5 Outstanding Horror Games of the 90s

As much as we love horror movies there is something truly unique and special about horror games. As players are directly in control of their characters when playing a video game, horror games allow players to more intimately experience the horror and anxiety of a situation firsthand. While the genre of horror games has been growing steadily in popularity in recent years, this was not always the case.

Many of the most successful titles within the horror genre draw influence from horror games of yesteryear, with many influential horror games being released throughout the 1990s. So today, we're going to examine five prominent horror games that were released throughout the 90s.

Clock Tower

Released for the SNES in 1995, Clock Tower is an excellent and terrifying point-and-click adventure. The game does a great job at setting town through its use of visual and sound design, pairing dreary and cramped visuals with anxiety-inducing scores.

Clock Tower notably featured numerous endings based on a player's choices and success. In addition to setting the tone expertly, the game features well-thought-out puzzles for the players to solve as they attempt to survive.

The House Of The Dead

While horror-based shooters are commonplace within the modern landscape of gaming, this wasn't always the case. Released in 1996, The House Of The Dead is an on-rails shooter that has a player fend off hoards of zombies with up to two players.

Like Clock Tower, The House of the Dead distinctly has several possible endings based on a player's choices and actions. The sequel is also an arcade classic and a highly entertaining 90s horror game.

Alone In The Dark

While survival horror is now one of the most popular sub-genres in gaming, most modern releases can trace their influences to Alone in the Dark. Released in 1992 for PC, the game features a somewhat simple premise, only requiring a player to escape a haunted mansion. However, through the array of puzzles and undead foes that must be overcome, this is easier said than done.

Like Resident Evil, resource management is integral in Alone in the Dark, as players must keep track of how much gear they are carrying at a given moment.

Parasite Eve

Released by Square in 1998, Parasite Eve is a game that mixes elements of RPGs and real-time action games, wrapping it all together within an incredibly atmospheric package. Placed in the shoes of Aya Brea, the player must attempt to find and stop Eve, a woman who is planning to eradicate humanity.

While Parasite Eve's action combat is solid in its own right, much of the game's quality is derived from exploring its ambient environments.

Silent Hill

Released in 1999, few games have had as profound an impact on the genre of horror games as the original Silent Hill. An immersive and atmosphere-driven experience, Silent Hill is a game that plays with someone's uncertainty, obscuring their visuals with a heavy blanket of fog.

With a basic premise that asks the player to find their lost daughter in the town of Silent Hill, the game offers five potential alternate endings depending on how they handle the events that unfold.

Greetings to all, take care of yourselves and see you soon!