The late '90s and early 2000s were arguably the golden age of AAA horror video games. During this era, many companies, including Capcom, Konami, Square Enix, and even Nintendo, took a crack at making games in the genre. Some of the most revered horror titles of all time, such as Silent Hill 2, Resident Evil, Parasite Eve, and Eternal Darkness, were released in this time period. As if that wasn't impressive enough, several publishers also released some unconventional horror games that pushed the boundaries of the genre at the time. These included titles like the Capcom-developed survival horror game Haunting Ground, as well as Koei Tecmo's Fatal Frame.
Over the last decade or so, the horror genre has gradually fallen out of popularity in the AAA video game market. These days, most major publishers have shied away from releasing new games in the genre, aside from ones that are part of established franchises such as Resident Evil and Silent Hill. Thankfully, indie developers have managed to fill the void left by the dearth of AAA horror games. Some of the biggest and most innovative horror games of the last few years, like Mouthwashing, Sons of the Forest, and Phasmophobia, were made entirely by independent companies, and there are still many more titles like these in development.
8 Great Horror Games That Sold Poorly
These horror games deliver a variety of frightening experiences across their diverse settings, but they all share one thing in common: poor sales.
Indie Horror Game Fans Should Check Out Pilgrim of Darkness
One upcoming indie game that horror fans may want to keep an eye on is Pilgrim of Darkness. This title, which was announced just a few days ago, is being developed by VIWESA Games, a small developer situated in Ukraine. Up until now, VIWESA Games hasn't had any experience making projects in the horror genre. The last two games it developed, Agent Nunoz and Space Killer, were a text-based RPG and a roguelike shooter, respectively. Even one of the company's other upcoming titles, Portilus - Civitas Sanguinis, is a turn-based RPG set in ancient Rome. Pilgrim of Darkness is, as such, a very different experience compared to what the company typically makes.
Pilgrim of Darkness is a First-Person Co-Op Survival Horror Game With a Unique Twist
On its official Steam page, Pilgrim of Darkness is described as a first-person survival horror game that features co-operative multiplayer. According to VIWESA Games, the game takes place in a dark fantasy world that was once ruled by two celestial deities, the Sun God and the Moon God. Although the two gods lived in harmony for centuries, the peace between them was broken after the Moon God attacked and defeated the Sun God in a vicious battle. Now, with the Sun God no more, the world has been plunged into eternal darkness and infiltrated by demons from another realm.
In Pilgrim of Darkness, players play as an unnamed member of the Cult of Light, a religious organization that aims to revive the Sun God by completing a special ritual that will purportedly restore light to the world. In order to bring the Sun God back, players have to collect special crystals that can be obtained by summoning and defeating bosses. Although this sounds simple at first, the task is complicated by the fact that the game features no weapons and has a fear system that makes players easier to detect. Throughout Pilgrim of Darkness, the main character of the game can become scared, which causes them to emit a bright white light that attracts monsters in their vicinity. The more scared they become, the easier they are to detect.
Pilgrim of Darkness's Fear Mechanic May Make the Game More Challenging
Although weapon-less survival horror games aren't exactly a new concept, there aren't a lot of titles out there that have fear systems like Pilgrim of Darkness does. This feature could give the game an added layer of depth that may make it harder to complete than other titles in the genre. Pilgrim of Darkness's fear system may also add an interesting dynamic to co-op multiplayer, as it could encourage players to remain cautious with every step they take instead of letting them goof around.
