Hey everyone! Hope you guys are having a good October. I'm posting a little early because I actually did quite a bit of progress. October is the only time that I can convince myself to play horror games. It's been a tradition of mine to try and knock out as many horror games as I can. A lot of the games I played aren't exactly horror games, as much as they have horror elements. But thats just cause I'm a big wuss lol

I also finally got the game pass that everyone's been talking about! Hopefully I won't neglect my backlog because theres to many good games on there :P

Other then that, I'm still saving up for a steam deck. I'm going to buy one in about ten days and I'm very excited! My laptop has seen better days so its about time. The docking station will have to wait though because thats a few dollars to many.

I'll leave off on a question. Whats your favorite horror game? Or whats a horror game you played this month that surprised you?

Red Bow is a short rpg-maker horror game. You play a little girl named Roh who finds herself transported into different worlds and scenarios. You can choose to help the inhabitants of those worlds or just escape!

The gameplay is very linear. There are a couple of different choices to make in each scenario, which lead to different endings. Overall, it's still a very linear, story-driven narrative. I enjoyed the idea behind the game and the artstyle. The problem is that the game is just too short. You barely get to know the characters or the situations they are in. The game isn't expanded beyond a couple lines of dialogue for each character.

Red Bow is cheap, but I don't know if I'd recommend it at full price anyway, just because it seems a little incomplete. I remember the developer stating that it was a side project while he worked on bigger things. Either way, the game is a nice little horror game. I enjoyed my time with it and if you go in knowing the length, then you probably will too.

Rating: 3/5 Red bows!
Scare Factor: 2/5 haunted houses

NoooOOOoo, curse my laziness. Why didn't I read about this game beforehand :'(

I bought this game because of the reviews. It's overwhemingly positive, and it's a genre I really love. If I researched further, I would have realized the game is in early access. Not only that, it looks like it is years away from being finished. I'm not even upset that I spent money on an unfinished game… I'm upset the game is not finished because it is so dang good!

In Heartbound, you play a boy named Lore who is on a mission to save his trusty dog, Baron. While searching for Baron, he discovers colorful worlds and eccentric characters. If I were to compare this game to another, I'd compare it to the game Undertale or Oneshot. They all share the quirky characters and humor, interesting worldbuilding and unique game mechanics and choices.

The graphics look amazing, especially going through the different worlds (only two worlds are finished atm). Each one being distinct and beautiful. The story has kept me intrigued and I want to know more. There are some really neat mechanics in the game that I won't spoil, but they set the game apart from other games like this.

Overall, there isn't much to say yet. There are only two completed worlds and only about three hours of gameplay. I will say the 3 hours felt like so much more because of how much content they fit in it. I have no doubt that when Heartbound is finished, it will be an amazing game. I don't think I can recommend it just because it is unfinished. The story will just cut you off part way through it. If you want to support the developers, then please go for it! If not, then just wait until it's finished. It may take years, though, with how much is left to do. 

Rating: 4/5 Barons!
Scare Factor: 1/5 Adorable Black Cats!

Wolf & Rabbit is an rpg-maker horror game. There are a dime a dozen of these around, and I enjoy them a lot. You play as a wolf boy named Carroll who is trapped in the house of a rabbit girl. Spooky things are going down and you have to solve the mystery of the house and its residents if you want to escape!

The game follows the usual formula of solving puzzles, interacting with objects and avoiding death endings. There are multiple endings with one being the good ending that explains everything. I'd normally give this an average three pumpkins, but there a couple things that drag it down. There is a lack of direction in the game that leads to you going into every room multiple times to figure out what you're supposed to do or where to go. There are also quite a few errors in the english translation. I don't want to fault anyone in that but it just breaks the tension a little bit during the horror parts.

The story itself is cute and if you like Anthropomorphized animals then you may like it more. The thing I appreciated most about the game was the extras you get after you beat it. I won't spoil that part though.

I didn't really enjoy Wolf & Rabbit, but for the price I can recommend it. You'll be able to see by the steam page if it is something you would enjoy and its a very cheap game. Red Bow cost twice as much and had less content.

Rating: 2/5 Snarky Wolves!
Scare Factor: 2/5 Haunted graveyards!

"my thoughts will follow you into your dreams…"

Omori is a psychological horror game about a boy named Omori and his friends. Playing this game will pull you into its beautiful world and offer you a wide range of emotions from the start to the finish. I get very excited about games that bend the rules of RPG-maker and prove that you can make something incredibly unique and fantastic with the small number of tools given to you. 

I actually don't want to say much about this game because going in blind is the best way to experience it. The game starts off slow and a little confusing, but the more you play, the more the pieces fall together and create an amazing narrative. It's one of those games you'll want to play twice to catch everything…  Just Keep in mind, there are some dark themes in the story, so be careful if you are delicate about certain subject matters.

Now that I have the vague story out of the way, let's talk about the gameplay. You run around solving puzzles and talking to the characters around you. There are different areas to explore and a lot of extra material. There is plenty to do and a lot of extra content that isn't connected to the main story. The game is very long. Especially if you do everything (which I have not.. yet). There is a turn-based battle system. The system uses moods as an advantage/disadvantage in battle. For example: if you make your character happy, their luck and speed go up, and they are stronger against angry enemies. Anger raises attack but lowers defense, etc. It's a unique battle mechanic that took me some getting used to. It helps that you can choose which abilities you want to equip, so you can customize your battle how you want.

The difficulty of the game depends on how much extra stuff you do. I barely did any grinding and some of the boss fights were very difficult but also doable! I never had to go back and grind to beat a boss. There are also a TON of side missions you can do that give you items and XP. The game can be around 25–75 hours depending on how much of a completionist you are! 

Omori is a special game that tackles some deep subjects. Once I started playing, I literally could not stop. I beat the whole thing in a few days. The only reason I don't give Omori a perfect 5 pumpkins is because I didn't really like the ending. I may do a spoiler review at some point, but there were some parts of the story I wished went a different direction. You may feel the opposite way, though. Many people loved it so it just comes down to personal preference. Either way, I 100% recommend this game on or off sale. Just keep in mind the triggers before you play. 

Rating: 4/5 Watermelons!
Scare Factor:  3/5 Witches on Broomsticks! 

I first played Alan Wake in 2010 on Xbox. Then again in Dec. 2016 on Steam. It's actually my first reviewed game on this site! So this review will just be of the EPIC Games remastered version that was released last year.

The quality of the remaster depends on whether you played the original game on PC or console. The remaster looks a lot better if you are used to the console version of Alan Wake. The remaster mostly fixes the visuals. improved lighting and textures, and the environments look better. I'm not an expert on this sort of thing, but I watched a lot of comparison videos on YouTube which helped me spot the differences. I recommend watching some of those to help influence your decision.

The character models have been changed a lot. They look better, but it was hard to get used to. I played a lot of Alan Wake growing up, so Alan's new look really threw me off. It did, however, get rid of the non-intentionally creepy weird looks the characters had due to the old graphics.

It doesn't look like anything new has been added to the game, other than some hidden QR codes that lead to something interesting if you scan them. I'm going off of memory, but everything else appears to be exactly the same, other than the updated graphics, lighting, atmosphere, and models.

I would give this remaster a higher rating, but I ran into a few bugs. The dialogue was not synced up with the characters' mouths. It also had some stuttering. I played it on my desktop, so I know it wasn't a problem on my end. As far as remasters go, this one is pretty average. It doesn't add anything new, but it was much needed and if you haven't played the game, then it's a good place to start. 

Rating: 3/5 Coffee Thermoses! 
(just for the remaster. The game itself is an easy 4/5)

Scare Factor: 2/5 running zombies!

Midnight Ghost Hunt is like if Phasmophobia, Prop Hunt, and Dead by Daylight had a baby, but that baby didn't quite live up to either one of them. 

In Midnight Ghost Hunt, you can play as either a ghost or a hunter. The ghosts have to hide in different items until the timer runs out. Once the timer runs out and it hits midnight, they get a boost in strength and can hunt down the hunters. The ghosts win if they survive the night and kill the hunters. The ghosts can hide in almost any item on the map. The larger the item in which you hide, the more health you have. If a hunter spots you, you have a chance to jump into other objects in an attempt to get away or throw yourself at a hunter to stun him and escape. You have different abilities depending on which ghost you choose. You can unlock your abilities by getting in-game currency. You cannot hide in one place the entire time. There is a meter that fills up, forcing you to move around, making it easier for a hunter to spot you. 

The hunter's job is to kill all the ghosts before it turns midnight. If it turns midnight, all of the ghosts revive, and the hunters have to kill all of the ghosts who are now more powerful. The hunter has a wide variety of weapons and perks they can use to hunt ghosts. They also have health packs and EMTS to heal and revive teammates. They force a ghost out of hiding by shooting or hitting the item the ghost is in. They also have equipment like EMF's or footprint trackers that can help them locate the ghosts. The ghosts do have abilities that can mess with these items, so hunters cannot always trust what they see. If all the ghosts are found and destroyed, the hunters win.

Now that we have the gameplay out of the way, let's talk about the pros and cons. Right now, the game is a little barebones. It has a great foundation, but more needs to be added to it. It does get boring after a few games. Using the equipment as a hunter sometimes feels a little pointless. A lot of times, the ghosts can mess with them, and you spend more time reading the equipment than just going around the map and flamethrowing everything.

There are a lot of good things about the game, though. The gameplay, at its core, is fun. It's like a polished prop hunt with more variety.

The maps are beautiful. There aren't that many, but they look really nice. Especially the circus. There is a ping system, so you don't have to be on mic to play. I played during the free weekend and getting into matches was fast. It slowed down quite a bit after the free weekend, though. The game usually replaces people with bots, which is less fun. 

Overall, Ghost Hunt is a fun time, especially if you're playing with friends. It's still in early access, so it has plenty of potential. I think it's a little boring now because I don't have friends that are interested in playing this. That definitely changes the fun factor. I'd recommend buying it half off like I did. 

Rating: 3/5 angry ghosts
Scare Factor: 1/5 adorable vampire bats 

Criminal Origins is a horror game where you play an FBI agent named Ethan Thomas who is trying to clear his name and track down an active serial killer. This game holds up really well! I've never played this game before, so I was shocked to learn it's over 16 years old!

It is hard to rate this game on spookiness because it is so old. The dialogue and story are kind of cheesy, and a lot of the moments that would have scared the bejesus out of me on release kind of fall flat due to graphics or the trope being overdone after the game's release. Don't take this as me saying this isn't a scary game. The atmosphere is fantastic and it brings a feeling of dread to the player. You always feel like you're being watched or you're stuck in a place you don't want to be. There were only a couple of moments I can say scared me, but they REALLY scared me. 

The combat still holds up nicely. You can pick up weapons off the walls, floor, etc. Almost anything can be a weapon, and you can really feel the impact when you hit enemies with it. You can also parry to protect yourself from enemies. I think the AI is pretty intelligent for how old the game is. Sometimes they even snuck up on me when I least suspected them. You also get some tools you can use to investigate. You actually feel like you are a detective or an FBI agent instead of just a protagonist that goes around shooting everything. 

The story is a mixed bag. There were parts I really appreciated, and then towards the end, I think it falls flat and goes in a direction that doesn't suit it. This is one of those games, like Half Life, that I wish I played on release because I would have gotten the full experience. I still enjoyed it though, and I'm glad I gave it a shot all these years later. Oh, surprisingly, I ran into almost no bugs the entire game. I kinda thought it would be riddled with them.

I recommend this game on sale if you somehow haven't played it like me! I've seen it around 3 usd and thats a steal. 

rating: 3/5 Axe Murderers

scare factor:  3/5 killer mannequins 

I played this on itch.io so that's why there are no achievements attached. 

Night in the Woods is a sidescrolling adventure game. You play as Mae, a 20-year-old college dropout who is forced to return to her old mining town, Possum Springs. While she thinks about her choices and reconnects with her friends, she also stumbles upon a creepy town mystery…

I'll try to be vague in this review to avoid spoiling anything. There will be very small plotline spoilers, because I want to talk about the things I enjoyed. 

Night in the Woods is a wonderful game that I didn't appreciate for the first half. I kept waiting for something to happen. I was bored. By the end, I loved it and realized that the moments where "nothing" was happening and you were with your old friends in your old town, those were the best moments! I really want to do a replay sometime soon to fully appreciate the entire thing. 

The gameplay is pretty simplistic. Some small puzzles, but mostly just interacting with people and reading dialogue. It's a story game, with its main draw being the narrative and the worldbuilding that you get sucked into. The characters are all flawed. Mae being the most flawed of them all. The game does a great job of forcing you into situations that feel frustrating but also real and relatable. You want Mae to be a better version of herself, but the game forces you to play out scenarios as they happen, and you learn to accept the protagonist and her problems.  It's one of the most relatable games I've played in a while, being in my 20s myself and dealing with mental illness.

The way the game tackles mental health is commendable. It does it in such a way that doesn't feel corny or forced, but real and approachable. I think the soundtrack is great even though I'm awful at the minigame. Overall, if you want a character-driven narrative. Give this a shot. Don't go in expecting anything specific. Just enjoy the world and the characters. I highly recommend it! 

Rating: 4/5 creepy woods
Scare Factor: 1/5 SpoOoOky ghosts

Before Your Eyes is like a visual novel or an interactive movie. You need a webcam to play it. You can play without a webcam, but it really improves the experience if you use one. Also, this isn't a horror game, but I beat it, so it's going in with the rest :P

In Before Your Eyes, you play as a lost soul who is given the chance to sift through the memories of his formal life from beginning to end. The catch is, when you blink, the memory fades away and you move onto another. 

This game is short and sweet. I found myself with dry burning eyes, trying to keep them open as long as possible because I wanted to see each memory to its fullest. It's impossible to do, and that just makes the game more special. The game is about an hour and a half, but I recommend buying it. It has a beautiful story.