10 Scariest Retro Video Game Moments That Still Terrify Us Today

6. 'Footsteps Approaching' - 3D Monster Maze

As with several games on this list, you'd have to have nerves of polystyrene to suffer any kind of long-lasting trauma from playing 3D Monster Maze. But it deserves a mention not only because it gave us the first ever jump scares in video game history, but also because mechanically it follows pretty much the same rules as today's hit horror games like Outlast and Alien: Isolation. The first-person perspective combined with your only form of defence being to run the hell away is an inherently terrifying setup, and it's little wonder that this genre seen a recent revival. But beyond that, the suspense in 3D Monster Maze is unbelievable. The game has no sound, and informs you about the monster's status using text at the bottom. When you see the words 'Rex has seen you' or 'Footsteps approaching' at the bottom of the screen, you begin running blindly in any direction, without any sound to help guide you to safety. Because the corridors are so samey, it's a visually jarring when you see the blocky figure appear at the far end of a corridor and rapidly get bigger and bigger as it closes in on you, emitting a surprisingly convincing roar before it consumes you. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N-r5JMyyOVM