Between Resident Evil, Silent Hill, and smaller, independent hits like The Mortuary Assistant, some of the most terrifying moments in videogames are also the most subtle. The Licker crawling past the window in RE2. The steady swell of static on James Sunderland’s radio. The little smile on the cadaver’s face. You don’t need big jumps and loud music cues – it’s the excruciating psychological moments that really get to you. Mixing a smart story, unique visual style, and fine-drawn moments of pure terror, one of the best indie games of the last decade is now available at a historical low of less than $2.
Created and co-published by Campo Santo, Firewatch is one of the defining indie games of the past ten years. Released in 2016, you play as Henry, a park ranger working in Shoshone National Forest. What begins as a peaceful, pastoral summer job slowly descends into a nerve-shredding, Hitchcockian mystery. Strange items show up in the park. Voices are heard drifting through the night. Behind every rock and over every ridge, you get the sense that somebody is hiding, watching, waiting.
Even though it’s largely set during the daytime, in a wide open, picturesque environment, Firewatch is one of the scariest games in recent memory. I don’t want to spoil anything, but there are at least three moments of total, abject terror in here – and one of the best constructed scares in videogame history.
If you’ve never played Firewatch, or you want to give it another go around, it’s literally never been cheaper than it is now. Available on Steam for the historically low price of $1.99 / £1.67, you should check out Firewatch today.
Alternatively, try some of the best horror games of all time, or head into the deep, dark wilderness with the best survival games on PC.
You can also follow us on Google News for daily PC games news, reviews, and guides, or grab our PCGN deals tracker to net yourself some bargains.