8. Sunless Sea

Never trust an ocean. Especially one underneath London.

Sunless Sea takes Lovecraftian horror somewhere wonderfully bizarre:

underground.

The game takes place in the universe of Fallen London, where Victorian London has somehow ended up beneath the surface of the Earth.

Because apparently moving London underground seemed like a reasonable urban-planning decision.

You command a steamship across the enormous Unterzee, exploring strange locations, encountering bizarre creatures and attempting to keep your crew alive.

And your sanity.

And your fuel.

And your supplies.

Basically, everything is trying to kill you.

The game uses exploration and storytelling to create an enormous sense of mystery. You don't simply fight monsters; you discover strange civilizations, encounter inexplicable phenomena and gradually learn more about the bizarre world surrounding you.

Sunless Sea is a particularly good example of Lovecraftian horror through implication.

You don't need an Elder God screaming in your face every five minutes.

Sometimes it's enough to sail into the darkness and wonder what might be watching you from underneath the water.

And considering this game takes place beneath the Earth, there's nowhere to go if something enormous decides to climb out of the ocean.

Excellent.

We're doomed.

Why it's Lovecraftian: Isolation, madness, forbidden knowledge, grotesque creatures and an environment that feels fundamentally hostile to human existence.