The Super Nintendo was a 16-bit video game console created by Nintendo that was an update of the popular Nintendo Entertainment System. The SNES became the best-selling 16-bit console of its generation, even though it was released quite late at that time. Production was halted in 2003 after selling just under 50 million units worldwide.
The list of games released for this console included all-time classics, like Super Mario World, The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past, Super Metroid, And Final Fantasy VI. However, like any console and entertainment medium, it also featured a range of horror or generally scary games. While modern games rely on incredibly detailed visuals, story, and plots to create horror mechanics, retro games on the 16-bit SNES had to rely heavily on storytelling to elicit fear in players .
10
Soul Blazer has love, monsters and demons
This horror ARPG was released in some regions in 1992
- Soul Blazer was never released in the UK.
Soul Blazer is an action role-playing game in which players step into the shoes of the protagonist known as Blazer. This character serves as a “servant of the Master” and is sent to destroy monsters and free the captured souls of the world’s population. The Master is depicted as a powerful, God-like deity who sends Blazer into the world as a divine warrior. In this old-school dungeon crawler, when Blazer clears a dungeon or destroys a monster’s lair, a soul is freed and returned to a town resident. It’s not always a human; for example, souls can return to a dolphin, a city dog or even a tulip.
Related
10 Times Horror Games Were Scary In Ways Movies Can’t Be
While horror movies have their own strengths, horror games can also induce fear in a way that movies cannot.
As each soul is returned, the town it originated from begins to be rebuilt, and the newly revived inhabitants can give advice and items to aid the player. There are six villages in total to save, after which the player gains access to the World of Evil’s final boss. The fear factor in Soul Blazer comes from demonic monstersbut there is also a fantastic story throughout, with twists and turns and a sad but beautiful ending. It is a true hidden gem of the SNES era.
9
Super Ghouls and Ghosts lets players take on the role of King Arthur
This escapade through the kingdom of ghouls was released in 1991
One of the most famous games on this list, Super Ghouls and Ghosts puts players in the armor of the legendary King Arthur, who embarks on a quest to save Princess Guinevere and her kingdom from the evil Emperor Sardius in the Phantom Zone. Sardius cast a spell to revive the ghoul kingdom and unleash its forces in a takeover. This game follows Ghosts and goblinswhere King Arthur saved a different princess from a demonic entity known as Astaroth. The “ghosts” of this title have returned in force in Ghouls and ghosts.
Three major factors in Super Ghouls and Ghosts can scare players. The first is the vast array of mythically gruesome enemies encountered throughout the game, rendered with impressive graphics for the time. Second, the game features very limited restarts, and once those run out, players must start from the beginning. This is a harsh reality that players will have to get used to, especially considering the third element: like in previous games, after King Arthur fights through waves of enemies and puzzles, he has to start all over again. After completing the Super Ghouls and Ghosts a second time, the Princess is savedand the great evil finally stops.
8
Shadowrun is a vastly underrated game series
The Cyberpunk-Fantasy game released in 1993
- Shadow Race was one of the first video games in history to feature karma system.
Unfortunately, Shadow Race is a somewhat forgotten franchise. This is a colossal shame, because the ideas behind this film were not only fantastic, but also played a huge role in influencing a noir style in gaming. The games were successful, but have since fallen into obscurity despite having all the ingredients necessary for their longevity. The franchise began as a tabletop RPG, and the first video game is loosely based on the first novel set in that universe. THE Shadow Race the universe mixes futuristic cityscapes with fantasy RPG elementsincluding magical and mystical species like elves.
This first Shadow Race The game sees players follow Jake Armitage, who wakes up in a dark, dystopian Seattle in 2050. In typical RPG fashion, the character suffers amnesia after an attack on his life and must fight his way through the city, trying to gather all the information about himself. and attacks. The fear of this game can be seen in the atmosphere, where players never know what dangers lurk beneath this futuristic city.
7
Out of this world also known as another world
The aliens are the monsters in this 1992 game
Extraordinary is a cinematic platform game that tells the story of an experiment gone wrong. A young scientist named Lester finds himself transported to an alien planet where he must use his wits, wits, and anything else he can find to survive. The game begins with Lester arriving in his underground laboratory in the middle of a raging storm. He begins work on an experiment with a particle accelerator, hoping to recreate the events that started the universe. During the experiment, a lightning strike strikes the laboratory, interfering with the accelerator and sending it to another planet.
During Lester’s adventures on this alien planet, he must hide and escape from a vast array of frightening alien life forms. At one point, he is captured by a group of humanoid-looking aliens who imprison him in an underground camp. There, he befriends another inmate and together they hatch an escape plan. Their attempt to escape takes them through perilous locations, difficult puzzles and a challenge from hostile enemies, culminating in their final escapade on a dragon-like creature.
6
Castlevania: Dracula X had three different endings
This remake was released in 1995
Castlevania: Dracula is known by many different names. In Europe the title is called Castlevania: Kiss of the Vampirewhile in Japan, it is Akumajou Dracula XX. Dracula is a remake of Castlevania: Rondo of Blood. The game’s plot is similar to the original and uses many of the same graphics. However, it features completely new levels and has three endings rather than the original one.
Related
How to play the Castlevania series in chronological order
Replaying a classic like Castlevania is a great opportunity to play the games in the correct narrative order.
The game takes place several hundred years after Simon Belmont defeated and imprisoned Count Dracula. The infamous undead Count is later revived by a group and then plots his revenge. This revenge involves the kidnapping of Annet and her little sister Maria. Annet is the girlfriend of Richter Belmont, Simon’s ancestor. Richter then takes the sacred whip of his family lineage and travels to Transylvania to save his girlfriend and put an end to the Count once and for all. Like most Castlevania games, it has fantastic monster designs and a terrific scary atmosphere.
5
Zombies Ate My Neighbors is a colorful running and gun game
This LucasArts title released in 1993
It’s easy to overlook the iconic video game titles created by LucasArts compared to their Star Wars franchise. However, the company also produced classics like Sinister Fandango, Monkey IslandAnd Zombies ate my neighbors. In this game, players take control of one of two protagonists, Zeke or Julie, tasked with saving their neighbors from an entire group of traditional horror movie monsters.
While Zombies ate my neighbors leans more towards comic horror than outright fearit still offers scary moments. Like slapstick horror films, it has a good balance of laughs and scares. The tone of the game is lightened by the creative choice of weapons, ranging from water guns, ice creams and tomatoes to more serious equipment like bazookas, flamethrowers and weed eaters.
4
Demon’s Crest holds the fate of the Demon Realm at stake
This demonic title was released in 1994
Long before the Avengers made the concept popular, Demon Crest featured a character searching for six magical stones. These six stones, or crests, grant power over specific elements: fire, water, air, earth, time and sky. When combined, the crests grant their wielder immeasurable power and the ability to conquer all realms. The protagonist, known as Firebrand, begins the game fighting a dragon while attempting to acquire the final emblem.
Related
This notorious retro series was one of Capcom’s biggest failures
The Gargoyle’s Quest series is one of Capcom’s greatest, but the adventures of the demon Firebrand failed to sell upon its release.
At the end of this clash, a rival demon named Phalanx arrives and steals five of the six crests, leaving only the fire crest. From there he retired to begin his reign. Once Firebrand recovers, he sets out to defeat Phalanx and his followers, recover the stolen crests, and decide the fate of the Demon Realm. Demon Crest is a gothic demon fighting game that challenges players in multiple ways.
3
Alien 3 puts players in Ripley’s shoes
This romp through Fiorina 161 released in 1992
No video games set in the Stranger the universe is as terrifying as the recent Extraterrestrial: isolationbut Alien 3 because the SNES could come in second place. Loosely following the events of Alien 3 film, this side-scroller has the titular protagonist, Ellen Ripley, fighting her way through the penal colony of Fiorina 161. Alien 3 was a controversial entry in the franchise, but the game offers many strong points. Players can fight swarms of aliens and facehuggers with a variety of weapons, providing an intense and atmospheric experience.
Related
Every Alien Game, Ranked
With 40 years of video gaming and 32 landmark titles under its belt, this is the definitive ranking of every Alien game released.
The game captures the atmosphere and darkness synonymous with the Extraterrestrials franchise in 16-bit form, making the heart race just like the films. The developers achieved this tension through limited restarts and a time limit for each level. Not only do players have to worry about the xenomorphs catching them, but they also have to race against time. One key feature for everything Stranger The title is the motion tracker, visible at the top right of the screen throughout the game. It warns players of impending attacks, but the pressure intensifies when time is running out and ammo and health are low and the tracker starts beeping. In these moments, the frightening nature of the game really shines through.
2
Super Metroid is a highlight of this brilliant series
This third part was released in 1994
Metroid is one of the most iconic retro games of all time. Players take on the role of Samus Aran, a power suit-clad bounty hunter who travels the galaxy to protect it from space pirates and other evil forces. These threats often revolve around attempts to acquire and exploit the abilities of parasitic Metroid creatures. The game is a side-scrolling shooter with platform elements, and in Super MetroidSamus brings the last surviving Metroid to a colony for study. Shortly after, she responds to a distress call and returns to the colony, only to discover that the space pirate Ridley has stolen the Metroid.
Metroid is scarier than the typical action-adventure game. It centers on a crew of pirates who wish to use an alien parasite for nefarious purposes. The game includes strange space creatures and even occasional scares that make everything more tense. Super Metroid goes even further and adds a refreshing horror atmosphere to this classic sci-fi series.
1
Clocktower was originally only available in Japan
This 1995 title had a huge influence in the Japanese horror gaming world
Probably one of the most influential horror games in the Japanese video game sphere, Clock Tower is a point-and-click survival horror game in which players control an orphan girl named Jennifer.. She is relentlessly pursued by a serial killer known only as Scissorman. As she attempts to escape through the strange Barrows mansion, Jennifer also searches for other surviving orphans.
Clock Tower was a marvel of development for its time. The character graphics were created from scanned images of real people, and Jennifer’s movements were mapped by a woman on the development team. Directed by Hifumi Kono, a long-time horror movie fan, the game takes heavy inspiration from the Italian horror film. Phenomena.