From desperately navigating an eerie, horror-inspired maze to nestling around the TV to watch a cheesy slasher flick, October is a time when all things spooky take precedent. For some, Halloween is the perfect opportunity to get immersed in a dense, unsettling horror film, series, or video game. The latter option provides many fantastic experiences, be it the memorable corridors of P.T. or the creepy confines of classics like Silent Hill 2. Not everyone enjoys horror games, but luckily there are also non-horror options to fit the season.
A game doesn't have to be scary to become a great Halloween experience. The season is about more than just cheap jump scares and endless gore, as there is also a coziness that comes with fall festivities. Players who aren't attracted to horror games shouldn't be left out of the fun, as there are films like Zombieland, Hocus Pocus, and Scooby-Doo: The Movie that cater to all audiences using Halloween tropes. Gaming is no different, and enjoying the month doesn't have to come at the cost of being constantly frightened.
Luigi's Mansion
The best thing about Luigi's Mansion and its sequels is that the titular character is always more frightened than the player. Instead of creeping through eerie settings and being subjected to genuinely scary moments, Luigi's Mansion feels like the player is shepherding a scaredy cat through a story they are reluctant to go on. There's humor to it all, and when Luigi braves the journey, players have sufficient reason to be proud of him.
It's a near-perfect Halloween game because of Nintendo's strength at replicating an otherwise mature tone or atmosphere in a way that makes it accessible to everyone. Luigi's Mansion boasts dark hallways, eerie enemies, streamlined controls that don't give the player too much confidence, and a frightened protagonist who reminds players that it's okay to be unsettled by even silly things. It effortlessly straddles the line between capturing the essence of Halloween while not offering serious frights, which is a feat that is easily overlooked.
Batman: Arkham Asylum
Batman's most popular Halloween story, Batman: The Long Halloween, is the clear inspiration behind Rocksteady's 2009 masterpiece. Here, Batman is tasked with wrestling control of Arkham Asylum back from Joker while dodging the ire of villains like Poison Ivy, Killer Croc, Bane, and Harley Quinn. Unlike Arkham City, which ensures Batman is the predator throughout, Arkham Asylum never gives The Dark Knight enough control over the situation to break immersion.
Yet Batman: Arkham Asylum is still a superhero game, and feels like it. Combat is smooth and players will rarely be bested by one of the no-name goons that roam the Asylum grounds. While the tension that mounts during a confrontation with Killer Croc gets players' hearts racing, exiting outside offers enough respite to make fearful moments feel fleeting. Arkham Asylum is a sublime horror-inspired game for non-horror fans, and future entries in the series never struck the same balance as effectively.
Night in the Woods
Telling the tale of a college dropout, Night in the Woods is as cozy as games get. Halloween is a part of the wider plot, and it would feel like a significant disservice to experience its tale in any season other than the fall. Its warm colors, leafy setting, and Mae's personal situation make it far more engaging and relatable while playing under cold weather.
Halloween is not just about the day itself, and the spooky season wouldn't have anywhere near the allure if it didn't take place during its time of the year. The fall is critical to the holiday, and Night in the Woods is a perfect game to remind the player why Halloween is so enjoyable for people who don't trick-or-treat, dress up, attend horror mazes, or rewatch scary movies.
Castlevania: Symphony of the Night
Though it takes place in Dracula's castle and asks players to brave the dangers that lie within, Castlevania: Symphony of the Night is too mechanically sound to be frightening in any way. It's a pleasure to play, and the sense of wonderment that comes with exploration completely overrules the tense feeling that can be had at a handful of moments. The soundtrack doesn't emphasize spooky elements of the experience, and as Alucard continues to get more powerful it soon becomes apparent that he's one of the strongest entities roaming the castle.
The setting is sufficiently horror-inspired, but its pixel art is far from unsettling. It's a perfect Halloween experience for players who want to avoid scares. Not only can it be bested over a weekend, but it's also dripping in vampiric lore that is essential to its identity. Konami may be resurfacing Silent Hill, but Castlevania shouldn't be lost in time.
The Walking Dead
Zombies are commonplace in video games today, but Telltale's The Walking Dead came out when they weren't as ubiquitous. Lee's desperate attempt to keep Clementine alive is one of the most heartbreaking, harrowing, and delightful experiences in gaming, even 10 years after it released. Subsequent seasons declined in quality somewhat, but the self-contained nature of the first season of Telltale's The Walking Dead makes it truly timeless.
There are moments of tension that get the heart racing, but a heavy emphasis on dialogue makes it more about the characters and their journey to safety rather than the horrors they constantly have to overcome. Clementine is one of the best characters in modern gaming, and while The Walking Dead is worth a replay any time of the year, its zombies and tense atmosphere means Halloween is the best time to reexperience the tale.