As the industry has developed, storytelling and theming in video games have become more and more intense and intentional, helping flesh out the worlds we play in. With how detailed world-building has become to make more engaging worlds in gaming, certain styles have caught on more than others.
One of the most popular and engaging themes or topics used in gaming is the occult. Inherently spooky and mysterious, occult games tend to draw you in with intrigue and a dark atmosphere, and that’s what makes them so easy to fall in love with. So, what are the best games that deal with the occult?
Oxenfree starts off incredibly unassuming, seeming to just be a side-scrolling, slow-paced narrative game, but as the story progresses, you’ll not only learn more about the characters you’re adventuring with but also the strange nature of the island that you’re stuck on.
No matter which part of the island you travel to, something strange will always be around every corner, and the further you get in, the more you’ll realize that just about everything is a threat to your character. While it might take a while to pick up the pace, once Oxenfree has you hooked, it’s not letting you go until you’ve finished.
The strange brutalist aesthetic of Control isn’t what first comes to mind when thinking about occult games, but very quickly, you’ll realize that the events taking place at the Oldest House are far from normal.
Control is packed full of mystery and the supernatural, all presented in an intentionally unsettling way. Controlling Jesse andher telekinetic powersmakes Control an enjoyable journey, but thanks to the atmosphere of the Oldest House, you’ll never feel fully comfortable.
It’s easy to assume that all horror games like the Resident Evil series fit into the occult, but with the first three titles, the series was staunchly sitting in a more sci-fi/horror category. However, this changes with the fourth entry in the series, taking a much more occult approach.
While the original Resident Evil 4 definitely has its strengths, if you want to feel the weight of the atmosphere on the haunting island setting, then playing the Remake is likely the best approach.
At first glance, Night in the Woods could easily be described as a cozy narrative-focused adventure, and even for the first couple of hours of the game, that holds up, but the unnerving atmosphere starts to peek around the corner the further you get in.
Mae’s story is engaging, and you have plenty of control over how she spends her days and who she bonds with, but theunnatural happenings in her towncan only be avoided for so long as the game builds up to its disturbing climax.
Baldur’s Gate 3 is a massive game that delves into plenty of different themes throughout its extended runtime, but one aspect it can’t seem to get away from is a sneaking sense of something going on behind your back.
As you work through the three detailed acts of this RPG, you’ll come across murderous rituals, magical danger lurking around every corner, and multiple cults that you either choose to aid or attack.
When it comes to oppressive occult atmospheres in gaming, you wouldn’t expect one of the top contenders to be a fishing game, but that is exactly the niche that Dredge fills. While the core focus of Dredge is on fishing and keeping your character healthy and happy (or as happy as he can be considering the circumstances), this simulation starts to feel more like survival.
Each area of the game holds numerous otherworldly threats that don’t have the best intentions for your poor fisherman, and the evil under the depths isn’t even his only worry, since he has to worry about NPCs that are out to manipulate him and the constant threat of madness the longer he spends out in the dark.
While most games that deal with the occult will have a threatening and mysterious atmosphere, Cult of the Lamb decides to take a more lighthearted approach, taking themes and ideas that usually hold taboo and stigma and instead poking fun.
It makes Cult of the Lamb a refreshing, if not slightly unnerving, title to play through, as you enjoy itsaggressive rogue-lite combatalongside a life sim to manage the health and efficiency of your cult. The game is also regularly receiving free updates years after release, so there is plenty of content to sink your teeth into.
If you’re looking for a title that keeps you on the edge of your seat, always second-guessing what you know about its mysterious and unsettling world, then Inscryption is well worth diving into. Deck-building rogue-lite games don’t tend to be the spookiest titles out there, but Inscryption takes all your expectations as a challenge to prove wrong.
While the oppressive atmosphere and guttural intrigue will keep you engaged, it also helps that the gameplay in Inscryption is as strong as the atmosphere, with the deck-building being fun even for those who don’t tend to enjoy the relatively niche genre.
