For some reason, horror as a genre seems to have produced a whole treasure trove of obscure gems. I think this may be attributable to the somewhat limited appeal of scaring the shit out of yourself, but I often find that mentioning a game like ‘Haunting Ground’ to someone produces a look of blank confusion when it really deserves to be a nostalgic cult-classic. As a fan of the genre, I have shelves full of awesome horror games that really deserve your love. So in this series of articles I’ll be aiming to pay homage to them and hopefully gain them a few more fans.
I’ve always felt that a good horror game should be two things; unfair and about the antagonist. The second is pretty obvious; just take a look at ‘Silent Hill,’ a game which is all about the town. When you talk to fans of the game they’ll talk about their experiences in the ever-shifting, pan-dimensional nightmare that was Silent Hill. The protagonist, Harry Mason, is really only there to show how hellish the town itself is. The game is also unfair for the protagonist. Harry is outnumbered, his environment changes at random intervals and [spoiler alert] he doesn’t get a particularly happy ending. This is why I have chosen Haunting Ground as my first obscure horror review. Because it checks these two boxes very well.
In haunting Ground, you play as a young woman called Fiona Belli who is trapped in the Belli Mansion. The ‘bread and butter’ of the gameplay involves exploring this labyrinthine mansion whilst solving puzzles and evading death at the hands of one of the mansion’s small cast of inhabitants. I call it evading death because that is literally all you can do. You can run away or set your pet dog ‘Hewie’ on them while you run away, that is literally the extent of your defensive capabilities. Today we’re used to such mechanics in the guise of Amnesia and Outlast, but in 2005 this was fairly novel. Furthermore, the inhabitants can show up at any time, meaning that you never truly relax and at no point do you ever feel safe. As a result, the game is an almost exhaustingly intense experience.
The inhabitants themselves really steal the show. Early on you are introduced to one of my favourite horror antagonists of all time, Debilitas. A giant, filthy man with the looks and mind of a child, Debilitas thinks you are a doll and wants to ‘play’ with you. And yes, I meant the word play in a grimly sexual sense. This game goes there. In fact, the taboo subject of sexual abuse permeates the whole plot of this game, giving it a sickly, disgusting edge that would seem out of place but somehow compliments your feelings of helplessness and adds to the horror in such a way that it becomes the thing you remember most about Haunting Ground when looking back on it.
The inclusion of Hewie as a companion was a stroke of genius. Not only does being able to control a pet dog serve as a great catalyst for creating interesting puzzles, but it also adds yet more fear to the experience when you have to rely on the AI to fight for you as you flee and scramble for a hiding spot.
All in all, I would describe Haunting Ground as the most enjoyable chore I have ever had to endure. The sort of grim job that you found really stressful at the time but are so glad you did. I can now look back on the whole experience and think ‘yeah, I completed that bitch and I survived to tell the tale.’ It isn’t cheap and it is considered a collectible, but if you can pick up a copy of this game I’d highly recommend you give it a go. It has aged remarkably well and will still feel unlike anything you’ve played before. Haunting Ground is a truly original horror game.