The best horror games aren't afraid to take weird concepts and make them work in wonderfully terrifying ways. A great example of this is Choo-Choo Charles. Developed by Two Star Games, this survival horror game revolves around a train with a face and spider legs attempting to hunt you down and kill you.
Most of the gameplay focuses on exploring the open world in a train of your own which can be upgraded to build a super-weapon against the demonic locomotive. The main goal is to complete quests, find three eggs to summon Charles, and defeat the hungry engine once and for all. Those who enjoy these wild horror experiences can play this and many similar games as well.
7 Five Nights At Freddy's
Choo-Choo Charles is inspired by the far more child-friendly cartoon Thomas the Tank Engine, which fits a theme that many horror media takes of twisting something that is harmless and kind for children into something far more sinister. One of the most iconic horror games that followed this path is Five Nights At Freddy's.
Though it has sprawled out into an entire series, the original focused on you working the night shift at Freddy Fazbear's Pizza and standing watch at the security cameras as technical problems begin to unfold. You must keep watch of where the animatronics go, or you will be hunted down.
6 Dead Space
It is easy to feel hopeless at times in survival horror games like Choo-Choo Charles. That feeling couldn't be more prominent in Dead Space, the 2008 iconic game from EA that got a remake 15 years later. This was the first scary adventure of Isaac Clarke, an engineer who is forced to fight aliens after the entire crew on his ship was killed.
The action-focused game has a lot of horrific monsters who will jump Isaac at almost any angle because of the zero gravity atmosphere. You will need to think through your every action as simple maneuvers such as reloading your gun will leave you vulnerable to any enemy preparing to pounce.
5 Inside The Backrooms
Despite being much less open than Choo-Choo Charles, Inside The Backrooms provides the same amount of incentive to explore its winding hallways that all seem to look eerily similar. The good news is that you can work together with some friends who can join you in the search for an exit.
The early access horror game is based on a popular copypasta, with rooms matching similar descriptions of the original post. The main focus is to search these areas for things to collect that may lead to a clue or puzzle solution on how to advance forward. But there are entities that are lurking in the game. You just have to learn how they behave.
4 Bendy And The Ink Machine
Choo-Choo Charles may ruin one particular cartoon for children, but Bendy and the Ink Machine is looking to ruin all of them. The game takes place in Joey Drew Studios, a fictional workshop home to the animator of the same name. It was abandoned, until you are invited back.
You play as Henry, who is visiting after having retired from animation. Now, the workshop is doing strange things like filling with ink and sprawling with creepy figures that seem to have come right from the drawing boards. The game is split into five chapters and follows an episodic structure, so at least you can take in the horror in bite-sized pieces.
3 Lunch Lady
Ever since Slenderman became a phenomenon, some horror developers have picked up on the notion of players having one short task that is a lot harder due to the surrounding situation. Despite using the same "collect pages" format as the aforementioned Slenderman, Lunch Lady makes it work well.
Up to four friends can work together online to wander a school at night and collect 10 pages. Meanwhile, the Lunch Lady is on the hunt, and she is not afraid to charge anyone that she sees. The game has implemented options such as difficulty settings and a proximity chat to make people really feel like they are walking toward and away each other.
2 Poppy Playtime
Sticking with the theme of destroying childhood memories, Poppy Playtime takes place in an abandoned toy factory. And yes, there are variety to the different toys that will make your time in Playtime Co. a living hell. But what makes Poppy Playtime stand out in the genre is the unique mechanic of the Grabpack.
Using these two hands, players are able to reach at things from a far distance and use them to hack certain electrical circuits to solve puzzles. So even if things feel terrifying, you at least have a tool that'll make you feel powerful. The first chapter is free-to-play for those who don't want to pay for a scare.
1 Siren Head: Awakening
Speaking of cultural phenomenon, artwork by Trevor Henderson became a social media sensation that was simply referred to as Siren Head. As the name suggests, it is a tall, skinny creature that has a siren for a head. With this came many games, including Siren Head: Awakening.
Like Choo-Choo Charles, Siren Head Awakening is about exploring and finding missing parts for your vehicle, only you will not be able to weaponize the car against the Siren Head. Along the way, you will also pick up notes that will add to the creepy lore of an already chilling situation.
Choo-Choo Charles is out now on PC.