It’s Halloween! That one day of the year where everyone gets to dress up as the things they wish they were and bask in all things spooky. Most of us will be out partying with costumed strangers and making sure they can’t remember what happened the following day, which is more the reason to stay in if you’re anything like me. So what should you play while your house is getting TP’d and egged? We’ve got you covered. Here are five recent games that are perfect for playing on Halloween.
Corpse Party: Blood Drive
Recently released for the PS Vita, Corpse Party is an old school survival horror / visual novel title where you take control of a Ayumi, a high school girl who has dabbled in the dark arts, as her and her unfortunate friends come to terms with the events of the previous two titles. Serving as the final chapter of the Corpse Party trilogy that started back on the PSP, Blood Drive captures that sense of hopelessness, terror and anxiousness when it comes to surviving its trap laced corridors. And if that wasn’t bad enough, monsters are constantly chasing you, all without any real weapons! Think Clock Tower 3 or Silent Hill: Shattered Memories. Don’t mistake its cute, chibi style visuals for going soft on the horror either. The game gets gory right out of the gate!
You can pick up the Everafter Edition, containing a two disc soundtrack filled with tracks from all three games, and a series spanning art book for $49.99, or the digital release on the PSN store for $39.99. For more information on this terrifying title, check out our E3 impressions here!
Fatal Frame: Maiden Of Black Water
The long awaited return of the Fatal Frame series arrived last week exclusively for Wii U, and from what we played so far, it was worth the wait. Fully utilizing the Game Pad as your very own Camera Obscura, the varied cast of characters must exorcise ghosts from a series of locations by capturing photos of them with their spooky camera. New to this version however, is the ability to move the camera in real time with the Wii U’s signature controller, and providing two different perspectives between the Pad and TV screen. Ghosts are only visible through the camera lens, so keeping an eye on both screens adds an extra level of immersion not found in previous installments. Luckily, squeezing enemies into the frame has never been easier thanks to the gyroscopic controls allowing you to rotate the Game Pad to alter your perspective, all while rapid firing shots as if this were a model simulator instead of a terrifying ghost hunting game. Oh, and you’ll still want to be mindful of your surroundings, unless you want to be met with a terrible fate.
Fatal Frame: Maiden Of Black Water can be played for free up until its second chapter, (as long as you have about 16 GBs of space sitting around). If you can’t get enough, the full game will set you back $49.99, exclusively on the Wii U eShop.
Lit (iOS, Android)
Spending money is a drag, so if your spent all your cash on bags of candy or elaborate costumes, Lit might be the way to go. All you need is a smart phone, (which I hear is a pretty popular thing to have these days,) and you’ll be able to experience a remastered version of one of WiiWare’s most memorable titles. From the minds at Wayforward, Lit puts you in the role Jake, a “mopey teenager”, who must navigate the shadows to escape his haunted school using a variety of tools, as well as his trusty flashlight. This puzzle/horror game was a big surprise when it was originally released, and it’s getting even bigger thanks to 16 brand new puzzle rooms and par challenges to test your speed and efficiency. The best part? It’s completely free! Go download it now! You’ll be glad you did.
YO-KAI WATCH (Demo Version)
It’s a shame that the launch of Level-5 and Nintendo’s next big release, YO-KAI WATCH, is just narrowly missing Halloween weekend. What better game for the holiday that celebrates all things that go bump in the night than one filled with demons, ghosts and monsters, all of which are invisible? Fortunately, we still have the demo version to sift through, which does a great job of holding us over until the game’s full release on November 6th. Being pushed as the next Pokemon, YO-KAI WATCH has players befriend the titular Yo-kai, then using them to battle their mischievous, or downright evil brethren. After uncovering the hidden demons using your appropriately named Yo-kai Watch, the game’s unique battle system kicks in. By rotating your team of six in real time while activating special moves with touch screen mini games, players can manage offense and defense in a seamless, fluid way. With each Yokai serving as a different type of curse, like causing people to argue, use the bathroom too often, or feel all around not so swell, this lighthearted RPG looks to be taking the developer’s known charm and Nintendo’s huge marketing machine to make the next big hit! Oh, but while playing, make sure not to go out at night…
Splatoon
Finally, if you’re not in the mood for running for your life, capturing ghosts, surviving haunted houses or hunting demons, you can always sit back with your squid pals! Halloween weekend may be an odd time for a Splatfest, but for those who are going to be indoors anyway, Splatoon‘s latest team based competition decides to answer an age old question: Which is better? Pirates, or ninjas? Until 9 PM PST on October 31st, Inklings from across the country can vote for their side, deciding which of the two historical killers are best! Making tried and true costumes as well as a great poll, will the results finally put this debate to rest? Probably not, especially when there was never a debate to begin with. Everyone knows ninjas take this battle every time. EVERY! TIME!
So there’s how we’ll be spending our Halloween! From the gory to the creepy and the downright silly, there’s plenty of content to celebrate this year’s Halloween with in between all that trick or treating. Were there any games that we missed, or will there be any particular favorite you’ll be playing on this horrifying day? Let us know below!