Summary
Horror video games are easily some of the most evocative and affecting pieces of media ever created. Dozens of critically acclaimed games fall under the horror genre, and are renowned for tellingsome of the best storiesin gaming history. There’s no shortage of iconic characters with complex story lines; from Leon Kennedy to Joel Miller, horror games do it best.
The stakes in horror games are so high that they’re the perfect opportunity for abrilliant plot twist. When executed well, a plot twist can be responsible for heart-pounding drama and intensity. It can absolutely elevate a narrative — particularly a game — since the player is directly responsible for the actions of their character. There is truly nothing more mouth-opening, eye-widening, heart-racing, and exhilarating than the reveal of the perfect plot twist.
The following article contains major spoilers forOmori, Until Dawn, Silent Hill 2, Dead SpaceandHeavy Rain.It will disclose plot twists and in-depth details of each game.
Omoriis a 2020 RPG horror game that follows young boy Sunny and his dream alter-ego Omori as he grapples withtrauma and severe depression. The player is kept in the dark about most things for the majority of the game, although it becomes clear that Sunny’s friend Basil and Sunny’s sister Mari — who committed suicide four years ago — are at the center of whatever is going on.
Omori’sbig reveal is that Sunny actually killed Mari by pushing her down the stairs the night of their recital, causing her to die. Basil, who was in denial and traumatized by the event, helped Sunny frame her death as suicide. The subsequent breakdown of their friendship group and Basil’s anxious reclusive tendencies resulted in the trauma never being confronted or dealt with. This plot twist allows a lot of things to fall into place, and provides immense clarity to the situations these children find themselves in.
Upon its release,Until Dawnmade serious waves in the gaming scene for itsbrilliant mo-cap performancesand graphics. Featuring a big cast with names like Hayden Panittiere, Jordan Fisher, and Rami Malek, the game is narrative-based with quick-time events and butterfly-effect story choices being the central gameplay. The interval between chapters returns players to a steadily deteriorating psychiatrist’s office, where they answer questions without knowing which character they’re playing.
The game takes a sharp left turn into the supernatural with the introduction of wendigos relatively early on in the story, which in itself is a plot-twist, since the opening leads players to believe Hannah and Beth were chased off a cliff by the Stranger. However, the big reveal is that the masked serial killer terrorizing the group is actually Josh, who had planned the whole trip for revenge. This is a massive twist for players, particularly because a prior scene with Chris and Ashley has players witness Josh being killed by a saw blade. Additionally, the game uses the Stranger as a red herring to keep players in the dark, continually placing them in conspicuous scenarios.
Silent Hill 2follows protagonist James Sunderland as he searches for his wife Mary, who seemingly sent him a letter despite having died several years prior. The game sees him meet multiple people who have all encountered terrible and traumatizing things before coming to Silent Hill — each of them bringing narrative twists and turns. Angela is revealed to have killed her abusive father, and Eddie killed a dog, maimed his bully, and subsequently went insane and resorted to killing almost anyone he encountered in Silent Hill.
The main plot twist, though, is that James (who has undertaken the trials and terrors of Silent Hill in order to find his wife) actually murdered Mary several years ago. James realizes thatPyramid Head, a recurring boss monster, was created to punish James for what he did and that the monsters of Silent Hill were created by his psyche.
For anybody who hasn’t playedDead Space, the plot can seem very confusing; it’s set in outer space, with lots of alien lore, and there are quite a few characters to keep an eye on — plus, there are slight differences between the original game’s plot and the 2023 remake. The central information is that Isaac and his crew are sent to investigate and repair the Ishimura ship that’s gone dark while mining resources from the planet Aegis VII. His girlfriend Nicole is on the Ishimura and helps Isaac as he discovers the Marker (which causes severe hallucinations and psychosis) and horrifying creatures named necromorphs.
Throughout the game, Isaac also works with Kendra (a member of his team) to figure out what happened on the Ishimura and stop the Marker and Hive Mind from infecting everyone. The massive twist is that Kendra has been working for the Earth Government the entire mission, and was tasked with retrieving the Marker and returning it to earth. Kendra then reveals that Nicole, Isaac’s girlfriend whom he has been working with, was a hallucination caused by the Marker in a bid to have it returned to the Hive Mind. Sadly,Nicole committed suicideafter she discovered what was happening on the Ishimura and Aegis VII.
The mix of hallucinations and heart-stopping scenes in this game easily keeps players from truly knowing what’s real. Kendra’s reveal is big enough that it led most players to believe they’re over the worst of the plot reveals — so when Nicole’s fate is discovered, it’s all the more impactful.
Heavy Rainhas stood the test of time — something not all games can manage.Heavy Rain’sstory revolves around saving Shaun Mars, the kidnapped child of Ethan Mars. Since gameplay is centered around trying to discover the Origami Killer’s identity, the reveal is incredibly tense and dramatic.
Players will follow a few central characters who involve themselves in the investigation of Shaun’s disappearance: Ethan (his father), Norman and Carter (FBI), Madison (a journalist), and Scott (a private investigator) who is accompanied by Lauren (the mother of a victim). At different points in the game, players encounter information that suggests any of these characters could be the Origami Killer — as well as Gordi Kramer (who turns out to be a red herring). Eventually, it is revealed to be Scott, who is holding onto a vendetta against his own father after the death of his brother, and is searching for a father who will withstand anything to save his son.
The game’s directorDavid Cage claimedthat all 70 test players didn’t discover that Scott was the killer until it was revealed. It’s been over a decade since the game’s initial release, making it one of those infamously-known twists. However, almost all players were shocked by the reveal during their first playthrough, anda second playthroughwill show how cleverly the clues line up to incriminate Scott.
