5 Horror Games to Look for at PAX East
The Penny Arcade Expo (PAX), created in 2004, is a massive celebration of gamer culture. So massive, that it quickly expanded beyond its initial Seattle, Washington venue and branched out into multiple conferences across the country. Next week marks the 6th year for PAX East, taking place in Boston, Massachusetts. While PAX is known for spreading the love toward all forms of gaming, from tabletop to video, naturally it’s the horror gaming that’s caught our eye. Below are 5 notable horror games making their mark on PAX East.
I suppose this should spot should really be dedicated to Indie Megabooth, as not only are they dedicated to the best of indie game developers, but they’ll have over 80 games playable for the entirety of PAX East. One of which is NightCry, by developers Nude Maker. Touted as a spiritual successor to Clock Tower, the game is a 3D point-and-click game that sees the player exploring a luxury cruise ship, and they must investigate strange occurrences and deaths on board. Enter the iconic antagonist, Scissorwalker, complete with giant, terrifying scissors. While reviews on Steam thus far have been mixed, players can try it firsthand next weekend.
Described as “a game of paranoia and survival, in a drugged-out, dystopian English city in 1964,” Compulsion Games brought their unique first-person survival game to PAX East last year looking for feedback. They listened, and have been hard at work ever since. The game currently has a release on PC and XBOX One scheduled for June this year, so expect a much more fleshed out, complete game. The psychedelic, quirky aesthetic with a menacing undertone makes this game one to keep an eye on.
You know what happens when former Bio-Shock and Dead Space developers team up? They bring their combined knowledge of horror gaming and form indie studio, The Deep End Games. First on the docket: Perception, a horror adventure that features a blind heroine that must use echolocation to survive her exploration of an abandoned estate. We’re already excited about this one, and jealous of those able to get a first look at the game in action during PAX East. The game is currently scheduled for a June 2016 release.
This game should need no introduction at this point; even if you’ve somehow missed the massive Kickstarter campaign that stirred up a frenzy among fans, then the game’s title alone should be self-explanatory. We’ve also covered theimpressive names behind the game’s creation . Of course the game will have a presence at PAX East. Look for a panel Friday evening, April 22nd, featuring the creative team, Gun Media, behind the game as they discuss how they plan to push horror video gaming in bold, new directions. Even better? Look for Community Lead Ben Strauss, who will be walking PAX East armed with beta codes and more goodies to hand out.
A week ago, Red Barrels released a cryptic video that showed nothing but an upside-down cross, simply titled “Jude 1:14-15”. However it was the backwards dialogue that proved both puzzling and intriguing. A reversal of the dialogue was slightly less mysterious, only hinting that we should expect more news “on the fourth month and the 22nd day of the sixteenth year of the third millennium.” Well, that day is next Friday, April 22nd, 2016. Despite the effectively creepy message, Red Barrels has since admitted that they will be releasing official gameplay footage for fans that can’t attend PAX East. For those who can? You’ll be able to get your hands on a playable demo. Lucky heathens.
