As we roll into August, the dark and horror gamer part of myself starts to peek out from the shadows. Peering out to see if it’s her time to parade around the blog and other social media outlets to speak about dark fairytales, creepy characters, terrifying novels, and nightmare fuel games. Welcome to the side of Gray’s Otome and Visual Novel Corner that focuses on both VN and Cozy Nook aspects of Gray’s Otome & VN Corner.

Where suspense, thrillers, and horror games take over. While some otome games meet the creepy aspect of the horror criteria, it’s rare… depending on what game you’ve gotten into your hands. Before we proceeded, I’d like to say thanks to Kelly from Another Book in the Wall Blog for making these Halloween themed prompts!

Now…

Reader beware, these visual novels aren’t for those who want romance flair, these are for those who dare to face their darkest nightmares.  

If you aren’t a horror fan please check out my other blogs! Otherwise, if you like terror and creepy stuff…

CARRY ON~!

★・・・・・・★・・・・・・★・・・・・・★★・・・・・・★・・・・・・★・・・・・

‧͙⁺˚*･༓☾ TOPIC ☽༓･*˚⁺‧͙

-ˏˋ♥̩͙♥̩̩̥͙♥̩̥̩ ⑅Your Favorite  ⑅ ♥̩̥̩♥̩̩̥͙♥̩͙ˊˎ

-ˏˋ♥̩͙♥̩̩̥͙♥̩̥̩ ⑅ Settings For⑅ ♥̩̥̩♥̩̩̥͙♥̩͙ˊˎ

-ˏˋ♥̩͙♥̩̩̥͙♥̩̥̩ ⑅ Horror Stories/Games ⑅ ♥̩̥̩♥̩̩̥͙♥̩͙ˊˎ

★・・・・・・★・・・・・・★・・・・・・★★・・・・・・★・・・・・・★・・・・・

Oooh… Can’t have some horror without a little bit of atmospheric action happening in the backdrop of the gamer or book. In today’s blog, I talk about my favorite settings in the horror genre and I also recommend my favorites in the the entry today. While there isn’t extremely graphic GIFs in this post, I do advise that if you aren’t a fan of horror to please check out my other blogger posts in my menu panel above or even listen to a podcast from Witchiness or Gray’s Otome. Without further ado, all my horror fans, light your torches or turn on your flashlights, it’s time to run like crazy through the bogs of terror. 

★・・・・・・★・・・・・・★・・・・・・★★・・・・・・★・・・・・・★・・・・・

.｡*ﾟ+.*.｡Lakes/Swamps/Bogs.｡+..｡*ﾟ+

★・・・・・・★・・・・・・★・・・・・・★★・・・・・・★・・・・・・★・・・・・

The swampy, humid, and bug infested bogs are a place of fear, thrills, and a terrible choice for camping for a family. However, they make perfect settings for creatures like Swamp Thing, The  Werewolf of Fever Swamp, and also murder cases for mysteries. I personally don’t like swampy area, or bogs when I venture out into the outdoors for hiking and camping, but, this setting does come up every now and then whether I happen to cross a certain area of the sort or tell a scary story of my own. 

Some of the best stories involve a bog, a creature, carnage, a body, and a mystery to solve, and thus, I recommend the selected media below. Hopefully you can find your type of poison in the bunch, otherwise, carry on~

｡･:*:･ﾟ★,｡･:*:･ﾟ☆　BOOK RECOMMENDATION ｡･:*:･ﾟ★,｡･:*:･ﾟ☆

(Amazon)

Who’s afraid of the big, bad wolf? A new package for a best-selling Classic Goosebumps! Now with bonus features!

There is something weird happening in Fever Swamp. Something really horrible.It started with the strange howling at night. Then there was the rabbit, torn to shreds. Everyone thinks Grady’s new dog is responsible. After all, he looks just like a wolf. And he seems a little on the wild side.
But Grady knows his dog is just a regular old dog. And most dogs don’t howl at the moon. Or disappear at midnight. Or change into terrifying creatures when the moon is full.
Or do they?

‧͙⁺˚*･༓☾　GRAY’S PICK　☽༓･*˚⁺‧͙

This book holds a special place in my heart as the first RL Stine book to ever grace my little hands as a kid growing up in the 90s. While the cover has changed, the story has not, unless you’ve gotten the newer one with bonus content. I was pretty surprised about who the werewolf was at the end of the book, but this novel also helped ignite my interest into the werewolf lore besides ‘So Weird. This book is not something that will frighten you in the middle of the night if you’re old like me but this definitely is still a good read, even to read to your kids at night. 

｡･:*:･ﾟ★,｡･:*:･ﾟ☆　GAME RECOMMENDATION  ｡･:*:･ﾟ★,｡･:*:･ﾟ☆

(Steam)

Nancy Drew®: Ghost Dogs of Moon Lake is a first-person perspective, point-and-click adventure game. The player is Nancy Drew and has to solve a mystery. Explore rich environments for clues, interrogate suspects, and solve puzzles and mini-games.
A friend’s frantic note sends you, as Nancy Drew, on the trail of a mysterious pack of dogs whose glowing eyes and mournful howls threaten to chase you away forever. Local residents say that the dogs have come back from the grave to protect the secrets of their master. Are the ghostly legends true, or is there a flesh-and-blood explanation for the haunting howls? You must solve the mystery before the hounds catch your scent! Dare to Play™!

‧͙⁺˚*･༓☾　GRAY’S PICK　☽༓･*˚⁺‧͙

I love mystery and problem solving games, and Nancy Drew happens to be one of the games I love playing. Besides ‘Where in the World is Carmen San Diego,’ I can definitely put Nancy Drew up there with favorite childhood point and click interactive games of my childhood. This game, Ghosts Dogs of Moon Lake is one of the handful of games that has a spooky element to it; and I LOVE IT. If you’re into casual gaming, check this game out, it’s only $6.99 right now on Steam, and it’s worth it!

★・・・・・・★・・・・・・★・・・・・・★★・・・・・・★・・・・・・★・・・・・

.｡*ﾟ+.*.｡　Haunted House　ﾟ+..｡*ﾟ+

★・・・・・・★・・・・・・★・・・・・・★★・・・・・・★・・・・・・★・・・・・

Who doesn’t love haunted houses? Whether it’s going to the ones staged by a theme park like Universal Studios to a the thrilling movies based on the iconic trope. Haunted houses are always a fan favorite, and awesome setting for any type of media, as long as it is well written, of course. For me, haunted houses are part of my childhood, if we think about the spooks of 80s horror movies and books from Fear Street. They are a staple in this genre, and they certainly won’t be fading out anytime soon from the fandom radar. 

｡･:*:･ﾟ★,｡･:*:･ﾟ☆　BOOK RECOMMENDATION  ｡･:*:･ﾟ★,｡･:*:･ﾟ☆

(Amazon)

Welcome to the Dead House.

 

Three students: dead.

 

Carly Johnson: vanished without a trace.

 

Two decades have passed since an inferno swept through Elmbridge High, claiming the lives of three teenagers and causing one student, Carly Johnson, to disappear. The main suspect: Kaitlyn, “the girl of nowhere.”

 

Kaitlyn’s diary, discovered in the ruins of Elmbridge High, reveals the thoughts of a disturbed mind. Its charred pages tell a sinister version of events that took place that tragic night, and the girl of nowhere is caught in the center of it all. But many claim Kaitlyn doesn’t exist, and in a way, she doesn’t – because she is the alter ego of Carly Johnson.

 

Carly gets the day. Kaitlyn has the night. It’s during the night that a mystery surrounding the Dead House unravels and a dark, twisted magic ruins the lives of each student that dares touch it.

 

Debut author Dawn Kurtagich masterfully weaves together a thrilling and terrifying story using psychiatric reports, witness testimonials, video footage, and the discovered diary – and as the mystery grows, the horrifying truth about what happened that night unfolds.

｡･:*:･ﾟ★,｡･:*:･ﾟ☆　GAME RECOMMENDATION  ｡･:*:･ﾟ★,｡･:*:･ﾟ☆

(iOS|Android)

Every night, you’re haunted by a disturbing dream… You’re in an old mansion confronted by an old woman whose face becomes more and more twisted as she talks to you. Finally, she attacks you and you wake from the nightmare. You try to talk to your friend Trevor about it, but he isn’t convinced it’s anything to worry about. Meanwhile, you continue to be haunted by the dream every night…

One day at the library, you bump into a man named Gavin. He drops a book and as you go to pick it up, you realize that it has a photo of the mansion from your dreams!

What secrets does your dream hold? Who is the old woman? Can your friends help you solve the mystery?!

Find out in The House of Grudge!

‧͙⁺˚*･༓☾　GRAY’S PICK　☽༓･*˚⁺‧͙

I love the story of this game, but I HATE how the game works. Similar to Story Jar’s concept from Shall We Date? This game follows the same premise, where if you want premium answers to get the best ending, you have to pay up. I played this app because it’s one of the few Otome based apps with ‘horror‘ otome games that you can play. However, it comes with a price; BEWARE. 

The story is very well done, and while you won’t be jumping out of your seats from jump scares and such. The narrative that is produced in this game is enticing and engaging for a casual gamer looking to be put on edge for a good while, and knowing you get a good ending at the end. Solve the mystery, and get the guy (if you can).

★・・・・・・★・・・・・・★・・・・・・★★・・・・・・★・・・・・・★・・・・・

.｡*ﾟ+.*.｡　Out in the Woods　ﾟ+..｡*ﾟ+

★・・・・・・★・・・・・・★・・・・・・★★・・・・・・★・・・・・・★・・・・・

From the terror of Sleepaway Camp, Friday the 13th, Wolf Creek, and the creepypastas that speak about the ghosts that haunt our national forests. Camping doesn’t usually put me on edge, but sometimes, when the moon isn’t out and all I’m surrounded by is a black maw of silence. The hackles at the back of my neck stand, and full body shivers ensue even when the pit fire I’ve created is blazing brightly and heat seems to trace the air.  There’s both a beauty and a quiet niggling of fear that seems to thread itself into the ocean of trees, even when we’ve got all the flashlights on. 

｡･:*:･ﾟ★,｡･:*:･ﾟ☆　BOOK RECOMMENDATION  ｡･:*:･ﾟ★,｡･:*:･ﾟ☆

(BN.com)

Once every year, Scoutmaster Tim Riggs leads a troop of boys into the Canadian wilderness for a weekend camping trip—a tradition as comforting and reliable as a good ghost story around a roaring bonfire. But when an unexpected intruder stumbles upon their campsite—shockingly thin, disturbingly pale, and voraciously hungry—Tim and the boys are exposed to something far more frightening than any tale of terror. The human carrier of a bioengineered nightmare. A horror that spreads faster than fear. A harrowing struggle for survival with no escape from the elements, the infected…or one another.

Part Lord of the Flies, part 28 Days Later—and all-consuming—this tightly written, edge-of-your-seat thriller takes you deep into the heart of darkness, where fear feeds on sanity…and terror hungers for more.

‧͙⁺˚*･༓☾　GRAY’S PICK　☽༓･*˚⁺‧͙

Anyone who has read… The Lord of the Flies, if you didn’t like that novel you will NOT want to read this book at all. This is a completely disturbing and horrifying novel that made me puke, but it also had me wrapped around the intense atmosphere and prayers for the young boys on the island. The Troop is definitely one novel you need to read if you loved movies such as “Slither” “Invasion of the Body Snatchers” and “Battle Royale” all in one terrifying place of unimaginable horror. 

｡･:*:･ﾟ★,｡･:*:･ﾟ☆　GAME RECOMMENDATION  ｡･:*:･ﾟ★,｡･:*:･ﾟ☆

(Itch.io)

Anyone can be saved, but not everyone can be.

Kikka the Steadfast is a sensitive and empathetic woman who uses a mask of stoicism to protect herself from the harsh world she lives in. Much of everything she’s done has been an attempt to find some semblance of security, including the career path she chose to pursue. Kikka works as an official guard for one of the many tiny villages in the region. Her most recent assignment is to travel with fellow guard Bemelle to an allied town that’s been under siege by raiders.

With an ever-present sense of urgency, the two find themselves on the shore of Sinnlos, a cursed lake of black water that is home to the Nixi; twisted creatures who take joy in drowning humans. The two need the assistance of a nameless guide to even attempt to cross the maze of bridges spanning the dark waters. But they are not the only ones seeking passage that night. The guide agrees to lead them all, whilst also giving a warning that a group this large has no chance of making it across whole. Someone will be lost along the way. None of them volunteer to stay behind, regardless. And so the ill-fated journey over the lake of voices begins.

‧͙⁺˚*･༓☾　GRAY’S PICK　☽༓･*˚⁺‧͙

This is a fairly new game that came into my radar recently, this is an otome game with a bit of horror and suspense blended into it. It’s one of the few horror-tinged type of otome games out there, while it isn’t heavy on the spooks it still gives the satisfaction of suspenseful moments. This game is currently free, and I highly recommend playing it in the wee nights when you’re looking for something that won’t have you jumping out of your chair but give you a bit of some uneasiness as you play. 

‧͙⁺˚*･༓☾GRAY’S CORNER☽༓･*˚⁺‧͙

There are a ton more books and games I want to recommend but then this blog would become a bigger than intended, so I’ll leave it at this–for now. Woo… Full body shivers happening as I look back over this list of favorite spooky settings, since my mind is wandering over all the movies and other scary items in this topic. Yet, it’s time to wrap up this blog entry from Tales from the Nook and move with the fog into the next topic–Until next time…

Thanks for stopping by in my corner of the blogosphere, and see you on the gaming side~!