A still from the game Dead Space. Photo: Electronic Arts
A still from the game Dead Space. Photo: Electronic Arts
A still from the game Dead Space. Photo: Electronic Arts
A still from the game Dead Space. Photo: Electronic Arts

Five of the scariest games of all time to play on Halloween


Faisal Salah
  • English
  • Arabic

Horror and gaming have gone hand in hand for decades.

Since the days of Ouija boards, people have been trying to scare themselves silly for entertainment. Video game makers recognised the appetite for spooky thrills and ran with it.

Scary video games had humble beginnings however, with text-based adventures that attempted to scare players with unexpected twists and turns. Today, thrill seekers can find a trove of games to choose from that will ensure those goosebumps will last for weeks.

For Halloween, we look at five of the scariest video game experiences to play with your friends. Or alone if you’re feeling brave.

Dead Space

Dead Space follows protagonist Isaac Clarke who is marooned on a mining spaceship. Photo: Electronic Arts
Dead Space follows protagonist Isaac Clarke who is marooned on a mining spaceship. Photo: Electronic Arts

Space can be a very scary concept. Being out there in the vast emptiness, not knowing what can be encountered, is certainly terrifying. But even more scary is a monster staring down at you.

Dead Space, developed by Motive Studio and published by Electronic Arts, explores the deep fear of what lurks out there in space that we can’t understand but know is only there to hurt us.

Set on a mining spaceship, the game’s protagonist is Isaac Clarke, an engineer who finds himself in the precarious situation of surviving and fighting against the monsters which have overrun the vessel.

The spaceship itself is severely damaged from the infestation, presenting a scary space to navigate through, using mostly mining tools as weapons to fend off an attack.

Scare score:

  • Gore: 4/5
  • Atmosphere: 4/5
  • Jump scares: 3/5

Five Nights at Freddy’s

Five Nights at Freddy's is set in a haunted animatronic puppet-themed restaurant. Photo: Scottgames
Five Nights at Freddy's is set in a haunted animatronic puppet-themed restaurant. Photo: Scottgames

Working alone in an empty venue after hours can be a daunting task. Couple that with the possibility of working in a haunted animatronic puppet-themed restaurant and the result is an anxious and scary experience.

Developed and published by Scott Cawthon, Five Nights at Freddy’s started out as an indie game that gained popularity through YouTube videos and gamers reacting to how frightening the experience was.

The task in the game is relatively simple: keep an eye on the security monitors and make sure nothing is amiss. The frights start when the animatronic puppets, which should be still, start moving independently, seeking you out.

Viewing the monitors and spotting the creeping puppets is made even more difficult by the fact the batteries on the monitors drain the more they are used, requiring a level of strategy for success in surviving the night.

Scare score:

  • Gore: 1/5
  • Atmosphere: 5/5
  • Jump scares: 5/5

P.T.

In P.T., a haunting presence follows the protagonist and jeopardises his mission to exit the endless corridor. Photo: Konami
In P.T., a haunting presence follows the protagonist and jeopardises his mission to exit the endless corridor. Photo: Konami

Imagine a long winding corridor, with one way in and one way out, except the way out is also the way in.

Controlling an unnamed protagonist in first person view, the mystery opens up as clues are revealed and puzzles are solved.

The corridor's characteristics change with every pass and scares reveal themselves from behind closed doors and bloodstained mirrors.

P.T. first landed on the PlayStation store as an unassuming demo, later revealed by those who completed it as the playable teaser (that’s what P.T. stands for) for the next game from Japanese game designer Hideo Kojima.

The game was to be a new instalment in the Silent Hill series of games, a collaboration between Kojima and Oscar-winning director Guillermo Del Toro.

Unfortunately, Kojima would soon exit Konami, and Silent Hills, as the project was called, would be abandoned. P.T. would eventually be pulled from the PlayStation store. To play it today, gamers can seek out PlayStation 4 consoles which still carry the game. An arduous endeavour, but worth it for the unforgettable experience.

Scare score:

  • Gore: 3/5
  • Atmosphere: 5/5
  • Jump scares: 4/5

Silent Hill 2

Silent Hill 2 follows James Sunderland as he traverses through an eerie town looking for his wife. Photo: Konami
Silent Hill 2 follows James Sunderland as he traverses through an eerie town looking for his wife. Photo: Konami

There’s a town in the horizon. It’s small and quaint but there’s not much to discern due to a thick fog engulfing it.

The closer the town gets the more of its secrets are revealed. There are also deformed monsters here and this world does not feel normal or familiar.

Developed by Team Silent and published by Konami, Silent Hill 2 presents a very eerie and unsettling horror game experience.

The plot revolves around James Sunderland, a widower, as he traverses through the town of Silent Hill after receiving a letter from his dead wife informing him that she is waiting there for him.

The town is filled with grotesque beings that attempt to stop our protagonist from reaching his goal.

Throughout the game, James encounters puzzles and challenges that reveal more of the story and where his wife could be.

The Silent Hill games, especially the second one, have garnered huge appreciation by gamers over the years. Since the release of the first one in 1999, there have been numerous sequels and spin-offs in the series.

Scare score:

  • Gore: 5/5
  • Atmosphere: 5/5
  • Jump scares: 3/5

Resident Evil 7

In Resident Evil 7, gamers are trapped in a house by an evil family with supernatural powers. Photo: Capcom
In Resident Evil 7, gamers are trapped in a house by an evil family with supernatural powers. Photo: Capcom

Being trapped in a house is a concept often used in horror films. Since the release of the Texas Chainsaw Massacre, envisioning a situation in which being taken hostage by an evil family is a spine-chilling concept.

The fear in this situation is made even worse knowing the captors are somehow powered by supernatural abilities that make them hard to overcome.

Developed and published by Capcom, Resident Evil 7 was a huge return to form in the long-running horror series. Fans of the games had complained that the fifth and sixth versions of the series had become too action-focused, leaving behind its spooky origins.

For the seventh game, developers decided to go with a first person view rather than the usual third person view they had become known for. Putting the players within eye level of the horrors they face made it an even scarier experience.

The game’s story focuses on protagonist Ethan Winters, who finds himself held captive in a mysterious house after he goes searching for his wife and daughter in the bayous of Louisiana.

The game’s success revitalised the Resident Evil series, with the older games receiving remakes and an eighth entry coming soon after.

Scare score:

  • Gore: 5/5
  • Atmosphere: 4/5
  • Jump scares: 5/5
Prop idols

Girls full-contact rugby may be in its infancy in the Middle East, but there are already a number of role models for players to look up to.

Sophie Shams (Dubai Exiles mini, England sevens international)

An Emirati student who is blazing a trail in rugby. She first learnt the game at Dubai Exiles and captained her JESS Primary school team. After going to study geophysics at university in the UK, she scored a sensational try in a cup final at Twickenham. She has played for England sevens, and is now contracted to top Premiership club Saracens.

----

Seren Gough-Walters (Sharjah Wanderers mini, Wales rugby league international)

Few players anywhere will have taken a more circuitous route to playing rugby on Sky Sports. Gough-Walters was born in Al Wasl Hospital in Dubai, raised in Sharjah, did not take up rugby seriously till she was 15, has a master’s in global governance and ethics, and once worked as an immigration officer at the British Embassy in Abu Dhabi. In the summer of 2021 she played for Wales against England in rugby league, in a match that was broadcast live on TV.

----

Erin King (Dubai Hurricanes mini, Ireland sevens international)

Aged five, Australia-born King went to Dubai Hurricanes training at The Sevens with her brothers. She immediately struck up a deep affection for rugby. She returned to the city at the end of last year to play at the Dubai Rugby Sevens in the colours of Ireland in the Women’s World Series tournament on Pitch 1.

23-man shortlist for next six Hall of Fame inductees

Tony Adams, David Beckham, Dennis Bergkamp, Sol Campbell, Eric Cantona, Andrew Cole, Ashley Cole, Didier Drogba, Les Ferdinand, Rio Ferdinand, Robbie Fowler, Steven Gerrard, Roy Keane, Frank Lampard, Matt Le Tissier, Michael Owen, Peter Schmeichel, Paul Scholes, John Terry, Robin van Persie, Nemanja Vidic, Patrick Viera, Ian Wright.

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Innotech Profile

Date started: 2013

Founder/CEO: Othman Al Mandhari

Based: Muscat, Oman

Sector: Additive manufacturing, 3D printing technologies

Size: 15 full-time employees

Stage: Seed stage and seeking Series A round of financing 

Investors: Oman Technology Fund from 2017 to 2019, exited through an agreement with a new investor to secure new funding that it under negotiation right now. 

If you go

 

  • The nearest international airport to the start of the Chuysky Trakt is in Novosibirsk. Emirates (www.emirates.com) offer codeshare flights with S7 Airlines (www.s7.ru) via Moscow for US$5,300 (Dh19,467) return including taxes. Cheaper flights are available on Flydubai and Air Astana or Aeroflot combination, flying via Astana in Kazakhstan or Moscow. Economy class tickets are available for US$650 (Dh2,400).
  • The Double Tree by Hilton in Novosibirsk ( 7 383 2230100,) has double rooms from US$60 (Dh220). You can rent cabins at camp grounds or rooms in guesthouses in the towns for around US$25 (Dh90).
  • The transport Minibuses run along the Chuysky Trakt but if you want to stop for sightseeing, hire a taxi from Gorno-Altaisk for about US$100 (Dh360) a day. Take a Russian phrasebook or download a translation app. Tour companies such as  Altair-Tour ( 7 383 2125115 ) offer hiking and adventure packages.

GOLF’S RAHMBO

- 5 wins in 22 months as pro
- Three wins in past 10 starts
- 45 pro starts worldwide: 5 wins, 17 top 5s
- Ranked 551th in world on debut, now No 4 (was No 2 earlier this year)
- 5th player in last 30 years to win 3 European Tour and 2 PGA Tour titles before age 24 (Woods, Garcia, McIlroy, Spieth)

COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Updated: October 29, 2023, 7:36 AM`