Summary
Guilt is an emotion that tells us that something is wrong, that we have done something bad or violated a moral code. Typically, it is psychological horror games that employ guilt, often in hand with other mental health conditions such as PTSD and depression, as it allows developers to present turmoils of the mind via metaphorical horrors.
Characters in such games may have committed crimes they regret or feel responsible for events entirely out of their control. Whether the emotion shapes the way the protagonist perceives their surroundings, or influences their very character and outlook, these are some of thebest horror games that explore guilt.
OMORIfollows Sunny and Omori, Sunny’s alter-ego, as he journeys between the “headspace” and the “faraway town.” Followed by his friends, the player gradually uncovers the truth about Omori’s past through a combination of exploration, dialogue, andturn-based battles.
The wayOMORIexplores themes such as guilt and depression through changing landscapes, art style, and story, makes for really touching gameplay. With multiple endings, players can also experiment with taking different paths. Each one will impact Omori and those surrounding him in different ways.
What Remains of Edith Finchis anexploration game. The player begins on a ferry headed to Orcas Island, taking the perspective of the titular Edith Finch after reading her journal. They then explore her ancestral home, uncovering the causes of each family member’s untimely deaths.
While not explicitly a horror game,What Remains Of Edith Finchhas an overarching atmosphere of decay, similar toLittle Nightmares,underpinned by other elements of mystery and fantasy. The narrative explores trauma, grief, and guilt in paradoxically beautiful ways, making this a great experience for those after a more passive story-based game.
Visageis a first-person psychological horror game set in a 1980s suburban house. As Dwayne Anderson, the player navigates the events surrounding the previous tenants and their demise. The story takes a lot of piecing together, even then being unreliable as it takes place through the eyes of a troubled substance-abusing protagonist. However, speculation is what holds much of the game’s appeal.
Alongside a heavy emphasis on mental health issues, the central theme ofVisageis guilt—both its causes and consequences. Despite its obvious heavy inspiration from Kojima’sP.T., Visagedraws on a lot of other sources to create a standalone experience that is deeply terrifying in its own right.
Layers of Feartakes place after the First World War, with the protagonist known as “the Painter” endeavoring to complete his masterpiece; a portrait of his wife. The player must navigate his topsy-turvy home and collect unconventional materials to complete the painting as the family’s past is revealed.
AnotherP.T.inspired game, it is no surprise thatLayers of Fearuses changing environments alongside mental deterioration, but the game has its own well-rounded plot and atmosphere. The guilt of the protagonist manifests itself in the series of gruesome paintings. The player’s actions determine how the protagonist deals with his past, with three different endings.
Following Ellis, a former police officer, the player inBlair Witchmust embark on the search for a missing boy in Black Hills Forest. Following clues alongside his dog, Bullet, Ellis finds himself traversing through time to re-experience his own traumatic past.
Blair Witchcleverly uses time to confront Ellis’s repressed guilt through a combination of characters, environment, and video camera mechanics. With nods to the film of the same name, this alternate interactive story is a must-play for fans of puzzle horror games featuring combat.
InThe Evil Within 2,the player is introduced to Sebastian, an alcoholic who has turned to drink after the presumed death of his daughter Lily in a house fire. It is soon revealed Lily is in fact alive and being used by an organization called Mobius. Sebastian is presented with a chance to confront the past and save her.
Many players conclude that the ghostly antagonist that haunts Sebastian throughout, Anima, is an amalgamation of his guilt and fear. Unlike many survival horror games, there isa large focus on gunplayinThe Evil Within 2,with weapon upgrades and crafting systems for players who prefer having some control.
While many games exploring guilt tend to opt for the psychological horror route,The Last Of Ustakes a more subtle approach. The player follows Joel, a smuggler in a landscape that has become overrun with a mutant fungus, and Ellie, a girl who is immune to its virus.
While the plot doesn’t revolve around it, Ellie’s survivor’s guilt after enduring the deaths of multiple other characters that she loved heavily drives her character. Her commitment to finding a cure is motivated by the refusal to let their deaths be in vain, and the opportunity to give her purpose. Joel’s survivor’s guilt is much more obvious; players witness the cause of it during the game’s opening moments.
Amnesia: The Dark Descentis a psychological survival horror game that begins with the protagonist, Daniel, awakening in Brennenburg Castle. He remembers nothing save his name and the information on a self-addressed note, which establishes that he erased his own memory and must kill the baron, Alexander.
As the playertraverses the castle, Daniel’s past is revealed along with the events that led him to the castle in the first place. What the game does well is convey the necessity of facing guilt head-on to overcome it, rather than pushing it down to forget it.
TheSilent Hillfranchisehas consistently sat at the top as one of the most popular horror game franchises of all time, and for good reason. One of the most anticipated remakes of 2024,Silent Hill 2,has lived up to this reputation, exploring the same heavy themes as its original iteration.
Arriving at Silent Hill after receiving a letter from his former wife Mary, who died three years prior, James Sunderland attempts to find her in their “special place.” As the truth about Mary’s death is revealed, James' fate falls into the players' hands in the form of eight different endings. TheSilent Hill 2remake pays homage to the original with its unnerving atmosphere and metaphorical monsters, making it one of the most complex games that explores guilt to date.
