Best Horror RPG Maker Games

When the time comes to make a game, there are many available tools. Unity, Source, Twine, and other engines allow designers to craft all manner of virtual worlds, from the most welcoming to the most inhospitable. Horror can mean blood and gore rendered with the highest fidelity or psychological thrills with barely anything graphic.

Since the original's debut in 1992, RPG Maker has served as the catalyst for many games. Indie developers of all stripes have leveraged its user-friendly toolset to craft stories of terror and revulsion. Indeed, it is this very toolset that has made some of the horror genre's greatest and most intriguing achievements possible. This is even more impressive, given how this engine was originally made to help developers create RPGs with turn-based combat, only for developers to take some wild turns with this engine over time.

Updated September 16, 2024, by Gerardo Molina:The RPG Maker engine is extremely versatile and user-friendly. Players can not only create colorful games in the adventure or exploration genre but also, as shown in this article, spine-chilling stories that, despite their 16-bit design, are scary enough to give players nightmares.

The fact that many of the horror games created in RPG Maker have such great reviews goes to show both the engine's potential and the wonderful opportunity it provides talented developers. There's a ton of talent out there, and thousands of ghost stories to tell in RPG Maker games. And the best part is that most of them are not expensive, so players can try them without too much of an investment.

Alicemare

A Great Combination Of Psychological Horror And Surrealism

• Release Year:2016
• Developer:Miwashiba

Focusing on a boy named Allen who has lost his memory and finds himself in an orphanage, Alicemare blends surrealism and psychological horror perfectly to deliver an eerie experience. Despite being warned not to wander into the world of stories, Allen is trapped in the bizarre and dangerous realm.

Alicemare dives into complex topics, such as trauma and loss, and explores the fine line between what's real and what isn't. As the game progresses, players will discover more and more about Allen's past, and the darkness behind it.

Chlos Requiem

Players Will Learn Chloe's Dark Past As The Game Progresses

• Release Year:2013 (original), 2023 (remaster)
• Developer:buriki clock

With a dark, Gothic style art, Chloé's Requiem is centered on a girl bearing the same name. Players will progress through the game as Michael, a boy who finds himself in the middle of a dangerous supernatural world immediately after meeting Chloé. To reveal the mysteries behind her past, both of them will have to explore a world full of eerie elements and dark secrets.

With puzzles and a narrative revolving around grief, guilt, and sacrifice, players will have a fun, yet spine-chilling time progressing through the game and discovering all the secrets inside it.

Your Star

A Cult Classic With Puzzle And Exploration Game Mechanics

• Release Year:2017
• Developer:natahem

A great thing about RPG Maker is how fledgling developers can make titles in this engine to wow the masses. Your Staris a great example of the same, letting players step into the shoes of a young boy who must explore a mansion all by his lonesome to find his lost sister. Suffice it to say, this game has its fair share of horrors that can strike fear in the hearts of most players.

The traditional gameplay loop of exploration, puzzle-solving, and fights make for a great time, with the title's overbearing horror aesthetic making it clear why so many people are huge fans of this title. It's a veritable cult classic that is pretty enjoyable despite some minor flaws here and there.

LISA: The Painful

A Game That Pushes RPG Maker To Its Limit And Unveils Horrors As The Story Progresses

LISA: The Painfulis a video game that pushes the RPG Maker engine to its limits and shows what's possible with this tool with a lot of creativity. The sheer amount of love present in the game makes it clear why so many people are huge fans of this title, with the drab and bleak nature of the world juxtaposed with moments of dark comedy in a title that boasts excellent writing chops.

LISA's engaging combat and fun story make it a worthy title to check out, with players finding Brad to be a pretty multifaceted character as he embarks on an adventure to save Buddy from her kidnappers. Along the way, he'll find a wealth of eclectic characters and some nerve-wracking moments when the game's muted horror roots reveal their fangs.

Fear & Hunger 2: Termina

This Title Builds On Its Predecessor And Improves Upon It Greatly

Fear & Hungeris a game that has come out of nowhere and shows just how malleable the RPG Maker engine is in the right hands. The first game was a test of the player's patience and zeal to explore a game that genuinely hated them, featuring pulse-pounding combat where every encounter could spell doom for the player if they ended up biting off more than they could chew. The second game ended up working on the strengths of its predecessor, expanding on everything from the combat to this series' tantalizing lore.

The result is one of the best sequels of all time that also tones down the difficulty... albeit just a smidge. The game is still devilishly hard and will brutally test players to their very limits, with every save feeling like a breath of fresh air for players who have genuinely struggled for what feels like ages!

Lisa: The First

A Story About Abusive Parents, And The Psychological Repercussions Around Them

• Release Year:2012
• Developer:Dingaling

Most people are well aware of Lisa: The Painful, which is easily one of the best RPGs that players can get their hands on. However, what most people aren't aware of is the fact that this game is actually a follow-up to a video game that was inspired by Yume Nikki in many ways. Lisa: The First is an RPG Maker horror game that focuses on the titular character and her strained relationship with an abusive father, manifesting itself in a string of disturbing nightmares that are pretty harrowing to discover firsthand.

The wacky and unnerving nature of this title makes it one of the most underrated horror games around that fans should check out for themselves. The dream sequences are bizarre, trippy... and extremely uncomfortable when Lisa's dad becomes a central figure, showing the true depths of his depravity.

Ao Oni

A Heart-racing Quest To Escape A Demon

• Release Year:2004
• Developer:noprops, uuum

Ao Oniis a horror game that takes place in a haunted mansion. After being separated from his friends, the main character must navigate the mansion, solving puzzles and avoiding a monster known as the Ao Oni, or blue demon.

This monster hunts them throughout the game, appearing at random intervals and shocking players with its presence every single time. The game's simple, pixelated graphics and eerie music contribute to its tense atmosphere, and players must use their wits and hiding skills to survive this harrowing experience.

The Witch's House

A Young Girl's Quest To Escape A Creepy House Filled With Multiple Horrors

• Release Year:2012
• Developer:Fummy

The Witch's House features a young girl named Viola who finds herself trapped in a mysterious forest, hiding in a house that is filled to the brim with ghastly occurrences and scary moments. As she tries to escape, she encounters a variety of horrific creatures and must solve puzzles to progress through the game.

The game's story is filled with twists and turns, and its eerie soundtrack adds to its unsettling atmosphere despite the visuals looking "cute," for lack of a better term. However, the biggest gut punch delivered by this game comes at the ending, and players who have yet to check out The Witch's House should make it a point to play through this masterpiece if they love how the horror genre shines through the medium of video games.

Fear & Hunger

Players Love The Game, But The Game Hates Them

Fear & Hungeris a horror-themed role-playing game that is easily one of the hardest and most unfair experiences anyone can put themselves through. The game makes no effort to hide the fact that it actively hates the player, with death present at every corner and hounding the player at every step of the way.

Fear & Hunger features a variety of enemies, including grotesque monsters and twisted versions of familiar creatures. Combat is turn-based and requires strategic thinking, with limb dismemberment being critical to render enemies ineffective. Of course, the player's limbs are also free real estate and can be hacked off at a moment's notice, severely inhibiting their effectiveness in battle. That being said, a content warning is required here — Fear & Hunger depicts graphic and sexual violence in a disturbing manner that can be hard to stomach, so player discretion is advised.

Pocket Mirror

A Heavily Ambiguous Game That Works Well With Its Narrative

• Release Year:2023
• Developer:VisuStella, AstralShiftPro LDA, AstralShift

Created using RPG MAKER VX ACE, Pocket Mirroris a horror game in which symbolism is paramount. Because of this, those looking for a straightforward game with a simple A-to-B plot should look elsewhere. For everyone else, Pocket Mirroris a nightmare in the best way.

Almost everything within is subject to interpretation. In some games, ambiguity is the result of laziness, of game designers not knowing what end result they're trying to achieve, but in this game delving into symbols for their true meaning is half the point. With original artwork, an original soundtrack, and visual novel elements, Pocket Mirrorgoes above and beyond most RPG Maker titles.

Yume Nikki

Disturbing Events From A Child's Imagination

The imagination can be a terrible thing, and when the imagination is that of a child, it can be as confusing as it is sinister. Yume Nikkiis a surreal exploration into the titular character's head, beginning when the player goes to sleep and snapping back to reality whenever they pinch themselves awake.

The excellent sound design beautifully complements the game's avant-garde style, and this is certainly not an indie game that takes a long time to beat. Rather than compromise itself by leaning upon a convoluted plot, Yume Nikkileaves much to the player's interpretation. Just as it should be with dreams and nightmares, sometimes it is better not to analyze.

The Crooked Man

A Tennant's Quest To Uncover The Truth Behind A Haunted Apartment

Moving into a new home is a beloved horror trope, and The Crooked Manwields it to beautiful effect. David Hoover moves into his new apartment only to discover that the building may be haunted. Not the type to let an apparition go uninvestigated, David sets out to solve the mystery, setting himself up for a series of escalating scares.

His repeated encounters with the Crooked Man himself do not dissuade him, even as the situation grows bleaker. The Crooked Manis the first installment of The Strange Men Anthology,a four-game collection, and is arguably the best of the lot, though The Sandman, The Boogie Man,and The Hanged Manare all worth a play, even if they are not major indie success stories.

Ib

Jumpscares Are Effective, And The Horror Is Palpable

• Release Year:2012
• Developer:kouri

Art galleries don't scream "danger," but in Ib, danger is just what they contain. Kouri's 2012 title tells the story of nine-year-old Ib, who is trapped in a painting during a visit to one such gallery and must find a way to escape.

Like Silent Hill and others before it, Ibexcels in jumpscares, puzzle-solving, and exploration. Where Ibtriumphs over other great indie horror games is in its fine-tuning. Kouri's meticulous development pays off at every step. The scares are not cheap. The characters are not tropes. Everything the game accomplishes, it earns. The enigmatic Garry is a particular highlight, keeping players guessing for their entire journey through the dark.

Misao

Intriguing, And Revolving Around A Missing Person

Friendship is hard. Friendship is even harder when the person you want to be friends with vanishes. When Misaodisappears, and rumors start circulating in school about what might have befallen her, the protagonist sets out to discover the truth. The game takes the time to craft unique backstories for its characters, giving players every reason to learn more about them and keeping characters from being cardboard cutouts with dialog.

Is Misaoone of the best offline PC RPGs? At least when it comes to horror RPG Maker titles, yes. The game is not without flaws, but Misaois more successful at sustaining a disconcerting atmosphere than most titles in the genre. Players are encouraged not to spoil the story for themselves. The blind jump is the better one.

Stray Cat Crossing

If Alice in Wonderland And Studio Ghibli Had A Baby In RPG Maker, This Would Be It

• Release Year:2015
• Developer:Jurlo, jetpackgone

Stray Cat Crossingwears its inspirations with pride. One cannot play it without feeling echoes of Alice in Wonderland and Studio Ghibli. With playthroughs lasting between 2-4 hours, Stray Cat Crossingis the perfect length to luxuriate in its offkey ambience and mingle with its kooky cast.

Stray Cat Crossingis the story of a young woman who lends a little girl her favorite scarf and must enter a forboding house when the girl fails to return it, only to be confronted by its strange and monstrous inhabitants. Its 16-bit art harkens back to the first two Persona games, and its story makes it a must-play for fans of the genre.

Omori

Nuanced Characters And A Compelling Story

By now something of a legend within the indie horror community, 2020's Omoriis one of RPG Maker'sgreatest success stories. It pulls no punches with its themes, tackling anxiety and depression respectfully but head-on through the character of Sunny, a boy with severe social anxiety.

Yet Sunny has another self, Omori, who exists in his dreams. Its painterly graphics set it apart from superficially similar titles, and its aesthetic is without question Omori'sgreatest strength, together with its nuanced characterization. Here one finds characters given all the room they need to breathe and develop, and the game is undoubtedly stronger for it.