NOPE NOPE NOPE NOPE

“Lone Survivor” is one of the scariest games I’ve ever played. Surprisingly, it’s also one of the simplest, both in graphics and mechanics, and this is what makes the game’s style of terror so effective. 

As the title suggests, your character is one of very few survivors of a mysterious, catastrophic event that took place before the game starts. The only real goal the game gives you is to survive. Your character requires sleep and food, or the stressors in his environment (read: panic-attack-inducing monsters) will drive him insane.

The game readily invites comparison to 2010’s survival horror masterpiece, “Amnesia: The Dark Descent.” Surprisingly, “Lone Survivor” is measurably scarier. 

Although it’s a sidescroller, “Lone Survivor” feels extremely open and free, and this openness makes you feel exposed at all times. Whereas “Amnesia” kept players mostly on track with a trail of glowing pink goo, “Lone Survivor” leaves you largely to your own devices. 

What’s more, the dim, understated graphics and distorted ambience are incredibly effective at filling you with dread and fear.

Playing in the dark with headphones on and the volume cranked will force you to question your own sanity. Frequently.

Playing it will make you genuinely uncomfortable in your own house. In other words, “Lone Survivor” is a fantastic horror game.

By Corin Chellberg