10 Great Horror Games That Are Ugly On Purpose

The last entry was all about 32-bit, but why not go even further? Why not take the bits down even more?

Let's delve right into the really old-school-styled world of the Faith trilogy, a collection of games that not only act as a love letter to 8-bit gaming but prove that reductive graphics are sometimes (rather fittingly) a blessing, not a curse.

Faith puts you in the shoes of a young priest struggling against a whole heap of spiritual issues, such as cultists, diminishing faith and, of course, demons. Prepare yourself to perform exorcisms and battle against the forces of hell across two fully released chapters and one that's yet to appear.

The intention of this game is to explore the satanic scare of the 80s, which is why the retro graphics are so fitting. It's made with a pixelated 8-bit style reminiscent of consoles like the Atari 2600, putting it on target for the period it's exploring.

Despite the intentionally threadbare visuals, the game is still tense and frightening. This can be seen (or rather heard) in the sound design, which gives a sharp and punchy edge to all the demonic creatures encountered.

It's a testament to the storytelling power of the gaming industry, as despite being so visually minimal, the game is still rich, dense and thrilling.