The Blackout Club

This horror game manages to scare up frighteningly fun gameplay with a clever premise that will keep you playing and screaming. The Blackout Club strikes a balance between in-your-face scares that make you jump out of your seat and scream and the suspense of wondering just what's lurking in the shadows. That's alongside a creepy atmosphere and a bit of old-school Scooby-Doo-style detecting to craft a genuinely frightening experience that's best played with the lights off and a few good friends for support. That last part is by design, thanks to its focus on co-op play. There's something uniquely special about working with your buddies to sneak past the sightless creatures lumbering about, only to have someone stumble into something and draw everything's attention. Or worse, watching as your teammate is hunted down by The Shape, a relentless, invisible stalker that can be "seen" only when players close their eyes. Do you try to rush in to help, becoming a new target? Or do you leave your friends to their fate to secure that last piece of crucial evidence needed to win the mission?

Admittedly, The Blackout Club is a bit of a slow burn. The Prologue mission, which is your main tutorial and the story setup, takes just shy of an hour to complete. Even then, it barely scratches the surface of some of the game's later mechanics and completely skips things like special abilities. Thankfully, on-screen prompts help newcomers figure out the nuances without becoming too complex. Although the town's main layout doesn't change, each mission (match) is procedurally generated. A door you ran through last game might be locked in this one, or an area you had a clear path through once might suddenly be packed with foes. This is great for keeping players on their toes overall. But the randomized nature can sometimes make missions feel nearly impossible to accomplish. Even so, the tension and exhilaration of the moments are sure to keep fright fans coming back for more.