Horror is an insanely beloved genre when it comes to video games. From classic, well-known horror games likeSlendermanandFive Nights at Freddy’s,to hidden gems likeStories UntoldandVisage,there is undoubtedly a horror game for everyone. Despite the genre’s never-ending popularity, many players underestimate how difficult it is to make and release a horror game, as over the yearsseveral highly anticipated projects have fallen underand never been released due to funding and other unseen issues.
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It’s disheartening for both fans and creators alike when the production of a horror game gets canceled and becomes a case of what-could-have-been. Still, the abandoned concept art and demos alone are enough to leave a lasting impression on audiences to this day.
10Petscop
From the popular ARG of the same name,Petscopis a haunted horror game that had audiences wanting to explore its immersive, dark world as soon as it was shown on YouTube. Petscop starts off as aPokemon-esque creature catching/collecting game, but quickly takes a much darker turn.
Fans of the ARG eagerly awaited an eventual release of a playable version of Petscop, but unfortunately, it was revealed that the game would never be released in a playable format. Tony Domenico, the creator of the ARG, confirmed in a tweet that he"has no plans for a playable Petscop."
9Hellraiser NES
Horror movie fanatics who were disappointed that Pinhead neverstarred in his own video game,unlike Freddy Krueger, Jason, and Leatherface, will be even more disheartened to know that there was aHellraiservideo game in the works during the early 1990s.Hellraiserwas conceptualized to be a first-person shooter and puzzle-solving game released for theNintendo Entertainment System.
Despite the developer’s clear passion for designing this game (and even the box it would come in), the disappointing reason it was scrapped was due to the mechanics/graphics being too ahead of their time.Hellraiserquickly outgrew the technical limitations of the NES. If the game had been released, it would’ve required more add-on hardware to support the game’s functionality and graphics, which developers knew would drive away players.
8Last Flight
Being trapped in a confined space crawling with illness is a fear that many players who are wary of disease can inherit.Last Flightcapitalizes on this fear and puts players on an airplane that’s become infected with a disease turning its passengers into bloodsucking vampires. The player must assume the role of one of two protagonists to figure out a way to put a stop to this virus and fight off the impending army of hungry vampires.
Last Flightwas set to be an episodic game released for the Wii Ware sometime in 2010. News abruptly stopped circulating about the game around that time, and nothing has been said about its sudden cancellation since then. Sinceboth the Wii Shop and Wii Ware have been discontinued,it’s likely there will never be a full release forLast Flight.
7Game Of Death
Game Of Deathfollowed a protagonist dying from a lethal car accident in the hospital, dreaming about a world where he must defeat serial killers in order to survive. The concept of the game was very similar to something out of theSilent Hillfranchise, with the protagonist himself challenged not to become a monster himself as he slaughters serial killers using their own killing methods.
Game Of Deathwas set to release for PC, Xbox, and PS2 in 2001. Despite the intriguing concept which combines psychological horror with in-game combat challenges, the game never saw a release past screenshots of the forever-unfinished product.
6Asylum
Asylumconceptualized an incredibly unique premise for this early horror game. In this first-person shooter, the player would assume the role of a game show contestant on a grotesque game show where losers pay with their lives. Gimmicks of classic game shows, such as audience participation and prizes, would be reworked into horror motifs aiding the quest of this protagonist as they try to emerge victorious.
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The game had impressively gory graphics considering it was made in the era of the PS2. Despite its unique premise, strong setting, and gory effects,Asylumnever saw a release outside some gameplay screenshots released online.
5Resident Evil 3.5: Hook Man
It’s always devastating when a promising horror game bites the dust because of funding issues.Resident Evil 3.5: Hook Manhad that exact scenario play out for what could’ve been a pants-soiling addition to theResident Evilfranchise.
The game would have followed belovedResident Evil 2protagonist Leon Kennedy as he traversed through a European castle owned by antagonist Ozwell E. Spencer. Where the concept of this game differed from what would eventually becomeResident Evil 4was the inclusion of hallucinations, as well as ghosts and specters, including the above-mentioned Hook Man.
4Winter
Winterwas a survival horror game that began development sometime in 2007.Winterfollows the protagonist, Mia, after waking up in a wrecked ambulance and being unable to remember anything about herself or the events leading up to the crash. Mia finds herself stranded in a strange, yet familiar, town, and she must find a way to survive the freezing cold while also braving the creatures emerging from the snowstorm.
The premise of the game is very similar to that ofSilent Hill: Shattered Memories,but arguably such a similar premise only showsWinter’spromise. Although the two games are similar in initial premise,Winterfocuses on more of the survival-horror aspects of living through the blizzard engulfing the environment.
3Russian Retro Sci-Fi Horror Project
Between 2006 and 2010, Sony Computer Entertainment Japan had been working on an unnamed sci-fi horror project for the PS3. This horror game was never officially given a name, but those interested in the abandoned project have begun to call it theRussian Retro Sci-Fi Project,as it wasreferred to as such in an interviewwith Silent Hill Memories by Masahiro Ito.
The game was conceptualized to be an action horror game, but it never made it past the initial prototype phase. Concept art forRussian Retro Sci-Fi Projectdrawn by Masahiro Ito [pictured above] wasreleased in a tweeton March 15th, 2017. But, the tweet was quickly deleted after the concept art was released to the public.
2Sadness
Sadnesswas a psychological horror game that would have been released for the notoriously family-friendly Nintendo Wii. The game was announced before the Wii had been given a proper name, dating it to be one of the first horror games that would have been released for the console.Sadnessfollowed Maria Lengyel, a Victorian-era aristocrat, as she protects her newly-blinded son, Alexander, after their train to Lviv derails in the countryside and wounds the boy’s eyesight in the accident.
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While the Wii prospered and became a widely beloved and recognized console,Sadnessfaded into obscurity after itsfirst and only trailerwas released during E3 in 2011. It was revealed later that the developers ofSadness,Niblis, and Frontline Studios, had parted ways due to artistic differences and the game was abandoned shortly thereafter.
1Silent Hills [P.T]
Perhaps one of the biggest losses in gaming history was the cancellation ofSilent Hills.The playable teaser, known asP.T,was released on August 12th, 2014. The teaser quickly became one of the scariest [unfinished] games known to horror game fans, as it had players walking around a seemingly endless loop of the same dull, yellow hallway while being quietly stalked by a ghostly entity known as Lisa.
A falling out between Hideo Kojima and Konami leftSilent Hillsan abandoned project that, despite fan protests, will never see a full release. The loss of what could have been one of the scariest installments to theSilent Hillfranchise still stings for some fans of the series, as no matter how manyfan-made projects take inspiration from the format ofP.T,none of them will be what could’ve beenSilent Hills.
