Five Spooky Haunted PS1 Demos
A sampling of low-rez horror
Apologies for the delay in last week’s article. The week got away from me, but fear not! To make it up to you, I offer a double dose of horror this week. Today I’m presenting five demos from the Haunted PS1. Later this week, I will share five more fully-fledged games, for a total of ten horror experiences to last you through spooky season!
In a world where time is precious and budgets are tight, I've come to appreciate the value of a good demo even more than a full game. These bite-sized experiences can last anywhere from thirty minutes to an hour or more, giving you a comprehensive taste of what a game has to offer without overstaying its welcome.
Of course, you should absolutely purchase games that you enjoy and support their creators, but there’s no harm in savoring a demo here and there, especially when they’re lovingly packaged in a massive bundle like the Haunted PS1 Demo Disc.
Speaking of which, this week coincides with the fall Steam Next Fest, so if you are not in the mood for low-rez horror just now, you’re bound to find something else that piques your interest there.
Protagoras Bleeds
Featured on the HPS1 Demo Disc 2021
Protagoras Bleeds is a prime example of what can be done when you take old horror games and give them a new coat of paint. Taking direct inspiration from iconic horror franchises like Resident Evil and Silent Hill (including the first-person sections of Silent Hill 4: The Room), Protagoras Bleeds is a survival horror game that sees you navigating a cramped motel using tank controls* and awkwardly firing guns at monstrous enemies that want your blood.
*Lingo check: Tank controls are a control scheme in which player characters can move forward or backward, but only rotate left and right. This is in contrast to controls which offer movement in all directions. A common scheme in games using static camera angles, tank controls were meant to avoid awkward transitions between screens.
The game begins with a man and woman skipping town for unstated reasons. Before they can reach their destination, their car breaks down in front of a creepy motel. Stranded and unable to fix the car, the pair decide to spend the night, despite the eerie lack of either staff or guests. That night, a scream wakes the man, who finds the motel filled with TV-headed monsters. The demo sees you explore the motel, try to unravel its mysteries, and find a way to escape the horror.
The atmosphere is great and exploring the motel is tense. The monsters lack the visceral horror of the game’s inspirations, but are unnerving all the same (though how they bite you without any teeth is a mystery to me). Adapting to the tank controls may take some time, but they fit well with the claustrophobic environment. My only hiccup was reloading guns, which could have used a tutorial.
If you’re looking for a game that recaptures the experience of classic PS1 horror games, Protagoras Bleeds is the perfect fit.
Northstar Courier
Featured on the HPS1 Demo Disc: Spectral Mall
Some HPS1 games are subtle in their horror. Northstar Courier is one such game, hiding a handful of scares beneath a bright and cheery facade. Taking visual cues from casual Japanese games, Northstar Courier sees you taking a job as a delivery-person in a quiet small town. You travel the town via scooter, dropping off packages to the town’s quirky residents, and are also able to take pictures of various oddities and locales with your camera. It is a little Pokemon Snap, a little Boku no Natsuyasumi, a touch Animal Crossing, though not quite any of them. If there is a direct comparison, it eludes me (but if you have one, please let me know!).
The majority of the game is relaxing as you go about your daily routine. However, there are occasional glimpses of odd or unsettling details, like mysterious figures watching you in the distance, or a tear in reality that leads you through a kaleidoscopic tunnel to a fleshy otherworld. These glimpses give the sense that the world is off, and makes your place in it unclear, but it is the game’s cozy small-town vibes that will really stick with you.
Gob
Featured on the HPS1 Demo Disc: Spectral Mall
Done entirely in claymation, Gob is a point-and-click adventure game* dripping with style. You play Gob (presumably), a spiky-headed monster who just wants some breakfast, but the refrigerator is glued shut and the front door to your underground dwelling is welded closed (Why? Who knows?). There is no dialogue, nothing to provide context, so it is up to you to figure out the problem and solve it using whatever lies at hand.
*Lingo Check: Point-and-click adventure games are a genre in which everything is controlled by clicking the mouse. These games tend to rely on collecting objects to solve puzzles and feature heavy narrative elements.
Gob is both ugly and charming at the same time. The environment is cluttered with dirty tools and reclaimed garbage, which makes it difficult to find the items that you need to solve puzzles. However, the filth is so beautifully rendered that you can’t help but admire it. The game is a straightforward point-and-click affair, with all the pros and cons that come with that genre, but the unique style means that lingering in these cluttered environments is a treat in itself.
Blast Cats
Featured on the HPS1 Demo Disc: Spectral Mall
What could be more 90s than a platforming game featuring a furry mascot? Blast Cats fits right in with the likes of Gex, Spyro, Crash Bandicoot, and Sonic the Hedgehog. You play as a cat armed with a hammer and an arsenal of bombs, navigating a spooky haunted mansion, and must go toe-to-toe with the house’s ghostly residents.
The mansion, while having a few challenges of its own, mostly serves as a central hub containing a series of portals to other levels. Players of Mario games will already be familiar with this setup, as levels are short, focused on a single mechanic, and take place in completely self-contained locations.
Most of the time, the challenge courses will involve jumping from platform to platform and using your bombs to clear obstacles. Sometimes, however, the gameplay will change it up, featuring a vehicle racing section or a boss fight instead.
Blast Cats is an amazing, zany homage to platformers of old, and is a nostalgic, spooky treat for any fans of the genre.
Agony of a Dying MMO
Featured on the HPS1 Demo Disc 2021
Agony of a Dying MMO (ADMMO) is unpleasant, and I mean that in a positive way. A once-popular MMORPG* is shutting down in a few hours. Those who linger swap stories, rail against the end of the game, and have a last bit of fun before it goes away forever.
*Lingo Check: MMORPG, or MMO for even shorter, stands for Massively Multiplayer Online Role Playing Game. It is a genre in which hundreds or even thousands of players can play at the same time, occupying the same digital space, and frequently work together to perform tasks and complete quests.
ADMMO is about the worst aspects of online culture. Other players talk about how toxic the game has become since the Nazis started to play, individuals recount stories of how the game consumed their lives and ruined their relationships, while still others talk about the mysteries they were never able to solve, including the NPC Adam, who is rumored to give the player who finds him ultimate power.
There is not much interaction in the game. You have a gun that can fire, but you can’t shoot anything, not even other players. Mostly you sit and listen to others sharing their thoughts over voice chat until a sudden jump cut brings you to a new scene with a new character. Occasionally you are let free to explore, and may even get lost in the messy landscape.
Everything about the game is jarring, from its harsh visuals, to its sudden jumps cuts, to the strange, sad, and downright unnerving conversations with other players. It is a horror game where the horror comes not from monsters or the unknown, but from real human messiness. It is not a pleasant experience, but it is a deeply moving one that will linger with you long after you play it.
Stay tuned for another five recommendations of complete HPS1 games this week.