Survival Horror Games That Were Better Than Expected

It can be extremely hard for a brand-new survival horror games to stand out from the crowd. Everybody is familiar with the basic gameplay formula of collecting resources and barely surviving by the skin of their teeth against hordes of enemies that the genre is known for, and though these games are still a blast to play, it does mean new releases can receive a limited amount of hype due to people assuming that it will be nothing out of the usual.

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Despite that, there have been a fair number of survival horror titles that more than surpassed expectations, turning out to be much more immersive and terrifying than anyone could have expected. Despite the skepticism leading up to their launch, these spine-chilling horror games went above and beyond to give players a high-quality experience they will never be able to forget, for better or worse.

8 Alien Isolation

The Vague Marketing Made It Difficult To Realize Just How Good Alien Isolation Would Really Be

It was honestly hard to make out how Alien Isolation was going to play from the trailers alone. While the cryptic scenes and flashes to black in the trailers were reminiscent of the classic movie, there wasn't much gameplay that was actually shown, especially not with the Xenomorph in action. This is a shame as it failed to convey just how intelligent, and in turn, terrifying AI of the Alien truly is in action.

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Alien Isolation would also contain plenty of unique mechanics that would help it differentiate itself from other FPS run-and-hide horror games, such as the motion sensor, which could become a liability when used too often. The marketing didn't generate anywhere near enough hype for the game itself, which ended up being extremely high quality and a critical darling upon release.

7 ZombiU

Despite Limited Hype As A Wii U Launch Title, ZombiU Defied All Expectations

The WiiU is often treated as the black sheep of the Nintendo systems, and due to the bizarre marketing, it was met with barely any excitement from fans. This ended up affecting the hype for the launch lineup, despite many of the games being very fun and enjoyable, a prime example being ZombiU, a game that plays like a regular FPS survival horror, but with its own little twist that ends up completely changing the experience.

When a player dies, they become a zombie. Suppose they want to get all their precious resources and weapons back. In that case, they need to hunt down their mindless corpse, all while using the WiiU touchpad to sort inventory and look at the map, which ends up ramping up the immersion factor tremendously.

6 Until Dawn

After A String Of Unpopular Releases, Supermassive Came Out Swinging With Until Dawn

Before the release of Until Dawn, developers Supermassive didn't exactly have a great run of games. Outside of a few bits of Little Big Planet 2 DLC, they also came out with the fairly niche Doctor Who: The Eternity Clock and Start the Party! Needless to say, they were far from a household name, which is a major reason why Until Dawn took so many people by surprise.

The game follows a group of teenagers who are slowly picked off one by one by a mysterious butcher, alongside a horde of Wendigo who roam the mountains. The point-and-click style of the gameplay, paired with the butterfly effect which feeds into the choice system, makes Until Dawn feel completely fresh and a game that more than surpassed the limited expectations.

5 Dino Crisis

Dino Crisis Did Well To Stand On Its Own After Being Dubbed A Resident Evil Clone

It was all too easy to see Dino Crisis as little more than a Resident Evil clone when it was rolling out its release. People weren't wrong to expect this though, considering how high Resident Evil was soaring at the time, it seemed only sensible to release a game that was simply a reskin of the series that was shaping the entire survival horror genre at the time.

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In truth, Dino Crisis does carry forward the core gameplay mechanics, mainly the fixed cameras and heavy focus on puzzles, but the dinosaurs replacing the zombies create an entirely new sense of tension which lead developer Shinji Mikami would go on to dub it as panic horror. The mixture of sci-fi with horror also made Dino Crisis stand on its own as a unique title in Capcom's extensive catalog.

4 Amnesia: The Bunker

A Hidden Gem Which Went Under The Radar For Many People

Amnesia reached its peak with the enormous success of Amnesia: The Dark Descent, which was largely propelled by the popularity of many streamers who played it in the early days of YouTuber Let's Plays. Though that game and its sequel were well received, 13 years after those releases, the hype for the series had largely died down, putting Amnesia: The Bunker in a fairly unfortunate position in terms of hype and marketing.

Despite that, the game itself turned out to be an incredible survival horror title that keeps players in suspense for its entire runtime. The name refers to the dark and grimy bunker players must navigate their way through while scavenging resources and solving puzzles, all while a grotesque monster lurks in the dark and stalks the player as they go. It's hard to find a horror game that pulls off the stalker enemy quite like Amnesia: The Bunker, making for a surprisingly great return for the series.

3 Outlast

Outlast Would Be A Surprising Breath Of Fresh Air That Seemingly Came Out Of Nowhere

When Outlast was released in 2013, true survival horror games were a rarity. While Dead Space 3 and Dead Island: Riptide were released that year, in comparison, these were more action-packed and lighthearted games that seemed like surface-level horror, which was very much the stigma surrounding horror at the time. As a result, Outlast seemed as though it would follow suit, especially since the limited number of trailers made players ponder how it was going to play.

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Thankfully, Outlast would become known as a game that revitalized survival horror thanks to its slow-paced gameplay in a unique way by forcing players to run away and hide from enemies, rather than giving them weapons to fight with. The camera system also helped the game stand out, forcing players to rummage through each and every room for batteries to even be able to see the surrounding enemies who stalk them in the shadows, resulting in a memorable experience that seemingly came out of nowhere.

2 Alan Wake 2

The First Alan Wake Was A Unique Survival Horror Game, The Second Was Like Its Own Genre Entirely

The first Alan Wake game didn't exactly blow people away when it came out. The story had the signature Remedy creative flare and the characters were interesting, but when the sequel was announced, it was easy to assume it would follow the same basic gameplay formula of using a torch to expose enemies before blasting them away. While this combat style was still included in the second game, Remedy ended up doing so much more, with Alan Wake 2 feeling like it's in its own genre entirely.

Not only does the game feature two entirely different stories that follow their own protagonists, but the inclusion of the Mind Place and Writer's Room creates a sense of immersion that has barely ever been seen again in a horror game. It also took the compelling original story and made it even more mind-bending and bizarre, while also having strong characters at the heart of the narrative, which is full of themes and thought-provoking ideas.

1 Silent Hill 2

From Mass Skepticism To Critical Hype, Bloober Did The Impossible

It's fair to say expectations weren't exactly very high for the remake of Silent Hill 2. Many consider the original title to be one of, if not the greatest horror game of all time; truly a lightning-in-a-bottle experience. It was hard to imagine how Bloober Team, a fairly niche studio with only a few titles under their belt, would be able to replicate the eerie atmosphere, sinister voice acting, and janky gameplay that fed into the horror of the original game.

However, Bloober not only succeeded, they blew away any and all expectations. While the remake follows the same story and replicates the core gameplay, everything has been modernized to feel a lot smoother and more immersive, while still carrying forward everything that made the original so memorable. Many of the environments were also expanded and boss fights, including the many involving the nightmarish Pyramid Head, were made even more intense.

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