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While horror games are thrilling to those who love relishing sudden jumpscares, there is another game genre that will send chills down your spine. In fact, you will start wondering if your gaming system is safe anymore.
These are games that break the 4th wall. Meaning somehow, the fictional virtual reality within the game sneakily seeps into your reality, your gaming system, and system files. And when an in-game NPC or a plot gets too close, no longer interacting with your in-game persona, but with YOU, you know things are about to get wild!
So which games are best for experiencing this unnerving jumpscare? We have compiled a list of the best and most unique video game 4th wall breaks which ‘went out of their way’ to make your hairs stand in shock.
#1. The Stanley Parable
The Stanley Parable has one of the most popular 4th wall breaks if you enjoy a bit of dark humor. This game is created using Valve‘s Source Engine by Davey Wreden under the Galactic Cafe and is a fan favorite among gamers and gaming streamers alike.
Story
As the story goes, Stanley, a simple and silent office worker, realizes that everyone other than him has disappeared from their office building. Along with us as Stanley, we also have our omnipresent, omnipotent, and impatient narrator, who not only tells us about Stanley but also a little bit about us.
In this game, the narrator audibly responds to every action you take. For example, the narrator will warn you if you take a wrong turn. And if you do not comply, you have made the narrator angry. And when the narrator is angry, instead of addressing Stanley, he will address you.
The 4th Wall Break
He will sound more frustrated as he narrates all your moves, all the turns, and all the actions you are capable of in the game. The game will keep reacting whenever you make the wrong move, which might cost you.
All your decisions will have the narrator narrating what you are doing. Suddenly, the game feels surreal, where the NPC lines don’t feel pre-generated but occur only by your actions in your room. As if his eyes are always on you, watching your every button press.
This encourages players to do multiple playthroughs and find different story endings.
For example, if you decide to get into the broom closet, the narrator will try his best to make you leave immediately. He will say things like, “Stanley stepped into the broom closet, but there was nothing here, so he turned around at got back on track.” Now, this might prompt you to take a different course.
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But what if you decide not to leave the broom closet? The narrator will sound surprised while saying, “Please offer me some explanation here; I’m genuinely confused.” And if you still don’t leave, he will think you’re dead!
His next line will then be, “Hello!? Anyone who happens to be nearby!! The person at this computer is dead!!”
#2. Animal Crossing
Animal Crossing is full of 4th wall breaks, and fun ones at that too! This game by Nintendo is played on and through the Nintendo Switch and involves interacting with different animal friends and getting caught up in their lives and daily tasks.
Story
As the story goes, you, as the player character (PC,) live in a calm village with various animals as your neighbors and fellow village inhabitants. These animals are anthropomorphic and do all kinds of things like fishing, cooking, owning stores, and much more!
You arrive at this village after buying a deserted island from Tom Nook and start developing the island, along with its animal inhabitants. You can gather various items, craft things, and customize the island as you like it!
The 4th Wall Break
The Animal Crossing series has numerous 4th wall breaks, each more hilarious than the next. The most breaking is done by Mr. Resett, who is a squinting brown mole.
While playing the game, if you reset your console without saving first, Mr. Resetti will appear on your screen the next time you load the game. He will scold you for making such a silly mistake and even, as a prank, reset your entire game!
The PC also looks at the screen as if interacting with you to show their different emotions. For example, if you catch a fish, the PC will look directly at the screen while its captions appear below. The same happens when you buy a coffee at The Roost.
It’s strange yet intriguing to watch the character you controlling and playing in-game turn around, look at the screen, lock eyes with you, and interact.
Various NPCs break the 4th wall as well. For example, Isabelle asks you to press B if you wish to skip her dialogues. Similarly, in the New Horizons series, the villagers will discuss a rumor about how their lives are fake and how music is always playing everywhere.
But as you feel this creeping sense of how this isn’t a rumor, they suddenly start laughing while saying how they passed out the night before while eating chips and watching TV.
As if realizing there’s someone else listening in to their conversation.
3. Batman: Arkham Asylum
Within the grim and grotesque atmosphere, Batman: Arkham Asylum is in a league of its own. Its dark undertones within the gameplay grace the Batman lores perfectly while ensuring the NPCs, storylines, and justice stay true to the comics.
Batman: Arkham Asylum is based on the DC Comics superhero and is developed by Rocksteady Studios. You can play it on PS3, Xbox 360, Mac OSX, and Microsoft Windows.
Story
In this game, Batman rescues hostages from the grasp of villains within Arkham Asylum. But while fighting through the inmates’ devious plans and rescuing the helpless souls, Batman is drugged by Scarecrow, which makes him hallucinate and relive his parents’ murder.
Within this relived moment, he has to battle a giant Scarecrow, making the game seem more terrifying with each passing moment.
The 4th Wall Break
The Scarecrow not only makes everything disturbing for Batman but also for the player. As you wander down the hallway, the game will seem to glitch and have some technical problems. In a bit, your game will crash.
Now, when you restart the game, the cutscene replays, but everything isn’t the same as before. In this new post-crash cutscene, Batman and the Joker swap places where the latter is seen sitting in the Batmobile’s driver seat.
Not just that, but Joker soon shoots Batman, and suddenly the ‘Game Over’ sign appears on your screen. It also says, “Use the middle stick to dodge Joker’s gunfire.”
Scarecrow is not playing around with just Batman’s sanity, but yours is on the line too.
The Takeaway
In conclusion, these are 3 of the most unique and seemingly disturbing 4th wall breaks that we weren’t ready for. They are quirky, scary, and unnerving in their own ways.
Do you have a favorite game that gave you goosebumps when you least expected it? Do let us know.
Happy gaming!
