Many people have the rather unfair notion that media that exists for children can’t be deep or rewarding to experience in any way. If anything, a large number of clever references in pop culture stem from movies and TV shows that were meant to appeal to a younger demographic. So, anygame that’s apparently made for childrenshouldn’t be written off, especially if these titles stand in their own right as some of the best experiences players can enjoy.
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That being said, even adults may be caught off-guard by some games for children that feature waydarker aestheticsthan they ideally should. While these moments may be ignored by some kids, there are others who will remember these instances long after they’ve finished playing through an experience that didn’t really warn them of any dark or disturbing elements.
8Among Us
Among Usisa game that took over the world by stormduring the pandemic. The social mechanics as players try to weed out an impostor within the ranks of a space crew makes for a simple yet tantalizing gameplay loop that is simple to understand and infinitely entertaining.
However, there’s something rather dark about the manner in which the impostor kills everyone, clearly revealing himself to be something of an Eldritch nightmare at times. The fact that kids can potentially fall into the trap of mob mentality and vote off innocents sets a dangerous precedent as well.
7Undertale
Undertaleseems like the cheeriest game in the world, and anyone who boots up the game will never suspect that Flowey is actually a tyrant and a murderous villain. The entire game is alsoa subversion of RPG tropes, and kids who don’t grasp these intricacies won’t even know they’re killing innocents!
Then there’s the Genocide run, which pretty much speaks for itself. WhileUndertale’s charm is a huge takeaway from this experience, kids who experience the darker side of this game will genuinely have their hearts broken as their favorite characters die all around them.
6Earthbound
Earthboundis one of the most unique JRPGs around, released at a time when this genre focused on epic plots and high fantasy settings. The idea of playing a game where players just explore a regular world just wasn’t interesting at the time.
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However, people are well-aware now thatEarthboundwas way ahead of its time and still stands strong as one of the greatest games ever made. The game touched upon some pretty dark themes, with the existence of Giygas itself being downright nightmarish.
5Psychonauts
It’s only a given that a game that deals with players exploring the minds and psyches of individuals would have very dark implications.Such is the case withPsychonauts, even if the title has a more lighthearted approach when it comes to how people’s minds are structured.
However, the game does a great job of showing just how memories work, with the more traumatic ones being permanently etched in the minds of people no matter how hard to attempt to forget them. Milla is a great example of this — she seems like a person who’s pretty calm and in control, but players can access a hidden memory that details a tragic story of how Milla ran an orphanage, only for it to burn down in her absence as her psychic mind could hear her children’s pain as they were burned alive.
4Pokemon
It’s no secret that dogfighting is illegal, which in itself givesPokemona pretty dark theme that is glossed over like nothing. However, that’s just a drop in the ocean ofPokemon’s disturbing nature, which has been dissected by fans time and time again.
Do people eat Pokemon? How are these creatures happy in a confined space? Why areyoung kids thrown out into the world at a tender agejust to be a Pokemon Master? And perhaps the most important question of them all — why is Lavender Town so disturbing?
3Ecco The Dolphin
Ecco the Dolphinis one of the more underrated action-adventure games around, with its cute aesthetic lulling many kids into a false sense of security. However, it’s only after players go through the game that they realize what the true threat is.
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It turns out thatan alien race called the Vortexinvades the waters of Earth every 500 years to harvest food. The idea of alien life invading Earth is pretty bad as is… and then players face off against the Vortex Queen, who is easily one of the scariest final bosses in video games.
2Braid
Braidis one of the many games that catapulted indie gaming to new heights. The combination of puzzles, platforming, and time powers made for a great time, even if the story itself felt rather generic… at first.
It’s only at the end of the game that the player realizes a key thing — they were the villain all along! It’s a plot twist that challenges how heroism work in video games… and is also a development that can be really disturbing for a kid who unwittingly tried to kidnap a princess!
1Hello Neighbor
Suffice it to say, any horror game that markets itself towards kids is bound to be disturbing for a whole host of reasons. Such is the case withHello Neighbor, a game whereplayers infiltrate a neighbor’s house to get their ball back, only to start a chain of events that shapes their entire adulthood.
After being chased around and straight-up imprisoned by the neighbor, the protagonist develops severe PTSD. The second half of the game is pretty much a fever dream where players explore a nightmarish version of the neighbor’s house as they strive to help a traumatized kid get a new chance at living a normal life.
