Summary

  • Horror and puzzle genres often combine in games, as puzzles can enhance the spooky atmosphere, while scares add intensity to the puzzle-solving.
  • Amnesia: The Dark Descent, Silent Hill 2, and Tormented Souls are standout titles that successfully blend horror and puzzles.
  • These games offer unique experiences, with elements like physics-based puzzling, complex narratives, and creepy monsters, making them must-plays for fans of both genres.

Something that both the horror and puzzle genres have in common is that they often make their way into other types of games. For example, there are plenty of 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:scary moments in non-horror titles, and you often find puzzles in your typical action adventure gamꩵes and RPGꦑs.

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So, it's no surprise that the two popular genres also combine with each other frequently. They often make for good combinations, too, as puzzles don't generally detract from a spooky atmosphere. In fact, they can sometimes enhance it. After all, having to do a puzzle while a monster stalks you makes the situation even more intense. The following titles are the best combinations of the tw𒀰o genres.

Updated September 27, 2024 By Ben Jessey: Some of the best horror games ever could also be considered puzzle games. We put the best of them on the list. However, that was a while ago, and with the spooky season coming up, we thought we'd update the collection to add a few other worthy games.

12 🎐 The Medium

Marianne looking at a covered up body in The Medium.

Released
January 28🦹, 2021
ESRB
M for M🌼ature: Blood, Strong Language, Violence
Engine
Unreal Engine 4 ඣ

There is one thing that separates The Medium from most other games in general: It’s a single-player split-screen game. Each section of the screen takes place in a different world. So, you wander around both at the same t♎ime. The environments of them are very different from one another. One is an ordinary world, while the other is the spirit world.

The game is all about guiding the protagonist, Marianne, around an abandoned hotel while being stalked by a creepy creature. In the process, you must navigate the place in both dimensions. This⛦ often requires solving puzzles, which are typically about moving things in one world to allow you to progress in the other.

11 I'm On Observation Duty

I'm On Observation Duty screenshot of bedroom with a guitar on the floor.

Running away is a viable strategy in most horror games, but that isn’t an option in I’m On Observation Duty ඣbecause you’re on observation duty. You need to sit there and look through a series of cameras to see if anything unusual is going oܫn.

If something has changed, you must catalog it. So, it’s a bit of a memory game, as you need to notice when things have moved or changed.🌟 You also need to keep an eye out for the unsettling monsters 🍎that may appear on your cameras. The whole experience is very creepy.

10 ♏ꦗ Amnesia: The Dark Descent

Daniel holding a lantern on top of a box as a Kaernk enemy splashes nearby in Amnesia: The Dark Descent.
Amnesia: The Dark Descent
Survival Horror
Indie Games
Adventure
Action
Puzzle
10.0/10

Released
September 8, 2010 ꧟
ESRB
t
Developer(s)
𝄹 Frictional Games
Publisher(s)
♌ ꦛ Frictional Games
Engine
🉐 ᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚ⁤⁤⁤⁤ᩚ⁤⁤⁤⁤ᩚ⁤⁤⁤⁤ᩚ𒀱ᩚᩚᩚ HPL Engine, HPL 2 Engine

Games don't much scarier than 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:Amnesia: The Dark Descent. Itꦍ's a contemporary horror game classic that has you direct the protagonist around a dark and spooky castle.

The main character doesn't handle﷽ this too well, as the darkness and any unsettling events he witnesses mess with his sanity. But you have to fight through this and avoid any monsters nearby while trying to solve puzzles and advance in the game. Fearing for your life doesﷺ add extra intensity to the physics-based puzzling.

9 💖 🐷 Silent Hill 2

Silent Hill 2: James and Maria exploring the foggy streets of Silent Hill.

Released
Septeℱmber 25, 2001
ESRB
൩ Mature 17+ // Blood and Gore, Violence
Developer(s)
✨ Team Silent
Publisher(s)
Konami
Engine
🎉 ෴ Unreal Engine 5

Silent Hill 2 is one of the greatest psychological horror games of all time. It's mostly praised for its deep and complex story that has the ability to surprise you on multiple occasions. In fact, it's one of 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:the best 💧narratives the genre has ever seen.

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TYhese horror games will get under your skin ⛄and lꦍinger in your mind.

As you're making your way through the town of Silent Hill, you will need to solve various puzzles. Many of them involve finding a wri🥃tten note that gives you a hint about theꦆ solution. But even with the notes, the puzzles typically take some time to figure out.

8 🌟 A Rose In The Twilight

A Rose In The Twilight screenshot of characters and big red creature.

In A Rose In The Twilight, you play as both a girl and a giant that you can switch between. Not only are you given the freedom to do that, but you have to do that at certain points to get past obstacl𒉰es. This is the main puzzle-solving aspect of the game.

The horror, on the other hand, comes from the creepy world the game is set in. The place looks pretty great, as the game has a nice art s﷽tyle. But that art style is also a little unsettling, particularly when it comes to the monsters you face.

7 ꦇ Tormented Souls

Caroline praying at a mirror in Tormented Souls.
Tormented Souls

Released
August 27, 2021 🎉
ESRB
M For Mature 17+ due to Blood and Gore, Intense Violencཧe, Mild Language, Partial Nudity 🍬
Developer(s)
ꦅ Dual Effect Games 🐷
Publisher(s)
PQube
Engine
Unity

Clearly, Tormented Souls was influenced by the classic Resident Evil games, as it plays a lot like them - ev🃏en down to the fixed camera angles. The puzzles are also similar in style, as you have to find all sorts of different items and occasionally combine them to progress in the game.

Halting your progression is a slew of freaky monste💃rs. They don't look out of place, though, as the game is set in a♓ creepy abandoned mansion. The protagonist is there to find two missing twins. But while looking for them, you'll question if it's worth it as you deal with a bunch of scares.

6 ꦏ ✅ Layers of Fear

Layers Of Fear art of woman, partially covered up.
3.0/5

Released
February 16, 2016 🐭
ESRB
m
Publisher(s)
Aspyr
Engine
𝄹🃏 Unreal Engine 5

Layers of Fear is essentially 16🍰8澳洲幸运5开奖网:a walking simulator and a very scary one at th꧃at. In it, you creep around a very unusual Vict𒊎orian house. Or at least, it seems unusual because you and your character arღe seeing things.

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This is the game's way of terrifying you, as it messes with your mind through the use of various visual tricks. There's also an abundance of jump scares if pure psychological terror isn't enough. Sometimes, the visual tricks play a part in the puzzles, too. But they aren't the only puzzles in the game, as there are a bunch of 🔯ot𝓡her creative ones.

5 Catherine

Catherine screenshot of characters jumping up platforms.

Released
Ju♋ly 26, 2011𒈔
ESRB
M For Mature 17+ due to Blood, Partial Nudity, Sexual Themes, Strong Language, Use of Alcohol, Violence ও
Developer(s)
Atlus
Engine
Gamebryo
Platform(s)
PS3, Xbox 360, PC

Catherine has a horror aesthetic, more so than being an outright horror game. As such, the title isn't very scary. That being said, there are some pretty f🔜reaky visuals✃ in the game that may at least creep you out. The story reloves around a guy named Vincent, who cheats on his girlfriend with an unconventional woman.

In the aftermath, he begins to have nightmares, which is where the puzzle aspect of the game comes in. Each stage contains a tower of blocks, and your goal is to reach the top. To do so, you need to arrange the blocks to craft yourself a makeshift stai♚rcase.

4 ♓ Resident Evil 2

Claire being hunted by Mr. X in the Resident Evil 2 remake.

Released
January 25, 2019 ꦍ
ESRB
M for Mature: Blood and Gore, Strong Language, Intense Violence ﷽ 🌠
Developer(s)
Capcom
Publisher(s)
Capcom
Engine
RE Engine

The Resident Evil games aren't generally thought of as puzzle titles. However, puzzles play a❀ big part in the ღearly instalments, or in this case, the remake of one. After all, much of what drives the narrative forward involves solving different types of challenges.

Some are simple, where you have to place a gem into an open slot, while 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:others are a little more complicated. The RE2 remake ha🎃s some of the most enjoyable puzzles in the series' history. And it is certainly scary, too, particularly when the dangerous Mr. X is stalking you.

3 Limbo

A shadowy figure faces a giant set of legs from Limbo.

Released
Ju༒ly 21, 2010 ♒
ESRB
T For Teen due to Animated Blood, Mild Violence ✨
Developer(s)
Playdead
Publisher(s)
Playdead
Engine
Box2D
Platform(s)
PS4, PS3, Xbox One, Xbox 360, PS Vita, Switch, PC, Android, iOS

The thing that immediately stands out about Limbo is its visuals🌳 and unique color palette. But there is substance to go with that style. The game is a creepy and atmospheric puzzle platformer. In premise, the gameplay is simple, as you can only run, jump, climb, pull things, and push things. Plus, there are only two directions to go, so you're not going to get lost.

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However, even with minimalistic gameplay, the developers manage to create a slew of interes𝓀ting puzzles for you to solve that usually involve plenty of pushing and pulling. And if you don't solve them, you almost always die immediately. The horror aspects are less prevalent, but they're certainly there in the form of a few spooky creatures, most notably a giant spider.