Daymare: 1998 Old-School Survival Horror Dread

The story unfolds through three very different eyes: an elite soldier sent in with a security team, a helicopter pilot, and a forest ranger who wanted nothing to do with any of this. Each sees a different slice of the incident, and each carries their own theories and doubts about what happened. You switch between them as the plot moves through its chapters, piecing together how a quiet small town turned into a deadly zone and its citizens into bloodthirsty monsters. A secret research facility, a chemical weapon and a cover-up sit underneath it all, and the truth only comes together once you have seen every angle.

Ammo is scarce, enemies are tough to kill, and every bullet counts. You backtrack through areas with new keys and items, hunt for collectibles and lore documents, and save only at set points. It is slow, deliberate and stressful in exactly the way classic survival horror intended.

You explore winding city streets, wide forests and tight, claustrophobic corridors, all rendered with modern Unreal Engine 4 graphics that sit on top of the deliberately dated design. The HUD lives on a piece of gear on your character's wrist, so checking your health and inventory never fully breaks the mood. Expect dread more than comfort: the game wants you to feel alone.