Zero Brightness - A Podcast About Horror Video Games

We're talking Yuppie Psycho, a 2D Survival Horror game that mixes 16-bit gameplay with classic survival horror and garnishes the whole thing with a dark but quirky slice-of-life workplace character drama. Topics discussed include hiding under desks, work efficiency trends, monster energy drink and capitalism. Now get back to work, ya slackers!

Ali finally gets his way as we discuss Prey, the massively underrated and mostly forgotten 2017 immersive sim that managed to marry sci-fi scares to open-ended gameplay. We discuss the finer points of the Immersive Sim genre while trying to figure out why no-one will play our favorite games. For the record: I did install Hitman and I'm gonna play it.

We are joined by very special guest Pam D (of Cannot Be Tamed) to discuss the over-the-top PC horror adventure game The Cat Lady - a game that plays out like an unholy combination of The Babadook, Kill Bill and Harvester. Topics discussed include weird voice acting, industrial goth music, excessive gore and smoking cigarettes for breakfast. Remember to feed your cats!

Listen, if Resident Evil 2 wants to wear a dinosaur costume then I AM HERE FOR IT. Join us as we grab some popcorn and experience the TBS original movie of first-gen survival horror, Dino Crisis. To quote the game itself: It's just like that movie!

The much anticipated Resident Evil 3 Remake is here and we're diving deep into its wildly different take on the source material. We discuss this action-packed thrill ride of a game as well as the weirdly polarized response it has received from critics and fans. Guess they weren't ready for the John Wick of the RE franchise... but I was.

We tackle the beloved indie adventure game Night in the Woods but something's a bit... different. Topics covered include mental health, secret murals, cute cats and Depression - both the emotional and economic types. No tiny crimes were committed in the making of this episode!

Monica Coleslaw (of Demon Daddies) joins for a discussion of Sinking City, the open-world horror game set in an H.P. Lovecraft-inspired city full of fishmen, monkeymen and era-appropriate racism. Come with us on a journey into our mind palace as we discuss janky gunplay, weird Switch ports and phlegmy demons.

We had a brief discussion of the RE3 demo and realized that it would've appeared in an episode that's coming out after the game's release, so we're releasing it now! A few lil hot takes on that crazy demo. Jump in our discord and tell us what you think.

It's our 50th episode and we're spending this special time tackling Silent Hill 4, the divisive end of the original series run. In classic ZB fashion, we can't agree and end up debating the merits of obtuse progression, enemy gauntlets, weird lore and a main antagonist who basically amounts to incel Freddy Kreuger. You can' t make this shit up. Thanks for sticking with us for 50 episodes!

A quick status update and another preview of our Patreon-exclusive bonus episodes. This is a discussion of Disco Elysium, with more available every week at patreon.com/zerobrightness

Another topic episode where we discuss some great scary moments from non-horror games. We run the gamut from Ecco the Dolphin's alien exploits to Half Life 2's haunted house.

We discuss all the horror games/creepy games that you can't play, from creepypastas to weird youtube series and everything in between. Let's get weird!

We take a look at the Haunted PS1 Demo Disc, a collection of lo-fi indie horror games inspired by the gloriously chunky days of PS1 horror gaming. We talk the highlights (and lowlights) of this surprisingly large and diverse collection of bite-size spook-em-ups that finds you doing everything from hacking coffins and collecting cats to outrunning sentient ramen packets and solving zombie crimes. Good stuff.

We continue our discussion of Kentucky Route Zero by breaking down the plot and talking about the finer points of the game's sprawling, reference-heavy narrative.

We start our discussion of Kentucky Route Zero - the long-gestating, densely-layered indie game that was recently collected in a complete edition - by picking apart its influences and aesthetics. We talk about Lynch, Magical Realism, Socialism, Gas Stations, Cinematic Platformers and one-legged ghosts. Get in the car, loser, we're cruisin' the zero!

We're talking about the weird, often overlooked PS1 classic Galerians, one of the very few games that cops the late 80s/early 90s Japanese Cyberpunk/Techno Goth aesthetic (think Akira meets The Prodigy). We break down the many film and music influences on this genre as well as wax poetic about the joys of exploding heads with psychic angst. It's all tank controls and ornate chokers from here on in, folks! Tips For Starting Galerians: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1DdxVjteFnCyPeuMy_xUU0FIxrSDjFN6SiJRoDaHm8n0/edit

We tackle the PS1 Clock Tower sequel (sensibly titled Clock Tower II in Japan, annoyingly called Clock Tower in the US) and end up debating the merits of this contentious title. Is is a rare gem in the tiny canon of Argento-inspired games or is it complete and utter garbage?

We're throwing it back to the original Echo Night game, which also happens to be the original Walking Sim. We discuss the many facets of this 1998 PS1 classic, from its forward thinking design to its super crusty controls - stopping along the way to discuss, among other things, why all From Software NPCs end their sentences with "Heh heh heh..."

We're back at the Indie Horror Rodeo, exploring a couple of games that made waves by combining vintage aesthetics with downright bizarre approaches to narrative and gameplay. Paratopic takes us on a disjointed, dystopian journey while Claire guides us to the heart of Silent Hill - by making us constantly check the map, of course.

After pulling our punches in the Red Candle Games episode, we decided to circle back and go full tilt on discussing Devotion (2019). We leave no stone unturned and no spoiler unspoiled as we dissect the sadly de-listed Taiwanese horror masterpiece. Fair warning: Ali won't stop bringing up his shitty childhood and going on political rants. James is pretty well behaved, though, so that's a win. That Eurogamer interview: https://tinyurl.com/uvepktp That Reddit post: https://tinyurl.com/w4zmp9x

We pick apart the Resident Evil series' big, striking comeback/reinvention and find that it's a lot weirder and thornier than we remember.

We discuss our favorite Horror games of 2019 and the best older Horror games we played this year. We also spend a lot of time talking about how bad all the "best of 2019" lists have been this year. Wait, another episode of effusive praise and uninvited hot takes? What a shocking twist ending to the year!

We dive into discussing two very meta, very weird indie horror games when we talk about Doki Doki Literature Club and IMSCARED. These games raise all sorts of questions, like: Am I on a list for playing these? Did I really get a virus? What the heck is an eversion? Answers to these questions and more await you inside! The Polygon article mentioned within: https://www.polygon.com/2012/11/14/3590430/dont-be-a-hero-the-full-story-behind-spec-ops-the-line

16-bit month comes to a close as we tackle Yume Nikki, the bizarre and mysterious Art-PG game that I like so much that I named a band after it. We talk about its many strange quirks and weird characters, as well the heavy influence its had on the many internet-based horror stories, walking simulators and indie games that have been made in the years since its original release.

16-bit month continues as we discuss Lone Survivor, the 2D Side-Scrolling Survival Horror game that - quite improbably - manages to incorporate heavy doses of all your favorite PS1 classics while introducing more modern survival elements and a whole bunch of commentary on mental health and violence. We also discuss Silent Hill and David Lynch, the game's two big influences - which we promise are relevant topics, we're not just looking for excuses to praise Yamaoka Senpai and Dave-kun.

To celebrate the 10th episode of our Patreon-exclusive bonus podcast Zero Brightness Plus, we decided to give everyone a taste! This is Episode 8, where we talk about Gamer Rage taking over the media and games culture. If you like what you hear, you can sign up at our Patreon to check out the backlog and get new episodes every Thursday.

16-bit month rolls along with an absolute corker of an episode where we start talking about the classic 1993 horror-action game Zombies Ate My Neighbors and end up debating which dinosaur-themed retro action game most aggressively sexualizes its scaly, anthropomorphic hulks. In between all that? Only god knows.

We discuss the original trilogy of Splatterhouse games, which brought the gruesome aesthetic of 80s shock-horror to the world of Arcade beat-em-ups. We chart this highly influential series' evolution from the rudimentary smashing of the arcade original to the surprisingly complex mechanics of the third, Genesis-exclusive title. Somebody cut Namco a check!

We check out The Suffering, a much requested action/horror title from the heyday of the PS2. We discuss its many forward thinking ideas while trying to figure out if it's any fun to actually sit down and play.

We're back for more as we check out Fatal Frame 2: Crimson Butterfly aka the one where Tecmo really gets their shit together; a dark, cinematic upgrade to the original that creates a different kind of horror. We also talk ghostly pictures, bad ports, scared teens, Meat Loaf and a whole bunch more. It gets weird, in a good way.

It's our 30th episode and we're discussing the music of Silent Hill! We dive deep into the influences of the artist behind these iconic tunes (Akira Yamaoka) as well as the finer points of these fantastic soundtracks. We also give you a heaping helping of music recommendations, with more to come in future installments. Playlist for all of our recommendations and references dropped in our Silent Hill 1 discussion: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL4k6m8nDi9sC_7rqamiXPYH8NxvgBU7db

We're joined by our friend and fellow musician Cole Benson to tackle The Evil Within, a massive and bizarre horror game from the mind of Shinji Mikami. It's our Halloween special and *boy* is it special, with our conversation ranging from nuts and bolts game talk to figuring out what's inside the game's iconic green ooze and everything in between.

We're talking about Kuon, the From Software-developed PS2 game that has taken on mythical stature due to its rarity. We break down what it's like to actually play the game - a mix of asymmetrical storytelling, classic Survival Horror gameplay and rubbing bloody cloths on things. Grab your kimono and Clorox wipes, its' about to get nasty in here.

We drag ourselves through the Bosch-style hellscape of The Game Kitchen's new Gothic Metroidvania game Blasphemous and try to answer the big questions that it poses. We're talking mechanics, influences, dashing around with a giant sword, existential dread, pure frustration and giant evil babies - so you know it's gonna be a good time.

We tackle Clock Tower, not only the first 16-bit game we've played for the show but THE 16-bit horror game - a work whose influence has been strongly felt in the genre despite its janky, uh, everything. We talk about its direct inspirations (Argento's Phenomena and Suspiria) as well as its many quirks, including a heavily randomized gameplay experience. You won't believe who we both accidentally killed! Just kidding, it's Lotte. It's always Lotte.

We head back to Greenvale with our guide Whitney Chavis (creator of the Welcome to Greenvale and Silent Hill Historical Society websites) who enlightens us on a lot of stuff we missed in our first two Deadly Premonition episodes. We also talk the metaphysics of the Red Room, tons of wild theories and plot analyses and even a little bit of Silent Hill at the end. Buckle up, we took the scenic route on this drive!

We go on a writers' retreat with our boy Alan Wake and end up workshopping his new stuff (it's not very good) while trying to figure out exactly what is going on with his game.

We "discuss" Eternal Darkness, which is a nice way of saying we have a pretty rousing debate over its merits. Is it a one-of-a-kind classic or a three-out-of-ten? We also discuss its influences, including HP Lovecraft, 90s horror movies, Stephen King and much more.

We discuss Supermassive Games' new interactive movie/game The Dark Pictures: Man of Medan (which we played together!) and dredge up terrifying memories of the Sega CD, David Bowie's weird Sci-Fi game, Dragon's Lair and more.

We're back with our buddies (?) Bloober Team and checking out their new game, a riff on the legendary Blair Witch franchise that mixes classic lost-in-the-woods vibes with a heavy dose of that patented Polish Psychedelia. We discuss the ups and downs of this surprising new game as well as dumb bumper stickers and Very Good Dogs.

We go back to the start of the Fatal Frame franchise and find that it’s a bit weirder than you may remember. We’re talking haunted cameras and annotated flow charts as we explore a very Japanese haunted house. J-Horror Forever.

We tackle Silent Hill - the one that started it all in 1999 on the PS1 - and cultivate a newfound appreciation for this super ambitious game. We're talking music references, drug cults, g4m3r5, circle strafing an alpha demon and much more.

It's part two of our discussion of the cult classic Deadly Premonition! Hold on to your butts, cuz we got almost two and a half hours of breaking down plots, analyzing themes, sweet musical cues and spoiling all the everything. Listen to part one first, obvs.

It is time. We're talking about Deadly Premonition, the completely batshit, cult classic Twin Peaks simulator. There's so much going on that our coverage of it is a two-parter - this is the first half where we discuss shaving in dungeons, trying to get this game to run on PC, the joys of talking to yourself and much more.

We played that new Castlevania that's called something else for legal reasons. Ali talks about the Game Boy Advance a lot and James has big plans for his bath water.

We're talking Samurai Resident Evil (or Ninja BioHazard, if you're nasty). We also recorded this at the end of a long day, so we get loopy and start talking about gamers pissing themselves and pornographic PS2 games. For fun's sake!

We conclude our discussion of 2.5D Horror Games (i.e. spooky Cinematic Platformers) by diving into Little Nightmares. It's full of creepy, provocative imagery and a whole lot of running to the right.

We discuss Limbo and Inside, the two horror-themed cinematic platformers by developer Playdead. This is part of a longer discussion of 2.5D horror games that will conclude next week with a breakdown of Little Nightmares. Lots of cute, in-game avatars were accidentally harmed in the making of this episode.

We're shooting stuff and getting spooked as we discuss Blood (1997) and Dusk (2018) - two games that combine the Horror and FPS genres.

We try and figure what is going on in Silent Hill 3.