scariest adventure game of all time?
 

just wondering what your thoughts are on this subject

and if not scary, what about just a great atmosphere? I really enjoy games that have a very dark plot, and I've not played many new adventure games.

so what will it be ? :)

Gabriel Knight 1
Scratches
Sanitarium
Blackstone Chronicles
The Lost Crown
Amber: Journeys Beyond

I can't think of any... A few supposedly scary games like Barrow Hill, Scratches, and even Penumbra, may have their shock moments but overall to me they are just not scary.

Hmm. For recommendations, games that have amazing atmospheres would have to be "The Lost Crown" and "The Longest Journey". I too love dark plots, so to name a few good games;

Dark/scary games
-Dark Fall 1&2
-The Lost Crown
-Barrow Hill
-Blackstone Chronicles
-Black Mirror
-Sanitarium

Games with good atmosphere with dark elements
-The Longest Journey&Dreamfall
-Myst games

But the title of the thread caught my attention, and as a discussion topic; what is the scariest adventure game out there? For me, I'd have to say, "Scratches". Having to sneak around, and actually having things pop out at you, I was geniunely scared to play this at night with all of the lights out. :P

Yeah, most definately Scratches. Scared the hell out of me at some stages (as in, jumping off my chair scared) and I consider myself hard to scare. I suppose this one just hit all the right notes for me. And it made me really not want to visit certain areas of the house when I had to...

Besides that, I have to admit I haven't played many others such as Lost Crown. Sorry Fantasy :frown:, I've been meaning to. And talking of Scratches, the trailer for their new game looks like it has potential to be equally freaky.

EDIT: Barrow Hill didn't really do it for me. Fizzled into not too much...

Here are such games I've played so far:

• Lost Crown
• Dark Fall (the series)
• Black Mirror
• Barrow Hill
• Scratches

For the atmospere, it would be a battle between Boakes' games and the first "Black Mirror". Sometimes I found it almost incredible, that this game, which certainly has lot of flaws, is one of the most memorable adventure titles I've played. Atmospere and the setting is probably its best feature.

And as for the scares, maybe the only game that really made me jump out the chair is "Scratches". Here are the three moments that did it for me:

Spoiler:

1. Mask over the shoulder
2. Trip inside the fireplace
3. Look through the hole in the wall

Also, Boakes' games have several such moments, but, though I don't like it nearly as much from the artistic and aesthetic point of view, I must say that "Scratches" is probably the scariest adventure game I've played so far.

Don't know if thrillers also count but I'd like to throw in the mix...

"Still Life"

It's not particularly scary but it has a really dark and gloomy atmosphere and the plot is kinda disturbing in a way. Also there were parts in the game where I actually held my breath (a certain passage in a labyrinth springs to mind)

thanks everyone for all the advice!

i'm trying to find a place where i can buy Scratches online, no luck so far, the lost crown also looks really neat, so many games, so little time

Don't forget Phantasmagoria 1. It may not have aged that well and isn't the hardest game in the world to complete but it had a great atmosphere and some really good scares too.

'The Lurking Horror' and 'Anchorhead'.

Both text Adventures.

What you imagine is more often than not more terrible and frightening than what you can see.

I've always considered Sanitarium as a great but disturbing game. Maybe not the scariest game of all time, but somewhat disturbing.

Not really an adventure game, but I found The Residents: Freak Show very disturbing at the time. In general though I find that Jonathan Boakes' later games creep me out to a degree where I don't really feel like playing them with the lights off. A bit of a shame in terms of atmosphere, but very much a compliment to Mr. Boakes.

Some might disagree with me, but even after all these years, Phantasmagoria: A Puzzle of Flesh remains the most disturbingly and psychologically terrifying piece of interactive entertainment I've ever had the mishap of playing. Come to think of it, I haven't bought a horror title ever since.

There was something so terrifying about playing as a random Joe living in his small apartment, going to his regular day job, meeting his best friend and loving girlfriend, and suddenly finding out your world is a complete rendition of hell. Nothing about the gameplay was even memorable; it's the moody setting and story (of which the final outcome was completely insane) that won't let go of me to this day.

I don't put much value in a game being able to make me jump. That's probably the most primitive thing a horror game (or film) can aim to achieve. I'd rather a game truly freak me out, like in Sanitarium, or have a really dark, foreboding atmosphere, like in Post Mortem and parts of Still Life.

Yeah I agree with this, but I might have misrepresented that it was this sense of unease I got out of Scratches. It did make me jump a few times, sure, but the rest of the time definately carried a foreboding atmosphere.

I agree orient. I much prefer a dark atmosphere to 'pop out scares' and gore factors, which is why I disliked the newest "Dark Fall" game. I thought "The Lost Crown" had a wonderful atmosphere, without having too many pop out scares. But I don't know if some would consider that as 'scary', which is why I chose "Scratches".

Yeah, a good horror game usually has some well-timed jump scares, but doesn't rely on them as its only way to strike fear in the player. A perfect example of this is Resident Evil. The dogs jumping through the window put me on edge, but what created the prolonged tension was the mechanics -- the fact that I didn't have enough bullets to kill the two zombies on the other side of the door. The fact that I only had one healing herb and the save room was on the other side of the mansion.

I agree with you, Fantasysci5, that too much gore can become trivial if there isn't a good reason for it. Examining a bin and finding a disembodied head is freaky the first time, but if you line up 20 bins and they all have body parts inside, you're going to be desensitized and bored by the time you've examine the last one.

I have never played an adventure game that really made me lose sleep or anything like that. I think the only game that fits that category would be silent hill 2, but it's not an adventure game. To be honest I don't think that adventure games have any potential of being scary. Player health and stuff like that contribute to the sense of "danger" that pumps your adrenaline up.

Shivers.

The game (as others have mentioned before me) that really made me jump in my chair and bring my pulse up was Scratches. And along with the eerie atmosphere of the house I find it the most scary game I've played.
Sanitarium was indeed disturbing, but didn't scary me much, rather made me feel ill at ease.