10 Horror games from Chilla’s Art

The Japanese indie development duo, Chilla’s Art, has cemented its reputation as a modern master of horror, using a distinct VHS aesthetic to create games that are as unsettling as they are unforgettable. Their titles often take mundane, everyday settings and twist them into places of profound terror, blending real-life psychological dread with classic Japanese supernatural elements.

Here are 10 of the best and most talked-about horror games from the Chilla’s Art collection:

The Closing Shift (閉店事件)

• Theme: Modern workplace horror and stalking.
• Concept: You play as a girl working the closing shift at a coffee shop (clearly inspired by a certain global chain). The horror stems from the growing realization that you are being watched and followed by an unseen, menacing figure. This game is hailed for its masterful building of discomfort and anxiety.

Night Delivery (例外配達)

This game puts us as a café employee who has to close the shop at night, doesn’t sound normal, but believe me, after a few minutes, it starts to feel like someone is peeking from the corner of the shop. The atmosphere is unusually quiet. The sound of the coffee machine becomes an alarm. The CCTV camera works as if intending to make us more suspicious. Each customer who walks in looks more worried than a dark roast coffee bean, and when we start to realize that someone is actually following us, that’s the point where many people press close the game instead of closing the store because they can’t continue playing.

Akai Onna

The game takes us into a student dormitory, which at first seems normal, simple, quiet, and suitable for reading at night, but the atmosphere gradually starts to get weirder, like the building has secrets hidden in the shoe closet, the hallway is too long, and the sound of footsteps that can be heard even though we are alone. The name of the game already says that it is about “The Woman in Red”, but what really haunts us is the moment when she doesn’t come out directly and breathes more on the side of our necks.

The Radio Station

This time, we went camping in the mountains to look for clues to an abandoned radio station in the middle of the forest. The atmosphere was unusually quiet, like the whole world had stopped breathing, only the sound of the wind, the shaking light poles, and the flashlight that worked as if it wanted to stop at any time. The location in the game was so open that it felt like something was hiding in a place that the eye couldn’t see. There was a loud radio wave that sounded for no apparent reason, like someone wanted to communicate, but we weren’t sure if we should listen or turn it off. Every time the signal went strong, we could feel the feeling of “something is very close” that made our necks numb. This game is not haunting, but it is haunting in a way that slowly digs deep fear in your heart, so that you want to rush down the hill to find a real person rather than encounter radio waves again.

The Convenience Store

A part-time job in a late-night convenience store that at first seemed to be soft, just checking stock and wiping the counter. Turn on the light brightly. The shop that used to be bright began to darken one corner after another. It’s like the bulb starts to break down at the same time for the whole branch. The CCTV camera has become an unreliable friend because it likes to capture images. “Something” that shouldn’t be in the store at all. Customers who come in also look strange, as if they are walking with the atmosphere rather than shopping, products that fall to the ground without being touched, and the sound of the door opening even though no one is entering. As I continue to work, I will start to think that how much money per hour is not worth it. If you encounter something like this in real life, I think it would be much more comfortable to send your resignation letter and run home.

The Karaoke

Who thinks that singing karaoke at night is a relaxing feeling? You can delete the picture. This game opens up a lonely singing room alone, and suddenly it starts to feel like the sound of a mic echoing. It doesn’t just echo back to our voices. The lights in the room vibrated gently, and the music that was on suddenly fell silent, leaving only the sound of breathing. I don’t know if it’s ours or someone else’s too close. The sound of footsteps outside the room began to get louder and louder, as if someone was walking in front of the door, but when I opened it, there was no one. The sound came back faster than before. Everything in the store looks normal, but our hearts are not normal at all, and at some point I start to hate the sound of the feedback mic because it sounds like the voice of someone who shouldn’t have been in this room in the first place…

Stigmatized Property

This game lets us explore the cheapest apartment in the city, sounds good, right, but this cheap price makes sense, because “something” never leaves the rental room. The atmosphere in the apartment is unusually dark and quiet. The footsteps that no one could hear were following began to sound on their own. The reflection on the wall makes us wonder if we are really alone. The closet that used to be sealed looks like someone is hiding inside, and sometimes the sound of the wind sounds like a whisper. This game is not a haunting kind of immersion, but a gradual hallucination of the nerves. It made us want to get out of that room as soon as possible.

Missing Children

This game lets us go in search of a missing child in an unusually quiet city. At first, you may think it’s just a rescue quest, but the more you play, the more you feel like the whole city hides secrets in the corners of buildings and alleys. The sound of children laughing or crying echoed in the distance, but when I went in, no one was there. Street lights flicker intermittently Darkening in different corners It looks more mysterious and scary. Every time we step closer to a new clue, there is a feeling that someone… or something… is constantly watching us. I played for a while. The feeling of wanting to leave the city like this is becoming more and more obvious.

The Bathhouse

This game takes us to a late-night onsen or public bathhouse, which sounds relaxing, but the atmosphere is quite the opposite. The water that heats back does not provide peace of mind. Empty place There was only the sound of running water and the sound of soft footsteps, but I could feel that there was something around me. The dim lights and steam made it difficult for us to see clearly. Every echo in the room is alive. When I looked up from the bathtub, I began to see a shadow that was unlikely to be ours. And sometimes the water shakes like someone has just passed. This game is not an immediate mental haunting, but a gradual haunting that we have to keep our heads down and finish the shower as soon as possible.

Parasocial

In this game, we play as a streamer who is live with the audience in real time, but the haunting is not in the ghosts or shadows… Viewer behavior in the game becomes more strange. Send us messages or requests that seem to know our every action. We feel like we are being watched all the time. Louder chat notifications make your heart beat harder every time. The shadow reflected off the screen is like someone standing behind it. This game is so haunting that sometimes we press close to the stream, and it feels like someone is still watching.

THIS IS Our Take

Chilla’s Art has perfected the art of making the ordinary terrifying, a technique that resonates deeply with players in Southeast Asia who are familiar with the cultural nuances of their settings. The short runtime and low price of these games, combined with their potent ability to generate jump scares and lingering psychological dread, make them instantly addictive for streamers and viewers alike. The shift to more complex themes, such as in Parasocial and The Closing Shift, proves they are not just relying on ghosts but are mastering the horror of modern life as well.

Ready to be terrified? Chilla’s Art has perfected the VHS horror aesthetic with 10 unforgettable games that turn a night shift or a train ride into pure nightmare fuel! #thisisgamesea