What are the best Gothic games?
If you are anything like me then you love games with themes of gothic horror, even if they themselves are not horror games.
Who am I kidding, especially when they aren’t horror games? The motifs of gothic horror, classic supernatural enemies (such as zombies, vampires, witches, and werewolves), ancient prophecies, decaying settings, gloomy monochromia, are distinctly lacking in many of our modern game libraries.
However, here is my list of the Best Gothic Games to Play Right Now.
Enjoy!
13. Vampyr
Vampyr Gameplay
The year is 1918, the first World War continues to rage, taking the lives of millions of brave young men. Back home in London, a flu epidemic has struck the city, sending its inhabitants into a spiral of conspiracy and superstition. What’s worse, a recent plague of bloodsucking monsters has also reared its ugly head from within the city’s weakened districts.
You play as Dr. Jonathan Reid, who has recently been turned into one of these blood crazed creatures while on his time home from the war. You must find a way to quell your urges while avoiding vampire hunters, helping disenfranchised city dwellers (you are a doctor after all), and attempting to stop this growing infestation of Vampyrs.
Throughout the game, you gain access to many vampiric powers, some of which allow you to channel the dark arts to destroy your opponents
You use blood to increase your powers, the companionships you make with NPCs increases the experience you gain from slaying them
12. The Order: 1886
The Order: 1886 Gameplay
The world is full of monsters which are kept from the public eye by the knights of Arthurian legend who drink water from the legendary holy grail (blackwater) to retain their youth and regain their vitality. You take the role of one of the knights, Sir Galahad, who is sent to stop of prison escape, and put down half-breed monsters that happen to be involved.
You’re an arsenal, steampunk weaponry, crafted by the master of early electricity himself, Nikola Tesla. The game itself is not the best shooter but tells a story that is second to none.
Rappelling down your side of a building, the knights of King Arthur’s court are on the hunt for half-breeds
The gunplay in The Order: 1886 won’t win it any awards, but it is an entertaining breather between amazing cutscenes
11. Sunless Skies
Sunless Skies Gameplay
A gothic, steampunk gem following the adventures of the player, a captain of a steam-powered vessel that flies across the sunless sky, to explore the reaches of the unknown. The game progresses by following a ludo-narrative (a story crafted by the players) and does so very well with hundreds of world-changing options to be made.
The gameplay itself is about surviving the horrors that exist among the wastes of the Sunless Sky. With lore, so in depth, it would Tolkien cry, this game is a fantastic example of player-led storytelling done right.
You find several lost idols while exploring the Sunless Sky, this looks like the remnants of the Parliament Building
Throughout Sunless Skies you enter several ports where you can purchase new parts, run into dynamic encounters, and hire on new crew
10. Lust for Darkness (EXPLICIT)
Lust for Darkness Gameplay
I know of no way to sugar coat this game, so here it goes. You are Jonathan, married to a woman named Amanda who is kidnapped by a stalked and brought back to his house where he rapes her.
However, she… enjoys it, and ends up staying with him at his mansion. You are on the hunt to get your wife back while uncovering a sinister sex cult with gothic and Lovecraftian themes. Definitely not for the faint of heart.
A woman wearing one of the cult’s masks, naked beneath the neck. Be warned, there is full frontal and way more ahead
The manor you explore throughout the game is grand for sure, but it is the encounters with its inhabitants that are truly exciting
9. One Day in London
One Day in London Gameplay
One Day in London is a motion comic text adventure following your journey into the world of the occult. It takes place in London (hence the name) during the late Victorian Gothic period, with the industrial revolution in full swing.
The gameplay consists of speech options and investigatory pursuits, with much of the game revolves around your choices while advancing the story. It’s attention to the elements of gothic and cosmic horror during the Victorian era is unforgettable, and it is a must for any self-respecting Lovecraft fan.
A gentleman studies, as after all, “The occult sciences were a fashionable hobby among the educated…”
Most of the entertainment comes from your interactions between characters, less so than the puzzles the game promotes
8. Bloodborne
Bloodborne Gameplay
Bloodborne is a masterpiece forged in the fires of From Software, the company that birth Demon Souls and all three Dark Souls.
You play as a hunter, working to clear out the gloomy, Victorian city of Yharnam of gothic monsters which have taken hold of the city. Later it is discovered that there is a much darker threat than zombies, werewolves, and witches, with new enemies hailing from another existence altogether.
You are the hunter, they are the hunted, it is your job to ensure the tables do not turn
Boss fights are the core of the show, with some of the most heart-pounding action you’ll ever feel in gaming coming from Bloodborne boss battles
7. HellSign
HellSign Gameplay
HellSign is a supernatural, top-down, tactical shooter game that puts you in the shoes of an occult investigator tasked with hunting and “exercising” creatures from the afterlife. To this effect, you’ll be entering abandoned houses in the dead of night, armed with guns, paranormal relics, and the latest in monster hunting technology to defeat the evils in the night.
The atmosphere is dark, with the only light exposing the environment being your flashlight or your gunshots.
A modern gothic in the making, with Lovecraftian elements to boot.
Every shot you take has the potential to strike the environment, sending up dust and rubble in your quest to slay the creatures of the night
Critters you’ll kill along your journey are swift, and many times will use every trick in the book to avoid your lethal gaze
6. Witch Hunt
Witch Hunt Gameplay
In the 1700s, creatures from the traditional stories of gothic horror (demons, werewolves, zombies, witches, vampires) began to a have a resurgence of belief as isolated religious communities made it to the new world. Isolation, as we know, breeding superstition.
You are a witch hunter whose family was slain by demons in the night. Now you brand a musket, sword, pistol and your Puritan faith to hunt down the remaining monsters of the world in an attempt to claim vengeance for the death of your family.
While the graphics are not on par with many modern adventure games, the gameplay is in a league of its own.
In this game, you must think tactically as to what ammo your using and what beast you are hunting, zombies are not worth your expensive silver bullets while werewolves are practically invincible if you don’t wield their kryptonite
Reloading a flintlock weapon can take a hot minute, but the animation is quasi-realistic with the animation only taking 6ish seconds (but 6 seconds nonetheless!)
5. Goetia
Goetia Gameplay
Goetia, the practice of the conjuration of demons similar to that performed by the biblical figure King Solomon. This game revolves around the ghost of a young Victorian girl named Abigail Blackwood, who awakes from her eternal sleep to notice that not only is she dead, her families manor is… different.
In this point and click adventure, you must attempt to uncover the secret of what became of the Blackwoods, making deals with demons as well as completing interestingly dark puzzles all throughout.
These are not your ordinary demons, nor is this your ordinary Victorian ghost girl story, this is a beast unto its own
The Blackwood manor is very eccentric, and the items located inside are anything but normal
4. Belladonna
Belladonna Gameplay
Belladonna is the story of a clockwork girl, built in true Frankensteinish manner, exploring the strange world she was born into. She knows very little of her eccentric surroundings, and lust for the knowledge of who exactly brought her to life. The artstyle is absolutely enchanting, with the main gameplay mechanic being a point and click.
Be warned, however, if you’re a romantic such as me, you’ll see yourself falling in love with her by the end of the game, similar to Elizabeth in Bioshock: Infinite.
The world needs more heroines like our poor Belladonna, she is full of emotion even if her character is sometimes a bit stiff
The library she walks through is similar to the entire game, so many things to click on that give unique responses from our protagonist
3. Slain: Back from Hell
Slain: Back from Hell Gameplay
The original Slain was not… the best, especially not in terms of skill, underperforming in many respects. It’s sequel Slain: Back from Hell is incredible, however, presenting itself as a side-scrolling/ platform slasher where you combat the denizens of hell with a massive pixelated sword.
The story is scarce, with very little in terms of plot, but for what it lacks in that respect it makes up for in its core gameplay loop. Slain: Back from Hell isn’t for everyone, it'sits a game of extremes. Hate or love it, if you’re a fan of gothic games you have to give Slain: Back from Hell a try.
Gore is everywhere in Slain: Back to Hell, with enemies often being bleeding skeletons and environments being made of ash, ruins, and crimson
Boss battles are similar to 2-dimensional Dark Souls, with you needing to die a few times, learn the pattern, and use strategy to make it through rather than bull right in
2. The Sinking City
The Sinking City Gameplay
The Sinking City is my personal favorite on this list, being that is the only one that has extensive Lovecraftian themes with a broken 1920s era setting. You play as Charles W. Reed, a private investigator inside of the gloomy city of Oakmont, Massachusetts, which has recently been struck by a massive flood, leaving much of the land beneath the rising sea level.
Strange things have begun to happen among the residence, such as insanity, eldritch mutations, and a growing trend of masochism. Abominations from beneath the flowing tides (or perhaps from another reality entirely) are being sighted all around the ruins of Oakmont. Can you uncover the dark secrets of the Sinking City?
Many of the urban streets have been flooded, with the only means of crossing them being to use motorized boats
Many of the inhabitants of the Sinking City have become mutated by the otherworldly powers there
1. Dishonored
Dishonored Gameplay
In this gloomy steampunk adventure you take the role of not just AN imperial bodyguard, but THE imperial bodyguard, tasked with the defense of the royal family. Unfortunately, they are murdered under your watch and you, the imperial bodyguard, are framed for it all. Dishonored (hence the name), you are sent to prison, where you escape on a quest to find the true culprit.
This dark gothic adventure takes on the personality of a 1st person stealth adventure with supernatural combat elements. Choices are to be made, loves to be lost, powers to earned, and levels to be aced.
Combat throughout the game is basic but incredibly satisfying, similar to the of the Bioshock franchise
As you progress through the game you can choose to stealthy, making the enemies more alert overtime, or more combat oriented, making the enemies more powerful over time
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