Holiday Horrors: Detention

October is the perfect month to dive into some great horror games, be it playing them yourself or watching a Let’s Play from the comfort of your pillow fort. Halloween is all about the spookies, after all, and I wanted to draw attention to some of my favorite lesser-knowns in the genre to help spread the holiday… cheer? Yay for murder, I guess?

Anyway, this is where Holiday Horrors comes in! These will be short little posts that serve as an introduction of sorts and will hopefully give you a decent idea of what to expect, should you decide to take the plunge for yourself.

Today’s game is my absolute favorite indie horror title, Detention. This one comes to us by way of Taiwan’s Red Candle Games and is currently available on all major platforms for $12.99 USD.

Detention is a 2D horror game that takes place in 1960s Taiwan during what’s known as the White Terror period, which, until 2011, was the longest period of martial law in the world and saw the execution of up to 4,000 citizens. And if real-world events aren’t scary enough, you play as high school students who wake up in an otherworldly version of their campus.

The monsters that inhabit Detention are heavily rooted in Taiwanese folklore, which makes for an interesting learning experience. There aren’t a ton of encounters with the “lingered,” but each of them has to be avoided in specific ways (like holding your breath). This is one of those horror games that are free of combat, focusing instead on running and hiding while digging deep into the disturbing narrative and solving puzzles. If that’s not usually your cup of tea, but you’re still a fan of horror, then I highly encourage you to give it a chance.

This is one of the most atmospheric horror titles with an incredibly twisted mind-fuck of a story that I never saw coming. Learning about the secret lives of your fellow students, the miserable White Terror period, and all the things that go bump in the night is an absolute treat.

If you’re not interested in playing this one yourself, then I’d suggest watching Cryaotic’s Let’s Play over on his YouTube channel. He’s thorough, incredibly entertaining, and really grows to appreciate what Detention has to offer.

Have you played or watched someone experience Detention before? If so, what did you think?

Whenever someone is looking for suggestions on new horror games to play, this is the first one to come out of my mouth. It’s largely overlooked, relatively cheap, and can be completed in a day or two, making it the perfect game to play through with company around.