Looking for good post-Amnesia indie first person horror games for PC.

[ninja666]

Haven't really touched any indie first person horror games since I played Amnesia back in 2011 because on top of me not really being an avid fan of the genre, so many of them were absolute bottom-of-the-barrel garbage, riddled with cheap jumpscares. Recently, however, I got in a mood to play a game like this because when I saw the Super Best Friends play some really good, really atmospheric games of this type in this year's Shitstorm, I regained a bit of faith in the indie horror scene and its capability of producing something that's actually worth playing.

So, any recommendations for some more obscure indie, first person horror games I should take a look at? Something with a good, well-thought out story, fun puzzles, and atmosphere so thick you can slice it with a knife. Preferably something a little more creative in the scare department than you usual zombies, mutants, Cthulhus, and Internet urban legends, but that's not a dealbreaker - less original and "fresh" setups and ideas are fine, too, as long as they're realized well and are going to, figuratively of course, make me shit my pants.

It should be a game I can max out (or at least run at decent enough visual settings) on the following, not really the best hardware:

- AMD Athlon II X4 @2.8GHz
- 4GB RAM
- AMD Radeon HD 7770 1GB
- Windows 7 x64

Things like shadows, lighting, and general details are very important in such games, so I can't really afford to go too low in terms of graphical settings.


Don't suggest any big, popular ones, like Alien Isolation, Soma etc. I'm looking for something that's a bit lesser-known, sort of waiting in the shadows for someone to discover it. Don't suggest any episodic games either, unless all of the episodes are already out.

Thank you in advance for helping me out.

 

[JUMBO PALACE]

Bendy and the Ink Machine is pretty popular right now. It's simple but apparently the atmosphere is reeaalllly good.

 

[TheFinish]

Bendy and the Ink Machine is pretty popular right now. It's simple but apparently the atmosphere is reeaalllly good.

Isn't Bendy and the Ink Machine episodic though? And AFAIK not all episodes are out (They're at.....3/5, I think)

OT: I would recommend Observer because it's the only thing that pops in my mind that fits your description, but your specs are not even close to what is needed to play it. Frankly, in 2017, they're pretty bad.

Why not try A Machine for Pigs? If you liked Amnesia you should enjoy it too, and it can run on your comp.

 

[JUMBO PALACE]

Bendy and the Ink Machine is pretty popular right now. It's simple but apparently the atmosphere is reeaalllly good.

Isn't Bendy and the Ink Machine episodic though? And AFAIK not all episodes are out (They're at.....3/5, I think)

Yup, you are correct on both fronts. Not all the episodes have been released but OP didn't explicitly omit episodic game so I thought it might be worth a mention. If he's looking for atmosphere that game seems to have it in spades judging by what I've seen of it (haven't played it myself). Plus, his PC can probably run it.

 

[Neurotic Void Melody]

Outlast is probably the highest quality, budget priced, well paced homage to the genre, if it isn't considered too popular all ready. Also, don't take it too seriously...it's more like a love letter to all the ideas and knows how to utilise their tropes while twisting others. People appear to take the series as if it's supposed to be going for something groundbreakingly original, which is weird as it's never given any Impression of that.

Edit: I don't know about PC spectacles, so can't say whether it'll run, but I hear it's a well optimised fluff-pie.

 

[JUMBO PALACE]

The Halloween Steam sale literally just kicked off so you picked a good time to be looking for horror games.

 

[MrCalavera_v1legacy]

How about "Home Sweet Home".
The graphics are nice, above the usual indie stuff, and it borrows its spooks from thai folklore, which is interesting.

 

[ninja666]

I've heard good stuff about OBSERVER.

Take a look at my PC specs. I have no chance of running it even on the lowest settings.

Bendy and the Ink Machine is pretty popular right now. It's simple but apparently the atmosphere is reeaalllly good.

Isn't Bendy and the Ink Machine episodic though? And AFAIK not all episodes are out (They're at.....3/5, I think)

It is indeed episodic. I'm gonna pick it up once all of the episodes are out, though, because the premise looks quite interesting. For now, however, I'll pass.

Why not try A Machine for Pigs? If you liked Amnesia you should enjoy it too, and it can run on your comp.

I've heard that it isn't scary at all due to the studio that made it not really understanding what it was that made Amnesia scary, or something like that. Any feedback on that?

How about "Home Sweet Home".
The graphics are nice, above the usual indie stuff, and it borrows its spooks from thai folklore, which is interesting.

This was one of the games The Super Best Friends played on their channel. I wanted to pick it up because it looked super interesting, but then I found out it's episodic and what you get on Steam for now is only episode one. Good thing people mentioned that because the developers sure as hell didn't.

 

[Strelok]

Perception, the horror game where you are a blind woman returning home.


Among The Sleep, horror game where you play a small child.

 

[ninja666]

Perception, the horror game where you are a blind woman returning home.

Coincidentally, it's another game I found out about from the Best Friends' channel. This one didn't grab my attention as much as Home Sweet Home did, but I might give it a shot, considering my pickings seem to be rather slim. Thanks for suggesting it.

Among The Sleep, horror game where you play a small child.

Yeah, I remember that one. In particular, I remember it being quite creative with portraying everyday objects and places as bizarre and surreal because of the whole "world seen through the eyes of a toddler" theme. Is it really a scary type of a horror game, though? Because from what I've seen, there wasn't anything really pants-shittingly terrifying about anything. It was more whimsical if anything.

 

[theSovietConnection]

I'd personally recommend Kholat if you haven't seen it yet. I enjoyed it, and that it's based on an actual event made it that much creepier for me.

 

[ninja666]

I'd personally recommend Kholat if you haven't seen it yet. I enjoyed it, and that it's based on an actual event made it that much creepier for me.

I've heard of it, but never really gave it a proper shot. It seems like now would be a good time. Thanks. I really hope the open world part doesn't play that big of a role there, though, because I'm generally looking for more a streamlined experience.


On another note, albeit a semi-related one, any recommendations for good indie, horror-themed point and clicks? It's also kind of a terra incognita for me I would like to try out a little more. The only horror point n' clicks I've ever played were Sanitarium, Tormentum, and The Cat Lady. Currently on my radar I have Fran Bow and Detention.

 

[Strelok]

I'd personally recommend Kholat if you haven't seen it yet. I enjoyed it, and that it's based on an actual event made it that much creepier for me.

Forgot about this one, also recommend it, very creepy game.

Also recommend Knock Knock! Not point and click but very good, throws you in no real instructions. Trailer is for the mobile release, but it was on Steam first adapted later for mobile.

 

[ninja666]

Also recommend Knock Knock! Not point and click but very good, throws you in no real instructions. Trailer is for the mobile release, but it was on Steam first adapted later for mobile.

I really like the look of it. I'll definitely try it out. Thanks for bringing it to my attention.

 

[SweetShark]

Without having puzzles and it is mostly reading, I suggest you playing 'Saya no Uta'.....I think I have a deja vu. Did I ever told you play this game again?
Anyway, good horror story with a lot heartbreaking moment of horror and terror.

 

[ninja666]

Without having puzzles and it is mostly reading, I suggest you playing 'Saya no Uta'.....I think I have a deja vu. Did I ever told you play this game again?
Anyway, good horror story with a lot heartbreaking moment of horror and terror.

I've already "played" it. Could've been because you recommended it to me, but I honestly can't remember as it was a few years ago. It had potential, but ultimately I didn't like it because it focused too much on sex and raw shock value, and not enough on the story itself, resulting in it being rather lackluster and simplistic.

 

[ninja666]

Any other suggestions? Anyone?

 

[theSovietConnection]

I'd recommend Stairs as well come to think of it. It's even on sale on Steam right now for under $3 USD

 

[JUMBO PALACE]

Just to throw another suggestion at you even though it doesn't exactly fit your criteria- Condemned Criminal Origins is one of my favorite horror games. It doesn't have that indie aesthetic the other games in this thread do but it is first person and has a pretty interesting story. It's also genuinely frightening with lots of different and creative settings. The abandoned department store full of mannequins is a rather famous/infamous section.