Inside the true edge: games about maniacs
The weather is getting darker, the days are shorter, and nature itself seems to be whispering: "It's time to turn on the tru-edge." Chilling videos and podcasts about real crimes and murderers have become incredibly popular in recent years. What about maniac games? Of course, developers and screenwriters have long been partial to this topic. Excellent games from different years and genres in which you can become a serial killer hunter, get into the skin of a villain and more — in the Izvestia review.
Condemned: Criminal Origins
Genre: Action
Release year: 2005
What to play on: PC, Xbox 360
A psychological thriller inspired by The Silence of the Lambs. The story follows FBI Special Agent Ethan Thomas, who investigates a series of murders and assaults in a fictional Metro city. Chasing a maniac known as the Matchmaker, Ethan suddenly becomes the main suspect himself. Developers from Monolith Productions studio, known for their first-person shooters, used this experience, but focused not on shooting, but on close combat. The player has a wide arsenal of such weapons at his disposal, and each has its own characteristics of damage, range and blocking.
Heavy Rain
Genre: Interactive adventure
Release year: 2010
What to play on: PC, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4
Quantic Dream Studio became famous for its cinematic games with a focus on the plot. Heavy Rain became their third work and set the standard for two subsequent projects, including Detroit: Become Human. The player will control four characters: private investigator Scott Shelby, journalist Madison Page, FBI profiler Norman Jayden, and grief-stricken father Ethan Mars. They are all on the hunt for the Origami killer, and they strive to stop him before he kills another child.
Dead by Daylight
Genre: Multiplayer survival
Release year: 2016
What to play on: PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, Nintendo Switch
A multiplayer horror game in which four players act as survivors trying to escape from the fifth killer. You can play as many famous maniacs: Michael Myers from the Halloween movies, the maniac from Screams, the Chucky doll and others. Despite some rough edges with the balance, the project has a huge and dedicated fanbase.
Party Hard
Genre: puzzle, stealth
Release year: 2015
What to play on: PC
A stylish pixel retrowave project in which a killer player needs to send all the guests of a wild party to the next world. There are dozens of unique levels in the game, where objects are randomly generated, making them interesting to re-traverse. The maniac player can wield a knife and set up clever traps, and guards, cops and FBI agents are trying to prevent him.
Friday the 13th
Genre: Multiplayer survival
Release year: 2017
What to play on: PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch
Another multiplayer game based on the movie, using the mechanics of Dead by Daylight. The plot centers on the legendary killer Jason Voorhees, who stalks victims in a forest camp. One player in a match controls it. The supernatural speed and abilities of the demonic maniac make him practically invulnerable, but the rest of the players are not defenseless. They play as camp counselors who can use their knowledge and ingenuity to slow down Jason. The goal is to make it to the end of the round.
The Dark Pictures: The Devil In Me
Genre: Interactive adventure
Release year: 2022
What to play on: PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S
Like other horror films from Supermassive Games studio, this is an interactive drama in which the player makes decisions for the characters himself — from quick reactions in QTE scenes to the choice of lines in dialogues that determine the fate of the characters. The game completes The Dark Pictures anthology and boasts an excellent cast, such as Oscar nominee Jessie Buckley. The story is based on the activities of the real-life serial killer H. G. Holmes and his infamous "Murder Castle", a hotel where he lured his victims.
Still Life
Genre: Quest
Release year: 2005
What to play on: PC, Xbox One
In Still Life, the player travels through two timelines: following FBI agent Victoria McPherson through Chicago in 2004 and following her grandfather, Gustav McPherson, through Prague in the 1920s. Both detectives are investigating a series of brutal murders that may be related. The maniac behind these crimes is clearly inspired by the image of Jack the Ripper - he hunts "moths". This is a classic point-and-click quest: the player explores the environment, interacts with characters, searches for clues and conducts dialogues to advance the plot. There are a lot of puzzles in the game, the solution of which requires attention and encourages you to explore every corner of the locations, and sometimes return to the already completed stages.
Killer Frequency
Genre: adventure, simulator
Release year: 2023
What to play on: PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, Nintendo Switch
In Killer Frequency, the player is not a killer, not a detective, and not a victim. Instead, he plays the role of a humble radio host. The action takes place in 1987. DJ Forrest Nash suddenly turns into a radio traffic controller when it turns out that the famous serial killer Whistling Man, who had long been considered dead, is on the hunt again. The gameplay consists of answering calls from radio listeners and solving puzzles to help victims escape from the maniac.
AI: The Somnium Files
Genre: Adventure
Release year: 2019
What to play on: PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch
The near future, Tokyo. Detective Kaname Date is investigating a series of "cyclops murders" — a maniac who always cuts out the victims' right eye. Part of the game is a quest: the player explores crime scenes, selects items for analysis, interacts with characters and collects evidence. And when Date gets the opportunity to access suspects' memories to extract hidden information, the camera switches to a third-person view, and the player has to solve puzzles to advance the investigation.
Переведено сервисом «Яндекс Переводчик»
