Summary
While there are horrors in the mundane tasks of everyday jobs, there are several games that take inspiration from seemingly ordinary professions and turn them into creepy and haunting experiences that horror game lovers are sure to remember.
There are many professions out there that when a creepy customer is inserted, a shadow that lingers for a little too long, or perhaps the plausibility for a cosmic horror to emerge is introduced, a job can turn into a challenge for survival. Gamers need not always seek a haunted house for a chilling horror. They can turn to their own workplaces to find the same spine-tingling scares.
8The Mortuary Assistant
The Mortuary Assistantby developers DarkStone Digital takes on the horrors of a very morbid profession as theplayers care for and prepare the deceasedfor burial. This game is part mortician simulator and all parts spooky horror as when the player has been tasked with coming in late at night to perform embalming only to discover an evil demonic presence seemingly taking over the deceased bodies and haunting the mortuary.
It is easy to be immersed in this chilling game as dealing with death and preparing loved ones can already prove to be a haunting experience. The players must also deal with a demonic secret hidden among the walls of River Fields Mortuary inThe Mortuary Assistant.
7The Closing Shift
The Closing Shiftby Japanese horror developer Chilla’s Art plays into the eerie atmosphere of being the last person in the closing shift. This game usesnostalgic VHS film aestheticsalongside psychological horror as the player works as a female worker doing the last shift at a café.
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The atmosphere of the game is heightened by the believable nature of this horror scenario while the player works to fulfill the coffee orders of the customers coming in late at night. Chilla’s Art also works to include environmentalfactors inspired by Japanese horrorfor a unique playing experience.
6One Late Night
One Late Night,from developers Black Curtain Studio, follows a graphic designer who is in the office working late one night when strange things start to happen around them. The developers play on gamers’ real-world working experience to find the surroundings familiar and be able to relate to the creepy setting of being the only one in the office at night.
This bite-sized immersive horror tackles the eerie feeling that something might be amiss just around the cubicle corner, and whether or not it isjust inside the player’s head.
5No One Lives Under The Lighthouse
No One Lives Under The Lighthousefollows the player as they become a lighthouse keeper after the previous keeper disappeared in this game by Marevo Collective. The playstyle is a slow-burn retro horror following the solitary duties of a new lighthouse worker as they get used to their surroundings on a foggy island that seems to be hiding secrets from the new tenant.
The biggest rule is that the new keeper must carefully attend to the light so that it never goes out at night. This game has players exploring the seemingly mundane tasks of looking after a lighthouse andexploring the odd nooks and cranniesthat reveal more about the old lighthouse than previously thought.
4Employee Of The Month
Employee Of The Monthby Projekt Skeleton sees the player become a worker at The Month, a rural market store for the surrounding community. It is a first-person retro survival horror that combines the ordinary tasks of a market worker that quickly develops into a nightmarish environment.
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This game alsoblends horror and comedythat has players finding the hilarity in the situation and then trying to save themselves the next second. Players are sure to understand the real horrors of retail inEmployee Of The Month.
3Happy’s Humble Burger Farm
InHappy’s Humble Burger Farmfrom the Scythe Dev Team, the player is a newly hired night shift worker at a burger restaurant.Part restaurant management and cooking simulator, part survival horror, the player’s job is to serve customers and keep Happy the Humble Heifer pleased. If the customers are upset, then Happy is rumored to not be so kind anymore according to management.
This game features Endless Mode which allows the players to just focus on the cooking simulation portion, Story Mode which dives deeper into the restaurant franchise’s past, and one stressful food industry experience.
2NIGHT SHIFT Scary Tales Vol. 1
NIGHT SHIFTofScary Tales Vol. 1is an episodic anthology from Puppet Combo. In one of the episodes, the player works the night shift in a desolate convenience store as Debra Kopiske. While the episode consists of the player doing menial tasks to keep the convenience store in shape, the atmosphere turns foreboding as a white van pulls up outside of the store.
The player meets a strange, off-putting customer that will have them looking over their shoulder at every turn. This game also features retro graphics and a very eerie atmosphere that plays on believable everyday horrors.
1Dredge
Dredgeby Black Salt Games is a single-player fishing adventure that has gamers exploring the high seas and the multitude of secrets that lurk below the waterline. It is the player’s job to fish for the local community, research and upgrade new boat parts, discover new and creepy fishing areas, and beware of what lurks after nightfall.
While this game does not rely on jump scares to emit a scary atmosphere, the solitary nature of being out alone at sea and being unaware ofwhat monsters might swim belowmakes this game a very spooky experience of being a lonesome fisherman.
