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Not all indie horror game heroes are memorable or relevant enough, however. Some are just silent vessels with whom the players can perform some self-inserts. But thankfully, the rarer ones have come to represent more than being a blank slate for the players. They’re either more relatable because of their personalities or they stand for something bigger than themselves.
6 Miles Upshur (Outlast)
Miles Upshur is Outlast’s mostly silent and struggling protagonist. In his own game, players can sum him up as the world’s bravest journalist or the biggest fool with a deathwish. That’s because Miles went all alone in a troubled mental asylum and even managed to lock himself up with nothing but an ancient camcorder.
Miles did it all in the name of the truth. It’s just that he probably didn’t expect to be admitted to the asylum himself with a one-way ticket. For someone with no weapons and just willpower stronger than steel, Miles managed better compared to other horror game heroes. Sadly, his ending was less than desirable and a bit expected for his line of work.
5 Six (Little Nightmares)
Speaking of horror game heroes who stare hopeless death in the face, Six is even more impressive. She’s just a child in Little Nightmares and while most of her kind would have given in to the despair of their situation, Six survived and even challenged bigger and more oppressive monsters.
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She doesn’t talk much, but Six’s struggle and her behavior are apparent enough. Being a small creature in a world filled with gluttonous, disgusting, and tyrannical adults, Six had to rely on her wits and her agility to evade and survive The Maw. Being able to do this without weapons or special powers makes Six a cut above the rest.
4 Eric LeBlanc (The Forest)
Moving on to horror game heroes who are just regular people getting by in a cruel world, the Eric LeBlanc or dad from The Forest is no slouch. While he’s mostly just a normal human dad, he pretty much becomes the world’s best survivalist after some cannibals kidnapped his son following their plane crash.
Players get to control Eric as he tries to get his bearings before finding Timmy (the son). Before doing this, though, he had to build up an impressive and rather cozy fortress to keep the cannibals out and keep himself alive. In other horror or even apocalypse games where most protagonists are struggling to defend themselves with or without weapons, someone like Eric would have thrived as a king.
3 Fran Bow (Fran Bow)
Fran Bow is a point-and-click horror story game based on the titular girl’s escapade. Fran witnessed her parents be brutally murdered, and to make matters worse, she’s all alone with no one by her side except her mysterious black cat friend named Mr. Midnight. Shortly after witnessing her parents die, Fran was forcibly admitted to a mental asylum.
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The story takes an even darker turn as Fran experiences some nightmarish visions, leading her to escape the asylum. It’s not often horror games explore mental disorders through the lens of a child. Hence, Fran is quite a significant poster girl for a lot of calls to action involved in psychological issues.
2 Fang Ray Shin (Detention)
Detention is unique as far as horror games go since it takes place in an oriental setting. Hence, fans of eastern horror films will find this delightful. As likewise, Detention incorporates heavy themes such as past traumas and abandonment, along with its horror elements. Exploring those themes is the protagonist, Fang Ray Shin and her friend.
Both of them were trapped in Greenwood High School, which is a school located in a mountainous and secluded forest area. Moreover, Detention adds a twist to its horror story in the form of a subtle parallelism to Taiwanese history. Beyond that, the story also involves other weighty social themes such as bullying and forbidden love triangles explored through Fang Ray Shin’s teenage mind.
1 Brian Pasternack (Yuppie Psycho)
It’s rare for horror games to feature corporate settings, but Yuppie Psycho thrives on that kind of peculiarity. It follows the story and exploits of Brian Pasternack after the underqualified yuppie is suddenly hired by one of the biggest and most successful corporations in his world. Turns out this corporation is harboring some dark and deadly secrets.
Sintracorp only achieved success through the efforts of a supernatural witch who now terrorizes the company’s employees after it became successful. The job of hunting the witch now falls on Brian. This not-so-subtle jab at toxic corporate culture and utilitarianism is explored through Brian’s eyes as he fumbles and wings his job while also questioning the company’s initiatives.
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