Darker themed games
 

Edit: Well..seeing as this turned into it's own thread it might develop some interesting conversations and suggestions about the more darker games out there..something for the more devilish of minds :evil:
Think gloomy, creepy, macabre, sad etc.

On a personal note for me, I'm very interested in these games. Be that a vampire themed game or games that can provide a rather creepy mood without providing to jump scares. I also consider sad themed games as dark games..games that just generally make you feel outright down and gloomy.

Would be amusing to see you play through the Ocean Hotel level in Bloodlines, then :)

What do you mean by "dark" game? Can you give some examples pls?

I was scared shitless the first two playthroughs :-/

VTM:Bloodlines, Black Mirror, Bioshock I&II, Dark Souls, American McGee's Alice/Alice Madness Returns, Path of Exile, BloodLust ShadowHunter. Basically games that offer a creepy or gloomy theme without having to resort only to jump scares.

What about System Shock II, Nyx? If you haven't played this, you must; as long as you can deal with severely outdated graphics. Its the creepiest game I've ever played.

Possibly..not quite in my street being a shooter and looks a little jump scary-ish? Or is it more of an bioshock creepy? Would try it if it was the latter =)

Not many agree with my view on System Shock 2, but I see it as Dark Souls in Space. This is a must play game as crpgnut said.

If you like dark, atmospheric games, then I would recommend STALKER, Deus Ex games (particularly the 1st and HR), Legacy of Kain games, the Witcher, the yet to come Lords of Shadow 2 (more action/adventure than rpg), and of course Fallout: New Vegas (some really scary stuff in there).

I played Vampire: Bloodlines three times and it is a work of art, except for the ending from the progression point of view.

I wouldn't call it a shooter because combat is not all that prevalent. The game is definitely both jump scary and creepy, creepy scary. There is a Lovecraftian sense of doom that grows as you play the game.

I don't think SS2 ever made me jump. You can always hear things coming I think. But it has a very creepy / freaky dark atmosphere.

Talking about creepy and gloomy, one should not forget: Call of Cathulhu: Dark Corners of the Earth.

The Path must needs be mentioned.

http://tale-of-tales.com/ThePath/images/ThePath-Box.jpg

I haven't played it myself, but there was talk about it over here back in 2009 and txa wrote a positive review about it.

What, how did this turn into a thread? I swear I wasn't that drunk yesterday :mellow:
Or maybe it just slowly hijacked the previous thread, in which I'm sorry..I didn't try I swear =P

I loved this game. Very creepy indeed, haven't finished it yet either..have to take more breaks with creepy games like this one but I love it.

I love the look of the path, I've tried it as well but I need to play it in a very patient mood because the controls are absolutely horrendous. Makes me want to scream out loud.

I would recommend limbo very creepy and atmospheric sidescrolling puzzler.Game excellent, only flaw I can think of is that puzzles, while well designed, are relatively easy and there are few that are just trail and error.Probably most atmospheric sidescrolling game I played(along with lone survivor)

SS2 definitely isn't Dark Souls in space.

SS2 is like Bioshock with better RPG mechanics, a less linear level design, scavenging gameplay, and less emphasis on combat. In short, a much better Bioshock in all ways except the visual aesthetic.

As for dark and moody games that don't have jump scares…. Hmm, that's a tough one - as most are too cheap for that. SS2 doesn't have many, though.

Some of the best have been mentioned already.

There are adventure games like I Have No Mouth and I Must Scream, Dark Seed and Prisoner of Ice.

Alone in the Dark has a FEW jump scares, but is mostly about exploration and atmosphere.

The Elvira games and Waxworks are very RPGish and VERY dark and creepy.

ICO is both dark and beautiful - one of my favorite adventure/puzzle games.

Thief 3 - Shalebridge Cradle level.

Quite a few, actually.

How about Amnesia: The Dark Descent? Looks like it's filled with jump-scares though so it probably doesn't fit the bill. This is another one I haven't played, but remember that it was well-received. It's a "first person survival horror" game.

You have just described Dark Souls (easy to tell if you spent few tens of hours playing Dark Souls). Moreover, there is emphasis on combat in SS2 as you can customise your character for combat skills and equipment.

I spent ~40 hours playing Demon's Souls and 10-20 hours playing Dark Souls.

You have just described how much we disagree :)

In SS2 - the emphasis is on exploration and finding audio logs - with combat being a means to an end, and something you constantly try to avoid.

You don't get XP for defeating enemies in SS2 - and you don't lose progress when you die, and you have quick save as well.

In Dark Souls - the combat is essentially the main ingredient - and you interact with NPCs - meaning you're not isolated, which is a major part of SS2.

Dark Souls is also a third person game that is more about your ability to react and respond tactically to enemies - where SS2 is a first person game where you just point and shoot. Combat is much less involved.

SS2 emphasises scavenging resources - and it includes stuff like hacking as a major part of the gameplay.

Dark Souls has a primitive crafting system - but absolutely nothing like hacking.

Sure, they share some features - mostly that they're both somewhat dark and gloomy - but I think they're vastly different from each other.

But we don't have to agree, obviously.

How about Pathologic?
Haven't tried it myself but it's definitely on my "todo list".

If you have a Playstation 2 or 3 you can try the Fatal Frame series. I never played FF1 but I played FF2 and is by far the scariest game I've ever played in any platform.

You are looking at the specific mechanics and comparing them for equality.

I was looking at the 'general' gameplay and feel of both.

In both, levels are connected in a very clever way that promotes progression and exploration;

in both you have the freedom to and choice to customise your character and achieve objectives in one way or another (that also applies to Dark Souls as you can choose not to fight some enemies unless you are grinding, except for boss fights which are important for progression).

The lore and hints/guides are included in both but in different formats. The atmosphere and the constant danger that you can lose your life, not knowing whats around the corner, and respwn points are also pesent in both (but in SS2 you can save anywhere as well, but that is just technology/age specific matter that I am sure the designers thought to include once they saw the difficulty curve of SS2 without it).

The general feel is the same to me - it is simply a matter of a personal view.