Best horror games in PS4/XBONE era that aren?t loaded with gamey crap?

[hanselthecaretaker]

So are there any games on PS4 or PC that don?t pull any punches in the scare/atmospheric department this gen and don?t devolve into upgrade-athon?s and frustrating encounters with stupid monsters of the week?

I?m curious about RE7VII. Perspective isn?t all that important so either 1st or 3rd is fine by me. Also somewhat curious about Amnesia and Machine for Pigs even though they?re last gen and I?m not familiar with their design, other than being based off of the Penumbra series which was pretty frustratingly unpolished design-wise.

Really, the prime criteria are:

-Atmospheric survival-based horror

-Limited gamey crap detracting from the purpose of the genre, like upgrading how many bullets you can carry, aiming precision, minuscule increases in various trivial stat percentages, etc. (looking at you, The Evil Within)

-Thematically potent enough to evoke some genuine scares

Thanks for any help in recommending something. It?s been too long since I?ve played a good horror game and my gaming soul is slowly forgetting how awesome they can be.

 

[Lufia Erim]

Resident evil in VR is the scariest thing i have experienced in my life.

Edit:Actually a lot of the VR horror games are horrifying.

 

[Dalisclock]

Amnesia and Soma are pretty good for atmosphere, especially since you have no means to defend yourself and both are a bit more polished then Prenumbra. SOMA in particular had some great underwater sections where you're walking along the sea bed. It made me wish Bioshock had some something similar (aside from the flooding bits in the intro).

A machine for pigs isn't nearly that good. It has a decent steampunk ascetic but it lacks in pretty much every other area(including a "Twist" which is foreshadowed a mile off and a theme which is as subtle as a brick to the face).

 

[KingsGambit_v1legacy]

I can speak on RE7, but not a lot else and from a PC PoV.

I thought it was a good game, very good in fact. Not great, but it did get 2-3 playthrus so it's worth the cover price. It is an odd one...it does maintain some franchise staples, like multi-part keys and some abstract puzzles. The "combat" is pretty janky, but it's intentional and I will admit works really well. Although it does feel a little out of place, it kinda works in context of both the story and the horror gameplay. It has a couple of challenging if forgettable boss fights and is something of a "game of two halves". Where the first half has the majority of atmosphere and horror, the second part is more story driven. If you're looking for a good horror game, I will definitely recommend it. It won't send chills up your spine, but it will play with your head.

I've heard and seen a lot of good things about Alien: Isolation. Similar to RE7, you're being hunted and aren't really capable of dealing with the threat right away. By all accounts, it does put genuine fear into you, you'll physically hold your breath and stop moving for fear that he'll hear you outside the game as he walks within an inch of finding you.

 

[Mcgeezaks]

Play Amnesia: TDD, it's by far the best horror game I've ever played, the sound design and the general atmosphere will keep you on your toes at almost all times. A Machine for Pigs, while pretty good it's not nearly as scary because most of the game there's no actual threat, it's much more of a puzzle/walking simulator even when compared to the first game.

 

[CaitSeith]

If there is one good thing about Alien: Isolation is that it nails it in the atmosphere department and keeps it true to its theme. It makes a decent job in balancing survival horror with Metroidvania structure (as the story progresses, you get more freedom to backtrack and explore old places or to open previously sealed areas).

RE7 combines shock and schlock horror; but it has one of the best birthday parties in games ever (and in general is definitely less gamey than The Evil Within).