These are the creepiest moments in non-horror games. Some of these instances are out of place and very strange, and they are actually quaint. This article contains spoilers for certain parts of games that may be related to the story, the game world, or side quests. Also, some of the entries will be disturbing for some readers, so please proceed with caution.
Encountering the Caretaker in The Witcher 3: Hearts of Stone
The quest regarding the abandoned mansion of Olgierd von Everec is already quite creepy and this… thing makes it even worse. After entering the estate, Geralt notices a shadowy figure with a shovel. He’s dressed in black and looks strange. Eventually, Geralt comes face to face with the figure.
At first, his back is turned. When he notices Geralt, he turns around while raising his hood that was covering his “face”. He has no nose or eyes and it looks like a part of smooth flesh was sewed in into where his face was or should be.
Geralt eventually defeats him. Even an experienced monster hunter like Geralt doesn’t know anything about this thing. It’s eventually revealed that it’s the caretaker of the estate. But there’s no knowing what kind of monster it really is. It’s said that he was summoned from another plane of existence.
White Phosphorus in Spec Ops: The Line
Some of you might argue that Spec Ops: The Line is actually a horror game. While that’s not too far from the truth, the game is depicted as a military shooter that looks and feels very conventional. And the game reveals its creepiness in a sudden and surprising manner.
The protagonist, Walker, and his squad locate a large group of enemy soldiers near a gate. They also find a weapon that uses white phosphorus as ammunition nearby and decides to put it to use. It’s already a seriously horrific act to use something so devastating on others, even if they’re enemies. But because they’re outnumbered, they make the choice. Or rather, Walker makes the choice. He’s the squad leader, after all.
The white phosphorus utterly demolishes the enemies at The Gate and it’s a very depressing sight. There are soldiers who are still alive, crawling around helplessly among all their dead comrades. However, the destruction of the soldiers is not the only disturbing thing here. One of the dying soldiers reveals something that shocks the squad and the player alike. The enemy soldiers were protecting a lot of civilians. That included men, women, and children. Walker had killed all of them in a horrific way, without knowing.
The Massacre of Nipton in Fallout New Vegas
After being released into the Mojave wasteland, the Courier starts to travel to New Vegas to settle some accounts. On his way, he encounters the town of Nipton. This town was known for its corruption and people who were self-righteous and vile. But none of the residents seems to be around when you get into the town. Instead, there are piles of tires and smoke… and then you see the massacre. Caesar’s Legion is the most sadistic and dangerous group in the Mojave Wasteland, and they made an intricate plan to punish the townsfolk for their corruption. But what the Legion did was too much. No one deserves to suffer the fate of the townsfolk of Nipton.
As you explore the town and actually talk to the Legionnaires who committed this heinous act, he proudly states that the Legion exacted justice here. It’s obvious that he’s a psychopath. “Punishing the corrupted” was only a disguise for the Legion to satisfy their bloodlust. It was a game to them, and they even used a lottery to decide who gets killed first and last. One man actually won the lottery and could get out, but by then, he had gone insane.
Here is what the Legion did. They chased and killed many people first, including women. And they also gathered many people in front of the town hall and dragged each other’s loved ones and tortured them and eventually killed them. They also crucified many members of another faction (Powder Gangers) and left them burning in the sun. It’s mercy to kill them right there on the crosses. The Legion burned people alive too. And they took extra care to kill the mayor of the town in a more dramatic manner. Tires were put around him and he was burned alive. The music and the atmosphere of this situation make it very eerie and disturbing.
Finding the Man-Bat in Batman: Arkham Knight
This scene was one of the most unexpected and shocking scenes ever in a non-horror game. It only takes about forty seconds to happen, too. While roaming the open world, you’re sure to use your grappling hook to reach buildings. When you reach one certain building like this, a mutated bat who’s as big as a man jumps at you and screeches. It’s a really clever jumpscare and it’s very effective because you don’t expect something like that from a Batman game. This case managed to make many streamers swear and scream online. To be honest, even I was completely shocked to encounter this creature for the first time.
Finding the serial killer in Red Dead Redemption 2
As you explore the richly detailed and beautiful world of Red Dead Redemption 2, you find things that are less beautiful. There are three instances in the game where you find mutilated body parts and messages written in blood. In each of these scenes, you also find a piece of a map.
After piecing together this map, you can uncover the location of a serial killer. He wants people to know of his killings and fear him – a prime example of an unhinged mind. You uncover that he actually lives really close to the town of Valentine. In the surrounding area of his lair, there are a lot of snakes around and they add to the unsettling nature of this case.
When you enter the basement where the killer carried out his actions, you can see a lot of mutilated body parts, blood, and flesh everywhere. There are even some bodies that are disemboweled and decapitated.
It’s clear that the killer enjoys torturing. He intends to do that to Arthur as well but fails. You can carry him to jail but he tries to literally eat the sheriff so you’ll have to put him down. Good riddance.
What do you think are the creepiest moments in non-horror games? Let us know on the forums!
