There’s also an unlicensed version of this game called Batman & Flash that stars…well, Batman and The Flash. It’s just full of Universal-era horror love and that gameplay goodness Konami was known for once upon a time. This strange adaptation of a comic book series sees you play as shrunken (and unlicensed) versions of Frankenstein’s monster and Dracula as they battle other shrunken versions of classic monsters. Monster in My Pocketĭon’t come to Monster in My Pocket looking for much actual “horror,” but this 1992 game from Konami could easily be considered one of the NES’ most underrated overall experiences. It’s not exactly a “good” game, but it is a fascinating retro horror-adjacent experience that tries its best to make a weird idea work. Chaos combines platforming, puzzles, and even early survival horror elements to form a strange beast that doesn’t always work but is usually fascinating.Īlong with being surprisingly difficult, Zombie Nation is a pretty rare game that regularly fetches high prices on the second-hand market. The actual horror in this game is as simple as it gets (it’s a very “innocent” game in that respect), but the true star here is the gameplay variety. Chaos these days, which is quite surprising given that this, admittedly obscure, title had a lot of great ideas that were arguably ahead of their time. I almost never hear anyone talk about Dr. The music is also quite good (if incredibly repetitive). Like the films it’s based on, the horror of Friday the 13th’s NES game is based on the idea that you’re never entirely sure where Jason is (outside of specific moments) and you’re never entirely sure you can survive your next encounter with him. Yes, we included Friday the 13th on our list of the worst NES games, but as I mentioned in my retrospective on the title, Friday the 13t h can always boast the rare distinction of being a true NES horror game that’s actually fairly scary in its own right. It’s tough to defend as a game, but it does prove that the humble, family-friendly NES was more than capable of producing a blood and gore horror experience worthy of the most notable ‘80s shock and schlock fests. Essentially an NES version of a torture porn movie, Chiller asks you to use early light-gun mechanics to torture a variety of (presumably innocent) victims as well as a couple of monsters. Still, there’s something to be said for just how shocking this game is. It was one of the most controversial games of its time, and, to be honest, there’s almost no real merit to any version of this game beyond shock value. This unlicensed NES port of an obscure arcade game was only spoken of in hushed whispers during the ‘80s and ‘90s (when it was spoken of at all). While “scariness” is usually a horror measuring stick, this list also includes games with horror themes that aren’t necessarily meant to be scary.In order to pay respect to the most notable NES horror games, this list also includes games released for the Famicom as well as a notable unlicensed NES game.Because there are so few stone-cold classics from that time, you’ve really got to dig deep into the unconsecrated ground of early horror games to find the titles worth talking about a little more.Ī look at the best horror games from that time is less of a total celebration of every early experience and more of a necessary look at the early days of this genre and why it’s important to pay respect to the titles that were bold enough to be horror games at a time when everyone was still figuring that whole thing out.īefore we get into the list, though, here are a couple of notes to consider: In a way, though, that makes it that much more interesting to look back at the NES era of horror games and try to find the gems. While the popular narrative that horror gaming didn’t properly begin until Resident Evil was released in 1996 obviously isn’t accurate, it’s safe to say that the ’80s and early ’90s were a strange time for the genre. There’s no getting around the fact that the NES era isn’t generally considered to be the best time for horror games.
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