[ibookworm]

Hi everyone. I'm new here. I've used macs all my life. That meant I was able to catch the tail end of the heyday of adventure games, when the macromedia-style CD-ROM games always came out for mac and PC, but when adventure games dried up on the PC they disappeared almost completely from the mac. I now have an intel MacBook Pro capable of running Windows in Boot Camp mode, and I'm ready to try some more adventure games. At the moment I'm looking for something similar to A.M.B.E.R.: Journeys Beyond.

A.M.B.E.R. was a horror game, but unlike most horror games it contained very little gore or jump scares. Instead, the game used subtly and suggestion to let the player's imagination loose. The contrast between the ordinariness of the house you explored and the things going on just under the surface was what made the game so amazing. It gave you the exact same feeling you got as a kid when the dark hallway outside your room suddenly became heavy with foreboding.

Best of all, the game did not revolve around simple survival or despair, as most horror games and movies do. The tone was closer to The Sixth Sense: terrifically frightening events, but a hopeful story and happy ending. At the end it wasn't simply a matter of having survived, but of having accomplished something positive.

I can't stand modern horror, with its blood and disturbing images and nihilisitic undertones. I want something that is psychologically frightening, not gory, and that is ultimately uplifting, or at least not depressing. My question is: is there anything out there today that is like this?

[orient]

In terms of psychological horror adventures, Sanitarium seems to be king amongst most people. I haven't had the chance to play it yet, but it's received great reviews and it's only $9.99.

[courderoy guy]

Amber was great, wish they'd make more like it.

Definitely check out a game from a few years ago called Scratches. It's almost all atmosphere-based.

Link: http://www.gotgameentertainment.com/scratchesdc/

[Fien]

Barrow Hill - Dark Fall 1, 2, and perhaps 3 as well - The Lost Crown - Rhiannon

If you can find it, I recommend Dark Eye, based on stories by Poe. A game of exploration, not puzzles. I would not call Poe ultimately uplifting though...

[ibookworm]

I guess when I said psychological horror I meant the kind of get-under-your skin, afraid-of-the-dark-in-your-own-bedroom-kind-of-horror (as opposed to gore and jump-scare horror). Sanitarium does look good, though.

Scratches looks like it might fit the bill, although it's a bit more overtly "haunted house" than AMBER. AMBER's great strength was juxtaposing the ordinary and the terrifying. But I'll definitely check Scratches out. 360 degree rotation is a plus.

Dark Fall 1 also looks good. 2 seems sci-fi-ish, and 3 seems to lean towards the disturbing side of horror. I don't really know how to describe what I'm looking for . . . chilling, not disturbing, maybe. But I'll check out what you guys have recommended. Thanks!

[terhardp]

I'm not a huge fan of the genre, so I've played only a few "horror" adventure games so far:

- The Lost Crown
- Dark Fall: Lights Out
- Barrow Hill
- Scratches
- Dracula: Origin
- The Black Mirror

I'm not sure wether the last two games qualify, but they have their moments.

[maladroid]

I haven't played as many of this sub-genre as I would like to, but from what I have seen and heard here's my recommendations:

1. Sanitarium - truly one of the most gripping experiences you can find in the adventure game genre and the most fitting candidate for your description, let alone the most unique due to the relative absence of actual paranormal phenomena and ghosts.

2. Morpheus - it's quite old and under appreciated by most (including myself) but from what I gather it delivers a memorable haunting atmosphere. I haven't gone very far in it myself but I intend to sometime in the future as it seems rather promising.

3. Faust: Seven Games of the Soul - I believe this is one of the most undiscovered quality games. I thought it was provokingly mature in its subject material and presentation, tough to beat (but not unfair except maybe at times) and with one of the most interesting and deep storylines I have seen in a game. It doesn't really qualify as being a member of the horror genre but it does carry a rather eerie ambiance coupled with an elegant creepiness that captivates your senses throughout its course.

4. The Lost Crown - It is the second game of Jonathan Boakes I have played (the other one being Dark Fall 2 which is, indeed, more on the sci-fi side rather than true horror) and a creepy game overall. The story doesn't completely deliver in the end but the progression of events makes up for it. Also, the ghost-hunting elements are fun!

5. John Saul's Blackstone Chronicles - I always regretted not having played this game. The reviews I have read are all extremely positive (there is one here in AG as well) and the game seems to be right up your alley from what I understand.

Hope this was helpful for you. Let us know which game you try and what you think of it.

[Sandman]

The Lost Crown
Darkness Within
Darkness Within 2 (Coming soon)
Dark Fall, Lost Souls

Black Mirror - its not a horror game but it does have dark environment.

[Fien]

Originally Posted by maladroid

5. John Saul's Blackstone Chronicles - I always regretted not having played this game. The reviews I have read are all extremely positive (there is one here in AG as well) and the game seems to be right up your alley from what I understand.

The Blackstone Chronicles is a deeply disturbing game. Not a bad game, not at all. Legend Entertainment was incapable of making bad games. Still, it's not everybody's cup of tea.

[Fantasysci5]

I agree, if you'd like chilling more than disturbing, don't get Blackstone Chronicles. A great game, but it does make people sick to their stomach, yes, including me.

I love the first two Dark Fall games, very spooky without things popping out. The 2nd one is more sci-fi, but also pretty spooky. I didn't like the 3rd one . The Lost Crown by the same guy is a masterpiece, with lots of atmosphere, as does Barrow Hill and Black Mirror.

Sanitarium is also disturbing, but not as much as Blackstone Chronicles and Scratches is also quite scary.

[Jelena]

Scratches was really creepy and I also liked Darkness Within. Barrow Hill isn't scare really, but nevertheless a great game inho.

[Ursulla]

I have played two chilling games
Last Half of Darkness: Beyond the Spirit's Eye
Last Half of Darkness: Tomb of Zojir
Both were quite good with eerie atmosphere and quality puzzles...
Somehow these games tend to be overlooked....

[billy7777]

I have played two chilling games
Last Half of Darkness: Beyond the Spirit's Eye
Last Half of Darkness: Tomb of Zojir
Both were quite good with eerie atmosphere and quality puzzles...
Somehow these games tend to be overlooked....

Yeah... I sort of notice that too LOL!