OH BOY I love survival horror so much, it’s easily my favourite genre in all of video games and for years my dedication to the genre has gone unrewarded. Yes I understand the odd ‘walking simulator survival horror’ game, by which I mean games like Amnesia and Alien Isolation where you can’t fight the big bad, has come along. Whilst I do appreciate the craft of those titles, they never really sat right with me because when something big, ugly and scary comes at me I want to be able to panic and shoot it in the face; thus releasing a ton of endorphins I didn’t know I needed.
Finally all this faith seems to be paying off with a slew of upcoming survival horror releases hitting shelves in very fast succession over the next year.
Before I can talk about any of these releases, I think I have to touch on the fact that the Resident Evil remakes of 1 and 2 as well as the excellent Resident Evil 7 and Village have paved the way for these games by showing publishers that there is still an appetite for a good ol’ fashioned survival horror, and it is a big appetite. Let’s get into some of these incredible exciting releases starting with..
The Callisto Protocol
Oh man, Dead Space was so good. The visceral horror of being stranded on a spaceship and fighting mutants that can only be dispatched by lopping off enough limbs until they cannot come after you anymore. These games were two of the best games I ever played and for some reason or another EA just would not commission a third Dead Space title. Instead, many of the developers broke away from EA owned studios and are creating the absolutely excellently looking Callisto Protocol that looks like it is going to capture all the magic of both the Dead Space games whilst still bringing some fresh ideas to the table. Check out the trailer below!
But that’s not all the space horror you have to look forward to, there is also a brand new idea that’s coming to the table:
Dead Space Remake
Not to be outdone by The Callisto Protocol and seeing that the hype train was real for this type of game, EA have announced that they are in fact remaking Dead Space, and it will be out a month after Callisto Protocol! Basically take everything I said about Dead Space above and apply it here and then watch this trailer:
Resident Evil 4 Remake
Not even the last remake on this list but probably the one most people are excited for: Resident Evil 4. Remade completely from the ground up with darker tones and less of a cheesy action vibe (BOO!) the RE4 remake looks to replicate the success of the previous two remake entries that came before it.
I was definitely on the list of naysayers asking why this game needed to be remade but since watching the trailer and seeing the changes that are being made with the title I have to say that I am definitely onboard. Whilst I will miss the cheesy 90s action vibe the original went with, I am very excited to see the direction this one will take. I absolutely adored the RE2 and RE3 remakes so it is with complete faith that I go into this title with a preorder of the day one edition.
Various Silent Hill projects and a Remake of Silent Hill 2
The Silent Hill transmission the other week was just about everything I wanted from the show (barring a PT announcement I knew would never come) including an announced remake (lol I know again with the remakes) of the greatest horror video game ever created: Silent Hill 2.
Alongside this came a bunch of new Silent Hill projects that are guaranteed to delight and frighten new and old fans alike. There isn’t a lot of news surrounding these as of yet but we do know the Silent Hill remake looks incredible… but please make sure you include the fog! (looking at you SILENT HILL HD remasters).
Check out the Silent Hill 2 trailer below:
Fatal Frame : Mask of the Lunar Eclipse Remake
So you know how I said that I don’t really like games where I can’t fight back against the thing trying to scare my pants off? The Fatal Frame series is the exception to that rule (though arguably you can fight back with the camera I guess).. Fatal Frame is an underrated series focused around Japanese ghost stories, Fatal Frame: Mask of the Lunar Eclipse was an under appreciated gem written by the ever polarising Suda51. The game is terrifying and I loved it and cannot wait to play it and poop my pants all over again.
Alone in The Dark
ALONE IN THE DARK IS BACK BABY! Described as a love letter to the godfather of survival horror (of the same name) Alone in The Dark looks to be a completely modernised version of Alone in The Dark. Whilst I appreciate that this is a remake – the changes that this game seems to be undertaking is giving it a completely new feel so I am not personally calling this one a remake myself.
Alone in the Dark paved the way for all survival horror games so it’s really great to see it getting some more love.
Alan Wake 2
I don’t have much to say on Alan Wake 2 other than I am so unbelievably excited to see more of the Remedyverse come to life. Control was my GoTY when it came out and I can’t wait to see more of this universe all over again. Just watch the trailer, that will do all the talking…
What survival horror game are you most excited for? Have I missed off a game that you cannot wait for in this genre? Let me know in the comments below!
Written by Luke.
Edited by Alexx.