Five Scary Haunted PS1 Games
A buffet of low-rez horrors
We conclude our series on Haunted PS1 games with five complete games that started on a HPS1 Demo Disc and have since had a full release. If you want to try before you buy, each of these games has a free Demo on one of the three HPS1 Demo Discs.
As a reminder, this week is also the fall Steam Next Fest, so if you are not in the mood for low-rez horror, you can find a demo you like there.
That Which Gave Chase
Steam | Itch.io
Originally featured on the HPS1 Demo Disc 2021
Note: I was a playtester on this game. I am otherwise unaffiliated.
Not many games have a dog-sledding mechanic, and I am now deeply upset by this oversight. In That Which Gave Chase, you play a musher escorting a scientist to an old outpost deep in the tundra. As you cross the white expanse, the scientist tells you cryptic stories of the old, failed expedition, and warns you against the local wildlife, which seem a little too intelligent. The story is disjointed and hard to grasp, and frequent smash-cuts often leave you unsure of where, when, or even who you are.
Gameplay is simple, but unique. As you guide your dogs, you must keep your sled level or else tip over. Choosing your path carefully and shifting your weight at the proper times is necessary to navigate the terrain, though there is no penalty for falling off your sled. When you want to stop, you must plant a hook into the ground to slow down. It is little details like these that give this one-hour experience its richness.
Mysterious, even obtuse, horror games are not rare, but That Which Gave Chase offers a unique experience that I want to see replicated in more games. It is the only game I can name that has any kind of dog-sledding mechanic, and its chilly, isolating environment is one that I want to get lost in again sometime.
Toree 3D
Steam | Itch.io | Switch | Xbox
Originally featured on the HPS1 Demo Disc 2021
Much like Blast Cats in my last article, Toree 3D is a tribute to the zany, colorful mascot-platformers of the PS1 era. It is a bright and colorful game with light elements of horror just under the surface. You play a cool chick in sunglasses trying to jump across a series of platforms to reach the end of the level quickly while collecting as many stars as possible.
However, tears in reality start to appear in the distance with strings of code leaking out, the cheery background characters start to take on a menacing look, and a strange grim reaper-like figure mocks you as you progress. There is nothing truly scary in this game compared to other HPS1 offerings, but the light horror elements do add another layer of interest to this otherwise standard platformer.
Toree 3D has spawned a sequel, as well as two bonus level packs, all of which can be bought on every major platform and system. Toree 3D is a wonderful, nostalgia-laden throwback to the platforming games of yore, and a solid platforming title in its own right.
Mothered
Steam | Itch.io | Switch | Xbox | Playstation
Originally featured on the HPS1 Demo Disc: Spectral Mall
Another game with more style than coherent narrative, Mothered is about joining your mother after a recent surgery at her remote home, where something is off. For one, your mother is clearly a mannequin. Is that normal? The mirrors are all covered in tape and your brother never leaves his room, or even answers when you knock.
As mother shows you around the property, showing off her apple orchard and warning you to avoid the family barn, you get the feeling that something is very very wrong. The tension builds as things get stranger and stranger. Warning messages flash across your screen, text in computer terminal fonts, graphics that look like local TV station info-graphics from the 90s. Is anything real, or is this some kind of simulation?
Mothered will keep you guessing until the very end. It is a strange, unnerving game. The creators are working on another game called Echostasis, also featured on the Haunted PS1 Demo Disc, which uses a similar visual style to create surreal otherworlds. Consider it a bonus recommendation if you’re into the bizarre. I don’t think I can really describe what happens in Mothered, but I can tell you that it is a haunting trip.
Fatum Betula
Steam | Itch.io | Switch | Xbox
Originally featured on the HPS1 Demo Disc 2020
Perhaps the oldest game on this list, Fatum Betula was developed for the original 2020 HPS1 Demo Disc by Bryce Bucher. In it, you are tasked with feeding a tree in a stagnant land, a task that brings you to all sorts of sights and locales. Very much a “walking simulator,” Fatum Betula is a game about exploring and taking in the vibes, seeing what strange sights there are to see as you collect the items you’ve been tasked with collecting. A simple experience, it embodies the Haunted PS1 aesthetic and provides a wonderful collection of strange sights that will stick with you long after the credits roll.
Chasing Static
Steam | Switch | Xbox | Playstation
Originally featured on the HPS1 Demo Disc 2021
It might seem strange to note in a game like this, but Chasing Static has some of the best voice acting I have heard in an indie game. The opening scene takes place in a diner, between a man who is lost on the road and a waitress who is closing up for the night. Despite the fact that their faces are little more than blurry textures, the voice acting and chemistry on display is so strong that I was invested in these characters within minutes, which made it extra impactful when one of them is suddenly kidnapped by a shadowy monster.
The meat of the game is an adventure full of hidden notes to read, items to collect, underground bunkers to explore, and secrets to discover, but it is this strong opening that really sells the game for me. It is rare to get a game with writing and voice acting this strong in an indie project, and it renders the less impressive graphics totally irrelevant.
Bonus Recommendation: Bloodborne PSX
Itch.io
While not associated with the Haunted PS1 collective, I would be remiss NOT to mention Bloodborne PSX (BPSX), as it is one of my favorite low-rez experiences of all time. A demake* of Bloodborne for the Playstation 4, BPSX recreates the first area of Bloodborne, the town of Yharnam, in a low-rez PS1 style.
*Lingo check: A demake is a game that intentionally tries to recreate a modern game in an older, less advanced style. These often take the form of 2D games with pixel art graphics or, as in this case, modern games made to look like games played on old televisions.
I have played quite a bit of the original Bloodborne, to the point where I can navigate the map from memory. But I was still surprised when navigating the paired-down streets of BPSX Yharnam triggered the same muscle memories as the original. Even with sections of the town divided by loading screens (which were not in the original) and a whole open-air section of the town replaced with dark and gloomy mansion hallways, I found no problems with navigating the de-made space.
The mechanics are much the same as well, with a few minor tweaks and peculiarities. The original Yharnam was a lengthy section in Bloodborne, taking roughly four hours to complete, so BPSX feels like a complete experience even though it only covers a fraction of the original game. The game even goes above and beyond the source material, adding a dangerous new enemy from the original and forcing you to fight through a remixed version of the map, culminating in a BPSX-exclusive area and boss fight, which perfectly capped off the experience.
I highly recommend this game to fans of Bloodborne and action games in general. It offers a similar experience for an infinitely lower price, and really shows off how good mechanics transcend their presentation.
Next Time…
I go back to talking about TTRPGs and show off a perfect game for injecting some horror into your gaming table.
I'm not usually one for horror but I'm intrigued by That Which Gave Chase, had some interest in dog sleds when I was younger.