Summary
Horror games often utilize prisons as one of theirmany creepy and explorable areas. It’s only natural, as the claustrophobic and oppressive nature of prison environments is perfectly suited to the dreary atmosphere horror games are so adept at creating.
Prisons, however, are often just a bullet point in a long list of locations in a single game rather than being its focal point. The games below then differ from other titles in the genre by setting their narratives solely within or largely around prisons, keeping players locked behind rusty bars and concrete walls for the majority of their runtime.
Genre
Horror
WithResident Evil Revelations 2being separated into individual episodic installments that can be enjoyed as their own little packages, it felt fitting to mention it first when talking about horror game prisons. After a mysterious group of armed individuals abducts them, series veteran Claire Redfield and newcomer Moira Burton awaken to find themselves trapped in a dilapidated prison.
WithRevelations 2coming off the burning heels ofResident Evil 6, the grime and grit of this opening episode’s prison felt like the first step towards Capcom returning to their former glory days ofResident Evil- a process that would be fully completed two years later with the release ofResident Evil 7.
Kletkasees players assuming the roles of prisoners sentenced to serve their time in the titular prison, referred to by developers Callback and In404 as a “Gigastructure.”
As one might have already guessed, Kletka is no ordinary prison, with it being an endlessly expanding building filled with supernatural anomalies.Being a co-op horror game,Kletka’s gameplay will feel familiar to fans of its ilk, with its focus on scavenging for fuel to power a flesh-eating elevator being reminiscent of the scrap collecting ofLethal Company.
The Maker of Masksis an indie game developed by Felix.Kraus during a horror game jam. The title sees players dangling into a mysterious prison on the end of a meat hook before subsequently having a mask hammered to their face.
The Maker of Masksis one of those games that feels immediately intriguing within its opening minutes, sucking players in with its eerie atmosphereand disturbing visuals.Free and less than an hour long, there’s no excuse for players not to go exploreThe Maker of Masks.
Platformer, horror
Based on the movieof the same name,Alien 3has players assume control of the franchise’s iconic heroine, Ripley, as she attempts to survive the prison colony of Fiorina 161.
Alien 3got a number of ports to different consoles that each seemed to interpret the game in their own way, but it was the SNES version that stood out among the rest. Combining platforming with side-scrolling action, the SNES version saw players blasting through the prison as they completed its missions, which were unique at the time as they allowed players to approach objectives in the order they chose.
The Callisto Protocolwas releasedin 2022 to mixed reception thanks to its inability to live up to the legacy of its lead developer, Glen Schofield’s other interstellarnightmare,Dead Space. Though, despite its shortcomings,The Callisto Protocolstill delivered on its setting.
Players assume the role of Jacob Lee as he is imprisoned in a high-security prison that becomes overrun with mutated monsters. Infested with fleshy growths, splattered with gore, and falling apart at the seams,Callisto’s prison setting feels fine-tuned in its chaos.
The Sufferingis a horror gem that went overlooked back when it was released in 2004. Players assume the role of Torque, a man who is incarcerated after he murders his ex-wife and two children, a crime that he, however, cannot remember. Just as he is about to be executed, the prison descends into chaos as it comes under attack by monsters.
Said monsters are uniquein their designas they are the living embodiments of various forms of execution practiced in the prison. The design choice of the game’s enemies perfectly complements the prison’s depressing and haunting atmosphere, makingThe Sufferingstand out among horror games based on visuals alone.
Just as she will do inResident Evil Revelations 215 years later,Resident Evil CODE: Veronicasees Claire Redfield being captured and trapped on the remote island, Rockfort.
As is expected with prison settings, the complex Claire is held in on the island is possessed by an atmosphere that feels dark and dreary, standing out even among otherResident Evilgames. Though the game does eventually move to a research facility in the Antarctic,CODE: Veronicakeeps its players trapped within Rockfort’s walls for the majority of its runtime.
