This is especially seen in horror titles where more gothic settings are used, such as taking place in gothic castles from the medieval ages. Many titles have used these cold stone walls and rich red colors as their playgrounds for these tales, as this list includes titles that are completely or for the majority of the game set in these bone-chilling buildings.
10 Dark Castle
As the first in a franchise of three, Dark Castle was deemed one of the best arcade games of its time back in 1986. Even with black and white graphics, the detailed background of the castle still had its gothic theme that intrigued players. This was later remade in 1994 where the game was now in color, showing players the horrid environment, they had fought through.
During Dark Castle, an evil knight terrorizes the people, the player as prince Duncan must topple the throne of The Dark Knight. He does this by traveling to the four sections of the castle to collect items in a hope to defeat this evil menace.
9 The Black Mirror
The name of the ancestral home that the protagonist Samuel Gordon finds himself visiting once more, Black Mirror is a point-and-click horror game from 2003 that had many players on the edge of their seats.
Walking through this ominous abode with its tall walls and gothic furnishings, players explore to get to the bottom of the sudden death of Samuel’s grandfather, while uncovering the family curse that has followed him all his life. As the story progresses, more and more strange happenings occur that Samuel must put an end to.
8 Shadowgate
Similar to Dark Castle, Shadowgate originally started as a black and white point-and-click adventure where the players must solve puzzles in Castle Shadowgate to stop an evil Warlock Lord. It was finally ported to the Atari ST and Commodore Amiga in 1987 where it was awarded with a fresh lick of paint as well as remastering to later consoles.
Shadowgate is commonly known for its countless ways to kill the player, which was common practice for these incredibly hard retro games. Players found themselves appreciating the environment they found themselves in while they explored for the necessary scrolls and books needed to successfully finish the game.
7 Harry Potter And The Chamber Of Secrets
It wouldn’t be a list about gothic castles if Hogwarts wasn’t mentioned. In any other genre, Hogwarts would be seen as the go-to place for a horror game, but Harry Potter manages to alter this perception as it turns the tall towers into a functioning school for wizards.
Players have gotten to explore its halls countless times. However, the best out of them all has been the game set around the Chamber of Secrets that allowed the player not only to explore the ancient halls but also what lurks underneath.
6 Bloodstained: Ritual Of The Night
Although set in the present day, Bloodstained takes not only inspiration from retro metroidvania titles, but also is set in a medieval castle littered with elegant columns that hold up the building. During this side-scrolling action adventure where the player must get their revenge on the alchemists that now hide in the castle.
As the successor to Castlevania it is of no surprise that Bloodstained: Ritual Of The Night pulls off the gothic theme so well through an incredibly detailed background and atmosphere that the main character Miriam battles through.
5 Amnesia: The Dark Descent
The suffocating atmosphere of Amnesia: The Dark Descent wouldn’t be the same if it weren’t set in Castle Brennenburg. This disorienting environment filled to the brim with gothic furniture and architecture sends cold-chills down the spines of all players as they go deeper and deeper into the castle depths.
Waking up in this environment with not a soul around instills further fear into those playing, as nothing is ever really as it seems in this survival horror, where undefeatable monsters lurk in the dimly lit rooms.
4 Return To Castle Wolfenstein
As an agent of a fictional organization called the Office of Secret Actions, the player is sent to investigate one of Heinrich Himmler’s personal projects. However, they are caught while doing this and sent to the infamous Castle Wolfenstein.
There is little time to admire the gothic architecture and carefully selected furnishings, as the player is constantly under attack from not only soldiers but monstrous abominations from secret experiments. The game also released with a multiplayer that allowed players to battle inside and around this gothic castle.
3 Castlevania: Symphony Of The Night
Rising from his slumber, the son of Dracula known as Alucard awakens with the sole goal of destroying his father’s castle due to it reappearing four years after Dracula was supposed to be dead. After discovering that Richter Belmont, the past game’s hero, has been possessed by a dark entity, Alucard must explore the castle in a hope to defeat this evil.
Although the game initially didn’t sell well on release, it eventually gained a cult following that enjoyed the non-liner and free roaming capabilities. This allowed players to explore the vast rooms of the castle that broke away from past titles in the franchise.
2 Devil May Cry
Devil May Cry has seen its fair share of castles throughout the franchise, however the most rememberable for players has to be the castle explored on Mallet Island where a vast majority of the original Devil May Cry is set.
While Dante explores this infamous castle filled with demons, puzzles, tricks, and traps in a hope to defeat the demon lord Mundus, players may wish to take a chance to take in the scenery. Although this may become difficult during the intense hack and slash combat, that the franchise is famous for.
1 Resident Evil 4
Although similar to Devil May Cry, the entirety of the game isn’t set inside the castle, however it is by far the most memorable section of the game as well as being a large fraction of the games’ story.
Fans of Resident Evil are sure to remember exploring Salazar Castle, swarming with cultists as well as other familiar foes, players must explore not only the main castle but the building surrounding in this fortress during chapters 3 and 4. Although old, the castle is incredibly detailed, with the falls covered with Spanish artwork and patterning.
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