Most of us look to TV, movies, or books for our scares. The truth is, you need look no further than your cellphone.
Put aside the podcasts. These seven games for your mobile device serve up inventive, interactive scares even more terrifying than going over your data limit. From exploring dungeons filled with things that go bump in the night to wandering through forests pursued by dark figures, these games will send chills down your spine. Just try not to scream out loud—you’ll scare your fellow travelers.
1. Dungeon Nightmares
Dungeon Nightmares is considered one of the scariest games on mobile. In this first-person game, your character suffers from nightmares while wandering around a dungeon and collecting items in an attempt to escape. This is a bread-and-butter formula for a good horror game, but Dungeon Nightmares separates itself from the rest with intense audio: from flies buzzing in your ears to echoes passing up and down the corridors. Not to mention the screaming …
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2. SlenderMan’s Forest
SlenderMan brought terror to our cell phones in 2015, and we’ve been stalking through its scary forest ever since. There may be many copycats, but this is, without a doubt, the closest you can come to the computer game we all once feared. The environments are frightening, since they extend forever in every direction, and the sounds are chilling, defined by heavy breathing and a thundering heartbeat. Your goal is to collect six pages, which is actually a pretty difficult task, since Slender Man doesn’t take kindly to people stealing his artwork.
3. Murder Room
Murder Room is a point-and-click horror adventure game in which you must escape from the house of a serial killer. The game is relatively simple, with a series of illustrations as backgrounds and click commands that move you around the room. But the atmosphere is truly frightening and the narrative keeps you engrossed, with plot twists and alternate endings.
4. Twisted Lands: Shadow Town
Twisted Lands: Shadow Town is a hidden object game that has you playing as Mr. Brown, a man who has washed up on the shore of a strange island. In the aftermath of a boat crash, you realize that Mrs. Brown is missing, and it’s up to you to find her. This task is accomplished by looking for clues and items that may help you solve the puzzles. It’s actually a fairly challenging play, because if a player isn’t focused enough in his search, he’s likely to miss an important object that helps later in the game.
5. The Abandoned School
Another point-and-click puzzle game, The Abandoned School takes you into a locale straight out of The Grudge. The music is slow and haunting, with the sounds of breaking glass and thunder contributing to its terrifying atmosphere. This game plays on the horror trope of being in the wrong place at the wrong time, then you suddenly find yourself in over your head. However, it distinguishes itself by not pushing the game too hard graphically, creating a clean, horror experience.
6. Dark Meadow: The Pact
Dark Meadow: The Pact is a console-quality game for your mobile device. The game is played in first person as a shooter, where the main character is armed with a crossbow and a knife. The combat system is linear: You engage enemies with a crossbow while trying to dodge enemy fire. You continue to do this until the enemy gets close, at which time you switch to your knife and change between blocking and attacking.
7. Eyes the Horror Game / Eyes the Haunt
These two different titles are actually the same game, just designed for different platforms. Your objective is simple: break into the house and steal the gold, then get out without being noticed. It’s easier said than done, since there’s a dismembered head wandering the hallways, trying to cut off yours. You also collect eyes, which switch you to the first-person perspective of a malicious ghost who’s stalking you. The eyes help you complete the game, since you know what rooms are safe, but they also add to the fear factor, because you know if the ghost is about to get you.
Featured photo: K Monkey
