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00:00Welcome to Mojo Plays, and today we're counting down our picks for the 20 scariest, creepiest,
00:13and otherwise strange and odd locations from a wide variety of non-horror video games.
00:25Before we begin, we publish new content all week long, so be sure to subscribe and ring
00:29the bell to be notified about our latest videos.
00:34Threed Earthbound
00:35Gosh, where do I even begin with the nightmare-fueled town of Threed from Earthbound?
00:49Well, apart from red-eyed ghosts greeting your bus as you enter the town from the tunnel,
00:53as well as all of the off-putting locals talking about zombies running rampant and trying to
00:58destroy the humans, there's a staggering cornucopia of spooky goings-on.
01:02From creepy kids wearing masks to sentient marionette dolls, trash monsters, and zombie
01:07dogs for nests and co to battle, to heck, even a spooky graveyard to explore, and even
01:12to the dilapidated, seemingly abandoned circus that would make even P.T.
01:17Barnum run for the hills, Threed is just downright creepy and disturbing, oh, and that's not
01:22even mentioning the haunting ethereal dissonant music and the dark, moody mob environment.
01:28Probably better to take your vacation elsewhere, seeing as the town of Threed is not quite
01:33right.
01:40Dark Bramble, Outer Wilds Sure, 2019's evocative and thought-provoking,
01:59time-looping indie sci-fi game might not seem ripe for the picking when it comes to scary
02:05things, but I mean, come on, have you seen Dark Bramble?
02:07Talk about a slap in the face when it comes to a complete tonal change.
02:11Outer Wilds already has its fair share of somber, existential dread moments, but Dark
02:16Bramble turns this part of the game into full-on cosmic sci-fi horror.
02:21Exploring this gnarled, twisted, fog-laden labyrinthian locale is pretty darn unforgettable,
02:26especially once you stumble across the giant anglerfish-beast skeleton where your moment
02:31of respite just so happens to be.
02:45The Morgue, Batman Arkham Asylum Gosh darn it, Scarecrow, why do you gotta
02:55keep ruining Batman's day?
02:57Arkham Asylum's morgue section might be extremely short and overall quite limited,
03:02however what it lacks in gameplay longevity it more than makes up for in sheer terror.
03:07Now it could be said that Arkham Asylum is already a pretty scary place in and of itself,
03:13but the morgue truly takes the gross moldy cake here.
03:21Serving up as one of the first encounters Batman has with Scarecrow in the game, this
03:25locale is all about horror.
03:27From Batman witnessing visions of temporarily back-to-life corpses of his parents in body
03:32bags, to Commissioner Gordon's dead body in a hallway, to the sounds of ghostly voices
03:37echoing in the morgue, to yeah, even Scarecrow himself popping out of a body bag only to
03:42thrust Batman into a cat-and-mouse gameplay section, the morgue is certainly not for the
03:47faint of heart.
03:55The Sanctuary of the Scion Tomb Raider
04:06Tomb Raider's Sanctuary of the Scion stage isn't scary in the way you might think,
04:10such as with jump scares or even creepy imagery.
04:13Sure, yeah, this stage's monstrous aberrations such as the various forms of the Atlanteans
04:18are certainly nothing to scoff at, but it's really in how this twelfth stage feels to
04:23experience, mostly down to how deeply unnerving it truly is.
04:27Much of this comes from a complete lack of music only occasionally kicking in before
04:31promptly stopping as you hear the winds howl and wail through the caves and tunnels of
04:36this Egyptian locale.
04:46Sanctuary of the Scion feels oppressive, like something is watching Laura around every corner,
04:50and no, I don't mean the massive sphinx in the central part of the level.
04:54Where the rest of the game feels like Indiana Jones-esque high adventure, this level is
04:58a stark contrast, offering foreboding feelings as you explore its labyrinthian design.
05:13Mass Effect 2 Isaac Clarke from the Dead Space series would
05:25likely feel right at home aboard this aptly named derelict reaper, given that it's overflowing
05:30with zombie-like beings such as the husks, abominations, and science akin to the terrifying
05:35necromorphs from Dead Space.
05:37But alas, Mass Effect 2 is not a sci-fi horror game.
05:40Not at all, actually.
05:42So when Commander Shepard and crew step aboard this very much-disturbing locale in the hopes
05:46of destroying the reaper core, things quickly turn full-on scare-fest.
05:58Bombarded from all angles by the aforementioned husks, abominations, and scions, finding people
06:03impaled on massive spikes in ceremonial-slash-sacrificial fashion, and even coming face-to-face with
06:09the geth, well, yeah, it's safe to say that the derelict reaper is the stuff nightmares
06:14are made of.
06:24Creepy Castle Donkey Kong 64 Yes, yes, I know what you're thinking.
06:37How the heck can a level in colorful, charming, 3D collectathon platformer Donkey Kong 64
06:43be scary?
06:44And to that, I would say, have you actually played through Creepy Castle?
06:47While it's certainly no horror game location, it's still a deeply unsettling locale that
06:52sort of feels at odds with the rest of the game.
06:55Apart from being a massive floating haunted castle, emphasis on haunted here, it's one
06:59of those dark, dank, and dreary stages filled with shadows, skeletal minions, ghostly goons,
07:05bizarre level-specific imagery, off-kilter, yet still somewhat oddly whimsical dissonant
07:10music, mist and fog, and barrels of rainy, stormy weather.
07:21Oh, and if that wasn't enough to put you on edge as you hoover up collectibles, there
07:25are also pervasive haunting moans and ethereal spectral sounds.
07:30So yeah, Creepy Castle is, well, downright creepy.
07:33The name really says it all here.
07:45Markarth Abandoned House, The Elder Scrolls V Skyrim
07:48While Skyrim is certainly not devoid of plentiful creepy locales, we'd be hard-pressed to find
08:10one scarier than the Abandoned House in Markarth.
08:13This haunted house is straight out of Paranormal Activity, with its poltergeist activity, ghostly
08:17whispers, and evil rites.
08:19Part of the House of Horror's quest, this abandoned house is noteworthy for its Daedra
08:24worship, hence why you find Vigilant Tyranus of the Vigilance of Stendar berating people
08:29for info about this supposedly empty, long-forgotten house.
08:32Now, should you agree to enter with Vigilant Tyranus, then just be prepared for Molag Bal
08:37to have a field day with both of you, ultimately ending with you being trapped in a cage in
08:42the bowels of the house, with the evil Daedra insinuating that you must be the one to take
08:46part in his insidious machinations.
09:00Haunted Hogsmeade Shop Hogwarts Legacy
09:12Apart from being one of the very best games of the last few years, Hogwarts Legacy specifically
09:17excels in the quest department.
09:19The game is just chock-full of fantastically fleshed-out main, side, and activity quests.
09:23And while the game does have some intense, spookier moments from time to time, no part
09:28of the game really ups the creepy factor like the Haunted Hogsmeade Shop, also known as
09:32the Minding Your Own Business questline.
09:35The mischievous, fanciful, fastidious poltergeist is up to no good in the bowels of the eponymous
09:40shop, a locale that makes the Shrieking Shack seem like a McDonald's play place by comparison.
09:52From magical, sentient, and incredibly creepy mannequins, to twisting, warping corridors,
09:57to supernatural shenanigans, heck, to even topsy-turvy battles against fastidio, this
10:02bewildering locale is equal parts unnerving and whimsical.
10:18Bottom of the Well, The Legend of Zelda Ocarina of Time
10:30The mausoleum of monstrosities that is Kakariko Village's Bottom of the Well is nothing
10:35short of pure horror-induced nightmare fuel.
10:37Seriously, where do we even begin with this deeply disturbing location?
10:41How about the decaying skeleton right at the bottom of the well?
10:44How about the fact that Navi comments on how she can hear the spirits?
10:47What about the undeniably off-putting dead hand?
10:50How about all of the spooky, morbid imagery adorning many of the walls?
10:54Or how about the mummy-like aberrations known as Gibdos who, and well, how do we put this
10:58delicately, just want to embrace Link like some sort of unholy panda bear?
11:07So yeah, the Bottom of the Well mini-dungeon is straight-up all-encompassing terror around
11:12every dank, damp, and grimy corner, yeah, good times.
11:22Lavender Town, Pokemon Red and Blue
11:32Even if you took away the creepy urban legends and rumors about Lavender Town's haunting,
11:37off-putting dissonant music, you'd still be left with a town that, while looking quite
11:41harmless on the surface, is very clearly possessed by something malicious.
11:46Townsfolk here tell you all about evil spirits and roaming ghosts, about how their beloved
11:51Pokemon were killed, about various grave sites, and who could forget, the fact that
11:55many of them straight-up admit to being possessed or knowing friends of theirs who got possessed.
12:00Um, yeah, those are definitely things you don't want to hear when venturing into a
12:04new town.
12:05Lavender Town, and by extension the Pokemon Tower, is a resting place and graveyard for
12:09Pokemon who have died.
12:11Are the townsfolk here manipulated by Pokemon ghosts, or is there something else entirely
12:15nefarious at play that we just don't know about?
12:18Either way, Lavender Town gets a one-star Trip Advisor rating in our book.
12:30The Bunker, Uncharted Drake's Fortune
12:43What starts out as a mostly innocuous, seemingly abandoned, dilapidated World War II bunker
12:48very quickly devolves into full-on third-person survival horror.
12:52Nathan and Elena find themselves at this spooky locale, only to get trapped by some Descendants,
12:57humanoid monsters that call this place home, for better or for worse.
13:01With the power out and the generator needing to be fixed in order to proceed forward, it's
13:05up to Mr. Drake to explore this disturbing location.
13:08With his walkie-talkie now on the fritz, he really is alone to fend off the encroaching
13:12Descendants.
13:13While Nate does have plenty of firepower to take down the baddies, it still doesn't
13:17make up for the fact that the bunker is dark, twisting, derelict, and overflowing with
13:21odd noises and creepy denizens.
13:37The Vortex Queen Showdown, Echo the Dolphin
13:48Now, if you thought Echo the Dolphin for the Sega Genesis was just a cute, cozy, and adorable
13:52adventure game all about dolphins, then boy oh boy would you be dead wrong.
13:56Sure, this game might have the facade of a wholesome aquatic adventure, however, as your
14:01journey with Echo progresses, it's very, very clear that something is amiss.
14:05This point becomes none truer than when you encounter the entirely terrifying Vortex Queen,
14:10a massive, disturbing, bug-like alien creature who just so happens to be the mother of the
14:15Vortex species.
14:21Although you don't encounter the Vortex Queen until the final parts of the game, it's
14:25a real shock to the system, both for Echo and for you the player, since not only is
14:30she a tyrannical, dictatorial being, but she is also hell-bent ensuring her will is upheld
14:35by everything around her.
14:36Oh, and she was also responsible for taking captive Echo's dolphin pals.
14:41This multi-phase showdown is pure nightmare fuel and provides a gargantuan tonal shift
14:45from the rest of the game.
14:47Gotta say though, that boss battle music is pretty darn chill.
15:00Abyssal Woods, Elden Ring, Shadow of the Airtree.
15:12With a name like Abyssal Woods, it's hard to think anyone was hoping for a quaint, low-key
15:15walk through a bucolic Verden forest, but gosh darn it, this locale really does take
15:19the rotting cake here.
15:21In a game that is already brimming with horror-inspired locations to traipse through, the Abyssal
15:25Woods comes along to wreck your day.
15:27If the giant, flesh-eating rats don't send you to your demise, then the untouchables
15:31will ensure madness sets in rapidly.
15:34The twisted, gnarled, labyrinthian design of these festering woods is made even more
15:38unnerving by the complete lack of music, instead heightening your anxiety with a dissonant
15:43ethereal soundscape that ratchets up the disturbing ambience tenfold.
15:53You may think you are ready for this fog-laden, shadow-strewn, monster-ridden plot of land,
15:58but it will get the best of you.
15:59Beware the madness.
16:15Von Everick Estate, The Witcher 3 Wild Hunt.
16:28An unnatural fog hangs about a derelict, once opulent manor.
16:33Dark clouds enshroud the skies above, thieves looking to break in and loot from the dead,
16:37while a mysterious talking cat-and-dog duo prowl the gardens.
16:41Between the rot and decay surrounding the manor lies signs of life, but at what cost?
16:46It's here that Geralt finds himself in search of Iris von Everick at her titular estate,
16:51a massive haunted manor that offers more questions than answers.
17:07From a supernatural caretaker tending to fresh graves to a scorned and bitter wraith to plentiful
17:12poltergeist activity to ward off strangers, the Von Everick Estate is a deeply moody and
17:17harrowing location set during the scenes from a marriage questline.
17:21Seeing everything this quest offers in and around the very much haunted manor is intensely
17:26captivating and utterly enthralling, capped off with the invocation of Lady Von Everick's
17:30tormented spirit where Geralt discovered what he's actually after, all centering around
17:35this infamously spooky locale.
17:50Nightmare Level Max Payne
18:03The OG Max Payne might be an intensely gritty and grimy hard-boiled game, however it's
18:07a far cry from a horror game, that is until you get to Max's nightmare stages.
18:12These infamous stages are straight out of a horror film as you guide Max along tight
18:16rope-like blood trails in a room full of darkness, with little guiding you along the bloody maze
18:21apart from the screams, cries, and echoes of your murdered family, alongside some terrifying
18:27discordant music.
18:28These bloody trail nightmare stages are downright punishing since there's actually little room
18:32for error here.
18:41Ocean House Hotel Vampire the Masquerade Bloodlines
18:55Vampire the Masquerade Bloodlines' Ocean House Hotel is a complete tonal shift from
18:59the rest of the game.
19:01While yes, the game of course has plenty of spooky, moody, and creepy gothic-infused moments
19:05given it's, well, you know, all about vampires, it still mostly plays out as a pretty traditional
19:10action RPG, first and foremost, not a jumpscare-laden horror game.
19:19All of that of course goes out the window once you step foot into Ocean House Hotel,
19:23a derelict property haunted by all sorts of ominous specters who are up to plenty of supernatural
19:29madcaps.
19:30From lights flickering and bursting, to objects moving of their own accord, to grandfather
19:34clocks tolling, to phantoms running across the hallways, this hotel really does have
19:39it all for horror hounds.
19:53Queen Vanessa's Manor A Hat in Time
20:04A Hat in Time positions itself as a charming and wholesome family-friendly 3D platformer,
20:09and while it certainly is all of that to some extent, it's also a game with a very dark
20:13sense of humor.
20:14And no, I don't just mean Mafia Town.
20:17Enter Subcon Forest, a location that, if you actually want to enter, you must sign away
20:21Hat Kid's soul via a dark contract with the Snatcher.
20:36But it's Queen Vanessa's Manor that ups the horror ante even further.
20:40If you want to discuss pure nightmare fuel, then Queen Vanessa's Manor is right up there
20:44at the top, again, especially given how much of the rest of the game feels so wholesome.
20:49This haunted manor deep in Subcon Forest takes away your Hat abilities, and instead
20:53makes you rely on stealth while finding a bunch of keys.
20:56The looming, shadowy presence of Queen Vanessa makes this location truly stand out as you
21:01never really feel safe.
21:12The Dunwich Building, Fallout 3 As you explore the capital wasteland area
21:23of Fallout 3, you may just stumble across a nondescript, unremarkable office building
21:28known as the Dunwich Building, which, by the way, is a reference to the Dunwich Horror
21:32by cosmic horror author H.P.
21:34Lovecraft.
21:35From the outside, there's really nothing that screams scary or horror, however, inside
21:39is a completely different story.
21:41If the feral ghouls and glowing ones don't put you off, then perhaps the myriad skeletons
21:46strewn about the place will.
21:47And if that's not enough, then you have ominous whispers and voices echoing through
21:51the halls.
21:52Plus, listening to Jamie's personal audio logs ups the creep factor tenfold here.
21:57Then, once you reach the mysterious and utterly scary skull-adorned obelisk in the bowels
22:01of the building, all bets are really off.
22:10The Dunwich Building is just pure terror.
22:12And for a similar spooky vibe in a different Fallout game, Fallout 4 specifically, look
22:17to the Museum of Witchcraft, an apt location that speaks for itself when it comes to scary
22:21places in non-horror games.
22:31Ravenholm, Half-Life 2.
22:42We Don't Go to Ravenholm has become a pretty famous line for Half-Life fans, and heck,
22:47even for those just with a passing interest in the games.
22:50However, for this entry, we do indeed need to go to Ravenholm to discuss just how scary
22:54this place is in comparison to the rest of Half-Life 2 specifically.
22:59This fire-and-brimstone, once-thriving mining town and previous resistance stronghold is
23:03completely overrun by headcrabs and zombies alike.
23:13All Gordon Freeman needs to do is make it to the church on the other side, which, yeah,
23:17sounds simple enough.
23:18But alas, it's not.
23:20This creepy location is thriving for all the wrong reasons.
23:23Fortunately, you can utilize the many, many traps littered about to deal with the headcrab
23:27and zombie infestation.
23:40Shale Bridge Cradle, Thief, Deadly Shadows.
23:54This terrifying location once served as an orphanage before swapping to an insane asylum
23:58and even shuttering its gates altogether, but not before it operated as both at the
24:03exact same time.
24:04I mean, what could possibly go wrong with that combination?
24:07Well, you probably guessed, everything goes wrong.
24:10Thief, Deadly Shadows isn't exactly known to be a horror game, far from it actually.
24:14However, upon entering Shale Bridge Cradle, it's very clear how deeply haunted this dilapidated
24:19building really is.
24:21Horror just randomly started here, a creature known as the Hag was often seen by orphans,
24:25ghosts roam about the halls, and undead asylum patients known as puppets seek to cause mayhem
24:30and turmoil for Garrett.
24:38Shale Bridge is a true rogues gallery of scariness, with no part of it ever feeling safe.
24:43The true horror hallmark for this locale is the impeccably unnerving audio design.
24:48Ethereal whispers and voices can be heard, phantom footsteps are in the hallways, screams
24:52and moans abound, and the ambient soundscape always keeps you on the edge of your seat.
24:57As you venture forth, keep in mind, the Cradle remembers everything.
25:10So do you agree with our creepy picks for this list?
25:13There are a staggering amount of scary locations in non-horror games.
25:17Which ones did we miss from our list?
25:18Be sure to let us know down in the comments.
25:20Thank you for watching this video from Mojo Plays.
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