I’m a wuss, let’s get that straight. I LOVE horror movies, don’t get me wrong, but I’ve never really clicked with some of the survival horror games out there. Outlast for example, I played for 10 minutes and shut it off. I was weary of the same thing happening when it came to the newest Dread X collection, Collection 5. A 12 game collection that explores multiple different genres of horror, from foreign festival, to closing up a carnival late at night, to haunted video games. Each separate game will have you intrigued and asking for more.
Some highlights for me include Vestige, HUNSVOTTI and the Book of Blood. Honestly diving into all 12 games would take so much away from what Collection 5 has to offer, and I wouldn’t do that to you. The game is centered around Outpost 3000, a Charles Entertainment Cheese type establishment where you are having your birthday party….without friends….or your parents….and it’s the middle of the night. You get to explore more and more of the building every time you beat one of the games. It’s probably another one of my favorite portions of the game.
Vestige finds you house sitting for your parents. As you enter the guest room, you find your old CRT TV. You decide to head up to the attic to find your classic game system. There is only one game though, Mail Madness. It’s a third person motocross game where you’re delivering mail to and from the afterlife. It plays nicely and the controls are great, and once you start is when the crazy starts to happen. This was the first game I played of the collection as well and set a really unsettling tone to my night, I loved it.
HUNSVOTTI is a midsomer nightmare of sorts. You’re collecting flowers throughout a village in celebration, and anytime a villager touches you, you get a little slower which at first didn’t matter. Until after you drop a few of the flowers into the well and the villagers start changing, and not for the better. Like with most of the titles in Dread x Collection 5, the ending is fucking awesome.
Lastly is The Book of Blood. You find yourself locking up after your shift at a carnival. Your carny buddy finds a book outside your trailer and gives it to you. After he walks away a stranger in a mask shows up, and begins terrorizing you. You need to read through the book, keep the doors to your trailer locked, and kick on the power when it goes out. It’s a terrifying version of Five Nights, where when the Stranger attacks you, you don’t die automatically. What does the book behold? I’m not telling you.
Overall Dread X Collection 5 is not only an amazing value, but an amazing array of games. There is something for any type of Horror Game enthusiast, while also telling separate stories. If you loved movies like Creepshow, Twilight Zone and V/H/S, you will love Dread X Collection 5.
We give Dread X Collection 5 a 9 out of 10. You can get it on the Steam Store for $9.99
FrankenCulture 