Your pulse is racing. The mouse or controller is slippery with sweat. And you don’t know whether to run or keep playing. Those reactions are signs that a horror game has a remarkable, stressful chase sequence.
Alien: Rogue Incursion - A New Virtual Reality Horror Adventure Announced
20th Century Games, in collaboration with developer Survios, has unveiled their latest project, Alien: Rogue Incursion.
These are the sequences that you can’t fight your way out of. And they must happen for the story to continue. Getting caught is an instant death sentence too, so you can never stop moving. There are too many to count, but the ones on this list will leave your heart racing long after you finish.
10Laura’s Pursuit (The Evil Within)
A Woman With Far Too Many Arms
From the moment she bursts out of those corpses, you know you’re in for a ridiculous chase inThe Evil Within. Laura takes no prisoners. Literally. She will tear through anyone in the way in her pursuit of you. Go ahead and take a shot if you want. It won’t do any good. Your only option is to run. Seb even says as much.
But running doesn’t help too much either. It’s like applying a tiny Band-aid to a deep gash. Sure, it seems like closing and locking the door gives you breathing room. But remember: Laura tears her way through dead bodies. And she will do just that. So don’t stop running.
9Emily In The Mines (Until Dawn)
Can’t Look Away For Even A Second
Until Dawntests your reaction time throughout the story, but with Emily in the mines, you feel just how life-or-death it truly is. Any little mistake can ensure Emily meets a dreadful demise at the hands of the creepy and relentless Wendigo. So, brush up on your reaction skills because the QTEs will push your anxiety through the roof.
They arethedefinition of QTEs too. You have mere seconds to press the right button. Looking away at any point spells failure. Scoot to the edge of your seat, wipe your hands and prepare for one of the most intense chases.
Me and QTEs are not the best of friends, and Until Dawn is loaded with them. I knew what to expect, but by the time Emily was in the mines, the stress mounted. Poor girl didn’t make it out of the first couple of attempts, and I wound up using my main playthrough as the worst possible playthrough. It was definitely worth it to see just how bad things could get.
8Malo Chase (Amnesia: Justine)
You Can Feel Him Breathing Down Your Neck
The antagonists inAmnesia: Justine are certainly not the Suitors you want to have pursue you. And yet here they are. In particular, Malo. When he starts coming after you, it feels like you have to escape a neverending labyrinth. Worst of all: he’s fast.
It doesn’t seem like it at first, but Malo can catch up to you fast if you’re not careful. And this experience forces you to do a lot to get out. Carrying an item or closing and unlocking doors takes precious time. And Malo will take full advantage of that time and appear so close you can practically feel him.
7Sewer Escape (Dying Light)
They Just Never Stop Coming
Zombies in Dying Light are always consistent in their chase. However, the final story mission in the sewers is truly heart-pounding. There’s no stopping the horde here. There’s no fighting either. You have to keep going. It tests your resolve and all the parkour skills you’ve built up to this point.
10 Zombie Games Ranked From Least To Most Terrifying
Shoot ‘Em In The Head!
Miss any jump, those creatures will catch up to you. And they waste no time in attacking. Worst of all, there are several types of zombies down here. It’s the sewers. you’re able to race by the likes of Volatiles down there. Keep your UV Flashlight handy to slow them down and you may escape.
6Sawrunner In The Woods (Cry Of Fear)
No One Hears You Scream In The Woods
Cry of Fear does lean more toward the psychological realm of horror, but it isn’t without its fair share of chase sequences. In Chapter 6, when you’re in the woods, it’s the faint sound of a chainsaw revving in the distance thatputs you on edge. Then intense music kicks in. Now you know it’s time to go. Or sprint. Sprinting is preferable.
You don’t ever want to stop or look back. One glance backward, and you’ll see the crazed Sawrunner hot on your tail with his chainsaw held high. Making it out of the woods doesn’t spell the end of things, unfortunately.
5Mommy Long Legs (Poppy Playtime Chapter 2)
Her Smile Is Far Too Deceiving
There are quite a fewchase sequences in Poppy PlaytimeChapter 2. Mommy Long Legs stands out for how terrifyingly well it plays up the horror. There’s so much happening around, but you can’t stop and pay attention to the destruction. You make one turn and think she’s behind you, only to see she’s blocking one route.
It’s the noises coming from her that sell the terror. She sounds haunting as she mocks and screams at you, especially at the end of the chase. Don’t let the intensity stress you too much, and you’ll survive to fight another day.
4The Hungry Guests (Little Nightmares)
They Hunger For You
You can’t escape a chase inLittle Nightmares, but those hungry guests are nightmare-inducing. It’s easy enough to make your way past a few of them. But many of them are unavoidable. Once they lay their sights on you, they’ll scramble out of their seats and crawl toward you in a creepy display of greed and gluttony.
It doesn’t end with just one or two guests. At the climax of the chase, several guests pour out, climbing over each other like mindless, starving drones eager to yank you into their grasp and to your demise.
3The Giant Fetus Monster (Resident Evil Village)
Poor Baby Just Wants Someone To Love It
Creepy kids and horror go hand-in-hand, butResident EvilVillage took that to new levels. Sure, you run and fight vampire/fly-like sisters and avoid the towering Lady D, but once you reach House Beneviento, the real eeriness kicks in.
Resident Evil Village is the Best VR Horror Experience to Date
Enter the Baby. Not just any baby though. Poor Ethan is stuck with hallucinations (ones that can kill you) and he sees an oversized deformed fetus crawling around. It speaks and giggles too. You can’t fight it. All you can do is hide and run until you fix the elevator. Waiting for that elevator to arrive will be the longest seconds of your life.
Despite the encounter with Lady Dimitrescu and her daughters being the main thing everyone talked about when this game was released (and with good reason), the hallucinations in House Beneviento are where it truly felt like a horror game. Hiding under the bed while the Giant Fetus Baby crawled around with that haunting giggle made me look twice at every baby in my life.
2Angry Male Ward Inmates (Outlast)
The Smartest Pursuers In The Ward
Outlastis yet another horror video game that keeps you on your toes, and it does that by having incredible chase sequences. They are all worthy of a spot, but perhaps one of the most memorable chases is in the male ward against the inmates. These aren’t your average enemies either. They’re smarter than they seem.
From the second you run out of the first room, you’ll hear one of them tell the others to cut you off. That alone tells you how intense this chase is about to become. Don’t ever think you’re safe, as once you block one door, they’ll go around and find another.
1The Teacher (Little Nightmares 2)
Needs To Visit A Chiropractor ASAP
Little Nightmares 2 further improved on the already impressive pursuits of its predecessor. One that may very well send you screaming is in the school area with the teacher. Like most enemies, you can’t do much in terms of fighting. Hiding and avoidance are key, but she doesn’t make it easy.
Not only will she come scrambling if she hears a noise, but she’ll leave her body behind, opting to stretch her neck instead. Make a noise above her? Well, she’ll just stretch high enough until she sees you. So take care. She’ll pop up where you least expect her to.
It’s safe to say the teacher is the scariest thing in Little Nightmares 2, right? I knew that the bookshelf would fall. I knew she’d rush in and we’d have to hide in the little box. I didn’t expect that the teacher would behave like a mutated giraffe. By the time the shock wore off so I could run from the first encounter, those creepy little minions of hers jumped me and that was the end.
