Summary
The ocean is a terrifying place — a vast, watery vacuum that can be whipped into a deadly frenzy by storms, and it houses truly terrifying aquatic creatures such as sharks, octopi, andLovecraftian-like abominationsdwelling down in the deep, dark waters. Diving is a real test of bravery, as is stepping aboard a ship.
When boarding a boat, people place their safety on the vessel to not plunge them into the ocean, but sometimes, the ocean is preferable to what might be sharing the decks. Horror games set aboard a sea-faring vessel place the players between a rock and a hard place, as they have no choice but to try and survive aboard the ship, or the alternative is simply a burial at sea.
Roguelike Survival Nightmare Set Onboard A Cargo Ship
Monstrum
Monstrum takes the traditional survival horror formula and remixes it completely with procedurally generated levels, permadeath, and AI driven predators, ensuring that nowhere on its derelict cargo ship is ever truly safe.Offering up a challenge to even the hardiest of gamers, Monstrum will force you to use your wits and whatever tools you can find to outrun or outsmart your pursuer. Attempt to escape from an environment that is out to kill you while evading the lurking terror that could be around any corner. Can you survive Monstrum?Game FeaturesThree Unique Monsters: Face one of three monster types each play-through, each one with different behaviours and tactics. Can you work your way out of an ambush or escape a direct attack? And will the same actions work every time?Procedural Arena: Prepare for a different gameplay environment each time you play as the ship’s interior shifts shape with every run, changing the location of items along the way.Escape Routes: Discover different methods of escape and delve into the bowels of the ship to recover items you need to repair them.Opportunities and Hazards: Use whatever you can find to try and outwit the monster. Hide in lockers or under furniture. Use distractions to attract the monster to you, or, perhaps more wisely, to where you’ve just been, but be careful not to run too fast lest you fall into one of the ships numerous traps along the way.Permadeath: Death is permanent. Get killed in Monstrum and you’ll be starting again. In a different ship, probably against a different monster. Good luck. Start running.The developers describe the content like this:Experience the horror of being hunted by a monster, while you try to survive and escape.
Roguelike games spin a whole new challenge on games, as when players die, they are reverted right back to the start of the game. Couple that with a procedurally generated setting and several AI-driven monsters, and it provides the recipe forMonstrum, agreat horror roguelikeset aboard a cargo ship.
Stalked by one of three monsters with their own unique AI that determines how they move, act, and attack, players will need to be fast, smart, and adaptable to navigate the ever-shifting layout of the ship if they hope to find their means of survival. Though there are a few ways the player can escape the dangerous and derelict cargo ship, it won’t be easy as they arerelentlessly hunted down.
6NightCry
Luxury Cruise Get-Away Quickly Becomes A Nightmare
Considered as a spiritual successor to theClock Towerseries, and overseen by the series creator himself,NightCrywas set up for success, and crowd-funded by fans on KickStarter. Though it may not have quite lived up to expectations, it’s still a fun and shlocky experience, almost endearing in its ruggedness and somewhat sloppyhomages to horror games of yore.
For the most part, players will be aboard a cruise ship, playing either popular party girl Monica or the introverted and depressed Rooney as they try and survive the Scissorwalker, a dangerous adversary that can cut victims in half with his huge set of scissors. The cruise ship allows for ample places to run and hide, but it also prevents players from truly escaping his reign of terror.
Man of Medankicked off theDark Pictures Anthology, a series of disparate games spinning different tales of terror, guided by the aloof and mysterious Curator. A group of divers hire a ship to take them to a specific diving site that is said to be where the remains of a WW2 plane lie in wait. But, a run-in with a group of pirates forces them onboard the SS Ourang Medan in search of Manchurian Gold.
The abandoned ship is about as creepy and decrepit as they come, with long, narrow hallways, large cavernous rooms, and something in the air that is starting to make this ghost ship come alive.Terrifying visions of hostile creaturesplague each of the characters as they grapple with the reality of what they are seeing, and surrounded by nothing but water, they must find a way to survive and escape.
The firstLayers of Fearconfined players to the mansion of the painter, and the second game similarly traps the player in a nightmare, but this time aboard an old, abandoned cruise ship. An unnamed actor explores what was once a beautiful ship that many people likely enjoyed a luxury holiday aboard — if the setting is even real, of course. Players are free to follow the orders of the unseen director if they wish, or carve their own path,similar to theStanley Parable— only with a lot more horror.
Though there won’t be many tangible, direct threats to the player, the gruesome visions and hallucinations inLayers of Fear 2are more than enough to deliver a truly horrifying experience. And with them onboard a derelict ship, there is no escape from the nightmares.
Fans often heap praise onResident Evil 7as the title that brought the franchise back to its roots after the divisiveRE5and6, but there is an overlooked title that brought back atmospheres drenched in tension and blood-chilling exploration:Resident Evil: Revelations. Despite being a timed3DS exclusive game, the title still managed to punch some true horror into the hearts of its players, and its subsequent release on other consoles only spread the fear.
Set aboard the ghost cruise ship, the Queen Zenobia, Jill Valentine and new partner (Parker) are searching for Chris after he was reported as missing, and this was his last known location. Of course, nothing is quite as simple as it seems, and the pair will be forced to spend more time on this scary ship than they wanted, contending with dangerous bioweapons that are aboard.
2Dredge
Fishing Has Never Quite Been So Nightmarish
There is nothing quite as relaxing as getting on a fishing vessel, sailing out, and reeling in a few catches…unless it is in the world ofDredge. This uniqueisometric survival gamecombines the often soothing pastime of fishing with elements of horror as the player sails through seas that seem calm enough during the day, but eldritch nightmares awaken at night.
The setting of the sun causes panic to rise, and the fisherman will be subjected to bizarre and horrifying hallucinations, but there are also real, tangible sea monsters that can damage the vessel. As it turns out, a previous fisherwoman was responsible for awakening an ancient, powerful sea creature, in a similar vein toLovecraft’s Cthulhu.
The Maw Houses Many Horrifying And Hostile Creatures
Little Nightmares
Immerse yourself in Little Nightmares, a dark, whimsical tale that will confront you with your childhood fears as you help Six escape The Maw – a vast, mysterious vessel inhabited by corrupted souls looking for their next meal!Confront your childhood fears in this darkly whimsical tale, nestled in an immersive world rich with an intensely atmospheric setting, interactive storytelling, and outstanding sound design.Discover the foul secrets of The Maw and survive the attentions of its monstrous residents as you try to help Six escape to the world outside.
Despite the name, there is nothing little about the horrors inLittle Nightmares. The large metal sea vessel known as the Maw is suitably huge for the inhabitants that tower above the player character named Six — the starving, yellow-raincoat-wearing girl.
Awakening aboard the Maw, Six must make her way through the Maw, dodging the inhabitants along the way, such as the Chef or the Janitor.All of them are terrifyingand seem not quite human, and would kill poor little Six on sight. The ship makes for an equally dangerous setting, as players could plunge from high platforms down to their death, and with it being underwater, what possible hope is there to escape?
