Great video games to play with a Gothic atmosphere

[High Priest Mikhal]

Not sure if these games were mentioned earlier but Alan Wake and Evil Within have a strong feel to them that I believe add a gothic horror feel to them.

I mentioned The Evil Within and can heartily recommend the first game. The second game isn't necessarily bad to play, but it does come across as more of the same and crosses from Gothic horror to modern psychological horror at several points with its sometimes fantastical areas and just plain bizarre villains and setting that sometimes feels like a bad acid trip.

[Gautsu]

I know action doesn't always lend itself to Ravenloft and Gothic horror but every time I play through certain areas of soulslikes (Ds1-3, Ni-Oh 1+2, Salt and Sanctuary, Vigil The Longest Night, Blasphemy) I always ask myself why Hasbro hasn't done a Ravenloft version.

[Galm]

Thanks for the recommendations, I was looking for a gothic-like game and will give the ones you named a try!

[High Priest Mikhal]

Tormented Souls is an indie survival-horror game that plays like the love child of Resident Evil and Silent Hill. It's a great example of "the evils men do" mixed with distinctly supernatural horrors and tricks that wouldn't be out of place for the Mists (including two instances of time travel). The protagonist herself is even intimately tied with the events, as you'll find out while playing.

The Medium is an example of how sins in the past echo into the present, with some amazing examples of what ethereal resonance would look like.

[alhoon]

Both of those sound too... apocalyptic; non-subtle.
I would prefer Stories that start with a relative normal facade, like the peaceful village with the terrible secret or the kind old neighbor that is actually there because the ghost of his murdered wife haunts the house he left.

[Le Noir Faineant]

Anyone tried "The Whisperer"?

Not really a great game, but I appreciated the idea:

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1697 ... Whisperer/


If you have point-and-click adventure recommendations for me, I'd greatly appreciate that. You know, something simple - I just played "Lamplight City", a vaguely MotRD-y game, and I'll replay the old "Gabriel Knight" series next, as well as "The Last Door". An old man's video games, I know - but still part of the genre, I guess.

[A G Thing]

Not only gothic but fey inspired on folklore...

Bramble: The Mountain King

The game can get dark but still has fantasy and yet sets quite a mood.

[High Priest Mikhal]

Now that I've had a chance to play them, Fatal Frame 4 and 5 rank up there as worthy looks. Mask of the Lunar Eclipse speaks to themes of ignorance of the truth of the supernatural and lessons learned too late as well as how what's forgotten doesn't go away and always comes back to haunt the present. In addition, it speaks to the horrors of losing yourself when your memories begin to fade--or are taken away from you.

Maiden of Dark Water is...complicated. It's hard to parse the whole thing into a simple summary because the story goes off on tangents that only come together in the end. The character Ren is an example of how the soul never forgets and what characters with the Reincarnated feat could suffer if their past life is tied to something truly potent and horrific. Yuri is a perfect example of a character with both the Ethereal Empathy and Ghostsight feats and what they suffer when the dead won't leave them alone. Miu is an example of what someone with the ability to read minds or emotions who can't control their powers would do: go beyond what is rational or sane to find one person they believe will understand them (and it's a call back to the first and third games given whom she looks for).

The overall theme of water as a symbol of life and death, especially when tainted, has given me ideas for some adventures. As has the price of one person's arrogance and madness when it leads them to destroy all those who maintain a delicate supernatural balance.

[High Priest Mikhal]

I have to preface this by saying I've not actually played the game myself yet. I had initial trepidations given how so many remakes are "updated for modern audiences" with Angela looking...masculine, and the price is still $70 on Steam. But I have seen longplays online and it seems like a worthy entry.

Silent Hill 2 Remake builds on what made the original so creepy and atmospheric expands on it. The town feels like something straight out of the Mists and not just because it's so foggy. The abandoned, decayed nature of everything makes the town feel ominous. The near total lack of anyone else inspires feelings of isolation and those times you do encounter someone always feel off because of how they behave. The ambience helps inspire terror through utter silence broken by sudden noises that could be mistaken for nearby threats. Even the enemies are not just sacks of meat to be beaten down with ease but real threats that require an intelligent approach to beat without being hurt too much in melee.

Where it starts falling apart is in the story. They basically just followed the original without treading any new ground. Nor did they include Maria's story from Shattered Memories. What I said about the enemies is also a detriment because they too often turn into obstacles that are irritating, not terrifying. Also ammo is scarce and is a mere two rounds per find, forcing players to prioritize melee and waste healing resources if they aren't good at it. At least melee weapons don't break like they do from The Room onward.

[doctornecrotic]

It's early access, but Gloomwood is the weird lovechild of Thief and Bloodbourne (or maybe Blood? Or Dusk?). This stealth game is saturated in deeply gothic imagery. But, again, it's still early access. We'll see where it goes.

Now, if mods are OK, I must bring up BlooM for GZDoom. It's at its core a weird dimensional fusion of Blood and Doom. I know I've brought this mod up previously...

[Adeptus]

I recently played Skald" Against the Black Priory cRPG. It was interesting mix of classic fantasy (no non-human playable races, but functional magic) and horror. The more You play, the more horror it is.

[moonglum]

Very surprised the following were not mentioned in this thread:

Castlevania: Symphony of the Night
Diablo 1 and 2
Gothic

And one that just came to mind that I would need to revisit to be sure is Vagrant Story.

[doctornecrotic]

The Baldur's Gate modder, Weasel, made some fun mini adventures that crossover Toril and The Mists. The adventures sample a few domains and act as a blender of campaign setting and reboot. I figure that's worth noting here.

[alhoon]

I recently played Skald" Against the Black Priory cRPG. It was interesting mix of classic fantasy (no non-human playable races, but functional magic) and horror. The more You play, the more horror it is.

I have Skald and... I can't say I found much gothic about it in the first couple of hours (I have not finished it, I have kinda abandoned it as I moved to other things. It was not bad but I played, I then abstained from games for a long time because life and that was it)

[doctornecrotic]

Considering it's the basis of two of my own Ravenloft domains, Dishonored. Rife with conspiracy and betrayal worthy of Borcan schemes, a horrid plague that won't seem to end, and a mysterious arcane entity watching it all play out; all in the decaying ruin of an industrial city. The atmosphere ranges from tense to creepy and the Lord Regent is certainly Darklord material in the first game... Daud, potentially in the DLC story. 2? I don't think about it as much, outside of better RP opportunities and better gameplay. The story is a downgrade overall, recycling a villain that made The Knife of Dunwall/Brigmore Witches chilling at times. While Steampunk is a bit weird outside of my musings with The Broken Cog Cluster, Dishonored felt Ravenloftian at times.

Also, I saw Blood was mentioned years ago! Deathwish is the effective Blood sequel that's more respectable than Blood 2. At times, it oozes with modern-gothic, at least as far as a build engine game can. Plus, it picks up on horror references like the original, carrying the torch from just 1997 to 2026 in terms of various media.