For a protagonist (or antagonist) to be interesting, they more often than not need their own goals and desires to motivate them; their drive invests the player and makes them more than simple, two-dimensional figures. Unfortunately, in horror games, the main character’s goals are rarely easy to achieve, and they come face to face with challenges, either internal or external (often both).
Some of the most interesting narratives are those centering aroundrevenge; when a character is driven by little else, it can present a whole load of complicated scenarios and consequences. Whether the protagonist is seeking their own or is suffering at the hands of someone else’s, these are some of thebest horror games about revenge.
Games where revenge is an optional route/ending will not be included, such asThe Walking Dead,instead focusing on titles where it is the core of the plot.
Spoiler Warning: some of the entries on this list discuss major plot points and characters' actions
InHarthorn,the player steps into the shoes of anewly hired security guardfor Harthorn High School. Responding to an alarm trip, they must investigate the site to figure out what - or who - caused it.
It is soon revealed that the rumors surrounding the school’s past are true, and the game quickly becomes a high-stakes cat-and-mouse chase between the player and the antagonist, who seeks revenge against those that previously advocated for his arrest.
9The Backrooms 1998
Who Is The Real Monster?
The Backrooms 1998transports the player - a skateboarder - into the dingy yellow realm of the backrooms. While searching for a way out, they must find and collect items, the caveat being that something else is roaming the seemingly endless complex.
Using a combination of mic activity, found footage format, and liminal space,Backrooms 1998is a very tense experience. What begins as a run-of-the-millstealth horror gamesubtly tells a much darker story and players will be left wondering whether justice is, in fact, best served bloody.
Most 90s and 2000s kids will rememberMonster Houseas an iconic, if not slightly uncanny, animated horror movie. Somewhat forgotten, however, was the accompanying video game of the same name, following the three heroes as they attempt to escape and destroy the titular house.
Monster House’s revenge narrative is a somewhat tragic one, with the house’s sentience owing to the ex-circus performer, Constance, who was accidentally murdered and buried under the foundations. Angry at the world for her past, she seeks revenge on anyone who gets too close.
7Red And The Whispering Wood
A Dark Version Of The Classic Fairy Tale
Red and the Whispering Woodsis a horror game based onLittle Red Riding Hoodwhere players use their voice to control Red. Beginning rather innocently with the player delivering medicine to her grandma, things suddenly become a lot more sinister when the big bad wolf begins hunting them down.
Finding her grandma with a certain four-legged, sharp-fanged guest, who has no reservations about killing its host, Red can only run. That is until she finds an axe. Definitelynot a happy ending, it is at least satisfying to see an end to the beast terrorizing the forest.
Alice: Madness Returnsis ahack-and-slash horror gameand dark interpretation of Alice’s journey through Wonderland. Struggling with grief and guilt, she must find the root of Wonderland’s corruption, uncovering unsavory truths about her past along the way.
In essence,Alice: Madness Returnsis a stylistic representation of coping with and overcoming trauma; on her travels, Alice is able to face and defeat certain figures representing their real world counterparts. Whether she fully returned to reality is debatable, but getting revenge proved a monumental step towards peace.
Castlevania 2: Belmont’s Revengesees Dracula getting even with Christopher Belmont, a descendant of the clan of vampire hunters who defeated him inThe Adventure.Dracula takes Christopher’s son, Soleil, on the night of his coming of age ceremony, turning him into a demon.
In return, Christopher takes it upon himself to rescue his son and save the rest of Transylvania. The second title in the franchise to be released on the Game Boy,Belmont’s Revengeholds a lot of the classic appeal with significant gameplay improvements, from combat to level and sound design.
Revenge is the underlying theme of many of theCastlevaniagames, owing to the death of Dracula’s wife.
Revenge acts as a catalyst for much ofSilent Hill 3’s plot. The high priestess of the Order cult arranges the death of protagonist Heather’s father for disrupting their insidious plans. In turn, Heather seeks to avenge him, leading to her resolution to travel to Silent Hill in the first place.
There are three endings toSilent Hill 3,one of which is called “Revenge”. This is the trademark silly UFO outcome that can be achieved in most ofthe franchise’s games. In the revenge ending, the players see Harry Mason alive and well, destroying Silent Hill with the help of some extraterrestrial friends.
With itsgreat storytellingand world-building, it is no wonder thatThe Last of Us Part 2has so many awards under its belt. One of the most highly praised elements of the game is the writing of the characters, who, for better or worse, are distinctly human and relatable.
The high stakes of living in a post-apocalyptic world means that many of the characters have experienced loss and pain, subsequently abandoning civility in favor of revenge. ThroughoutPart 2,Abby and Ellie are on a mutual mission to avenge their fathers, at some very pricey costs.
Amnesia: The Dark Descentis a psychological horror game, following amnesiac Daniel as he traverses Brennenburg Castle. On the way, he discovers that he kidnapped, tortured, and killed people in order to - as Baron Alexander led him to believe - escape the clutches of the “Shadow”.
Interestingly, inThe Dark Descent,Daniel’s desire for revenge stems from his own inability to accept his actions or face his guilt. Instead, he relinquishes a lot of responsibility and blames Alexander for his deeds, resolving to kill him in the hopes of redeeming himself.
Supermassive has a growing library of fantastic interactive horror games with multiple playable protagonists andbranching storylines. Each entry explores different dark or supernatural concepts, often with a fresh twist.Until Dawnfollows a group of young adults reuniting at a cabin owned by Josh, the brother of their mutual twin friends who died on the mountain a year prior.
After a series of dangerous and distressing encounters with a masked stranger, it is revealed that the trip was a ruse for Josh to get revenge on the group, who he blames for his sisters' deaths. Despite having no intention of murdering them, things don’t go to plan as a new threat emerges. It turns out it’s not only Josh seeking revenge; there are also Wendigos stalking the mountain seeking vengeance for the damage done to the mountain over the centuries.
