There's something about not being able to see a ghost or a door unless you have an external factor, like a camera, that somehow scares me in Japanese and Japanese-influenced games. Games like Fatal Frame are a fantastic example. Dreadout (released on Steam in 2014) and Dreadout: Keepers of the Dark (released in 2016 on Steam) are both fantastic games bundled together and remastered with (From what I can tell) better lighting, sound, and visuals for the PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, and Nintendo Switch.

In the first game (Dreadout), you play as Linda, a high school student trapped in an old, abandoned town with just her cellphone. Players will use this phone's camera to find hidden paths and to see different spirits that want you dead. Not every enemy is invisible but every enemy is deadly. At its core, this is a puzzle game reminiscent of the PS2 era of Resident Evil. In Dreadout: Keepers of the Dark, Linda is stuck in a realm said to be called the Mirror Realm. It is a portal containing worlds that are full of ghosts that, you guessed it, want her dead.

Unfortunately, I will say that Dreadout: Keepers of the Dark is not as good as first game. Combat is glitchy and clunky; just straight-up bad. The boss fights will make you pull out your hair, and the atmosphere from the first game is not really present. Don't get me wrong, if you like the first game, you will like this one, but this clearly was an expansion or DLC that was supposed to be added to the first game. The original Dreadout will pull those nostalgia strings and remind older players of the Code Veronica and Silent Hill days. Maybe some Parasite Eve? It's not exactly like these games, but it does feel like a game that would have thrived during that time. Often, you will scare yourself by accident. Anyone that is into puzzle horror games would feel right at home, and even just for the regular Dreadout, this collection and price point of $29.99 is totally worth it. One thing that I have to note - why isn't Dreadout 2 in this collection?