5 Worst Horror Games of All Time

For anyone who is openly entwined with the art of horror, stumbling upon a world devoid of ambience and fear is like taking a knife to the heart. Like other genres, execution is the key to captivating an audience, and when it boils down to horror — being effortlessly scary is what forms the foundations for success. Without it, worlds fall flat, and so follow their histories, characters, and settings. And believe us when we say, we've seen countless lacklustre horror game in our time.

Of course, crafting horror is a lot like wielding a double-edged sword — it's perfectly capable of piercing a few psyches, but it's also capable of tarnishing its bearer's reputation if, for whatever reason, the world fails to ignite a connection with its inhabitants. For us, five games spring to mind whenever we picture one-note horror games that lack emotion and vigor. With that, you should probably steer clear of these underwhelming and expressionless vessels.

5. Agony

In an attempt to capitalize on the controversies surrounding sadism, sex, and sacrifice, Madmind Studios developed Agony, an incredibly heartless and barren survival horror flick that poured one too many eggs into a single basket. The result of such recklessness, unfortunately, led to the downfall of an otherwise mediocre video game.

Besides the excessive amount of crimson red that Agony lathers on like a thick paste, the game also falls short on gameplay — in which there is none. Although coined as a stealth-based horror title, the reality is, it's more or less a short stint of aimless exploration through copy and paste hellscapes with very little plot to support it. Although its USP is evidently clear, which is of course the abundance of nude demons, the game itself is incredibly hollow and characterless. For that, we're giving it a dishonorable mention for being one of the worst horror games ever conceived.

4. 7 Days to Die

Sandbox survival horror games aren't uncommon in this day and age, that's for sure. 7 Days to Die, however, is a pretty lame tribute to such a flourishing empire, as it pretty much bleeds through the pores of textureless locations and hand-me-down elements. It is, for lack of a better word, soulless. And that's unfortunate, as the would-be zombified Minecraft clone had the potential to be something much greater.

The idea isn't anything out of the ordinary, which is what makes 7 Days to Die less of a needle, and more of a single stalk of hay in a generic bale. In a barren land devoid of intrigue, players must craft the tools to survive the harsh seasons of post-apocalyptic wherever. The problem is, there isn't a great deal to explore, let alone port into a kingdom fit enough to withstand the downfall of humanity. It's boring, plain and simple, and it's definitely in need of some TLC if it is to ever compete with its best-selling rivals.

3. Amy

If there's one thing Resident Evil has taught us in past iterations, it's that escort missions, as much as Capcom tries to cram them down our throats, are not fun. Like, at all. And yet, overzealous developer VectorCell clearly didn't get this memo, as its 2012 disaster, Amy, was basically a five hour escort mission. And not an entertaining one, at that. Go figure.

Amy paints what can only be described as a motionless carcass on a paper mache canvas. By that, we mean there's little to no life involved, and gameplay-wise, it's just the case of following orders, as well as impersonating a sheep for a power-wielding adolescent with zero appealing qualities whatsoever. Boring? You bet. Worthy of your time and effort? Not in a million years.

2. Lifeline

Lifeline is a classic example of how an innovative idea brought to life too soon can often be met with mixed reviews. Although it did bring voice-controlled gameplay to the stand, its execution and lack of insight into the newfound technology was what ultimately destroyed its chances of getting a foot off the ground. The result of this, unfortunately, was a cluster of unresponsive controls and tediously unskippable puzzle-solving labyrinths.

Lifeline tasks players with using voice controls to guide a cocktail waitress through a monster-infested space complex. Sounds intriguing, no? Well, the idea was clearly impenetrable on paper, but its reality was a lot less sturdy, and was, in fact, made up of half-baked mechanics and overly ambitious designs. If, for whatever reason it released several years later, then it might've stood a chance at gaining some traction. In 2003, however, things weren't so simple.

1. Saw II: Flesh & Blood

Following on from the minor success that Saw: The Game raked in, developer Zombie Studios looked to strike the anvil a second time. Little did the team know, however, that it was already stone cold, and that fans had already lost interest in seeing a second video game adaptation come to fruition. Also, it wasn't as if the first game was compelling enough to warrant a sequel, to begin with, but hey-ho.

From its repetitive puzzles to its surprisingly low quantity of scares and gore, Saw II: Flesh & Blood bombed on all accounts, and it was only a short amount of time before fans came to slate it for putting a stain on an otherwise cult-like saga. Throw in an infinite number of wonky controls, a plethora of bugs, and some shoddy voice acting, and you've got yourself the outline for one of the worst horror games of all time.

So, what's your take? Do you agree with our top five? Let us know over on our socials here or down in the comments below.