Top Ten Indie Horror Games

[@alvaroperez2349]

You know ever since we’ve entered the first Decade of 2000, Indie Developers have really been kicking it into high gear with their works, and now they’ve become such cultural phenomenons that’s it insane.

[@RavenGamingOverLord]

Maybe it will get even more crazy

[@duskgaming18]

Yeah, the Mid to Late 2010's was where shit really got going. Like yeah you had a few Indie Games here and there, sprinkled throughout the early, mid, and late 2000's, but soon as 2010 hit, oh boy they got rolling and haven't stopped

[@Doctorolivercook]

Another thing about "My Friendly Neighbour"? The creators are Evan and John Szymanski. YES, they are related to David Szymanski, AKA the awesome mastermind behind DUSK.

[@rayhayden6220]

(Plus Iron Lung and Squirrel Stapler!)

[@MisterRandomEncounter]

EPIC i loved DUSK

[@pokefanlight]

Wow, a video that mentions the Coffin of Andy and Lesley without mentioning that one controversial scene that had detrimental this game's reputation on the internet but instead goes in great detail on why the Coffin of Andy and Lesley is a well crafted indie horror game. Respect.

[@favillionbellarion9655]

Worst implication of Omori is that....the stairs didn't kill he but knocked her out...and that why the thing that stalks you has one massive eye, cause she opens her eyes in her last moment as she's hanged.

[@Zodia195]

Omg, I didn't catch that part! That is horrifying.

[@dubstepbee6892]

aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaand Now I Need To Curl Up Into A Corner

[@SamAkira2002]

Actually no.. While that is an interesting implication, Mari did die because she fell down the stairs. Her eyes were open when she passed away so when Sunny and Basil hung her from the tree, it caused her to appear like she was staring at them which became a scaring memory for the two boys.

[@mikkyasara5438]

I think the biggest strength of Indie horror games is that they don't have to worry about stuff like shareholders/executives. The issue with horror as a genre is that they aren't appealing in a "conventional" way. Because of that, building a large audience of consumers around horror media is hard, and therefore, not sought out by most AAA companies. Even in cases where they are, they have to stick to usual stuff like dark rooms and big scary monster. Nothing inherently wrong with that, but it stops writers from going all out Indie creators don't have that issue, they can have as many dark and disturbing themes as they want, more unusual and surreal art styles to supplement the unnerving aura, and experiment with more unconventional presentation to throw the audience off

[@pokefanjd5033]

Honestly why I love Outlast so much is because of how insane it gets

[@silverflight01]

Yup, Slay the Princess, aka when you try to fight the DM and then everything just spirals

[@weirdguy1495]

It is probably the only game I can think of where the romance is the best part of it.

[@jameslawrenson1208]

Does the game even have a definitive ending?

[@RavenGamingOverLord]

@@jameslawrenson1208 Maybe or maybe not. I don’t know

[@hariman7727]

I can scare you more than any indie horror game: "Dance water dance!"

[@bluestreaker9242]

KILL IT WITH FIRE!! ...No, seriously, that's...how you kill him. You...kill a water guy...with fire... *ding* Logic... XD

[@RavenGamingOverLord]

Oh god, not that line again

[@DragoSonicMile]

"Come on! Keep to the beat!" "Any last- Duwah! Doo-doo-doo! Du-du-du! Du-du-duwah! Duwah! Ow!"

[@ArcCaravan]

​@@bluestreaker9242People who think water automatically beats fire must hate science.

[@derrickhaggard]

Slay the Princess was a awesome game. And the Pristine Cut made it even better,

[@Foogi9000]

*ARE YOU STILL THERE? ARE YOU STILL YOU?* They made the Fury route into probably some of the best body horror i've witnessed in a long time. Genuinely some I have no mouth and i must scream type of imagery.

[@jvts8916]

I feel like DDLC Plus added a lot with the new reveals. If someone played the base game, I wouldn't fault them for taking Monika's insistence that most of the glitches and jumpscares were honest mistakes at face value. This remake, however, reveals that she was smart enough to create the MC, heavily implying that she knows *far* more about programming than a course. It causes the seemingly nicer interactions with her to read like she's gaslighting the player so she can make herself more appealing.

[@claytonrios1]

Sometimes the Triple A gaming scene can scare us like few others can with masterpieces like Dead Space and Silent Hill 2. Then you have the indie scene where the personal experiences and limited budgets make the terror feel all the more real!

[@starmaker75]

Seriously, what makes games like omori so scary and creepy is how down to earth it can be. Seriously the (spoilers) can be something that can happen in own neighbor

[@claytonrios1]

@starmaker75 It's definitely something that hits different than a town that shows your biggest traumas and fears or an alien microbe that reanimates dead bodies you know?

[@lunatic0verlord10]

My sister once did a presentation of RPG Maker Horror Games. I helped her with the part regarding what you put at Number 6. She put a content warning at the start of each segment. For THAT game, though, it was, as we agreed on, described as "ALL OF THEM".

[@OnDavidsBrain]

Honestly the most terrifying thing about FNAF is learning where a good chunk of that 26 Million dollars went to.

[@HB-fq9nn]

Yeah, charity.

[@LambiThor]

I was hoping Slay the Princess would be on the list, and I wasn't disappointed. I'd been waiting for it to come to consoles when I learned that it would, and when the Pristine Cut did come to the PS5 a few days ago, it held my full attention until I completed it all, getting all the endings, including the new ones, and getting every gallery picture. I loved the experience from start to finish, and honestly, few games have made me want to forget it all so I could experience it again for the first time as quickly as Slay the Princess. Also, the Witch and the Thorn are my favorite princesses.

[@Otacon_Magoo]

Security Breach did get patched after the Markiplier stuff.

[@shadowlinkbds]

Happy Halloween. Indie horror has been pretty fascinating and going strong with how many games they have and how unique they are. Looking forward to seeing which out of the hundred of them made the list.

[@KodaKitten333]

Im also shocked indigo park didn't get a honorable mention

[@mesiagamer5217]

It's... not good not right now at least.

[@jacksoninskip1614]

Damn. Pretty bold choice for the holiday, Josh. I can respect that. And don’t worry…as long as you’re nice about it, I promise not to be mad if FNaF isn’t on the list. Edit: You were very nice. Thank you Josh.

[@ultrawinggaming9764]

Here are some other honorable mentions that I think deserve a mention. Choo-Choo Charles: an example of how to do a Boss Fight in a horror game correctly... though it's more of a dark comedy than horror. Presentable Liberty: Never thought a game where you sit alone in a small room playing bad gameboy games would give you such dread from implications. Lobotomy Corporation: Frustrating game to actually play. but the story and horror elements are masterfully done.

[@theownerofthisaccount2521]

In terms of indie, IB always claim my heart. Jacksepticeye’s let’s play on it was the first KZbin video I ever watched and some elements in my work was inspired by it, usually Mary. It’s not the best or scariest, but I have a soft spot for it

[@shainakuykendall8741]

I loved that game. It was the very first indie game I ever played and it still has a gigantic place in my heart. I'm so glad it was ported into the Switch.

[@dubstepbee6892]

whats IB??

[@toumabyakuya]

@@dubstepbee6892 Oh, you should play to know what Ib is.

[@alvedonaren]

@@dubstepbee6892 It's an RPG Maker horror game

[@monkeykingw]

Man, Slay the Princess has been on my radar for a bit now, but in that very distant blip where, you know people like it, but you never see it discussed or gushed about. But now that I know it's basically The Stanley Parable? Man, I need to get it now

[@ArchForge11]

It’s great, and the most recent update added some new routes and additional endings to others.

[@WhirlyBeepBoops]

One of the Voices you can get accompanying you is even straight up all about being contrary just for the lulz. Very Stanley.

[@peachymiku6432]

Played Slay the Princess for the first time since the Pristine Cut came to Switch. And I absolutely adore this game. Comparisons to the Stanley Parable becomes more evident in gallery hints as it says "the end is never the end is never the end is never." I think one thing I like the most is before playing the game, it tells you that there is no wrong choices. After all, every choice leads to the end eventually. And whatever choices you make when you get there... They are not wrong either. Whatever ending you get is right because it was your choice.

[@AmericanBrit9834]

If you love Fear and Hunger I urge you to check the sequel, Termina. It’s even better in my opinion.

[@mapachekamikaze5124]

Putting a spoiler warning for Omori right after spoiling the twist in Hereditary with no warning is crazy

[@Rae0814]

I love Puppet based horror (ie My Friendly Neighborhood, Showdown Bandit, Candle Cove, DHMIS, Welcome Home, and Hello Puppets) because it’s usually so creative when done properly. Also, the reason why Six eating the Nome freaks me out is not only because she’s been pushed to that, but - from my knowledge - the Nomes were kids that ended up turned into that form.

[@DanialTarki]

Happy Halloween, everybody! Also, that spooky rendition of the intro takes me back to the different spooky rendition of one of Josh’s old intros, specifically his scariest songs in non-horror games video. The one from 12 years ago, that is. #8: I knew it would be a troll intro. #7: Fair enough. #3: It had to be, here, somewhere. #1: Legendary.

[@ArchForge11]

Great video; I wish you talked a little more about slay the princess, especially since the pristine cut just came out; another aspect of the game’s horror is the fact that we don’t know what the hell we are for most of the game and only just now got a better look at ourselves in the pristine cut, we are terrifying. Also, I wish faith and spooky’s were more than just Honorable Mentions. Everything I’ve seen about spooky’s looks really good and interesting; it isn’t just making fun of jumpscares. Faith’s rotoscope sections are great scares but also give a slight uneasiness in the calm ones due to its constantly shifting appearance, and beyond that, the multitude of parts where agency is taken away from the player, like the newspaper section in ch2 and the camera in ch 3; faith has all this but also is a story about John regaining his faith not just in god but himself. Also characters and concepts like Gery, the normal human being just like you and me, and the second death requiring not just 7 but 7 times 70 “offerings”.

[@ArchForge11]

Also signalis, not even an honorable mention I just released that. I’m probably overstepping saying this but it’s pretty much a modern day sh2 with the promise, the dream like hellscape you end up in, and the many different endings and theories to what is happening. I’m not going to say much more to avoid spoilers because this game is GOOD.

[@theunkindledhunter]

I kinda hoped to see Lobotomy Corporation but I'll take Funger being included. One of these days something from Project Moon will be on one of these top tens. And when it does, it will be glorious.

[@Chiptendo]

The five nights at Freddy's opening made me smile bigger than the impact of the game.

[@alcatrazjyh6293]

Ever since I bought Slay the Princess back in August, it has become what I’d probably consider my favorite game of all time & to this day I still have so many story routes left unexplored or needing a second trip through

[@TheKoriKasai]

Ooh I'm so glad you added TCOAAL, it's one of my favorite games of the modern times. I just love the characters and story. The surface stuff is interesting but the deeper stuff we learn about their phycology is just so good. Both siblings are victims of neglect from their parents and just were not raised properly. Plus I'm fairly certain Ashley was just fucked up from the start lol. Which doesn't help considering the circumstances.

[@aliastheabnormal]

Eternal darkness from the Gamecube did SAN meters first.

[@SuperGoker64]

34:14 "Aahhh! Scary piggy! RUUUUN!" *Goofy holler*

[@lapidotmatoi]

Time to use some copum that Spooky's jumpscare mansion will be on this list

[@Leostar-Regalius]

dredge can be considered somewhat horror related, it's creepy as hell but it's so good and fun

[@voidastralbirth]

*Toreador Song plays

[@pierre-mariecaulliez6285]

31:00 "Joke's on you ! You'll never get me : I've already shat myself to death !!!"

[@OmnicidalClown1992]

Next year, is it possible to make the Top 10 Fan-Made/Hacked/Modded Horror Games? What I mean games that were made by fans using games that already exist. For example, there's this Earthbound modded game that was, I believe, made by Toby Fox himself, the same person who made Undertale.

[@NexGenSaiyan21]

20:28 WAS THAT THE BITE OF '87?!

[@ryuushinzo3559]

Okay, just started, im calling FNAF, Binding Of Isaac and Amnesia. Well, 2 out of 3 aint bad.

[@angbandsbane]

Ah, indie horror. Takes me back to the halcyon days of Matt and Pat's Storm of Scariness. Man, I miss that channel.

[@joysticknick1185]

Personally, I'd recommend Signalis. I just played it recently and absolutely fell in love with it.

[@semvermeulen7039]

Happy Halloween everyone.

[@Babbleplay]

God; Amnesia. There's footage in my playthrough of that game of me, trying to hide in the dark, in such a panic I fail to realize my lantern is lit.

[@jacobpascale4858]

Josh you need to keep uploading your reactions to Slay The Princess, your first video was comedy gold!

[@AlecDraven]

30:30 "Goodbye to the Summer. Sold down the river. Unhappy ever after. Well did you ever....?"

[@randomguyblank1616]

I think Endoparasitic should've been on here, at least in the honorable mentions, just for how much tension the moment to moment gameplay could invoke.

[@jaketaller8567]

My honorable mentions: (Warning, most of these are mascot horror) Amanda The Adventurer Dora The Eldritch Horra. Baldi’s Basics NOBODY SAID THERE’D BE MATH! Choo-Choo Charles I choo-choo-choose you, to die. Hello Neighbor I know we all have that one suspicious neighbor, but this is ridiculous. Indigo Park Five Nights At Disneyland Poppy Playtime It’s like a fusion of Toy Story and Monsters Inc. Tattletail It’s okay, a lot of people were scared of Furbies.

[@valentinaemaya6285]

4:45 I never thought that this game would be mentioned, in my opinion, this game is underrated. 9:54 is that Kanade’s hair?

[@AAZ-yu5ss]

FUNGER MENTIONED!!! :D

[@redjed100]

Is “Little Nightmares” indie? I thought it was published by Namco.

[@arilumani6194]

Happy Halloween Josh, you, Ari and your kids🎃👻🕷🕸🧛‍♂️🦇🧙‍♀️

[@Shuichisaihara5499]

Yay! Another channel that gave a shoutout to my favorite horror channel.

[@lunatic0verlord10]

9:00 Yikes, now we're getting into scary territory in more ways than one.

[@silverflight01]

I really need to revisit Amnesia Dark Descent, I didn't get far but I still have a copy

[@jackofminds8338]

I completely and totally forgot Number 1 was as big as it was. I was calling that it was gonna be Slender.

[@fanfictiondreamer7836]

I would love to see Killer Frequency on here

[@bluestreaker9242]

Wait, Amnesia was an indie game? ...Huh...neat... Heh, then again, were it that you weren't there at the time of FNaF entering the fray, you'd probably get the same reaction out of people if you told them this absolute juggernaut of a franchise started out as a throwaway indie horror game. Fun fact: that's what introduced me to Markiplier in the first place. ;)

[@darkreflection9087]

20:21 the original game came out if 2014 that means it should be 10 years old now man I miss the good old days Edit 23:32

[@amandaletcher1320]

Im so glad yume nikki was on the list i love that game

[@GwenDUNN-y4b]

Omori appears Hopes and Dreams and His Theme begin to play once more

[@orangeslash1667]

Other indie horror games to check out are Raging Loop, The House in Fata Morgana, The Silver Case, Hazy Mind, Remothered: Tormented Fathers, Anomalistic Revolution: Prelude, and Not It: Spookiest Edition.

[@Shantae1188]

Number 8: You’re correct. Number 2: Omori. What a game that caught me off guard I won’t lie, I thought the transition music was a spooky rendition of Tetris Realistic Bosses? Or terrible bosses?

[@raikaria3090]

"It's horror, but on a budget" I'd argue the very lifeblood of Horror is being on a budget. Look at the slasher genre of films.

[@greenhydra10]

Alright, kudos to you, I was NOT expecting Coffin. Can't say I disagree either.

[@darkhawkthebad]

DEAR GOD, WHAT WAS THAT AT THE END?!?!?!?! OAO

[@randallwalter7589]

Happy Halloween!

[@therenegadegamer7422]

IMO Omori doesn't deserve the #2 spot and that's only because there's a far more disturbing rpg maker game that predates it If you like being happy then don't play End Roll it's VERY dark and depressing with moments that have been engraved in my mind far more effectively than Omori did

[@TheKoriKasai]

YES! SLAY THE PRINCESS! It's my absolute favorite game, the story is so amazing and deep. It's a great visual novel because there's no Correct path. Because there's no wrong path. You can only go forward, your choices matter because you chose to make them. Slay the princess or spare here, it matters little on the end.

[@WhirlyBeepBoops]

Have you played the Pristine Cut content yet? There's some pretty great stuff in there.

[@claytonrios1]

Fear and Hunger. Super Eyepatch Wolf introduced me to this one and if cruelty can be distilled into a game, this would be it!

[@hiddenscorpiusXI]

Only 2 Mascot Horror games... Good.

[@Blahydra]

Small questionable honourable mention: Free will 40 minutes of some pretty creative gameplay, pacakged with a pretty good story.

[@kylestubbs8867]

14:45 Oh, god… you _had_ to remind me of the part I stumbled across when I was _ten._

[@Volvagia1927]

I'd have probably saved talking about Little Nightmares for a "Best AA Horror" list. Might top that list, actually.

[@Heavenlyhounds96]

I'll be honest, Slay the Princess is one beautifully-drawn, beautifully-designed game that I am ***NEVER*** GONNA TOUCH WITH A 39 1/2 FOOT POLE! Even going by what little of it I've seen prior to this video, I already know the general kind of existential horror it delves into and that is the kind I do not like one flumphing BIT!

[@WhirlyBeepBoops]

Fair enough, not everyone can handle that heavy discussion

[@ProfessionalNamielleLewder69]

_The Coffin of Andy and Leyley_ has a mode called _The Coffin of Andy and Renee._ Yes, this time it's the mom being in the lead role. The story is essentially what if Ashley got dealt with a long time ago. It's way more sad especially since the dad, who we never got to see much in the main story, was just as big of a scumbag as the rest of the family. Renee isn't a good person either, but far more sympathetic than Ashley.

[@Fehnnis]

There's also The Walten Files, an analog horror webseries heavily inspired by FNAF.

[@stephanniemorin]

Bendy being out of this list...seems fair. I respect your opinion on mascot horror, but I'll always like this franchise. EDIT: Its on the honorable mentions. I'm okay with this

[@Purpleolives123]

Happy Halloween

[@Hardcore4Life]

As an enormous fan of indie horror, this is an instant favorite of mine, happy halloween everyone!

[@Thechaosmaster1997]

You know, we should get a top 10 Rouge Like Games next month.

[@XemnasO01X]

I agree with the lists for the most part. But I feel that Cry of Fear and, maybe, Slender should have gotten a mention. Maybe on another list.

[@godzillaboy8714]

I really like your list, Josh I would change a few personal but hey great video happy Halloween

[@rwbymoonrose3417]

I hope little good two shoes is on here. Happy Halloween!

[@FrostyTheNightmare]

Bro the parody of the FNAF movie intro was awesome

[@doctorwhofan225]

I was so worried you weren't going to mention Omori! That game destroyed me, I wish I could experience it for the first time again

[@calls7989]

The biggest surprsie is not seeing world of horror on this list. Its a roguelike that takes inspiration from the japanese manga artist junji ito. The visuals alone are worthy of horror

[@VidLover777]

When you talk about FNAF, you HAVE to show Markiplier footage. After all he is the....KING OF FIVE NIGHTS AT FREDDYS

[@sidhantpindiproli9112]

Looks like someone forgot to talk about Poppy Playtime. That indie horror game is phenomenal at making all children and adults scared that they should not work here and create these toys that become evil.

[@LavenderRare]

My favorite indie horror games are anything made by Puppet Combo or Reflect Studios

[@sergiomendoza251]

Honorable mention to the most recent horror game called Forever Winter and it not looks like a horror game but feels like a survival horror and it not looks like a indie game honestly. P.d. another honorable mention will be Black Souls 2,even it is a "H game".

[@andysee6996]

Does Harvester count as Indie Horror? It's a horror game from 1996 about a man stuck in a 1950s era town who has to commit progressively worse deeds to escape. I'm sure the Tranquility Lane part of Fallout 3 took a lot of lessons from Harvester.

[@johnkiezulas7439]

As a fan of both CoAaL and Little nightmares, i apreciate you.

[@selder_7]

Slay The Princess is incredible

[@darkreflection9087]

What about Top 10 Indie Game Bosses

[@w1ndgeneral226]

I guess it's a little late to ask for an episode on 10 games that were secretly invaded by Creepypastas. *Oh well, maybe next October, INDIE HORROR!!!* Happy Halloween by the way! 🎃

[@tonysonic456]

I'm sad that Bendy and the Dark Revival didn't get on the list. It's my favorite indie horror game and what I consider to be the peak of mascot horror. Yes, FNAF has the legacy, but legacy can only get you so far, especially when you no longer care about being actually scary anymore. *leers at Security Breach and Help Wanted 2* Bendy meanwhile has proven to not only be unique, what with its incredible art direction, but also provides a concrete and clear story and actually tries to be scary. And there's even more to come with Bendy The Cage and the upcoming movie; so I can't not consider Bendy to be the best of the genre.

[@SilverNero]

Josh: The Coffin of Andy and Leyley Me: NO! NO! NO! NO! NO! *Entry ends* Me: Oh, thank god he left "that" part out.

[@ridewild1956]

Way to leave future nightmare fuel for your little ones to find later down the line

[@Solo_Sessums]

Oh God! Joshscorcher.EXE!

[@AzureMoebius22]

Glad to see a shout out to Yamimash, but I personally didn't care for his FNAF content. I preferred his Amnesia custom story videos.