10 Horror Games That Don't Rely On Jump Scares

To say that Anchorhead is dripping with atmosphere is an understatement. Every location you enter in this text adventure is succinctly described, and yet they slowly build a picture of a town drowning in its own secrets and stuffed to the gills with dread.

A dank, drafty old drinking hole lit by flickering, oil-burning lanterns. Smoke collects in greasy pools among the rafters, and shadows crowd thick around. The bar runs the length of the room to your right, while to the south a low doorway opens onto the street. Mill workers and fishermen occupy a few of the tables, drinking beer or puffing grimly at long-stemmed pipes. Each is wrapped in his solitude, soaking up the general miasma of dreary fatalism.

Coming out at a time when most games were aiming to have photorealistic graphics, Anchorhead knows it's not the sort of game that's for everyone.

But those that it is aimed at will find an adventure heavily inspired by Lovecraft and a master at building the same sort of slowly seeping tension that have left his works so highly regarded all these years later.

Oh, and it's free to play in your browser too.