I never realized it as a kid, but analog horror is (and has been) my favorite horror subgenre for decades. Sure, when those zombie dogs busted through the glass windows in the original Resident Evil, I ran out of my room like I was stealing third in the World Series. But nothing would prepare me for the sheer terror of Metal Gear Solid‘s Psycho Mantis. Years of conditioning had me fooled, thinking I was always in control of any game I would play. Until one boss fight, everything I knew about being “player one” would be subverted, warped, and mocked before my eyes.
That’s what makes analog horror particularly unnerving. It’s that violation of our digital comfort zones – our TVs and desktop PCs – and helplessly watching as unknown forces manipulate them. It’s coming home to see your desktop icons slightly shifted. Unknowingly downloading a trojan virus and catching a glimpse of your mouse cursor moving on its own. Seeing a glowing “HIDEO” cast over a cold, dark CRT screen. It takes the innocuous and, with the slightest touch, makes it grossly unwelcoming.
Being chronically online in a post-Y2K world, analog horror is that perfect blend of fourth-wall-breaking uncanniness that shakes me more than vampires and werewolves ever could. Damn. Now that I think of it, that’s probably why I have reoccurring nightmares of my computer defiled by viruses and why I’m one of those weirdos who unironically loves Skinamarink.
‘Among Ashes’ is a disturbing twist on early internet nostalgia
Rat Cliff Games’ Among Ashes is analog horror at its finest. I recently wrote about how eerily familiar it feels, as someone who grew up alongside pre- and post-Y2K internet, and how it masterfully blends realities of its game-within-a-game (within a game) premise.
Most of your time in Among Ashes is spent playing a separate game on the protagonist’s computer. Night Call, a haunted PSX-era horror game uploaded to the NIGHTMARE FUEL forums, is a mix of horror classics like Resident Evil and Silent Hill. As you progress through Night Call, you’ll often tab out and converse with a friend via instant messenger. Other times, you’ll read message boards as others attempt to decipher the various unexplainable bugs that plague Night Call.
Alone in your flat, you’re able to stand up from your in-game computer and peek around your quiet home at will. But, as Night Call begins to feel less and less like an ordinary horror game, there’s good reason to believe you’re not as alone as you think.
‘VILE’ is an unsettling story of obsession and misogynistic entitlement
While Final Girl Games’ VILE plays entirely through a 90s-era computer, there’s no way I could boil it down to simply being “analog horror.” Its harrowing subject matter makes it much more than that, as its solo creator, Cara Cadaver, explains to GamesRadar:
“It does every time, though, feel a little bit like somebody’s reading my journal. It’s a very personal game, and that was the point,” Cadaver notes on VILE‘s reception.
Dealing with themes of stalking and sexual violence, VILE exposes the ugly realities that many women face daily. As the player sifts through various files and emails, information on the disappearance of an adult film actress is slowly uncovered, peeling away scabs of truth with each click.
Tech support made terrifying with ‘Home Safety Hotline’
Home Safety Hotline is a light-hearted blend of household pests, paranormal entities, and tech support calls. You’ll clock into your call center job each day and advise homeowners on how to best deal with strange happenings. Some are innocent, like termites gnawing on wooden furnishings; others, more sinister, like hearing voices within walls.
An index is available on your computer to study, allowing you to be your best home safety operator. But as your daily quota grows and your boss becomes more demanding, you have to wonder if it may be time for a two-week notice.
‘CAPTURED’ is a nightmarish loop of liminal space and childhood terror
CAPTURED really flew under the radar, but is a hair-raising experience worth playing. Clearly inspired by movies like Skinamarink, CAPTURED puts you in the shoes of a child with a video camera, stuck inside a loop within their own home.
Each loop has you creeping through a dark hallway and identifying subtle changes with each pass. Anomalies like missing windows, out-of-place furniture, and inexplicable doorways keep each playthrough slightly different but consistently unnerving. Its limited UI and tight sound design make it uncomfortably immersive. Like Skinamarink, I decided to play it alone and in the dark, and, well – that was certainly a decision.
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