This Friday 27 October at 8pm BST, retro game streaming platform Antstream Arcade will be streaming their October Connect live on YouTube. Their biggest Connect yet will be packed full of exciting announcements, unveiling a range of brand-new features and games coming to the platform, including a never-released SNES game. To watch the Antstream Arcade Connect live, visit https://aarca.de/octconnect.
In the spirit of spooky season, Antstream Arcade will also be hosting a special Halloween tournament for players to sink their teeth into this weekend from Friday 27 to Monday 31 October, featuring the classic horror brawler Night Slashers. The tournament sets players on a one-life high score challenge in order to win coveted Antstream Arcade gems – who will become the ultimate survivor?
In the ever-evolving world of gaming, where cutting-edge graphics and sophisticated storytelling have become the norm, there’s an enduring charm to the pixelated nightmares of yesteryear. Retro horror games, with their blocky graphics, stilted animations, and minimalist soundscapes, manage to evoke fear and suspense that remain as potent today as they did decades ago.
So grab your flashlight, check your limited inventory, and prepare for a chilling trip down memory lane, as the Antstream team shares their top picks of the spookiest pixelated classics for horror fans in search of a retro Halloween.
Top 10 Retro Horror Games
Night Slashers (1990)
Arguably one of the most underrated titles released during the golden age of arcade gaming, Night Slashers is a co-op side-scrolling brawler seeing you face off against hordes of supernatural creatures and undead terrors. Play as Jake Hunter, a vampire hunter; Christopher Smith, a martial artist; Hong Hua, a mystical martial artist, or all three in this fast-paced, hyper-responsive homage to classic horror.
Alien Breed (1991)
For those that managed to stomach the immersive tension of Alien: Isolation, Alien Breed offers a retro experience with similar levels of strategic challenge and resource management wrapped up in an addictive top-down shooter. Assume the role of a space marine exploring a wayward spacecraft, carefully navigating the ship’s dark corridors, solving puzzles, and battling off an all too familiar nemesis that refuses to be killed.
Zombies Ate My Neighbours (1993)
Zombies Ate My Neighbours is a classic run-and-gun video game developed by LucasArts veterans Mike Ebert and Michael Hedlund for the SNES and Sega Genesis platforms in 1993. Grab a friend and play as either Zeke or Julie as you delve into classic horror movie-inspired dungeons to rescue your poor lost neighbours from a nightmarish threat.
Maniac Mansion (1987)
Set in the creepy Edison Mansion, players take on the role of a group of teenagers searching for their missing friend, Sandy. A game with high replayability thanks to its variety of both logic and abstract-based puzzles, Maniac Mansion will scratch the itch of any point-and-click enthusiast looking to explore the accursed roots of nonlinear storytelling.
Splatterhouse (1988)
Enter the Splatterhouse, a side scrolling beat ‘em up game published by Namco for arcade machines in 1988. Equipped with a powerful mask of pure terror, you play as Rick Taylor battling his way through a haunted mansion to save his missing girlfriend. Known for its graphically graphic graphics, Splatterhouse’s grotesque enemies and hulking bosses make it one of the earliest quintessential action-horror gaming titles.
The Immortal (1990)
An unforgiving dark-fantasy action-adventure developed by Sandcastle for the Apple IIGS in 1990. Delve into a complex labyrinth full of traps, puzzles and dangerous creatures as you attempt to save a Master Wizard from the clutches of a corrupt sorcerer. For those that enjoy a dark fantasy inspired isometric dungeon crawler mixed with a deadly dose of Souls-like trial-and-error gameplay, The Immortal is a must-play this Halloween.
Castle of Terror (1984)
One of the oldest titles on this list and notoriously known as the game that has never been beaten, Castle of Terror is an interactive fiction game initially developed for the Commodore 64 and ZX Spectrum by Melbourne House in 1984. One stormy night down at the local tavern, you are entrusted with saving a maiden who has been stolen away to a nearby castle by a vampire masquerading as a local Count.
Ghost Hunters (1987)
Ghost Hunters is an action platformer game initially published by Codemasters for the Amstrad CPC in 1987. Inspired by Ghostbusters and Scooby Doo, you play as Hunk Studbuckle jumping and climbing to victory as you collect “macho-energy”, unlock new areas, and battle hordes of ghouls from beyond the veil.
Ghoul Patrol (1994)
If you loved Zombies Ate My Neighbours, you’ll find a special place in your cold dead heart for the sequel – Ghoul Patrol. Retaining the humorous and wacky theme of its predecessor, Zeke and Julie return for another round of top-down run-and-gun multiplayer action across new horror film inspired dungeons.
Haunted House (1982)
One of the early pioneer games in both the horror and first-person genre, Haunted House was developed for the Atari in 1982. Armed with nothing but a flashlight and can-do attitude, explore the dark and mysterious rooms of a Haunted House as you search for magical urns. You’re not the only inhabitants of this house however, and will have to avoid the resident spiders and spirits if you hope to get out alive.
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