Halloween is just a week or so away – time for fake spiderwebs, pumpkin carving, spooky stories, and a handful of classic horror-themed iOS games.
To get into the mood, pour yourself a hot cocoa and grab one or two of the titles on this list. All four offer some level of strategy with an atmospheric twist, and they comprise some of our absolute favorite horror games of the past few years.
Alien Isolation (free to try then $15/£15)
This is a full AAA experience, shrunk down to fit on mobile. Set 15 years after the first Alien movie, you’ll step into the shoes of Ripley’s daughter as you sneak around a spooky space station. You’ll have to improvise, scavenge, and hide if you want to survive the surprisingly clever Alien presence. Fans of the Alien series will delight in the narrative and excellent visuals – just be sure to pack a spare pare of undies for when it gets intense.
You can play the first two levels free before committing to purchase the rest of the game
The Room: Old Sins ($5/£5)
This classic series contains many exquisitely made locked box puzzlers, each saturated with a deeply creepy “Victorian horror” atmosphere. While The Room: Old Sins might lack the freshness factor of the first couple of games, series veterans are getting arguably the finest entry of the seies so far. Newcomers are free to start here without prior knowledge of the series, and may well find that they’ve discovered their new favorite game.
All of the game’s puzzles are set within the rooms of a creepy dollhouse
Slayaway Camp ($3/£3)
In this gory puzzle game, you play Skullface, a psychotic killer at Slayaway Camp that slashes and maims his way through the camp. It all sounds quite violent. And as a base concept, it is. But despite the game obviously receiving Apple’s 17+ rating, the violence is so cartoonish, over-the-top and tongue-in-cheek that it’s hard to take any of it seriously.
The board can get pretty bloody. Be sure to avoid the watchful eye of the cops!
Five Nights at Freddy’s 3 ($3/£3)
This series is not so much ‘fun’ in the conventional sense – some will find themselves in an uncomfortable state somewhere between fear, confusion and boredom – but if you like tension, atmosphere and the occasional big fright, it’s definitely worth a shot. For our money, this third instalment is the best of the bunch.
Track creepy animatronics via the security system