lone Wolf Cultist - Egil Sæther, Jay, Lily Atari, Milo Andotis, Philippe "Robifouche"
Music used: The Binding of Isaac OST Darkwood OST S.T.A.L.K.E.R. Shadow of Chernobyl and Clear Sky OSTs
Video sources: Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Call of Pripyat S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Shadow of Chernobyl Stalker (1979, dir. Andrei Tarkovsky) Chernobylite Chernobyl: Road of Death Chernobyl Commando Gameplay Trailer Chernobyl (HBO Series) Various Steam Reviews youtube.com/watch?v=-uonhQCEbuE youtube.com/watch?v=KOh6ouP02i8 youtube.com/watch?v=UeZtlFeEcNgThe Game That Scared Me Off - Darkwood ReviewPainticus2020-04-09 | Respect the woods.
Darkwood is a 2014 post-apocalyptic survival horror (emphasis on 'survival') game set in 1980s Poland where loads of trees and other spooky stuff has appeared. You take the role of someone wanting to escape the horror of the dark woods, but I'm afraid it isn't that easy, chief.
Darkwood is easily one of the scariest games I have played. While it's not as viscerally terrifying as the games by PuppetCombo, and not as meticulously curated as the games by Senscape, it manages to create its own horror through one often misused tactic - responsibility. The player must adapt to their environments and learn to protect themselves, elsewise they will fall to the woods.
Craft, kill, explore, defend, trade and scavenge. The only thing you can't do is leave.
Patrons: Archon - Manwards84 Zealot - Avatar-of-Chaos, C O S, ProjectArk Cultist - Egil Sæther, Jay, Lily Atari, Milo Andotis, Philippe "Robifouche"
Video sources: Darkwood Threads Homefront: The Revolution Sunless SeaThe (Other) Best Lovecraftian Game - The Last Door ReviewPainticus2020-02-16 | This contains some pretty dark stuff so don't watch if that's gonna bother you :)
The Last Door (Season 1) is a Lovecraftian point-and-click adventure/horror game developed by The Game Kitchen and released in 2014. In this review I talk about the similarities the game shares to the writing that it was heavily inspired by from American horror author H. P. Lovecraft.
While it is similar to games like Scratches, The Last Door carves out its own identity through a unique art style and a closely adapted narrative style. How does it compare to other Lovecraftian games such as STALKER: Shadow of Chernobyl and Penumbra: Overture? Watch the video to find out.
Video sources: Pathologic Beachfront B-Roll The Last Door STALKER: Shadow of ChernobylLow Expectations, High Demands - Call of Cthulhu ReviewPainticus2020-01-22 | Send that bastard straight to voicemail
Call of Cthulhu is a 2018 survival horror game developed by Cyanide Studios for PC, PS4, Nintendo Switch and Xbox One. It is based on the 1970s tabletop RPG of the same name which itself is based on HP Lovecraft's novella, The Call of Cthulhu.
My channel focusses a lot on Lovecraftian games - and this one certainly has the highest of expectations put on it. I mean, it is literally named after one of Lovecraft's most well known stories and doesn't exactly shy away from that in its marketing or narrative. Though it also takes inspiration from The Shadow Over Innsmouth and other genres such as crime/film noir.
Set in post-WW1 Massachusetts, Edward Pierce is tasked with finding out what happened to the recently deceased artist known as Sarah Hawkins. It gets spooky.
Music used:
S.T.A.L.K.E.R. Shadow of Chernobyl & Clear Sky OST Alone in the Dark OST The Binding of Isaac OST TimeSplitters 2 OST Scratches OST Lucas King
Video sources: Call of Cthulhu Beachfront B-Roll Warcraft 3H. P. Lovecrafts Anti-Racist Christmas StoryPainticus2019-12-24 | Things have learnt to walk that ought to crawl. Subscribe if you have no standards: youtube.com/channel/UC3OycnktjrKQzATI3Uovlow?sub_confirmation=1 Twitter: twitter.com/PainticusYT Twitch: twitch.tv/painticus Discord: discordapp.com/invite/aVGJtvJ The Festival is a 1923 short story written by American horror author H. P. Lovecraft. While not explicitly being a Christmas story, and in fact claiming the exact opposite, it is a Christmas story. In this video I analyse the story and explain the connections I made to Lovecraft's history of racism.
Video sources: The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Beachfront B-RollGetting Lovecraft Right - Penumbra: OverturePainticus2019-12-22 | If fate frowns, we all perish. So keep that bastard happy.
Penumbra: Overture is a survival horror game developed by Frictional Games and released in 2007. It is heavily inspired by H.P. Lovecraft, and as such has many key Lovecraftian elements. In this video, I pick them apart.
Badly.
Howard Phillips Lovecraft was an American author who pioneered the genres of cosmic horror and the posthumously titled "Lovecraftian" horror. Some of his most famous creations include Great Cthulhu, Nyarlathotep, Yog-Sothoth and the rest of the Cthulhu Mythos. Many video games have been inspired by Lovecraft - but which is most faithful to his work?
Centralia: Homecoming is an excellent example of a non-excellent game. It takes heavy inspiration from Silent Hill in its narrative and visual design, and heavy inspiration from medieval dental procedures in its gameplay. This is one of the worst things.
It was developed by indie_games_studio, the minds behind such other classics as 6120, Centralia, Ebola, Doom in the Dark, and weeks of stress induced sleep deprivation.
Music used: Custom music from horribleguy on Fiverr & more. Ask me if you're really that interested.
Video sources: Centralia: HomecomingAn Icon of Indie Horror - Lost in Vivo ReviewPainticus2019-11-16 | You'll float too. Unless you're a dog. Then you just get inexplicably more and more lost.
Lost in Vivo is an indie horror game developed by Akuma Kira. Taking place almost entirely underground with heavy inspiration from Silent Hill, you just know this one is going to be a top notch spookfest. In this review, I review it. Wow.
Lost in Vivo It's Always Sunny in PhiladelphiaHalloween... in Game Form - Alone in the Dark 2 ReviewPainticus2019-10-31 | It's so Halloween-y that it even has premature Christmas stuff.
Deathbloom: Chapter 1 is a survival horror game made by developer Vincent Lade. Inspired by the likes of Resident Evil and other classic horror games, Deathbloom is very clearly attempting to mesh the old standards of horror with modern tropes, to some success.
The player must navigate through a labyrinthian mansion, evading or attacking its undead inhabitants and uncovering the secrets of the cult that once operated within it.
PAGAN is a series developed by independent artist Oleander Garden, initially releasing the three games on itch.io before putting Autogeny on Steam in October of 2019.
Each of the games gives you a unique, self-contained experience which is largely esoteric in both delivery and style.
The PAGAN trilogy are all pretty enigmatic in just about every way. Despite this, I've cobbled together an analysis of the three games and how they potentially tie together.
Watch out MatPat, I'm coming to destroy the integrity of your format.
Stealth might not have changed as obviously as the FPS, horror, adventure and RPG genres, but it definitely took a turn in the late 90s and early 2000s, going from the old kind of stealth formed by the likes of Thief: Gold, to the new kind formed by Metal Gear Solid.
Developed by Looking Glass Studios in 1998, Thief: The Dark Project became an instant classic. Yet, over time, its influence began to wane in the genre it helped create, instead becoming an inspiration for non-stealth games, such as Penumbra, Amnesia and SOMA.
Music used:
Deus Ex: Mankind Divided OST Skyrim OST Timesplitters 2 OST S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Shadow of Chernobyl OST
Video sources:
Dishonored Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain Thief: Gold Deus Ex: Game of the Year EditionAdventures in a Dead MMO - PAGAN: Autogeny ReviewPainticus2019-09-01 | PAGAN Analysis: youtu.be/gv1y6xt8qAE
PAGAN: Autogeny is a recently released single-player RPG from oleandergarden.itch.io/. It has the player exploring a fictional 90s MMO which has slowly decayed over time, and has now changed into an entirely different experience.
Music used:
S.T.A.L.K.E.R. Clear Sky OST Scratches OST Amnesia: The Dark Descent OST Alone in the Dark (1992) OST PAGAN: Autogeny
Video sources:
World of Warcraft Classic PAGAN: Autogeny
#WoWClassic #itchio #PAGANAutogeny
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KHOLAT is a singleplayer survival horror experience that has you exploring the mountain Kholat Syakhl in search of answers relating to the infamous Dyatlov Pass incident - one of the world's most disturbing unresolved mysteries. Oh, Sean Bean is also there.
Featuring gameplay similar to that of Amnesia, Outlast, Layers of Fear and dozens of other similar games - KHOLAT has you creeping around looking for notes and hiding from monsters. It's nothing you haven't seen before. I hope.
Music used:
KHOLAT OST Stalker (1979) OST - Meditation
Video sources:
KHOLAT The cursed home videos of Painticus
From the makers of "Youth Hostelling with Chris Eubank", "Inner City Sumo" and "Monkey Tennis" comes "Dyatlov Pass with Sean Bean".The Oldest and Strongest Kind of Fear - Scratches ReviewPainticus2019-08-17 | Let's dive into this revered cult classic and find out if it's really all that good.
Scratches is a point-and-click adventure game developed by Argentinian Nucleosys and released in 2006. A year later, the Director's Cut was released which included a new ending and an epilogue chapter.
The game received genuinely mixed reviews - with scores such as 7/10, and others giving it 3/10.
In 2019 it is considered a cult classic horror game, and considering the fact that is has been removed from digital storefronts (due to publisher issues, not any eldritch interference) the game has only become more of a treasured icon.
It is one of the few genuinely scary horror games that does not have jumpscares or screamers. It's also ominous as hell. And inspired by H.P. Lovecraft. What I'm saying is - it's got a lot going for it.
The successors to Nucleosys, Senscape, are currently working on a new horror title in the same vein as Scratches, called ASYLUM.
Scratches: Director's Cut Amnesia: The Dark Descent
#Scratches #HorrorGames #Senscape
The oldest and strongest kind of fear... Is fear of 16:10 aspect ratio videos capped at 30fps.Serena - From the Makers of ScratchesPainticus2019-08-09 | Serena? I hardly know her.
Serena is a free-to-play point-and-click adventure game developed by Senscape, the successors to Nucleosys, who developed the widely loved point-and-click horror adventure game "Scratches".
The game follows a confused man confusing his way around a rather confusing cabin. Not to be confused with the confusing syndrome "cabin fever", this is a different confusing beast altogether. Objective: find your missus.
While Scratches is no longer available for purchase, Senscape have kindly decided to give away keys for the game to those who participate actively in their discord server. The server is a great place to discuss adventure games of all kinds, participate in general gaming chat, enter community events, and support independent game developers. No, I'm not being forced to say this stuff - it's all true. That being said, please put down the chainsaw, Agustin.
Video sources: Serena Blameless Back to the FutureDOOM... But its Fantasy - Heretic: Shadow of the Serpent Riders ReviewPainticus2019-08-06 | No one ever said being a heretic was easy.
Heretic is an FPS game released in 1994 by Raven Software (published by id Software) which was re-released in 1996 under the name Heretic: Shadow of the Serpent Riders, which featured two new chapters. Based on the DOOM engine, Heretic has many of the staples of 90s FPS games, but also has some more unique features such as an inventory system, cowboy nightmares, and Hitachi Magic Wands.
Music used:
DOOM (1993) OST DOOM (2016) OST
Song : Phobos - Retro Gaming Version [Royalty Free] Music provided and produced by LonePeakMusic Video Link : youtu.be/1HV3PN3g7fQ
Video sources:
DOOM (2016) The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Heretic: Shadow of the Serpent Riders DOOM (1993)The Worst Horror Game of 2018?Painticus2019-07-29 | "Lust for Agony" is definitely one of my more regrettable purchases.
Agony is a 2018 horror game developed by Madmind Studio which came out to universally underwhelming reviews, with some people going as far as to call it one of the worst games of the year. Since then, it has been updated and rereleased under the name "Agony UNRATED" and promises to be a richer and more visually disturbing experience. But the question is - is it still bad?
UNRATED? We'll see about that.
I realise I don't talk much about the sexploitation elements of the game much, but that's because they're not as central as they were in Lust for Darkness. Thank Christ for that.