Sometimes a video game can be entirely terrifying, and the very best horror games out there can sometimes stumble on their own two feet thanks to the voice acting involved. Some horror games have some pretty bad voice acting, but that doesn’t mean that it is not a somewhat endearing performance.
Whether it’s running away from a serial killer, taking the fight to a giant horror icon, or simply conversing with themselves, some questionably bad voice-acting performances deduct some points from some great, or less-than-great horror games, but there’s at least something to salvage in these horror games with bad but endearing voice acting.
7 Dead Island
Dead Island will have players traverse to a tropical resort, although this one is infested with a zombie plague. As players fight their way through Banoi, they might find a few survivors in need of help. However, what these survivors could use, is better dialogue and another take, as their voice acting is distracting in all the wrong ways.
Although the voice acting in Dead Island isn’t a deal breaker, it’s a notable addition to the game. Whether it’s the main playable characters speaking, or the NPCs that require assistance, the voice acting can be at times, endearing, and other times, straight-up bad.
6 Agony
People don’t exactly play Agony for the voice acting. The game is played more for the gore and the mayhem in the depths of Hell, where players will discover themselves on a path to survive the demons and avoid the torment and torture of a soul trapped. However, the voice acting is still in Agony, and very much noticeable.
Some NPCs that players can find in Agony will break away from the horror elements of the game, due to the silliness of the character’s voice acting. Whether intentional or not, there are some humorous voices in Agony, including a character that sounds far too much like Miss Piggy.
5 Silent Hill
The Silent Hill franchise has always had a rocky relationship with its horror, psychological thrills, and voice acting. However, the first Silent Hill stands out above the rest. The game follows Harry, a single parent that ventures into the fog-covered town of Old Silent Hill to find where in the world his daughter Cheryl has disappeared to.
Despite meeting demonic entities and seeing some rather deluded and horrific things in an attempt to locate his daughter, Harry, along with other characters, seem almost bored, and as if they have no reason to be in Silent Hill at all. It adds to the charm of the game, strangely.
4 House Of The Dead: Scarlet Dawn
The House of the Dead series doesn’t exactly play for its voice acting. The arcade on-rails shooter is all about shooting zombies and other mutated creatures, and the voice acting is not something there to be enjoyed and studied. In fact, for House of the Dead: Scarlet Dawn, the voice acting is almost intentionally cheap and cheesy.
From the very first mission, players will be snickering at each line spoken by the characters. From the over-the-top villainous performances to the carelessness and mockery of a “badass” attitude from the heroes. House of the Dead: Scarlet Dawn’s voice acting is endearing indeed.
3 Resident Evil
Few game series have become as iconic as Resident Evil. New games, spin-offs, and remakes bless Resident Evil, which is a surprise considering how many memes the first game spurned over the years. Regardless of voice acting, fans loved the first Resident Evil. Many lines written and spoken in the original Resident Evil game were so bad that they’re good, and many fans still quote lines like “Jill sandwich”.
The Resident Evil voice acting is laughable, especially with how unserious everyone is. It’s almost as if zombies are silly and camp, and the characters find it all a tad too goofy. Their voice lines are a testament to that, even if the voice acting has vastly improved and taken itself more seriously in future Resident Evil games.
2 MADiSON
As a first-person psychological horror game, MADiSON can deliver players a terrifying experience, as long as they can ignore the voice acting. Players only have a few tools at hand: their instant camera, and their minds. Players will need to solve puzzles and watch out for decrepit and demonic entities that will have them shaking in their boots.
The voice acting in MADiSON is not terrible, but it’s not great. Some dialogue, and the way it was directed, takes away from some of the scares, and players are left either uninterested in the spoken words or wincing at what they can hear, especially when they want to get back to the horror thrills.
1 Heavy Rain
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With many twists and turns, Heavy Rain can take players through an interactive psychological thriller, where their actions guide the characters, and determine the fate of those involved in the hunt for the Origami Killer. However, like most interactive games, giving players a choice can lead to some hilarious moments, unintentional or otherwise.
The majority of giggles in Heavy Rain come from the ability that players have when it comes to certain lines. Players can make the protagonist shout out multiple times “Shaun”, which can often lead to some unintentional laughs.