When one thinks about popular app games, there are a few certain types of games that come to mind. For example, most of us think about popular games as falling into one of the following categories:
- Social Competition – Games like “Words With Friends” and “Ruzzle,” and many others have introduced a real social component to app gaming, allowing people to compete in puzzles and light arcade competition against friends, family members and strangers online.
- Arcade Games – This is undoubtedly the broadest category, and can consist of anything from the dramatically advanced “Infinity Blade II” to new versions of classic games, such as “Sonic Dash.” Arcade games make up the bulk of app store gaming categories.
- Casino Games – Increasingly popular among gamers, casino games are only beginning to reach their potential. Betfair Arcade is one example of an online casino pushing boundaries, and provides real money gambling apps. These apps allow users to risk real money in casino games online (blackjack, slots… you name it). Alternatively, there are also basic, fake casino apps that are just good for a bit of fun, or even practicing your poker game.
For the most part, popular games fit nicely into one of these categories. But one new subcategory that’s beginning to become more prominent is actually horror! Horror is a very popular genre for movies, shows and popular fiction in general, so perhaps this isn’t a surprise. But in puzzle and adventure games alike, app developers are reaching more and more for thrills and scares.
So, to introduce you to this new trend, here are 5 great horror games currently in app stores.
- The Woods – This is a brilliant 1st person game in which your job is to investigate a haunted forest. It’s an eerie open world setting in which you feel alone and vulnerable to the demons and creepy things roaming the forest around you – and you’re armed only with a flashlight.
- Year Walk – This is a tricky game to explain if you haven’t tried it before. Basically, your task is to play out a Swedish myth by exploring an extremely creepy forest in the dead of winter. We’d recommend the companion app (as it explains the creatures you’ll encounter).
- Papa Sangre – This is almost an entirely audio experience, which sets it apart as unique, and uniquely creepy. Your job is to move through dark space, changing your pace and reacting to the sounds you’ll hear (such as cackling laughter).
- Kowa Oto – A Japanese game from Spike-Chunsoft, this is another primarily audio experience, but with its own scary visuals included. Basically, you have to escape a dungeon without falling prey to a variety of evil lurkers.
- The Curse – If you’re looking for something lighter, “The Curse” is an enjoyable puzzle game with a playful horror motif. When you start the game, you unleash “The Mannequin,” a cleve villain who threatens disaster if you can’t solve his whole book of puzzles.
So which category do you enjoy the most?
