I’m not a very big horror games fan, the only game that I played is Rule of Rose and I really like the implication of the protagonist making peace with her trauma and becoming a stronger person. And I would like to find similar games, not horror games that are light hearted, games that tap into cosmic horror materials are fine too, but the end game should signify the growth and maturity in terms of metal fortitude of the character in the game, or shed lights of hope for the better future through unimaginable despair and horror, or show the resilience of humanity, empathy, compassion in the face of seemingly impossible odds… Basically, I would love to find games that are, idk, hopeful and humanist. Maybe something like Eternal Darkness (from what I heard from gaming essayist channels)?
I’m not sure I would want to sit through the ending in which the protag loses everything, all hopes are lost or humanity is doomed.
I would appreciate your responses :")
Try out hell blade senuas sacrifice. Pretty much hits on these exact themes.
Obligatory “play with headphones”, everyone says this and you’ll understand why. This game is truly a masterpiece and no effort was spared into representing the protagonist’s condition, of which the audio is a key part of.
Wait, the ending of hellblade is optimistic? Maybe I’m remembering wrong but I thought that the ending was pretty dark…
Echoes of the Eye sort of fits this, I think. It’s a DLC for Outer Wilds though so you kinda have to play that too (although it’s well worth it).
Was just about to say Echoes of the Eye! Feel like it kind of changed my perception of horror games in general which is crazy cause it’s barely a horror game and it’s really only the DLC. But there’s definitely positive themes you can take away from the whole thing.
Off the top of my head I can think of re2 remake, silent hill (depending on the ending you get) and alien isolation
If you haven’t played it yet, The Walking Dead: The Telltale Definitive Series. It’s a packaged, remastered bundle of the four Telltale TWD games and DLC stories. I don’t want to spoil anything if you’re unfamiliar, but the story in these games is an absolute rollercoaster. The overall story of the whole thing is centered on a girl called Clementine, who you meet as a young child at the beginning of a zombie apocalypse and follow her through the motions into becoming a young adult. Being in TWD universe it can get pretty grim but she always finds a reason to keep going :)
Death Stranding has heavy horror themes, but it’s ultimately one of the most positive messaging games I’ve played in years. It’s set during the apocalypse, or extinction of human kind, where the world of the dead has collided with the world of the living, and lost souls roam the planet looking for bodies.
It’s beautiful, and oddly optimistic. The ending is actually positive. Characters grow and mature over the span of the game, all during a lovecraftian sort of nightmare. Definitely scratched that itch for me.
Not a horror game, but I found that Celeste hit this spot for me.
Silent Hill 2 can also give these vibes, but it really depends on the ending. Also, that ending monologue has to be some of the best in video games.
I don’t know if Celeste is “Horror” but it has some horror elements.
Hmm, to me it feels like SOMA both fits your criteria, but also has the points you dislike. It’s hard to explain without spoiling the story. Nonetheless, it’s a great story to experience.
Amnesia: The Dark Descent is also a classic, in which you follow how the main character slowly changed and what they did by reading the journal entries they left behind before they got… amnesia. The story is quite interesting and dark if you pay attention to it, it’s unfortunate that most people seem to only care about the horror elements (which are the best there is!).
This is a weird one, but I say you would definitely love Outer Wilds. It’s not exactly a horror game per se, but the environments and being alone in space can instill fear in some people. It has its tense moments though, and the expansion Echoes of the Eye actually incorporates horror elements (and super well at that).
The story and how it’s presented is phenomenal, and gut-wrenching at times, but overall very hopeful and optimistic. Gameplay-wise, it’s an exploration mystery set in space, so I recommend not to look much up, as almost everything can be considered a spoiler.Steam summer sales are starting in like 10 hours, so grab those games if you’re on PC!