Some of the most memorablehorror gamesbecame cult-classics for a variety of reasons, be it compelling storylines, perplexing puzzles, or an immersive, cinematic experience, but one of the biggest draws for a successful horror title is an unforgettable villain. These antagonists often range from horrifyingly grotesque monsters to hostile paranormal entities. Most games feature a variety of enemies to encounter, but sometimes, all it takes isone persistent antagonistto truly develop a conflict.
Franchises such asResident Evilkeep gameplay diverse by introducing several supporting villains, particularly in later installments likeResident Evil 7andResident Evil Village, but not every horror game requires so many boss fights and confrontations. Oftentimes, building on the ferocity of one overarching enemy can have just as big — if not even bigger — of an impact than a whole roster of opponents.Here are a handful of great horror games with just one singular enemy throughout.
Amnesia: The Bunkerfollows a French soldier named Henri Clément, who finds himselftrapped in an underground bunkerwith a disfigured, humanoid creature known only as “The Beast.” Henri can come into contact with mutated rats and aggressive German soldiers, but otherwise, the Beast remains a constant, looming threat throughout the game. Scripted moments inAmnesia: The Bunkerare very scarce, which means The Beast will actively hunt Henri outside of a set sequence of encounters.
Inside the bunker, Henri can stave off The Beast by ensuring the generators remain active. Henri must navigate the bunker and refuel the generators as needed. If the fuel runs out, the bunker will be plunged into darkness and The Beast will actively hunt Henri until power is restored. While the Germans and rodents are extra obstacles between Henri and salvation,the most prominent threat remains The Beast, a photosensitive creature who had already slaughtered the French garrison prior to Henri’s arrival.
2P.T.
A Nameless Protagonist Encounters A Hostile Ghost
InP.T., players assume control of a nameless protagonistwho awakends in a haunted mansion, stuck in a permanent L-shaped loop through the same corridor. In order to progress, players must solve cryptic puzzles in the environment and experience frightening supernatural occurrences. Upon completion of a loop, the corridor reincarnates with certain changes, such as new decorations, writing on the walls, and the eventual arrival of Lisa, a hostile specter.
Unlike in previousSilent Hillinstallments, the player has no means to defend themselves against Lisa. However, Lisa cannot physically harm the player either. Instead, there is an opportunity to trigger a jump scare during one specific segment that will restart the current loop. There is an occasion where another ghost, not Lisa, can be seen leaning over the balcony of the mansion’s upper floor, but players have no way of interacting with it.P.T.primarily relies on Lisa’s overbearing presence as its source of an ever-present threat.
As the name suggests,Slender: The Eight Pagesrevolves around Slenderman, a freakishly tall, humanoid entity that preys on children.Slenderman is an example of internet folklore and Creepypasta, a genre of internet horror short stories created on internet forums.Slender: The Eight Pagestakes place in a remote forest, where a defenseless protagonist must hunt for several notebook pages throughout the woodland setting. All the while, players avoid detection from Slenderman, who continuously hunts them.
As players collect more pages, Slenderman’s presence becomes more apparent. Its proximity can be determined by an increase in static that impairs the player’s vision.There are no other enemies inSlender: The Eight Pagesand Slenderman will actively prey on the protagonistat random intervals as more pages are collected. Slenderman is also the only enemy featured inSlender: The Arrival, a fully realized version ofSlender: The Eight Pages.
Fears To Fathomis a series of horror anthology episodes based on real-life events. All theFears To Fathomstories are derived from a mixture of Reddit posts and email submissions, whereby developer Rayll retells the harrowing ordeals as short, episodic playthroughs. At the time of writing, four out of five episodes are currently playable, each featuring one singular enemy.For all four episodes, only one major enemy pursues the protagonists; a home invader, a stalker, an ex-girlfriend, and a cultist.
“Home Alone” sees 14-year-old Miles trying to outlast a home invasion; “Norwood Hitchhike” features 19-year-old Lauren,who finds herself stalked at a motel; “Carson House” follows 18-year-old Noah, who is harassed by his ex-girlfriend during a house-sitting gig; and in “Ironbark Lookout”, 24-year-old fire lookout Jack finds himself stumbling upon a cult at his new outpost.
InMonstrum, players must survive against one of three enemies — the Brute, the Hunter, or the Fiend — aboard a freight vessel called theHisa Maru.Monstrumis a permadeath game by design, meaning that if the player dies, all progress is lost and the game restarts. In addition, the predators are all AI-driven, which makes their movements unpredictable, as they don’t adhere to a specific routine.Each of the three enemies has a distinct appearanceand unique speed and strength stats, as well as their own special abilities.
Players will only ever encounter one enemy per playthrough, but their opponent is randomly generated. The Brute is a gigantic, muscular creature with glowing orange eyes, the Hunter is a skeletal humanoid with exposed organs, and the Fiend is a demonic entity highlighted by a purple aura. In order to survive, players must gather resources to access one of three escape routes before the monster can eliminate them.
After stumbling across a huge house in the middle of nowhere, the protagonist ofGrannyis knocked unconscious by a brutal blow to the head. When they awaken, they are forced to navigate Granny’s dilapidated home, find and use items, andsolve puzzles in order to progress. Although several additional enemies (under Granny’s control) may attack the player,Granny herself serves as the main antagonist and the hivemind of all other opponents. She will chase the player if they enter her line of sight, set up bear traps to catch them, and come running at the sound of an item falling.
Granny can command smaller enemies, such as the Spider Mom, the Spider, and the Crow, to attack the player if they get too close, slowing them down long enough for Granny to come and incapacitate them. Granny will become enraged if the player holds her Teddy or kills one of her pets, and her rage mode lasts until the player ducks out of sight, wins the game, or progresses to the next night. Granny is the great-grandmother of Slendrina, a character who stars in her own series of games byGrannycreator DVloper.
