[stk22]

hi guys this is my first thread and i am looking for some help to find some good adventure games.

i know there is a thread similar to this one but it doesn't seem to have gotten anywhere so i thought of starting this one. I am looking for suggestion of games with a dark/horror/gothic (like with victorian mansions, graveyards and stuff, not the subculture) theme with not too many scifi/lovecraftian aspects (the level seen in scratches and darkness within was good). good examples of such games include scratches, darkness within, and necronomicon. what i'm looking for is this sort of atmosphere (especially like that in scratches), and an easy control scheme like the 360 panoramic nodes used in scratches. it would also be better if they are first person (which is why i didn't mention black mirror) and i would also prefer newer games with logical puzzles. I know this seems like a tall order, but i haven't had much luck finding a good (in terms of atmosphere) horror adventure games and i thought of asking the experienced people on this site for advice, so i would be very grateful if you could suggest a couple of games based on your experience.

[tastebud]

to quickly cover the basics which many people will also recommend:

-dark fall series
-lost crown (not first person, but the scariest adventure i personally ever played)

one upcoming one im looking forward to (as posted here somewhere as well) is by the makers of scratches i think:
http://www.facethehorror.com/ (that website already freaks me out)

you might also check out "downfall" by harvester games. the graphics are very old school, but its definately an adventure that stuck with me for the freakish atmosphere and gruesome images (personally i find this the most disturbing of the bunch):
http://www.harvesterindiegames.com/

how you would define logical puzzles, im not sure. but i think for all these games the puzzles come in second to atmosphere. i havent really played a horror adventure where i thought the puzzles were better or as good as more traditional point and click advnetures.

[nonax]

Sounds like Dracula 3: Path of the dragon

[stk22]

thx for the suggestions, will definitely check them out.
meanwhile, keep the suggestions coming

[Sandman]

Darkness Within 2

Dracula 1, 2 & 3.

Darkfall Lost Souls (although there is no Victorian mansion in it but you'll find similar settings) -- (& no 360 degree rotation).

[cbman]

Another game not mentioned yet is 'John Saul's Blackstone Chronicles', a game that I personally had mixed feelings about but I know is a very popular example of the genre.

[Ascovel]

Older, and challenging, but worth it games:

I have no mouth, but I must scream

Darkseed 1 & 2 (especially 2)

[silent_m]

Scratches: Director's Cut is by far the best, though Darkness Within comes in a respectable second in my opinion. Really looking forward to Darkness Within 2.

[billy7777]

Originally Posted by stk22

I am looking for suggestion of games with a dark/horror/gothic (like with victorian mansions, graveyards and stuff, not the subculture) theme with not too many scifi/lovecraftian aspects (the level seen in scratches and darkness within was good). good examples of such games include scratches, darkness within, and necronomicon. what i'm looking for is this sort of atmosphere (especially like that in scratches), and an easy control scheme like the 360 panoramic nodes used in scratches. it would also be better if they are first person (which is why i didn't mention black mirror) and i would also prefer newer games with logical puzzles. I know this seems like a tall order, but i haven't had much luck finding a good (in terms of atmosphere) horror adventure games and i thought of asking the experienced people on this site for advice, so i would be very grateful if you could suggest a couple of games based on your experience.

You might enjoy the Last Half of Darkness Series (though no 360 panoramic - but first person with plenty of atmosphere and a few logic puzzles)

[sakusen]

Scratches is one of the best games I've ever played and scared the living crap out of me. Darkness Within is also pretty good, but the story can feel very confusing and some of the puzzles can be annoying as hell.

I haven't played it yet but, Out Cry is supposed to be pretty creepy. Other than those three I guess the Dark Fall games are a safe bet. I have mixed feeling about Boake's games though.

[stk22]

ya i haven't found anything that matches scratches yet, w8ing for that new game by Augustin from Nucleosys (who made scratches). Probably going to check out the demo of darkness within 2 (full 3d navigation).

@sakusen i've played outcry and it's pretty good. you should try it.

about the dark fall series, i've only tried lost souls and not the other 2, i just couldn't ever get into the other 2 for some reason, they didn't seem all that scary, can u give examples of things in them that u found scary?

[stk22]

guys i tried out darkness within 2, the full one not the demo, and i didn't like it at all. at the beginning it was intriguing but it got boring very quickly and it simply wasn't my kind of horror. other than that, the gameplay in terms of puzzles was ok. i agree with the review and the rating this website gave it. i uninstalled before even finishing it.

i still haven't found anything as good as scratches in terms of atmospheric horror. all the lovecraftian games i've played have over the top horror which doesn't make it all that scary. i'm looking for the scratches psychological (and mildly lovecraftian) kind of horror that stays with you.

[Sandman]

Originally Posted by stk22

guys i tried out darkness within 2, the full one not the demo, and i didn't like it at all. at the beginning it was intriguing but it got boring very quickly and it simply wasn't my kind of horror. other than that, the gameplay in terms of puzzles was ok. i agree with the review and the rating this website gave it. i uninstalled before even finishing it.

i still haven't found anything as good as scratches in terms of atmospheric horror. all the lovecraftian games i've played have over the top horror which doesn't make it all that scary. i'm looking for the scratches psychological (and mildly lovecraftian) kind of horror that stays with you.

Well then I'll just advice you the undisputed ones. Get:

Dracula 1, 2 & 3
Darkfall Lost Souls
DW-1

I will not advice you anything more or less for FPV Horror games at the moment then the ones mentioned above. But you must try "The Lost Crown." It will change your perception about TPV Horror adventures.

[stk22]

thanks a lot for the suggestions.
i don't mean to be rude, but i've tried the lost crown and honestly didn't find it scary at all. i liked the atmosphere but the actual "fear" was not present.
i've tried dracula 3 path of the dragon but got put off by the way too scientific blood/chemical mixing puzzle which, although not that hard, completely messed up the atmosphere, (and other ones like it) but i agree, it was pretty good while it lasted.
i;ve fully played darkness within 1 and I have to say, it closely matched the atmosphere of scratches, unlike DW2.
darkfall lost souls - i tried it and it was great, completely different atmosphere. but i didn't like the control scheme all that much.

i know i'm being really picky but i'm looking for something like scratches where the game is taking place in a similar time period. not ones where its modern and ur just investigating like dracula 3 path of the dragon or dark fall.
in short, the less technology, the better. i like good old fashioned inventory puzzles.

thanks a lot guys, for considering my annoyingly picky requests, keep up the suggestions please!

[Sandman]

Originally Posted by stk22

thanks a lot for the suggestions.
i don't mean to be rude, but i've tried the lost crown and honestly didn't find it scary at all. i liked the atmosphere but the actual "fear" was not present.
i've tried dracula 3 path of the dragon but got put off by the way too scientific blood/chemical mixing puzzle which, although not that hard, completely messed up the atmosphere, (and other ones like it) but i agree, it was pretty good while it lasted.
i;ve fully played darkness within 1 and I have to say, it closely matched the atmosphere of scratches, unlike DW2.
darkfall lost souls - i tried it and it was great, completely different atmosphere. but i didn't like the control scheme all that much.

Well we can't have perfect games, can we?

Lost Crown is not suppose to be terrifying horror. Its more on the paranormal-mystery side.

Scientific elements in Dracula 3 had a catch. It is placed in a time where medicine and technology has completely taken place of myths, portions, voodoos and magics and caught between them is religion.

i know i'm being really picky but i'm looking for something like scratches where the game is taking place in a similar time period. not ones where its modern and ur just investigating like dracula 3 path of the dragon or dark fall.
in short, the less technology, the better. i like good old fashioned inventory puzzles.

thanks a lot guys, for considering my annoyingly picky requests, keep up the suggestions please!

If you are new to adventure game genre then being picky is not unusual. Its usually the 1st adv game that you like pushes you to play more of similar games and then slowly introduce yourself to other sub-genres of the game. If you are new then you are stuck in the stage-1 (you want more of Scratches like games) ... this is my theory as well as personal experience. I wanted more of Curse Monkey Island type games with nice cartoon graphics and good humor but all attempts to best Curse of Monkey Island have been futile and I have moved on and so might you (from Scratches). Make Scratches especial for yourself by not trying to best it with any other game and explore other options as well

[stk22]

after a lot of searching, i think that may be a good idea. thx

[silent_m]

Yes, unfortunately you're looking for something that doesn't really exist. There are games that are somewhat similar to Scratches which have already been mentioned here, but you're discovering the somewhat perplexing situation those of us who love Scratches have already found out – there's a void of high quality, atmospheric, horror (and I use that term loosely) adventure games. And the ones that do exist have either been around for a long time and are getting very long in the tooth, or they just failed in one way or another. That's why Scratches is still the king of the hill, in my opinion, so we'll just have to wait for the next one, undoubtedly Agustin's next project.

[stk22]

ya, lol thats the same conclusion i came to. just reinstalled it to have another go.