Devolver Digital's latest game, Cult Of The Lamb, is out now for fans of the studio to enjoy. And with the peculiar mix of cute character designs and a creepy aesthetic, this rogue-like adventure game tries to offer a dark, yet comedic, experience to give something new for gamers.
But this is not the only title to try and use cute and creepy designs to create a unique game. Whether they're horror games with sinister twists or make players care for a protagonist in a sinister fairy-tale world, there are plenty of creepy-yet-cute games to enjoy.
Cult Of The Lamb
After being saved by a mysterious stranger, an adorable lamb is given demonic powers to help build a cult in their name. Recruiting other cute animals, the lamb must also fight off against giant monsters and gain new powers to grow their new faith.
Getting woodland critters that look like they would come from a toy set for 3-year-olds to join a cult, it certainly is one of the creepiest games to feature these sweetly-designed animals. And they can even be sacrificed too, smiling as they get dragged into a dark dimension to grow the community.
Doki Doki Literature Club
This September, Doki Doki Literature Club will be 5-years-old and while it looks like a peaceful visual novel set in a high school with anime students, those that have yet to play this game will be in for a shock. As the player goes through the game, they will slowly discover the many dark and twisted secrets about the potential love interests that make it one of the best visual novel games.
Created by Dan Salvato, the game's marketing and initially sweet appearance might throw people off from the sinister undertones and nature of the cast of characters. While now a well-known concept for some, it's still a unique game for using cute designs and creepy writing.
Little Nightmares
After porting the adorable PS Vita game Tearaway to the PS4 and developed the PSVR game Statik, Tarsier Studios would create Little Nightmares. The protagonist a petite young girl named Six, must escape a ship filled with gigantic, mutated, and carnivorous adults.
Whether fans have played the 1st or 2nd game in the series, the purposeful decision to design Six as a small and sweet-looking character makes it that much tenser when navigating her way through dangerous rooms. And making the monsters who inhabit them disgusting and twisted makes the experience that much more unsettling.
The Binding Of Isaac
Easily one of the most iconic and difficult indie games of all time, The Binding Of Isaac saw the small and timid Isaac traversing his way through a basement filled with horribly mutated monsters while also avoiding his mother's wrath. Between this and it's remake, the game has been ported to multiple consoles since it's 2011 release.
With the small Isaac being forced to fight off against the massive list of monsters with nothing but his tears, anyone could feel sorry for him in this situation. And with most of the monsters appearing as sadly transformed children, it only makes the game that much more unsettling that has made it so beloved after all these years.
Don't Starve
A survival game unlike any other, Don't Starve saw a petite scientist named Wilson who must try to stay alive for as long as possible after finding himself in a parallel world filled with terrifying creatures. Developed by Klei Entertainment, Don't Starve became a series of ports and DLC packs that anyone would have seen on multiple digital stores.
Seemingly taking visual inspiration from filmmakers and artists like Tim Burton, the characters themselves that the players can control can be both cute and creepy. With the sharp dark outlines, dark colored outfits, and emotional facial expressions, some gamers can't help but root for Wilson and the other survivors.
Limbo
Despite only making 2 games, Playdead have created some of the most unsettling indie games of all time. As well as being responsible for Inside, their 1st game, Limbo, pushed the boundaries at the time by placing its playable kid character in a nightmarish situation.
With no color and only presented in black and white, the giant spiders and unsettling scenery in the background on some levels really made the boy that players controlled in real peril. And with his small stature and white, beady eyes, his cute appearance only made anyone care for him more.
Yomawari: Night Alone
From the creators of the hit JRPG series Disgaea, Nippon Ichi Software created Yomawari: Night Alone which was released in 2015. Playing as a young girl, she must find her older sister and pet dog while ghosts and ghouls roam the town during a nighttime adventure.
To the gamer, the world around the young girl looks big and intimidating as she is armed with nothing more than a torch. The game garnered enough fans to see a sequel and a collection that was made exclusively for the Nintendo Switch that those who love the developer and survival games will enjoy.
Fran Bow
A surprisingly chilled story-driven horror game, Fran Bow tells the story of Fran as she struggles with her mental health after witnessing the brutal murder of her parents. As she explores Oswald Asylum, she starts to see unsettling and disturbing scenes that question her sanity and the world around her.
While perhaps more creepy than cute, the decision to make the human characters and Fran's pet cat Mr. Midnight have large, expressive eyes draws the player in as they react and emote to a number of situations. The game may not be as well remembered compared to other titles that were released in 2015, but it did create one of the most unsettling experiences that year.
Spooky's Jump Scare Mansion
Released on Steam back in 2014 and still available to download today, Spooky's Jump Scare Mansion stars a seemingly adorable ghost who challenges the player to explore her mansion. But before long, the threats become real as the cardboard cut-out skeletons get replaced with hideous monsters who will stalk the player to feast on them.
One of the multiple horror games that have a cute art style, the game's mix of 2D and 3D models as well as a retro feel with the levels make it that much more unpredictable, whether they're adorable ghouls or unsettling beasts that will make some gamers jump out of their seats.
Omori
Released this summer for the current generation of consoles, gamers could finally play Omori and see why it was nominated for several awards and took home the Dreamies Gaming Award in the Daringly Dramatic category. The game introduced players to a young boy named Sunny and Omori, his alter-ego, as they explore the real and dream worlds while Sunny also tries to overcome his trauma.
The pencil look on all the characters may give it a cute vibe, but this also makes Sunny feel sad and uncomfortable to look at as he's emotionally withdrawn from everyone around him. Being able to control a kid going through complex emotions and the way the developers built the game created one of the more unique RPGs in recent memory through visuals and gameplay.