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00:00Welcome to Mojo Plays and today we're counting down our picks for the delightfully spooky
00:16and ominous, gothic-infused horror and horror-adjacent games for you to sink your teeth into.
00:31Before we begin, we publish new content all week long, so be sure to subscribe and ring
00:35the bell to be notified about our latest videos.
00:40Layers of Fear
00:51Layers of Fear is a genuinely creepy and terrifying first-person psychological horror game set
00:56in a gothic-soaked Victorian mansion, one dripping with dread around every shadowy nook
01:01and cranny.
01:02Layers of Fear leans more into the walking sim arena, with the occasional environmental
01:06puzzle to spice things up a bit.
01:08But really, you come to this game for the atmosphere, tension, and perfectly scripted
01:12scares.
01:13You see, Layers of Fear constantly changes the environment around you as you explore
01:17this labyrinthian mansion.
01:18What you perceive in front of you may actually shift and warp at any given notice, something
01:23that helps the terror continuously feel palpable.
01:26In this game, you step into the harrowing shoes of a down-and-out once-famous artist,
01:30one who seeks to paint his magnum opus using any means necessary, something that, unfortunately
01:35for his family, leads to some grisly outcomes.
01:38The sense of place in this artistically ominous mansion is simply sublime, and will sink its
01:42gothic horror hooks into you right from the get-go.
01:44Vampire
02:04Nod's Vampire truly deserves more attention and praise than it gets.
02:07One part vampire RPG, one part survival horror, and another part action-adventure, Vampire
02:13weaves a deliciously bloody tale all about Dr. Jonathan Reed, a blood transfusion doctor
02:18who just so happens to find himself turned into a creature of the night.
02:22Yes, a vampire, much to his dismay.
02:25Taking place in the moody, dank, and derelict foggy streets of London during the height
02:29of the Spanish Flu in 1918, Dr. Reed must battle between his need to help his patients
02:34and his need for blood as a fledgling vampire.
02:45Don't Nod did a truly exceptional job crafting a world brimming with gothic horror vibes
02:49in and around the various semi-open London districts that you explore.
02:53From dismal hospitals, to spooky graveyards, to derelict docks, to the blood-soaked cobblestone
02:58streets, you will feel the gothic terror during the entirety of this meaty adventure.
03:02Plus, the game's top-tier writing will ensure you feel the pain when choosing whether to
03:06feast on that NPC as a vampire to increase your vampiric strength, which might just close
03:12off an entire questline, or sparing them to give London a better chance at overall healing.
03:28Alone in the Dark
03:292024's reboot of Alone in the Dark might not have set the world on fire, mostly down
03:46to a very short runtime, clunky combat encounters, and a general lack of polish.
03:51However, what it lacks in these areas it very much makes up for in sheer southern gothic
03:55mood and atmosphere.
03:57Alone in the Dark tasks you to play as either Detective Edward Carnby or Emily Hartwood,
04:02as they work together to explore Dorsetto Manor, hoping to find some answers about Emily's
04:06missing uncle, Jeremy Hartwood.
04:15Blending traditional gothic horror sensibilities with noir thriller vibes and a healthy dose
04:19of Lovecraftian nightmares, Alone in the Dark truly is more than the sum of its often disparate
04:24parts.
04:25For the best overall experience, be sure to explore Dorsetto and its incredible ominous
04:29and varied otherworlds with both Edward Carnby and Emily Hartwood, since both campaigns offer
04:35different takes on the plot on top of additional character segments and areas to play through.
04:40What makes this game stand out as a highly enjoyable gothic horror game is in the way
04:44you weave and navigate your way through Dorsetto Manor, with its elaborate, spooky, and ominous
04:49rooms and corridors.
04:51Alone in the Dark, despite some gameplay faults, manages to craft a superb sense of place
04:55that is not often seen in the horror genre.
04:57It really is all about the mood here.
05:10Darkest Dungeon Series
05:11Now, it would be hard to classify Darkest Dungeon as a pure horror experience, mostly
05:25because it's actually an incredibly challenging roguelite RPG.
05:28However, to deny this game a place among great gothic horror games would be a real shame,
05:32since, after all, it is utterly dripping with gothic vibes.
05:36Darkest Dungeon is a game about terrifying eldritch abominations, decrepit medieval structures,
05:41psychologically scarred and tormented characters, and plenty of permadeath thrown in for good
05:46measure.
05:47This is just not one of those games that offers much hope to players, given just how punishing
05:51it can be.
05:52A gear-playable party of varied adventurers can develop mind-breaking traits and afflictions
05:57that affect both them and their party members.
06:00Darkest Dungeon, as well as its 2023 sequel, both offer meaty and richly rewarding dark
06:05horror RPG experiences that are drenched in dread and atmosphere.
06:09Plus, the strategic and tactical turn-based battles are finely tuned and meticulously
06:13crafted.
06:14The rewards, should you survive, are definitely well worth it, and the sense of satisfaction
06:18for overcoming the odds is hard to match.
06:21Really, don't sleep on either Darkest Dungeon game if, for some reason, you missed out on
06:25these gothic horror-inspired gems.
06:37Hunting Ground
06:38Capcom had a truly special penchant for creating
06:50some memorable and downright terrifying horror games during the 2000s.
06:552005's Haunting Ground and 2002's Clocktower 3 are two that really stand out as top-tier
07:00third-person survival horror games, with immense gothic horror sensibilities.
07:04The former, Haunting Ground, has become a rare PS2 gem, one that will definitely cost
07:09you a pretty penny to obtain.
07:11In this game, you step into the shoes of Fiona, a young woman who unfortunately finds herself
07:15inside a gargantuan gothic castle after surviving a harrowing car wreck.
07:20It's here in this castle that Fiona befriends a fluffy doggo friend, Huey.
07:24The two are now tasked to explore the castle in the hope of escaping from this nightmare.
07:28Now, this won't be an easy task due to the castle's labyrinthine design and layout,
07:32and more pressingly, a hulking brute of a character named Debilitas, who constantly
07:37stalks, chases, and torments Fiona, thinking that she is just another one of his dolls.
07:42You know, the usual happenings in creepy gothic-inspired castles, I guess.
07:54Fiona doesn't have a way to fight back like in many other survival horror games, which
07:58means Haunting Ground is a cat-and-mouse game where you must run, hide, and evade all manner
08:03of deadly shenanigans.
08:04Now, for a similar experience to this, as mentioned before, look to Clocktower 3, a
08:09game that drips with dread and more intense cat-and-mouse gameplay in and around gothic
08:13horror locations.
08:14It's no surprise, really, then, that Haunting Ground is considered a spiritual successor
08:19to the Clocktower series.
08:20Now, Capcom, please just remake Haunting Ground and also bring back the Clocktower franchise.
08:26Thank you.
08:35Vampire The Masquerade Bloodlines
08:44Vampire The Masquerade Bloodlines is a stone-cold stalwart of the gothic horror subgenre.
08:49The fact that this game is still held up in modern gaming times as a fantastic, horror-infused
08:54vampire RPG truly says so much about the experience, one that was crafted by Troika Games and eventually
09:00refined, updated, and iterated upon by fans and modders to make it even more playable
09:04and enjoyable, with more polish and finesse.
09:07Bloodlines takes place in a supernatural-soaked gothic version of Los Angeles, one where various
09:12vampire clans vie for power and status.
09:15Being able to develop your very own vampire from the likes of the Brujas, the Toreadors,
09:19the Malkavians, the Ventrue, the Nosferatu, the Tremere, and the Gangrel is partly what
09:24gives this game its gameplay freedom.
09:26That, and of course, the game's writing and narrative, all based on White Wolf's
09:30RPG, namely Vampire The Masquerade.
09:33As the name suggests, vampires in this alternate vampire version of LA must uphold the Masquerade
09:38in order to fit into society alongside humans.
09:41Breaking the Masquerade leads to disastrous consequences.
09:44It's this give-and-take and tug-and-pull of the game's overarching narrative and
09:48vampire clans that keep things interesting all throughout this robust gothic horror adventure.
10:01Bloodborne
10:11When you first set foot into the sprawling and darkly ominous city of Yharnam, it's
10:15clear that you aren't ready for the eldritch aberrations at your doorstep.
10:19The atmosphere feels as heavy as a ton of bricks, and it's not helped by the fact
10:23that you will likely meet your untimely demise at the claws of a bloodthirsty werewolf right
10:27from the get-go, unless you happen to be good enough to scrape through this fight and come
10:31out on top.
10:33From there, From Software takes you on a punishing rollercoaster ride as you try to survive the
10:37Lovecraftian onslaught.
10:39Yharnam is the epitome of gothic and Victorian ambiance.
10:42As a hunter, it's up to you to slay your way through countless blood-starved baddies
10:46and gargantuan monstrosities.
10:48Bloodborne almost immediately thrusts its hooks into you with its superb locations,
10:52impeccable worldbuilding, behind-the-scenes yet enticing narrative, and frenetic bloodless
10:57combat.
10:58Many people playing this From Software masterpiece might even get moments where they think of
11:02another game from many moons ago, namely Nightmare Creatures.
11:05The two, while not directly related, share a very similar vibe, style, and gameplay tendency,
11:11so if you've wrapped up Bloodborne already, go out and play the PS1 or N64 horror-adventure
11:16game Nightmare Creatures for even more gothic goodness.
11:31Eternal Darkness, Sanity's Requiem.
11:42It's truly a travesty that Nintendo hasn't found a way to bring back the utterly glorious
11:47GameCube-only horror game Eternal Darkness, Sanity's Requiem.
11:51Steeped in gothic horror and Lovecraftian influences, Eternal Darkness is one of those
11:55third-person survival horror games that near-perfectly blends its gameplay mechanics, storytelling,
12:01world design, and scares together into some sort of sanity-breaking smoothie.
12:05Sure, not all of the sanity elements in this game, such as the volume changing on the TV,
12:10are quite as notable as they once were, but there's no doubting that Alexandra Roivas's
12:14time-traveling horror adventure is a masterpiece.
12:17At the Roivas Estate, a massive gothic-inspired mansion in Rhode Island, it's up to Alexandra
12:22to figure out why her grandfather Edward was murdered.
12:25This intriguing familial setup creates a stage for the game to venture out into time-bending
12:29historical eras, filled with terrifying monsters and fear-inducing sanity effects, including,
12:34but certainly not limited to, your game looking like it's being erased, the character's
12:38head magically disappearing, and the screen and environment warping and bleeding.
12:42There's just so much variety on offer in Eternal Darkness, from set design to narrative
12:47folds, to downright freaky music and sound effects, that many of us hope this Nintendo-published
12:51mature horror game makes a return one day.
13:03Amnesia The Dark Descent
13:14A true classic and juggernaut of the first-person survival horror space, Amnesia The Dark Descent
13:19became uber-popular at the start of the 2010s because of many popular YouTubers and streamers
13:24getting the crap scared out of them by this horrifying gothic horror gem from developer
13:28Frictional Games.
13:30Most indie and double-A and some triple-A first-person horror games owe a lot of their
13:34roots to Amnesia, since it showcased just how immersive and terrifying a psychological
13:39horror game can truly be.
13:41The standout aspect of this game has to be Castle Brennenburg, the location protagonist
13:46Daniel finds himself exploring throughout the course of the game.
13:49Daniel's time in this massive gothic castle is the thing of nightmares, especially as
13:53the lights go out and he finds himself wrapped up in the snug and cozy blanket of darkness.
13:58It's here in the darkness that Daniel, and you the player, start to lose your mind, thanks
14:03to the way Frictional Games included intense sanity-draining effects.
14:12Trying to find tidbits and nuggets of lore while solving countless puzzles, while keeping
14:16the candles lit, oh, and while running away from freaky humanoid monstrosities, are the
14:22things nightmares are made of.
14:24You never truly feel safe in the confines of Castle Brennenburg, and Daniel may or may
14:28not be the trustworthy companion you want him to be.
14:31Just try to stay in the light and maybe you'll be okay.
14:50Resident Evil Village
14:59Gothic horror and Resident Evil don't often go hand in hand.
15:02Sure, games like Resident Evil 4 have moments of gothic-inspired goodness, however it's
15:072021's Resident Evil Village that completely leans into and immerses players into the robust
15:12sub-genre of gothic horror.
15:14Once again playing as Ethan Winters, who returns from RE7, it's up to you to explore the
15:19supernaturally infested, snow-laden, European-inspired world of RE Village.
15:24From the titular gothic medieval village itself, to the vampire nest that is Castle Dimatrescu,
15:29to the incredibly spooky House of Horrors, House Beneviento, and more, RE Village consistently
15:34sets the stage for gothic horror madcaps that will take your breath away.
15:38This RE game almost feels like an amusement park for the deranged and derelict, one that
15:42Ethan must survive through at all costs.
15:45Battling werewolves, vampires, and other creatures of the night, the game is always a surprise.
15:49Worry not, there is still some of that RE campiness and goofiness on top of some over-the-top
15:54action set pieces, yes I'm looking at you, Heisenberg Factory.
15:58But make no mistake about it, Village is satisfying, terrifying, and dripping with gothic goodness
16:03that horror hounds will gobble up.
16:13So do you agree with our picks for this list?
16:15There are plenty of wonderful gothic horror and horror-adjacent games out there, so be
16:19sure to let us know which ones we missed and which are your favorites.
16:23Thank you so much for checking out this video from Mojo Plays.
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16:30videos and content right here on Mojo Plays.