A game’sart directionsets up the underlying tone right away, andoften, thiscreates an expectation that some games that look particularly adorable have a lighthearted—even family-friendly—tone. However, that’s not always the case.
Peeling back the layers of cartoon art styles and cel-shaded graphics, some games hide a much, much darker narrative.
10 Cozy Games for Horror Fans
Horror games aren’t always about jump scares.
They could be dark in theme, tackling heavy concepts such asmental health distressand societal issues. They could also just be outright dark in content, hiding gruesome details and horror hidden in plain sight — in some cases, it’s a mixture of both.
These games exist across all kinds of genres, marketed to a variety of types of players. However, it reveals a constant truth that we always seem to forget: things aren’t always as they seem.
This article will contain some spoilers for their respective games.
10Don’t Starve
Survival In A Sketchbook Art Style
Don’t Starve
Don’t Starveis a lovelysurvival gamethat can be played solo or in co-op. It’s an immensely cute art style, akin to being pulled from a sketchbook owned by Tim Burton.
It’s not just an aesthetically pleasing game, though. As playersbuild their basesand stay out of the hostile darkness, the story slowly unfolds, revealing a much darker narrative.
The story follows the protagonistWilson, a gentlemanly scientist tricked by the game’s antagonist,Maxwell. After using the machine that transported him into a world of monsters, Wilson is now struggling to stay alive—all for Maxwell’s sick amusement.
The game revolves around uncovering Maxwell’s dark secrets, including how many others he’s trapped in this world, who met a far worse fate than the beloved Wilson.
Unravel Supernatural Secrets
Oxenfreeis a love letter to 80s supernatural horror movies, even though the game is not necessarily rooted in the horror genre. It’s an adventure game that looks super cute on the surface, but nothing on Edwards Island is quite as you would expect.
It follows the story of Alex, a brave yet rebellious teenage girl, and her group of friends as they accidentally open a rift into the supernatural world. It’s a coming-of-age story that can have depressing or uplifting outcomes.
Every player’s experience will be different, asplayers' choices mattersignificantly to the overall story, which is a tired cliché but, in this case, holds true.
Silence in Mental Anguish
OMORIis a unique story that tackles Japanese societal issues and the outcomes of devastatingly poor mental health.
On the surface, it’s an adorableRPG Maker gamethat looks relatively light-hearted. It looks like a child’s drawing, in a way, but that’s before players finally hear the story that was left — literally — unsaid.
10 Best Games Like Silent Hill
Fans of Silent Hill tend to be hungry for more horrifying games similar in style — maybe with the fog not included.
The game follows Sunny, ahikkikomori— a person who has completely shuts themselves inside, fully isolating themselves from society and the outside world. His alter ego, Omori, has to overcome the game’s obstacles, literally and metaphorically, in order for Sunny to have a better life.
It’s a beautiful game that tackles incredibly dark and deep issues of anxiety, depression, and suicidal ideation. It wasfairly controversial for these triggering themeswhen it was released, but public opinion has since calmed down in order to appreciate the message that was given.
7Earthbound
Commentary Through A Child’s Eyes
Earthbound
An iconic, earlier example of deceiving looks,Earthbound(known in Japan asMother 2) ended up being a game that traumatized many in its audience.
Earthbound is an adorable,turn-based JRPGthat follows the story ofNessand his friends investigating a meteor crash in town. However, the story leads into a much, much darker narrative.
Tackling themes such as friendship and bravery, it’s easy to dismiss this game as fully family-friendly. That is, until Ness and his friends experience police brutality, cults, and the cosmic horror that isGiygas, the game’s main villain who still terrifies players to this day.
6Duck Season
Nostalgia Mixed with Existential Dread
On the surface,Duck Seasonis a funVR gamethat plays homage to the classic 1980sNintendogameDuck Hunt.
On the surface, players immerse themselves as a young boy during the Golden Age of Gaming, playing the classic game as a shooter.
However, the game slowly starts to unfold with the passage of time, revealing dark secrets underneath and an even crazier story.
Advertised as “a hint of horror in a Spielburgian universe,” Duck Season has multiple endings depending on gameplay, and it’s much more intriguing once players are hooked in.
5The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker
Adventure Comes At A Cost
The Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker HD
WhenLegend of Zeldafans think about the iconicThe Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker, the two main things that come to mind are the adorable cartoon art style, complete with gorgeous cel-shaded graphics, andthe unforgettable sailing.
Being the introduction ofToon Link, the game is fondly remembered for having a cute art direction, but secrets are hiding under the bright blue waves.
10 Underrated Indie Horror Gems
As Halloween draws closer, it’s a great time to explore underrated horror gems, including games. Here are some indie games that could use more love.
The land of Hyrule isn’t a beautiful,tropical coastal townlike many believe at first glance. Instead, it’s actually flooded, having long crumbled underwater in order to stop Ganondorf’s violent conquest.
Link actually stumbles upon the catastrophe towards the near-end of the game, a devastating reminder of what happened all those years prior.
Not to mention, the game hides some of the scariest versions of terrifying Zelda enemies (such as theReDead), as well as the most brutal death that Ganondorf has faced in any of the games.
Nothing Good Comes From Dealing With the Devil
Cupheadis a cute game that is known for beingdeceptively difficult. Following the titular character and his brotherMugman, Cuphead is aBullet Helldisguised as aplatformer.
On the surface, it’s a beautiful love letter to old, 1920s and 1930s cartoon animation, with nostalgic sounds and music as a wonderful cherry on top. It’s adorable, that is, until players remember the entire premise of the game in the first place.
Just like an old cartoon, the game warns about the dangers of gambling, greed and making a literal deal with the devil, otherwise Cuphead and Mugman’s souls will be lost forever.
By doing the devil’s work, the brothers are fighting to save themselves, a lesson that children in the Golden Age of Cartoons would have seen flickering in the pictures.
3Doki Doki Literature Club
The Pinnacle of Kawaii Horror
Doki Doki Literature Club!
Doki Doki Literature Club(DDLC) ended up defining an entirely new genre of horror games, making the subgenre of Kawaii Horror incredibly popular after its release. Its terrifying deceptionstill affects players to this day, and for good reason.
On the surface, DDLC looks like any other cutedating simulator, done in the traditional style of avisual noveland with easy gameplay. It’s not until players get to Act Two through Sayori’s suicide that the game takes a complete 180 into a darker tone.
From there, the horrors players encounter will burn themselves to memory, with aunique shift in gameplay mechanicsand narrative overall.
2Undertale
Humor, Charm, and Tragedy
Undertaleis anindie classicthat’s cemented itself as a household name. With an adorable art style,hilarious shenanigans and dialogue,and alovable cast of memorable characters, it’s been adored by players of all ages.
That said, Undertale is a game of many secrets, with literal skeletons hiding in the closet. This isn’t even considering if players take theGenocide Route.
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As players progress through the game, making their way to theTrue Lab, they find the dark secrets and lies they’ve been avoiding the entire game. Even though the game isn’t horror,The True Lab is one of the scariest momentsof the entire game, full of undead monsters and dreadful lore.
The cute,pixel art stylesuddenly feels much more sinister, especially once players discover why children are sought after, and whatDeterminationcan do.
1Night in the Woods
An Eloquent Cry For Help
Night In The Woods
Night in the Woodsis the perfect game to play for acosy, autumnal experience. It’s super cute, warm and lighthearted, followingMae Borowski, one of thebest indie game protagonists.
It’s not until the game progresses and starts to explore its central themes that it becomes clear where the darkness in this story comes from. Mae is a college dropout suffering from severe mental health distress, especially as she struggles to fit back in at her hometown.
Mae’s disassociation, and the results of said disassociation, are incredibly poignant in a game with stunningly lush visuals. It’s heavier than one would anticipate at first glance, but it makes the game all the more oddly comforting.
