If it worked for horror games like Alisa and Crow Country, maybe it’ll work here, too. Here we are, days away from the end of 2024. Within the gaming world, it’s been a roller coaster of a year. Sure, we received many, many amazing and impactful games. However, many talented developers lost their livelihoods — some who still haven’t recovered. It’s devastating to lose a job you adore despite its flaws (something I’m no stranger to myself).
Considering everything, now more than ever, it’s crucial to give as many “smaller” developers as big of a spotlight as possible. That’s why we keep pushing and advocating for the Slow Game Club. And why we’ll continue to do so well into 2025 and beyond. Today, I wanted to talk about two horror games that haven’t gotten nearly enough play for my liking. Starting with: Don’t Nod’s Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden.
Don’t Nod has had such an unfortunate 2024, rife with layoffs and other controversies. Which is a damn shame because Banishers is easily one of the studio’s best and most ambitious games. It’s a high-octane action RPG that, even if it offered nothing else, contains a fluid, deeply satisfying combat cycle that keeps you on your toes. Especially as your skill tree deepens, there’s nothing quite like the moment-to-moment bliss of a sudden ghostly encounter (with added nuance I don’t want to spoil — you gotta play it for yourself).
these horror games deserved so much better
But, Banishers took it a step further and added that Don’t Nod narrative heft. The story is incredible. Genuinely heartfelt, horrifically tragic, and wonderfully voiced and animated. With significant player agency to boot! Yes, it may not be one of the “conventionally scary” horror games (though there are some terrifying sections). But, players who constantly beg for games to do something different and innovative, missing Banishers entirely, did themselves a massive disservice. It may be too late to boost the game for the sake of the Don’t Nod employees who lost their jobs. But, their excellent work here deserves to be appreciated.
Now, we can pivot to another of the horror games that affected me deeply beyond what I ever could’ve expected in 2024. Vampire Therapist. A friend of mine let me experience the game with them. At various points, I found myself so emotionally invested that I almost forgot the characters weren’t real. Vampire Therapist could be simply called a “Visual Novel,” yes. However, it also serves a dual purpose of being a Therapy Simulator.
You enter it expecting a cool game about vampires. However, you leave having learned something more about yourself and the interactions you have with others. The development studio, Little Bat Games (haha), went to great lengths to perfectly marry style and substance. When we usually think of the ultimate goal of horror games, we tend to boil it down to “If this game didn’t scare me, it failed.” But, Vampire Therapist gives you more than fleeting thrills. It offers you a chance to deepen your relationships with those you care about. Among the many benefits of gaming as a medium, creating empathy and understanding has to be one of the most useful tools in the toolbox.
The post I Refuse To Let 2024 End Without Acknowledging Two Unsung, Incredible Horror Games appeared first on VICE.
