Spooky Season Game Recommendations
Requirements: Autumn vibes, the world needs to feel like it's waning, there's some dread, some stillness. The moon is probably full, you are wandering around at night. There shouldn't be any jump scares, and there's minimal physical and psychological horror.
Puzzle games:
Allogloom (demo only) A standard point and click puzzle game with insanely gorgeous art. This is one of the most visually gruesome games on the list. I fell in love with the world building and mysteries.
Blue Prince A modern take on classic puzzle games. A roguelite system will find you doing 'runs' to uncover secrets and test game synergies and mechanics. If you like thinking and testing hypotheses, this is for you.
Return of the Obra Dinn A fantastic detective deduction game. Uncover the mystery of a ship's missing crew while listening to the amazing music. It's pretty gory, but the black and white art style tones down the gore.
Roadwarden A reading game, where you try and make the best decisions and uncover the world. I had many pages of notes. And it's honestly probably time for a replay!
The Room A very solid puzzle game featuring classic puzzle boxes. The Room games all play off each other, so probably try them out in order.
Strange Antiquities A game for people who like reading and observing. This came out after Strange Horticulture, and has many improvements.
Strange Horticulture The first game in the "Strange" series. Such a great game with interesting game mechanics and puzzles. And plants!
Tick Tock: A Tale for Two A co-op puzzle game where you and a partner each need a copy of the game. Play as couch co-op or remote, just don't look at each other's screens!
Platformer games:
American McGee's Alice An old school game I feel compelled to include because of vibes. Do I think game mechanics aged well? No, not really: it's a hard combat platformer with some frustrating level designs. BUT the art and music was so influential, and is all so perfect for spooky season.
Mistaken (demo only) A roguelite style combat game where you do "runs" to gather resources and collect loot. Don't worry, if you die on a run, you end up back at base. Did I mention it's also a base builder? So have fun designing and expanding your base between runs.
Night in the Woods Is it a platformer? Yeah, but it's mostly a story driven mystery game with some sprinkled in mini-games. The story has so much heart, the characters are memorable, and the music is fantastic.
Reka An early access game with some bugs. BUT the potential is amazing! The autumn vibes are immaculate! The character design is stunning, the world is beautiful, the music is eerie, and you get to design and decorate your own witch's cottage.
Strategy games:
Darkest Dungeon A very difficult turn-based strategy game with some fantastic characters! Send a team of heroes down into the dungeon, and hope they make it back. Grab some mods if you are finding it to be too hard. Also, this is a gross game.
Dredge Would you call this a strategy game? Is it a puzzle game? Or a 'platformer' in the sense that you have to drive your boat carefully to avoid the rocks? Well, it's a spooky fishing game where you explore the world and upgrade your boat. Who knows what you will dredge up? (sorry)
Inscryption A roguelite deck building game with some classic puzzle game mechanics. The art and music are wonderfully spooky. Be warned: I LOVED act 1, HATED act 2 and 3, and LOVED the post game. So it's a bit of a mixed review for me.
Overland A wonderful turn-based strategy game that got review bombed by people that didn't understand how to play. Drive your vehicle across a current-apocalyptic America, pick up hitchhikers if you have room (including dogs!), manage your extremely limited resources, and keep running from danger. I loved achievement hunting in this one.
