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00:00Welcome to Mojo Plays, and today we're counting down our picks for 10 tantalizingly terrifying
00:17indie horror games that are way scarier than a majority of AAA horror games.
00:21Now be prepared for plenty of frights and spooky shenanigans ahead.
00:34Before we begin, we publish new content all week long, so be sure to subscribe and ring
00:38the bell to be notified about our latest videos.
00:43Crow Country Crow Country's retro, PS1-style visuals
00:55belies how deeply unnerving this game truly is.
00:58There's almost this odd, forbidden feeling when exploring the eponymous Crow Country
01:02amusement park, almost like protagonist Mara isn't meant to be there and by extension
01:07as players, we are meant to be seeing the dark machinations that transpired there.
01:12You are thrust very quickly into a dark, foreboding, and highly atmospheric survival
01:16horror game where nothing really is as it seems.
01:19Carefully trotting around, each new realm of Crow Country is filled with tension, since
01:23what's lurking in the shadows might be friend or foe, and the only way to really find out
01:27is to investigate.
01:29This game is a masterclass in terror.
01:42Neverending Nightmares
01:53Now what could be scarier than a deeply personal nightmare, all about the horrors of depression,
01:58OCD, and other mental health struggles from the perspective of the creator?
02:02Well, such is the case with the highly overlooked indie horror gem Neverending Nightmares.
02:07The creator of this immersive game, Matt Gilgenbach, wanted to display the realities of dealing
02:12with OCD and depression through the lens of video games.
02:15And to say it's effective would be an incredible understatement.
02:18This short horror experience sees Thomas reliving one nightmare after the other, with an almost
02:23Groundhog Day-esque repeating pattern, again hearkening to what many with OCD have to deal
02:28with on a daily basis.
02:40Thomas's dread as he explores the dark domains his mind has created, all while searching
02:45for his sister Gabi in and around all manner of terrifying locales, is nothing short of
02:50brilliant here.
02:51Plus, the game's overarching monochromatic art style with flourishes of deep and vibrant
02:55hues, especially red, the impeccable audio design and general ambiance ensures this one
03:00won't leave your mind anytime soon.
03:13Darkwood Darkwood is a brutal survival game with myriad
03:25horror elements where you are tasked with surviving through any means necessary in a
03:29creepy forest where ravenous, plague-ridden beasts and ghouls run rampant.
03:34This often overlooked game is the stuff of nightmares, mostly because of just how oppressive
03:38the explorable semi-open game world feels, on top of everything and anything just wanting
03:43to kill you.
03:44The dichotomy of the less stressful daytime gameplay where you scour the forest and land
03:48for resources, mixed with the deeply unsettling nighttime gameplay where you must use said
03:53resources to just try and make it through the night, makes Darkwood truly scary.
03:58It's the way in which Darkwood blends a plague-infested subtle narrative, Lovecraftian-esque abominations
04:04and scant ways of survival that consistently ensures you never quite feel safe or alone
04:09in the woods.
04:23Psygnolus Psygnolus offers up a strange concoction
04:36to sample, one that includes heavy cyberpunk aesthetics, old-school survival systems, mechanical
04:41robot body horror, and even some otherworldly supernatural aspects.
04:45Now, Psygnolus might not be outright terrifying in the way that many other games in this list
04:50are.
04:51That's not to say it's devoid of traditional scares, however it's the way in which this
04:54game seeks to unnerve you, always questioning reality both for yourself and for playable
04:59character Elster.
05:01Psygnolus' sci-fi slash cyberpunk world is ripe with horrifying imagery, and Elster
05:06must use her wits, weapons, and limited resources to stay alive, or as alive as a replica is
05:11able to in this dark world.
05:21Outlast It's crazy to think that the original Outlast
05:36came out way back in 2013, especially considering it's still just as unnerving as it was all
05:42those years ago.
05:43Most of this horror comes from the location, Mount Massive Asylum.
05:47While asylums are spooky places in any horror game really, Mount Massive truly takes the
05:51gross and disgusting cake here, mostly down to the fact that the nefarious Murkoff Corporation
05:56has performed some unbelievably atrocious acts on its unfortunate patients.
06:00For some reason, investigative journalist Miles Upshur thinks it's a grand idea to
06:05enter and get a good look at the dark and ominous goings on here.
06:18As you might have gleaned, things very quickly go south for Miles, and he must now try to
06:22survive the abhorrent abominations within the confines of this infamous infested locale.
06:34The Mortuary Assistant Boy howdy, The Mortuary Assistant is one heck
06:47of an intensely oppressive and harrowing experience.
06:50It should come as no surprise that this game pits you as a budding mortuary assistant,
06:54one who very clearly didn't read the job's fine print seeing as it comes with a side
06:59order of demonic possession.
07:09The way in which this game combines subtle horror, tension building, and jump scares
07:12is nothing short of brilliant.
07:14It's especially the subtle moments where you see a glimpse of a demonic entity that
07:18really makes your hair stand on end, questioning everything.
07:21Rebecca must figure out how to latch a specific demon onto a corpse before burning said corpse
07:26to rid herself of this evil affliction.
07:28Oh, and well, if that wasn't enough, you still have to go through all of the usual
07:32mortuary madcaps which really help set the mood here.
07:43Tormented Souls
07:55As Caroline wakes up in the ominous Wildberger Hospital, she finds herself in a bathtub,
08:00hooked up to grimy medical equipment, only to fully come to and realize that one of her
08:04eyes has been removed.
08:06It's this creepy setup that immediately sets the tone for Tormented Souls, a finely
08:10tuned throwback to old school survival horror games from yesteryear.
08:14This game's frights come from many sources, including the deranged, monstrous, and violent
08:18experimented on lunatics who call this place home.
08:21The feelings of fear and dread as Caroline slowly descends into madness while searching
08:26for twins from a photograph that led her here will most certainly seep into your consciousness.
08:30Yes, the goofy and off-putting voice acting can take you out of the moment sometimes.
08:35However, worry not, the terror will quickly find its way back to you around the next shadow
08:39strewn corner.
08:50Madison
09:04Blue Knees is real.
09:06If you know, you know.
09:07And then you'll wish you actually didn't know.
09:09The twisted and warped minds over at Bloodiest Games crafted something truly special with
09:13Madison.
09:14Terrifying?
09:15Yes.
09:16Traumatizing?
09:17Perhaps.
09:18Incredibly immersive, without a doubt.
09:20This first-person horror game is seriously not for the faint of heart.
09:23If you take a hapless protagonist, Luca, a cursed and haunted camera, a spirit-infested
09:28labyrinthian haunted house, a dark ritual, and some brain-bending puzzles, and throw
09:33them all into some sort of unholy cauldron, what you get after the bubble's settled
09:37is Madison.
09:38It's one of those surreal horror games where nothing is as it seems, and you will question
09:43your own sanity while experiencing it.
09:45Good luck, you'll definitely need it here.
09:57This-age.
10:16During the lead-up to This-age's release, it was heavily compared to the likes of P.T.,
10:19and for good reason.
10:20The first-person perspective, the freaky haunted house, the stalking ghosts, and the audio,
10:25well basically really just all of it.
10:27However, what developer Sad Square Studio did with the entire This-age experience completely
10:31blows P.T. out of the water when it comes to pure terror and unrelenting dread.
10:36Right from the get-go, This-age's opening doesn't hold back any punches.
10:40Seriously, it's one of the most nerve-wracking, gruesome, and disturbing intros we've ever
10:44seen.
10:45Exploring This-age's interweaving horror stories, all cemented by one haunted house
10:48location provides for a thrilling and unforgettable horror experience that will stay in your nightmares
10:53for months to come.
11:07Infliction
11:08Infliction is hands-down the scariest game that no one ever talks about.
11:23Now, that's a real shame given just how terrifying this first-person horror game truly
11:28is.
11:29No other horror game has matched the level of oppressive terror that Infliction manages
11:32to imbue all throughout its runtime.
11:35This is a game about a disturbing murder, a possession, a demonic hellish ritual, spectral
11:40vengeance, and a deep fear of the unknown.
11:42While all of those things are incredibly disturbing in their own rights, all of them combined
11:46with some truly disturbing audio design, the secret sauce to any great horror experience.
12:01Each little sound cue feels real and palpable, as if you were the one actually exploring
12:05the seemingly mundane haunted house.
12:07Then, just when you think there are things that are being figured out, the game's dark
12:11narrative really just upends reality and throws you into the bowels of a decaying mind that
12:16plays out in some really, really unexpected and terrifying ways.
12:31So do you agree with our spooky picks for this list?
12:34Be sure to let us know down in the comment section which indie horror games provided
12:37you with tons of frights.
12:39Thank you for watching this video from Mojo Plays.
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