FNAF has you working a low-level job on behalf of a terrifying corporation. Papers, Please sees you checking documents, and making sure the right people get turned away from your security checkpoint. And Silent Hill is a psychological horror where reality itself seems to break down. Imagine they were all thrown together, in a PS1-inspired retro horror game. And imagine it was out now on Steam.
Security Booth: Director’s Cut has a seemingly simple premise. The year is 1996, and you’re guarding the front gate of a scientific research organisation called Nova Nexus. As cars pull up to the barrier, your job is to speak with the drivers, check their documentation, and make sure they’re cleared for entry before sending them on through. But something strange is going on. Inside Nova Nexus, a dark and terrible experiment is taking place, and soon you’re thrust into a horrifying, paranormal nightmare.
Created by independent developer Kyle Horwood, Security Booth features the semi-pixelated, texture-warped visuals that make PS1 classics like the original Silent Hill and the first Metal Gear Solid so distinctive. If you check out the work of Puppet Combo and Paratopic creator Arbitrary Metric, it’s easy to see why this kind of aesthetic is having a resurgence right now – nostalgic, but simultaneously dripping with strange polygonal shapes and smeared, blocky faces, Security Booth boasts a visual style that consistently enhances its various horrors. The game is available now on Steam, and well worth it if you want some intense, tightly packed jumps and scares.
You might also want to take a look at some of the other best horror games, or maybe, if looking at those old-style graphics has you pining for the past, some PC classics that are still worth playing, including Fallout and Monkey Island.