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♥̩͙♥̩̩̥͙♥̩̥̩ ⑅Books and Games ⑅ ♥̩̥̩♥̩̩̥͙♥̩͙ˊˎ

-ˏˋ♥̩͙♥̩̩̥͙♥̩̥̩ ⑅ You’d Give ⑅ ♥̩̥̩♥̩̩̥͙♥̩͙ˊˎ

-ˏˋ♥̩͙♥̩̩̥͙♥̩̥̩ ⑅ As Treats⑅ ♥̩̥̩♥̩̩̥͙♥̩͙ˊˎ

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

This is going to be a tough one, as there are a lot of games and books that I feel should be handed out in the spirit of gaming and Halloween fun. I will warn that some of these games can be funny, and romantic, the others–will more than likely need you to hold holy water to your chest and maybe keep you up at night. No matter! Halloween is a special event that comes only once a year and I’m glad to keep giving more treats of horror and fun to the blogosphere as needed. Even if I sound like a broken record that repeats consistent games at times because they are that good!

THE DEAD BOY WOULD NOT GO AWAY.

Jean is on her way to Hawaii for a week of fun in the sun. But the vacation gets off to a gruesome start. The boy sitting beside her on the plane suddenly chokes and dies. Jean tries to push the incident out of her mind when she arrives on the island, but that’s impossible. Part of the reason is because Mike keeps coming back to her in her dreams. Horrible dreams filled with cold blood.

Two of Jean’s friends are waiting for her in Hawaii — Mandy and Michele. They have already made friends with two young men who teach scuba diving at the hotel — Dave and Johnny. Jean and Johnny quickly become friends. But there are problems in paradise. Dave and Johnny have recently lost a partner in the ocean. No one knows how he died. No one can find his body. But then Jean finds Mike’s body. It isn’t where it’s supposed to be, and it seems as if it’s still got some life in it.

AMAZON

☆.｡.:*　GRAY’S PICK　.｡.:*☆

I remember reading this book back in high school and I had seen a criminal entertainment show that had used a similar plot as this book. However, this book still got under my skin and also makes you rethink who you can trust when you’re with your friends. Christopher Pike definitely delivered in this book, and just like RL Stine, he was able to move both suspense and horror together in this novel. It’ll keep you on the edge of your seat until your last breath.

This spooky addition to Alvin Schwartz’s popular books on American folklore is filled with tales of eerie horror and dark revenge that will make you jump with fright.

There is a story here for everyone—skeletons with torn and tangled flesh who roam the earth; a ghost who takes revenge on her murderer; and a haunted house where every night a bloody head falls down the chimney.

Stephen Gammell’s splendidly creepy drawings perfectly capture the mood of more than two dozen scary stories—and even scary songs—all just right for reading alone or for telling aloud in the dark.

If You Dare!- AMAZON

☆.｡.:*　GRAY’S PICK　.｡.:*☆

While there have been many new versions of this book out there, including a movie version directed by André Øvredal and produced by Guillermo Del Toro, this book does have a fairly good fan base. However, I encourage reading the books first before watching the movie, as I believe the books are usually better than the movie adaptations. I feel this classic horror novel should be one kept in the shelf until needed for camping trips, slumber parties, and also Halloween.

Four teens fight to outsmart a killer who intends to avenge a young boy’s death in this suspenseful thriller that inspired the classic horror film.
After a party, four teens are in a hit-and-run accident that results in a young boy’s death. Unable to deal with the consequences, they leave the body behind and make an anonymous phone call to the police, tipping them off.
The group makes a secret pact to bury the memory of that night and never speak of it again, but when one of the girls receives a note that reads “I know what you did last summer,” their dark lie is unearthed. With twists and turns at every corner, they’ll have to fight to stay steps ahead of a killer determined to make them pay.-AMAZON

☆.｡.:*　GRAY’S PICK　.｡.:*☆

This book inspired many of my nightmare fueled horrors of slasher films come to life. Lois Duncan really knew what she was doing by creating this novel by filling it with moments of sensual elements and balanced suspense. With a crazed psycho out on the loose for revenge on regards to an incident that occurred one summer, sometimes it’s best not to let secrets stay hidden… They’ll come back to bury you alive.

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

.｡*ﾟ+.*.｡Games I’d Give As Treats.｡+..｡*ﾟ+

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

The 58th year of Shouwa, early summer
It’s June, and the summer heat has arrived earlier than it does most years.
By day there are crickets, and by night there are cicadas.

We’re in Hinamizawa, a small village in the countryside.
There are fewer than two thousand people here. But every year, there is an event.

This event is a mysterious death.
(The series has run from 1979 to 1983)

On a certain day in June, someone dies, and someone else goes missing.
The series of deaths is connected to the upheaval surrounding the dam construction project.
A murder case that was covered up is being reenacted.
Is it a conspiracy? A coincidence? Or perhaps a curse?

Someone who was supposed to be there isn’t.
Someone who wasn’t supposed to be there is.

Someone who was alive last night is dead now.
And someone who is here right now isn’t alive.

So, there is no way to avert tragedy. There is no choice but to give up.
But don’t give up.

Only you can stand up to this.-STEAM

☆.｡.:*　GRAY’S PICK　.｡.:*☆

I keep saying stuff about Higurashi and I’ll say it again, this game is one of the best visual novels out there and right now on Steam, it is FREE. This game is FREE on Steam, and I highly recommend getting it right now before the price changes especially if you’re strapped for cash currently (like myself). This game is a casual play and you just point and click, just be prepared for the ultimate screaming towards the middle to the end of the first installment of this story.

Welcome to the world of “Umineko When They Cry” (When Seagulls Cry)
Welcome to the Rokkenjima of October 4, 1986.

You have been given a chance to catch a glimpse of the family conference held annually by the Ushiromiya family.

The remaining life in the old family head
who has built up a vast fortune is very slim.

To his children, the greatest point of contention at this family conference
is the distribution of his inheritance.
Everyone desires all that money, no one relents, and no one believes.

Who will gain the old head’s vast inheritance?

Where is the 10 tons of gold that the old head is said to have hidden?

Can the unnerving riddle of the epitaph which is said to point to
the location of that gold be solved?

In the midst of this, a suspicious letter is sent from one claiming to be a witch.

The presence of a 19th person on this island,
which should only have 18, begins to hang in the air.

Brutal murders repeat, and unsolvable riddles are left at the scene.

How many will die? How many will live? Or will everyone die?

Is the culprit one of the 18, or not?

Is the culprit a “human”, or a “witch”?

Please, enjoy this isolated island, western mansion,
mystery-suspense gadget of the good old days to the fullest.-STEAM

☆.｡.:*　GRAY’S PICK　.｡.:*☆

Another game that I can’t really stop preaching about either, Umineko is produced by the same studio that created Higurashi, and there are no cheap thrills or stupid jump scares in this visual novel. Just like Higurashi this game is psychologically terrifying and works its way under your skin and into your brain as you struggle to find out the mystery of the island and the curse that has been put upon everyone. Good luck with trying to survive the time spent on the island!

Explore the woods, survive the night.

Arriving late to the abandoned Oakwood campground, you find the violent remains of your friends’ campsite. Exploring the forest and the dilapidated lodge, you discover that prehistoric predators now hunt the grounds. You’ll run breathlessly through raptor infested forests, get lost in dark corridors, and hold your breath to avoid the most fearsome dinosaur of all in this First-Person horror adventure.

Oakwood is a single-player flight for survival that invites players to explore the dark depths and ominous history of the abandoned campground. You will find yourself clutching your flashlight, traversing through the area on a search for your missing friends. As you explore, you will uncover clues about the violent events that unfolded the night before. Realizing the dangers surrounding the campground, you will need to dash through forests, hide in dark corridors, and outsmart the prehistoric creatures who are hunting ruthlessly throughout the grounds.-STEAM

☆.｡.:*　GRAY’S PICK　.｡.:*☆

Oakwood is currently only $4.99 on Steam and it’s a steal, this game is about surviving the night in a forest infested with dinosaurs. This game has it’s own jumps and suspenseful moments as you try to survive and escape the nightmare that is Oakwood. You’ve gotta get your stealth on for this and be prepared to run at certain times, but make sure to save some of the stamina you have to survive.

Kidnapped and taken to an unfamiliar location, nine people find themselves forced to participate in a diabolical Nonary Game by an enigmatic mastermind called Zero. Why were they there? Why were they chosen to put their lives on the line as part of a dangerous life and death game? Who can be trusted? Tensions rise as the situation becomes more and more dire, and the nine strangers must figure out how to escape before they wind up dead. (STEAM)

The experiment wasn’t supposed to be like this.

Nine participants awaken in an underground facility, imprisoned with a strange black bracelet on their wrists. To escape, they must play a game with deadly consequences. The rules are simple–after six people are killed, the escape hatch will open. Who will live, and who will die? The choice is yours. Let the Decision Game begin… (STEAM)

☆.｡.:*　GRAY’S PICK　.｡.:*☆

Games that can completely mess with your brain and make you troubled by your own choices. The Nonary Games & Zero Time Dilemma are from the Spike Chunsoft Co., the diabolical creators of the Danganronpa series. Similar to Danganronpa, CHOICES MATTER, so be careful with what you choose–as sometimes the best answer is not the right answer. Be prepared to feel like you might be participating in SAW, without too much gore and blood going about; be prepared to really think and hopefully save people (or maybe… just save yourself)…

｡･:*:･ﾟ★,｡･:*:･ﾟ☆　GRAY’S CORNER　 ｡･:*:･ﾟ★,｡･:*:･ﾟ☆

Honorable mention would be the Resident Evil series to give out as treats, and also Silent Hill, but I can save those for Christmas gifts. However, I noticed a theme going on in the blog, ‘Choices Matter’ in almost all these games as you go through the wire with both the books and games presented. While some of them you as the reader aren’t given a choice, you realize that for every choice there is a consequence.

However, that’s what makes these games and books good choices (at least for me) to give out as treats for Halloween, as it’ll more than likely keep people up at night and make them wonder about if they did the right thing. Until next time…

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