The new horror games arriving from independent developers are becoming harder to group under one familiar formula. Recent releases range from a retro survival-horror adventure interrupted by live-action footage to a deckbuilding card battler about bargaining with demons, a folk-horror stealth story, and a cosmic nightmare experienced through a penguin's eyes. I find this latest wave of indie horror particularly interesting because so many of its experimental ideas affect the way the games actually play.

For anyone following new horror games, there's plenty to discover, even if some of these releases look very different from one another. There's still plenty of familiar horror DNA across these selections, with survival mechanics, unsettling environments, and disturbing narratives all playing important roles. However, these indie developers have found interesting ways to combine those ingredients with other genres and storytelling techniques to create something entirely new.

If you love getting up close and personal with horror games, these games may be up your alley.

Tenebris Somnia looks like a throwback to classic survival horror, with pixel-art environments, puzzles, and dangerous creatures. Its biggest surprise comes when the game switches to live-action cutscenes featuring real actors. These sequences use practical effects and a more traditional horror film style, creating a sharp contrast with the gameplay's retro visuals. Rather than sticking to one presentation style throughout, the game moves between two very different approaches to horror, giving its story a distinctive identity.

The combination is particularly interesting because the live-action footage doesn't replace the old-school gameplay.

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