Many games over the years have championed bright and colorful graphics, cartoon styles, and a general sense of joy and charm. There's something to be said about this outright hopeful, sunny outlook, but the quiet, dark, and gloomy atmospheres of games such as Dark Souls provide a stark alternative.
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These excellent strategy games are renowned for their immersive, atmospheric gameplay and settings.
These titles are deeply atmospheric, featuring downtrodden spirits and dark, mysterious environments that evoke a sense of eeriness. For players who enjoy the murky, dreary atmospheres of Metro 2033, the Stalker games, or even Death Stranding, these indie titles are worth a try.
8 Rain World
A Brutal Survival Platformer
Rain World
- Released
- March 28, 2017
- Developer(s)
- Videocult
- Platform(s)
- PC, PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S
- Genre(s)
- Adventure
Rain World is a hardcore 2D platformer that tasks players with surviving in a truly harsh, interconnected world. The overgrown ruins of Rain World make for a surprisingly immersive setting, elevated by unique art direction and creature designs.
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The game's creatures are often menacing, almost creepy, and fit perfectly in the industrial wasteland. Coupled with a dark color palette and the occasional spikes of horror, Rain World makes for a decidedly gloomy experience.
7 The Long Dark
A Lonely, Melancholic Survival Simulation
The Long Dark
- Released
- August 1, 2017
- Developer(s)
- Hinterland Studio
- Platform(s)
- Nintendo Switch, PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One
- Genre(s)
- Survival Horror
This hardcore survival simulation does little to hide its gloominess; the game's dark and gray environments, facilitated by constant winter weather, consistently suppress and subdue, but the rich gloom that overwhelms The Long Dark is counterbalanced by moments of true tranquility and fiery coziness.
It is because of The Long Dark's eerie, lonely setting and the forgotten expanses that run between its various abandoned shelters that the moments of peace are able to shine. Stumbling into an inky-black cabin, sparsely lit by shafts of dusty light, and bringing the warm orange glow of fire into the room evokes a certain coziness that's unique to The Long Dark.
6 Ravenswatch
A Dark Fantasy Action Roguelike
Ravenswatch
Action-packed and truly challenging on harder difficulties, Ravenswatch is an action-roguelike that excels in online co-op. While somewhat typical in its action, the slick art direction and dark fantasy of its fairy tale world give Ravenswatch a unique look and feel.
The desperation of the gameplay, facilitated by a constantly ticking timer, prevents Ravenswatch from feeling too dreary or plodding, but its world is layered with gloom. The first two acts, in particular, with their dark forests and stormy sands, make for particularly gloomy locales.
5 Gloomwood
Immersive-Sim Stealth In A Dark Victorian City
Gloomwood
The clue's in the name; Gloomwood is a dark and appropriately gloomy immersive sim with a focus on stealth, elevated by a few twists borrowed from the survival-horror genre. The game's low-poly 3D art style and sparsely-lit but wholly cinematic environments give Gloomwood's unique Victorian setting a truly gloomy atmosphere.
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This is only furthered by the at-times horrifying enemies and their deranged voice lines, the balance of silence with eerie music, and the slow pace of its gameplay. For fans of stealth-focused immersive sims and gritty, gloomy fantasy settings, Gloomwood is certainly worth checking out.
4 HROT
A Surrealist Ride Through Dreary, Brutalist Environments
HROT
With so many retro-FPS titles out on Steam, HROT may not look like much in comparison. At least, not right away. Its gunplay leaves something to be desired, especially when comparing it to the likes of CULTIC or DUSK, but it's the game's unique look and immersive setting that elevates it above the competition.
HROT is packed with drab, dreary environments, its levels punctuated by brutalist architecture. This makes for some truly gloomy and highly immersive locations, many of which manage to be memorable despite a repetitive color scheme.
3 Hollow Knight
Exploring The Ruins Of An Underground Kingdom
Hollow Knight
- Released
- February 24, 2017
- Developer(s)
- Team Cherry
- Platform(s)
- Nintendo Switch, PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, macOS, Linux
- Genre(s)
- Metroidvania
From the very start, Hollow Knight casts a gloomy blanket over its dark and dreary world. The underground setting is packed with unique biomes that balance color with gloom, but there's almost always a tragic and often dark undertone to the atmosphere of each location.
The hand-drawn art style and careful color scheme provide a gloomy look and feel to many of Hollow Knight's environments, barring a few. The City of Tears and the Forgotten Crossroads are particularly gloomy, thanks to dark colors, sparse lighting, and truly melancholic music.
2 INSIDE
An Eerie Journey Through A Dystopian World
Inside
INSIDE is a dark and gloomy platformer with a heavy focus on light puzzle-solving. Despite featuring a handful of satisfying puzzles and a vague, unsettling narrative that's deftly woven, the game's gloomy art direction and hopeless dystopian setting are arguably its greatest strengths.
The total lack of dialogue and truly minimalist character designs, combined with flat textures, provides a heavily stylized look. However, the subdued colors and gloomy lighting prevent INSIDE from ever looking cartoonish.
1 Kentucky Route Zero
An Emotional Road Trip Elevated By Magical Realism
Kentucky Route Zero
Kentucky Route Zero is a narrative adventure game that features little-to-no gameplay, instead driven by dialogue choices and slow, methodical exploration. This essentially makes for interactive fiction, but Kentucky Route Zero is highly experimental in its approach, elevated by a magical-realist setting that's rooted in Americana and surrealist imagery.
The truly strange nature of Kentucky Route Zero and its twisted world makes up for most of its gloominess. The downtrodden characters that life won't leave alone, the emotional music, and the frequently dark and eerie environments make for a truly memorable and utterly gloomy experience.
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These moody indie games offer a deeply atmospheric experience, from their distinct art direction and sound design to the settings themselves.