October 31, 2016 at 5:29 a.m.
The Steam Halloween Sale 2016 has begun, so here are 10 fun games for Halloween that are all less than a dollar each. Bear in mind these aren’t the 10 scariest games, just 10 games I felt were seasonally appropriate for one reason or another.
Top 10 $1 Games for Steam Halloween Sale 2016
#10 – Belladonna
Belladonna is a point and click adventure game where you play a woman who has been brought back to life in a Frankenstein-like experiment and try to discover why. It’s pretty standard point and click gameplay but everything is very snappy and satisfying so if you have been turned off point and clicks by clunky or sluggish gameplay in the past I wouldn’t let that scare you away from this one.
You move around quickly, the interface is clear and responsive and while there is quite a bit of reading, the story is mostly told through journal articles you find, the game moves at a nice pace. The game is not very long at all, you can easily finish it in one sitting. It’s probably on the easier side as far as these sorts of games go. The puzzles are definitely on the simpler side but I would take that over the moon logic of some other adventure games any day.
If I have one complaint it’s that it probably could have done with more of them, but I feel it was probably a deliberate decision to keep the story moving, even if it does maybe move a little too quickly. If you’re looking for a classic horror story with a twist of macabre romance this Halloween then Belladonna is a great way to spend a dark and stormy night.
#9 – Cellar
Cellar isn’t going to be scaring anyone this Halloween, but it does have that element of childlike adventure I think is a big part of the season. You play as a young girl who ventures into her basement in search of her teddy bear. Controls are simple, just up down left and right movement, and you have to dodge traps and monsters while collecting keys to progress to the next level.
I don’t know why but I’m kind of a sucker for games like this with the cutesy monster designs and such. If you enjoy path-finding puzzle games and you’re on babysitting duty this Halloween, this might be one to play with the kids before moving on to something else from this list after they go to bed.
#8 – Sophie’s Curse
So I knew when I was doing this the last thing I wanted to do was fill it up with a bunch of cheap jump scare fests that there seems to be a lot of at this price point. But I figured I’d include at least one. Sophie’s Curse is a game where you have to move around a house keeping these hand cranked lights on to keep away the ghost of Sophie, a girl who disappeared some time before.
As you can imagine, it gets more difficult to keep everything going as time goes by and Sophie starts to appear more frequently. The environments are all pre-rendered and that allows for some unique and pretty creepy animations for Sophie. There’s also a bit more to it than just keeping the lights on so I recommend you read the little guide on the main menu before you start or you might get frustrated as to why you’re dying even when you’re keeping all the lights lit.
I know these games are cheap but if you’re looking for that primal surge of adrenaline that comes with a monster charging straight towards the screen, then this is at least a pretty interesting one and is probably an excellent choice for scaring your unexpecting friends and family.
#7 – Insanity’s Blade
If you’re more of a retro gamer and all these 3D games aren’t doing it for you, check out Insanity’s Blade. It’s a sort of horror themed arcade side-scroller, kind of like Ghosts and Goblins meets Rastan. You play as a hero whose village is attacked and burned to the ground on Halloween so you must travel to hell to save the souls of his wife and son.
The controls are simple with keys for movement, jump, attack and grapple and that’s about it though there are lots of button combos and special attacks you can pull off if you’re better at this type of game than I am. I have to say it’s probably one of the most authentic feeling retro recreations I have ever played, which can be a good or a bad thing.
While I am a big retro gamer, I have to admit I prefer when modern releases are a bit more polished even if that comes at the expense of authenticity, as with something like Shovel Knight, but I really can’t say that takes anything away from Insanity’s Blade.
If you want something new to scratch that retro itch this Halloween, Insanity’s Blade is a great choice and even includes local two-player co-op so it’s a great one to sit down with a friend and just power through it all night.
#6 – Resident Evil Revelations 2 “Episode 1: Penal Colony”
So if you are not much of an Indie Gamer, there is a great AAA option this year. You can pick up the first episode of Resident Evil Revelations 2 for under a dollar in the Steam Halloween Sale and it is well worth it. The Revelations series has been something of a return to form for the Resident Evil series.
There’s definitely still action here, but it has been scaled back a little with more emphasis put on exploring the creepy environment, utilizing the unique skills and play styles of the two playable characters and unraveling the mystery of the Kafka quoting bad guy.
#5 – Trick & Treat
Okay, so maybe this one is cheating a little bit as it’s not technically on sale at the moment, but it is free all year round. It’s an RPG Maker game which I know a lot of people associate with amateur games as you often see them relying on the same stock assets, and I can’t honestly say this game doesn’t give that sort of impression as well, but given the season and the fact it’s free I definitely think it’s worth checking out.
You play as a young girl going out on Halloween with her friend for the first time. On your way to town you come across a strange mansion with an even stranger party going on inside. You are separated from your friend and have to solve puzzles to progress through the mansion and find her, while also collecting as much candy as you can.
I know it has that amateur look and it’s not scary, but it is actually a lot of fun when you get into it and really captures that Halloween atmosphere.
#4 – Enki
In Enki you find yourself trapped in a bizarre, basement lair of sorts laden with strange occult writings and images and are given 30 minutes to escape before…well, let’s just say if you found yourself in here you would probably want out as quickly as possible.
Gameplay-wise it’s a lot like one of those escape-the-room games that have popped up everywhere the last few years. There are lots of locked doors and puzzles around and you have to really look around and pay attention to your surroundings for clues. All the while keeping an eye on the clock as well.
The area is rather small, but detailed, and strikes a nice balance between being big enough to make finding puzzles and clues a challenge but small enough that you don’t feel like you’re wasting time backtracking…Which you’ll be doing a lot of. The setting itself is honestly one of the most unsettling ones I have ever played in a game.
I was ready to say it wasn’t all that scary until I bumped something off my desk while I was playing and nearly jumped out of my chair. I didn’t quite realize just how tense and on edge the game had me. The timer may seem cheap but honestly I think it really makes the game. It keeps the pressure on and makes for a completely different experience than it would have without it. I highly recommend checking this one out.
#3 – Nosferatu: The Wrath of Malachi
OK, so if the slow burning adventure games, cutesy spooky kid-friendly games, jump scare fests or first person Slenderlikes where you’re completely defenseless against a single monster that you can’t even get a good luck at aren’t your thing, oooh, do I have a game for you… Nosferatu: The Wrath of Malachi is a lightning fast paced game about just killing everything.
The game begins with a priest being thrown out of a window and telling you this vampire has taken over the castle or…I don’t even know, because after that you’re killing ugly bat looking vampires or sexy lady vampires or skeletons or all sorts of other monsters.
The game has this very 70s, hammer horror, exploitation film sort of feel. There is a grainy, film reel sort of filter over it and I really think the soundtrack was taken straight from some public domain horror movie. The game has all the clichés; big wooden stakes that stick out of vampires chests when you stab them, big jeweled crucifixes, loud smoky old timey guns…It’s clunky and ugly and just so much fun.
If you want to play something for Halloween this year but don’t go for the usual stuff, Nosferatu: Wrath of Malachi might be exactly what you’re looking for, just make sure you download the patch for modern resolutions.
#2 – Ghost Master
Did you ever try and make a haunted house in The Sims by filling it with ghosts and just scaring the hell out of your Sims like it was its own little game? That’s basically Ghost Master, except skipping the building and going straight to the haunting. Each level presents you with a new location and a new group of humans to scare. Your job is to use a range of different haunts such as electrical gremlins or poltergeists to prey on their fears and make them flee the house. You actually do have to put quite a bit of thought into it.
Each human has their own Terror, Madness and Belief level, along with a bio that tells you a little about their fears. You have to choose the right frights to build up their belief to the point where you can unleash a big one and really get that terror meter up. I’ll admit, I was so eager to just get into it that I just started throwing haunts around and it wasn’t very effective, so it’s definitely worth taking your time and learning to play it right. It’s an older game and shows its age at times, but what could be better for Halloween than directing your very own haunted house.
#1 – Costume Quest
Number one on this list had to be Costume Quest. You play as a kid trick or treating on Halloween when your sibling is kidnapped by goblins who are ransacking the neighborhood for candy. So it’s your job to put on your costume and save them. You travel to three different neighborhoods to trick or treat, battle goblins, unlock costumes, bob for apples, collect trading cards and just go on a great Halloween adventure.
No it’s not scary, but I think Halloween is about more than just that, and I have never come across a game that has captured the Halloween atmosphere and spirit of mischief and excitement like this one. I first played this game on Halloween night, sitting on my couch in my costume, eating from the bowl of leftover candy in the glow of the orange lights in my window as the flow of trick or treaters started to slow down and I just can’t imagine playing it any other time of year.
It’s a great opportunity for a really unique gaming experience so for just $0.99 in the Steam Halloween Sale 2016, don’t miss it.
So those are 10 super cheap games to give you something to play this Halloween, and to celebrate the season we are giving away your choice of any game from this list to the first 10 Commenters on the linked video that have a suggestion for another scary game that is currently on sale, your thoughts on any of the games from this list or just a Halloween gaming memory you would like to share. So make sure to leave a comment and check the other comments for more suggestions.
Happy Halloween!