It’s fall, and that means trees rolling with hues of sunburst-red and orange, breezy hoodie weather and pumpkin spice sushi (I made that last one up but you can expect pumpkin spice everything else). It also means that Halloween is upon us, so I’m here to suggest a few games that you can play with your significant other for a fun, spooky date night – even if they’re not a gamer! Many of you will notice that Until Dawn is not mentioned, and that’s because I felt like the gore and shock value were used as crutches and I’m not into that. These games will bring the chills without putting anyone off their dinner, so time to dim the lights, grab a controller, and practice your yawning, arm-around-the-shoulder stretch maneuvers.
Costume Quest
This is my absolute favorite game to play around Halloween time. It hits all of the nostalgic Halloweeny high points from your childhood: elaborately decorated houses, lighted jack-o-lanterns and paper sack lanterns, trick-or-treating, fall leaves everywhere, home-made costumes… it’s all here and presented with a charm and wit that you only get from Double Fine Productions. My wife is a serious non-gamer (I couldn’t even get her into Animal Crossing ) and this year I thought it’d fun to go through Costume Quest together. The controls while exploring and battling are easy to get the hang of, so we’ve been able to focus on enjoying the story and side quests together as she experiences them for the first time. For a fun outing, go to the crafts store together and get everything you need to recreate the robot and knight costumes and then wear them Halloween night as you play through Costume Quest and hand out candy to the trick-or-treaters. Bonus points for dressing up as a goblin instead and stealing kids’ candy when they come to your door. Take pics.
Fatal Frame: Maiden of Black Water
Pale, drenched, half-rotted ghost lady crawling out of something to get you? Check. Creepy dolls? Check. Gameplay mechanic that forces you to get close to the things you’re scared of? Check! Fatal Frame: Maiden of Black Water will be arriving on the Wii U eShop on October 22, and it’s free-to-start which means you and your boo will be able to download the game and play through the first couple of chapters with no commitment. Turn off the lights and pump up the surround sound as you explore some terrifying locales together and get close and personal with their ghostly inhabitants. Most survival horror games have you running away from or otherwise blasting your enemies from a distance, but in Fatal Frame you’re forced to come face to face with them; armed only with your trusty Camera Obscura and a warm pair of trousers. For the non-gamer who is spooked by the kind of Asian cringe-horror you find in films like The Grudge , this could be a thrilling gaming experience.
Luigi’s Mansion: Dark Moon
Even if your partner isn’t into video games, they’ll know who Luigi is. This is a character that everyone is familiar with, and his flagship 3DS adventure is something that absolutely should be experienced by everyone. Luigi’s Mansion: Dark Moon is charming, challenging, and beautifully animated. Spend an hour or so guiding a trembling Luigi through an old, creaking mansion and suck up some ghosts. Afterward you can find the OST on YouTube to set the tone while you decorate haunted gingerbread mansions or carve Luigi-inspired pumpkins.
5 Nights at Freddy’s
All right, if you’re the wuss in the relationship and your guy or gal always gives you crap for it, see how well they manage their anxiety playing 5 Nights at Freddy’s . If you’ve never played the game before, it’s basically a terrifying sitting duck simulator; you take on the role of an overnight security guard at a family pizza joint that houses some crazy, bloodthirsty animatronic animals. It’s a point and click affair as you sit in a control room and monitor the animals across multiple camera feeds. This one is all about the jump scares. I recommend spending a couple bucks on a headphone splitter so you can both wear a pair of headphones while one of you manages the cameras. If your partner doesn’t have any gaming consoles this game is a great option as it’s available for PC, Android, and iOS.