5 Great Horror Moments In Non-Horror Games

5. First Great Serpent Encounter - Sekiro: Shadow's Die Twice

A third-person samurai slicing simulator doesn't sound like it would contain many moments one would call creepy, but you'd also be dead wrong with that perception. You're scouring the Ashina Castle Outskirts, zipping between tree trunks jutting out of snowy cliffs when out of nowhere, suddenly... a giant snake crashes out into the open!

The Headless encounter in the same area just before the overly-large reptile encounter could also definitely be considered spooky, but the Great Serpent deserves this place slightly more as it is totally unexpected if you are playing Sekiro blind, without any prior knowledge of the bosses or world. Just seeing the titanic constrictor coolly analyse the area with its dead expression sends heeby jeebies down the spines of players.

It's not strictly a boss fight - though there is a different battle with a similar snake - but the scaly giant's intrusion into the Japanese landscape is worth any number of generic jump scares most games offer. The fact it's basically a one-hit kill elevates the tension to a nail-biting degree, forcing the player to face their fear to proceed.

From Software do a great job making the player go from strong to fearful, and the Great Serpent encounter absolutely delivers that.