Hello there and welcome to the exciting world of video games' Horror Genre.
To a person who is entirely new to horror games, let it be known first what elements usually included in horror games. usually they are:
-Puzzle solving
-Backtracking (retracing back the path you took)
-Jump scares
-"QTE" or Quick Time Events
-Boss fights (battling one-on-one against a stage boss)
Now considering all of the elements above are usually included in a horror game, i would suggest newcomers to play the "Resident Evil" (RE) series first.
My recommendation from the RE series would be:
(1.)Â Resident Evil Origins Collection,
(2.)Â Resident Evil 2 Remake,
(3.)Â Resident Evil 4 and
(4.)Â Resident Evil 7 Biohazard.
FYI there are a LOT of other neat beautiful Horror games such as the "Fatal Frame series", "Silent Hill series", "Amnesia series", and "Dead Space series" but the one that i considered "Newcomer-friendly" are the RE games.
Here's why: (1.) it's stories are pretty straightforward, so newcomers won't be entirely confused with what is actually happening in the game's story.
(2.) The hints for the puzzle are quite clear enough, for instance: your protagonist finds a steel door with a locked mechanism, besides the door there is a panel with keypads to enter a password. You, as the player, will guaranteed to immediately think "ooh i need a password for this".
Now this is a good thing, cause i can guarantee not all horror games are quite clear on hints like on RE games, some other horror games are cryptic with hints and some games don't even have hints for their puzzles at all, so RE games are excellent for newcomers.
(3.) In RE games, you have a higher chance of surviving if you manage your items and ammunition well, even on Hard difficulty.
The only thing i could think off that will come out as a drag for newcomers are the "backtracking". At first i also felt the backtracking were a nuisance, but after a while you'll forget it and keep playing the game as usual.
Honorable mentions of other horror games i played and also i recommend playing it: (1.) Alone in the Dark series, (2.) Obscure 1 and 2, (3.) Forbidden Siren series, (4.) Alan Wake, (5.) Alien Isolation, (6.) Condemned 1 and 2.
