Sometimes I wonder if the name of this celebration should be changed, since we often talk about horror games where “spooky” isn’t exactly the right word… such as today, with Dino Crisis.
Although I got into the Resident Evil series quite a while ago, I never actually tried Capcom’s other classic survival horror game until this year. Dino Crisis always struck me as being Resident Evil with dinosaurs instead of zombies, and that’s the general impression it left me with.
There are gameplay differences between the two (and I liked how you have separate inventories for key items vs. consumables, although I prefer Resident Evil’s item boxes), but the general format of solving puzzles and unlocking doors has a flavor very similar to that of the classic Resident Evil games.
So of course I loved it, because that’s one of my favorite parts of survival horror. Some of the puzzles are pretty fun, too.
Dino Crisis might not be exactly scary in the same way as a zombie game, but it definitely had tense moments. I tried to avoid combat whenever possible, so I always felt dread whenever I entered a room and heard the telltale signs of a dinosaur nearby.
Story-wise, it’s basic but entertaining enough, and I liked the characters.
Click for Dino Crisis spoiler
Although I kept expecting Gail to be a traitor, so I felt a little bad by the end for mistrusting him for the entire game.
Overall, Dino Crisis left me with a single question: why did Capcom leave this series to die? There has to be a market out there for Resident Evil With Dinosaurs.
I know the later games shifted more toward action, which is disappointing, but as I played through the original, I couldn’t help but imagine it remade RE2make-style or with a new Dino Crisis entry that returns to the classic survival horror gameplay.
Dino Crisis is one of the major classics I missed, so I’m happy I finally had a chance to play it. How do you feel about this seemingly-forgotten (by Capcom) survival horror game?
This month we’ll be talking about lots of horror games that are already out, but what about those that haven’t been released yet? Here are the five upcoming horror games I’m looking forward to the most.
5. Abstraction
All we really have for Abstraction so far is a tiny teaser trailer and a Steam page, but it’s enough for me to keep my eye on it. Abstraction is an old-school survival horror game with retro graphics, fixed camera angles, and puzzles. It follows a young woman named Vi who wakes up in an abandoned house with no memory of what happened.
It’s specifically inspired by the classic Silent Hill and Resident Evil games, which is the main thing that caught my attention. I love those games, so I hope this one comes along nicely as development continues.
4. Resident Evil Village
We have to talk about Resident Evil Village, aka Resident Evil 8. What is a huge title like Resident Evil doing so low on this list? Well, I still have some misgivings about it. After how much I loved the Resident Evil 2 remake, I want to believe Resident Evil Village will be another true survival horror game, but they did say there will be more action than there was in Resident Evil 7.
Of course, I’ll have more to say about that once I actually play Resident Evil 7 to catch up… which should be very, very soon.
(Resident Evil 7 was actually supposed to be the first horror game I played this October, but then I ran into hard drive troubles.)
3.The Medium
Bloober Team’s games have been somewhat hit-or-miss for me, but I really like the look of their next game, The Medium. It has a really creepy and unsettling vibe that leaves me hopeful it will fill some of the void left by Silent Hill.
Over the summer, I interviewed Bloober Team about the game, and everything they’ve shown since then has increased my interest. The Medium is about a medium with the power to see the spirit realm, which will come into play for puzzle-solving as well as using psychic abilities for combat.
Somehow I got it into my head that The Medium was due out in October, but it actually has a “holiday 2020” release window, so it looks like I’ll be waiting a little longer…
2. Amnesia: Rebirth
You know what is coming out this month, though? Amnesia: Rebirth!
I was thrilled by the announcement of Amnesia: Rebirth, especially since it should be a return to the unsettling horror of Amnesia: The Dark Descent since Frictional Games is handling it directly again.
You play as a woman named Tasi, who wakes up in the desert of Algeria and must retrace her journey and survive the horror facing her. Amnesia: Rebirth is due out on October 20, and I can’t wait to play it.
(However, I still need to play Soma and the Penumbra games… perhaps this month?)
1. Forgotten Memories (Switch version)
Once upon a time, I heard about an upcoming survival horror game called Forgotten Memories. It was about a woman named Rose searching for a missing girl in an abandoned asylum, and it notably included Silent Hill voice actors in its cast. Forgotten Memories was planned for mobile devices as well as PC and consoles, but unfortunately the latter versions were cancelled.
This year I finally decided that mobile or not, I was going to play Forgotten Memories – only to discover that my tablet is too old. On a whim, I sent the developers an email asking if it will ever come to other platforms… and they responded to say the Switch version is in development right now!
The official Facebook page has some screenshots of the Switch version, although it’s unclear when it will be ready. Nevertheless, I can’t wait, and I’m looking forward to finally playing Forgotten Memories.
Conclusion
These five upcoming horror games have my attention. Which are you looking forward to the most?
Let’s kick off this year’s horror reviews with a classic: D.
When D came to Steam and GOG a few years back, I was intrigued by it because it comes up occasionally when people discuss classic horror games/series.
D originally came out in 1995, so it predates Resident Evil. It’s an adventure game with a big focus on full-motion video (to the point where Wikipedia considers it to be an interactive movie), and the graphics hold up surprisingly well considering how old it is.
You play Laura, a young woman who rushes to the scene upon learning her father has inexplicably gone on a murder spree, and finds herself in a mysterious castle. The game has no save system and a real-time deadline; if you don’t finish within two hours, you’re forced to start over from the beginning.
I’m not a fan of timers in games, but it doesn’t bother me so much when the game is so short – and it did increase the tension in a game that otherwise isn’t very scary.
D is old, and it feels it. Most of the horror moments just fell flat for me. On the other hand, you have to consider it in the context of when it came out, and in that way, I can still appreciate it. Beyond that, it does a decent job of building up its atmosphere, if not in the cutscenes than at least in the mood of the castle itself.
And while exploration is painfully slow (you pick a direction and wait while the character slowly walks forward, because pretty much everything is FMV), the puzzles are still pretty solid. Some of them have aspects that are clearly meant to waste some of your precious two hours, but overall they hold up well.
In short, D isn’t quite a new favorite and it definitely feels dated, but it’s interesting to check out such an old entry in the history of horror games.
Sometimes I wonder if the name of this celebration should be changed, since we often talk about horror games where “spooky” isn’t exactly the right word… such as today, with Dino Crisis.