You could just put the entirety of Koudelka here. I also think Lohengrin Castle from Trails of Cold Steel was creepy when you first entered. Already seeing it from the outside gave me goosebumps. Star Ocean 4's Palace of Creation was creepy when first entered as well. Absolute silence, enemies frozen in time, only the echo of your own footsteps...
The Incan Gold Ship in Illusion of Gaia is pretty creepy. After exploring a beautiful, luxurious vessel and speaking to its passengers hopeful to reach their destination, you wake up from your nap to find that the ship is dilapidated and everyone you spoke to just moments ago is long dead and are really just piles of rotting bones.
There are two places that came to my mind immediately: Tinto's mines in Suikoden II and, indeed, Zhaoyan Village in Shadow Hearts (Honestly, thinking twice, all the areas of the tetralogy - including Koudelka - come to mind :D). In FF6, I would have picked Cyan's dream. And Lucifer's Call as a whole, DDS as a whole, Persona 2 as a whole; let's say SMT as a whole :)
What a great and spooky list! Personally some areas that scared me as a child were the town of Luran in Terranigma (see comment from other user here) and several areas in Illusion of Gaia, like the Inka temple and ship where the ghosts of the deceased still roamed. Or how about the diamond mines where even kids had to labor as slaves and were guarded by monsters? Or the cannibal town later in the game? But the scariest was probably the underwater continent Mu and the vampires. *shivers* Then the next big spooky JRPG I can think of would be the Shin Megami Tensei games for the PS2. SMT III had several very dark underground areas and DDS 2 had a meat processing plant, where humans/demons were processed into canned meat. It was part prison, part slaughterhouse and totally scary/gross. I think Grandia 2 also had a few scary places, especially in that town with the eyes of Valmar that would fly around and follow people.
Honestly, dungeon crawlers probably should dominate a list like this. SMT, Mary Skelter, Coven of Dusk - they all are kinda horror RPGs. I think the genre tends to go for horror for some reason, maybe because of the limited controls and first person perspective.
Especially the first 2 and the Digital Devil Saga. Nocturne and 4 are better imo, but 1 and 2 have that old school creepiness that I can't really put into words.
Glad you included a clip of Sabin suplexing the Ghost Train in FFVI. That always gave me a kick as a kid, as you couldn't do anything like that in any previous RPG.
I feel like Sweet Home deserves a mention here, though I can see why it wouldn't qualify for this list. The haunted Mamiya Mansion is a scary JRPG area, but it's also the only location in the whole game.
Zhaoyang was definitely the creepiest place in Shadow Hearts. But I also have to tip my hat to Bistritz. Dirty Nails is an amazing song from that soundtrack and the wind vane creaking in the background went along seamlessly with the music.
I always thought that in Final Fantasy VII the Forgotten Capital was creepy. Even on my first playthrough back in 97, I had a feeling something bad was going to happen with the music and especially when we slept and had to go to Aerith at night. Also Ultimacia's castle in Final Fantasy VIII was creepy as well.
Post Mechonis Core Alcamoth from Xenoblade Chroicles. And most because the game glitched on me where the music AND the in battle dialogue muted...so the only thing j could hear was the ambient sound if wind and the screams of pain of the Telethia I battled...add to that what they are in game and...yeah it's pretty damn chilling
For me the scariest stages were the police station in Parasite Eve and the castle in Digital Devil Saga. The police station up until then served as your hub only to have Eve shatter that security and delivers a heartbreaking boss battle. The castle is an abandoned theme park attraction complete with a cheery narration that goes on as you progress that adds to the creepiness of the decaying landscape and music.
Ff7 remake upped the train graveyard quite a bit. It measures up well, particularly when you scan Eligor, realize he feeds on despair, and then picks Aerith to steal over ptsd Cloud and scared Tifa.
I would add also Morlia Gallery from Tales of Phantasia. The way how the pitch of the music gets lower and lower beginning from the 11th basement makes it creepy, and also the basements are hard and the enemies are true nightmares. Also from FFVII I recall Shinra Corp after that event of the trail of blood.
Parasite eve was probably not included because the entire game is basically is scifi horror rpg. I think his picks were specifically fantasy rpgs that have noteworthy darker moments in them.
@@astaynax7531 Shadow hearts has some darker elements to its story. The setting is just more grim than your usual cheery, bright and colorful JRPGs and it had certain gothic elements to it. Its predecessor Kodoulka is probably more so a horror game then shadow hearts is. How ever Parasite eve is actually a japanese horror novel of which the game is based from. So much like Resident Evil, parasite eve is of the horror genre completly, Shadow hearts is not. Probably why he did not include games like Sweet home or Clock Tower because both are of the horror variety. The video was specifically about picking out the top 10 most spookiest area's in regular traditional fantasy jrpgs. So i don't think he had the intention of selecting games that are steeped in nothing but horror because that sort of defeats the purpose of his video. His picks inspire me to want to play some of those games though just to get those creepy moments.
True. I played the game when I was 10 and Drake Castle was so scary that I was so overpowered when I actually got inside. Been refusing to enter it for days until my brother forced me to 😂😂 and don't get me started at other places. Actually EVERY PLACE THAT HAS MIST ARE REALLY SCARY. AND THOSE TERIFFYING MUSIC!
I have always considered the wells in Breath of Fire 2 spooky, it gets scary whenever you find someone with a facehugger-like creature on their faces as they turn around... The Ghost Ship in Trials of Mana comes to my mind, too 🙂
No Lavender Town. Thank you. Moonside always edged out Threed for me due to a strange reason; it reminded me of an animated film that unintentionally horrified me as a kid- the Grinch meets the Cat in the Hat. During it, the Grinch creates a machine that can basically turn any area into Moonside, complete with creepy neon lights, turning normal words into gibberish, causing fights, causing food to spoil, and much more. Of course the Grinch mends his ways in the end but he's WAY scarier here than his more famous film/book.
I love Magus' castle! Especially how when you first go in, the creepiest thing is that there is no music at all at first. And then those doppelgangers pretending to be a loved one for each party member. I think a couple other good ones are that weird ghost manor place in Lunar 2 where Lemina joins you, Choral Castle in Tales of the Abyss, and Shinra Mansion in Final Fantasy 7. I mean, there is a frickin coffin right down there in the basement with Vincent. XD
I was really impressed by how you had games from different eras in here. A spooky part of a game doesn't require super high end graphics or anything like that to draw you in
Thanks for the list! Lenoire Castle really is a great example, thanks for reminding me of it! I would just add the lower levels of Charlock Castle in DW1 always creep me out because of the tension and changed music
The Via Infinito from FFX-2 always scared me. Its music is unsettling, the enemies are strong, and dying can be pretty punishing if you haven't saved in a while (which isn't always easy to do depending on the floors you get). I hated having to walk by the elder drakes and mega tonberries. Also the last few floors where Chac becomes a regular enemy can put you on edge.
I'm surprised Exdeath castle (I think that's what it's called) isn't on here. The fleshy walls that appear to have faces are definitely creepy. The Land of Morytha is also pretty eerie with the tonal shift introducing zombie like enemies brings plus just the realization of what these enemies are. That whole area is definitely unsettling. Pretty much any area from Mary Skelter would also deserve to be on this list, but I'd nominate Graveyard and Train Station. Graveyard because those giant twitching gnomes are freaky and the station because it's where I first noticed you can hear the monster going through doors as it approaches you - that makes the back of your neck tingle everytime you hear a creaky door and know it's nearby and actively looking for you.
Hi, David! Thanks for the upload! Stay safe! Here, some people are using candy chutes for the kids. There's no trick-or-treating allowed in my apartment complex anyway. I'm having some spooky Canadian Halloween candy myself. (liquor store was out of fall / pumpkin ales) Coffin Crisp, scary Kit-Kat with a cat, Scaries, and ScAero!
@@xdeathsrk This year? In Canada, they've been around since 2013, I think. I had to buy them the first time I saw them! They now even have boxes of 30 of each kind if you want! Too bad you haven't seen ScAero!
Magus' Castle was indeed amazing, that's one of the most iconic locations in all of JRPGs in my opinion. The phantom train in FFVI was also really awesome. I always enjoyed the stereotypical ghost ship trope but considering they're in so many games I guess it's hard to include just one haha. Not to be a self-promoting douche (and I promise I won't spam your videos with comments like this in the future, just this once considering it's a similar topic) but our channel actually just made a video over the top 10 ghost ships in JRPGs if you ever wanna check it out. Always loved watching your videos and you're partly what inspired us to start making some JRPG list videos in the first place so wanted to say thanks for all the quality content!
Though it is more of an anction-RPG, I always hated the part in Terranigma where you travel to Lhasa. You see the town, the people and can even buy supplies. And then you go to sleep and wake up in an abandoned, decaying ghost town with zombies and creepy music. And the place is almost a maze. That or the town where Beruga comes from, where a really creepy cult has formed and ominous music plays and weird sermons about Beruga being the saviour are being held.
The town of Lhasa was so scary to me as a child that I almost couldn't continue playing this game. It didn't help either that it was rather complicated to figure out what you had to do. But at least that area is great for farming a few levels.
Two places come to mind in the spooky factor in Legend of Legaia: Conkram and Bio Castle. Moreso the latter, because it's a fittingly creepy-ass final dungeon with body horror everywhere.
Kanto (especially with Lavender Town) gets all the attention but I believe Sinnoh out does it imo, when it comes to "creepy" locations in Pokémon; *The old Chateau plays extraordinary disturbing music, the ghosts silently move about with zero animation, the glowing red eye's of the portraits and if you went in blind during the night, well having a Rotom jump out of the TV while playing dramatic legendary music will certainly give you a jump! *The Hearthome city church; there's literally no music just empty silence, all the NPCs are kinda out of it and there's a sense of uneasiness that doesn't fit in with the otherwise upbeat contest capital of the Sinnoh region *The distortion world... nuff said!
Like all of your lists, it makes me want to rub my temples and challenge my memory to come up with a list of my own! However, I'm short on time, and it's no longer the spooky season, so I'll settle for saying just a few things that came to mind immediately. 1. Norstein Beaker's Sideshow at the Millenial Fair or however it's spelled with the floating clown head and hands alway spooked me when I was a kid. Not too mention the fact that he can CLONE any of your party members. Dubious ethics much? 2. Magus's castle is spooky, 100% true. But Mother Zeal one ups her son when she raises the Black Omen. Whereas the visuals and sounds of Magus's Castle are spooky enough to get a tingle down my spine, the gameplay and horror of the Black Omen enthralling ordinary citizens throughout time, not too mention its final stretch to the fight against Zeal... *shudders* To me, that's the definition of horror. 3. I always loved the monster in FFVI on the Phantom Train, "Stillgoing." Basically just zombified Narshe guards, and you literally just killed these guys an hour ago! 4. It's not a spooky dungeon, but any scene involving Albedo from Xenosaga 1 or 2 is just... phew. Ma Belle Peche :)
I personally would of put Guruberk Tower from Phantasy Star 4 on this list. As a kid that tower gave me nightmares, its fleshy pulsing walls still gross me out.
Such a fun lil haunted house romp at the beginning of DQ5 charmed me into the rest of the game! It was a good move to put a level like that so early... usually you gotta slog through basic stuff, especially if it’s a “childhood” arc
I would have included the Evil Spirits Club from Persona Q. Seriously THAT labyrinth was freaking terrifying. From the outside I thought it was a run of the mill haunted house and I was all "this won't be so bad" then I got in there and it looked like something straight out of Corpse Party and my brain was going NOPENOPENOPENOPENOPE. And those FUCKING DOLLS. Had to put down my 3ds the first time one of those jumped out at me.
Pokemon: kanto: lavander town Jhoto: ruins of alph Hoenn new mawville Sinnoh: eterna forest castle, team galactic base lab and the distortion realm Gen 5 n's castle and the home in the desert Gen 6 that building in lumiose Gen 7: po town and ultra space
There's a lot of games and areas I like on this list. Personally, I think the final dungeon is the most disturbing in Earthbound, although Threed is more Halloween-esque. Also, I'd say that there should probably be an area or two from the Shin Megami Tensei series (or one of its spinoffs), as those games are drenched in spooky atmosphere.
Great list of scary rpg towns and dungeons. Hope you have a great Halloween night tomorrow, David. Thanks also for being yourself in your videos David.
Those are some spooky places. The spookiest places I can think of Lavender Town in Pokemon, the Courtyard from The Darkest Dungeon and the Ghost Ship from Legend of Dragoon!
I nominate Terra in Final Fantasy 9. At first, it looks so bright and peaceful, but after listening to the music and wandering around for a few minutes, you start getting the sense that something is not right. The place is pretty, but everything about it just feels OFF... Oh, I'd also give honorable mention to Exdeath's castle in Final Fantasy 5.
Fun fact: the spooky music of Secret of Mana is based on “gamelan” music of Indonesia, which splits the octave into seven notes (in this case) instead of twelve. To Europeans, Americans, and Asians raised on western music (which has twelve tones, ex. A A# B C C# D etc), it sounds oddly out of tune and otherworldly. When I first heard gamelan, my mind immediately went to Secret of Mana
The sewers were too infuriating for me so i dont consider it a spooky place BUT the dungeon were you fight opiomorph (can't remember the name) had a very suffocating atmosphere. Can't wait for that ghost ship video david! Happy Halloween! 🎃
Before I watch the video... these came to mind as my spookiest Asellus's scenario in Saga Frontier, where she lives in a vampire tree town Thanatos in secret of Mana Ghost train / Doma castle in FF6 Devil king palace and Leonid's castle in Romancing saga 3 The Cathedral near the start of Chrono Trigger Any dungeon in 7th saga... they were all dark, claustrophobic, and had awful bosses
Awesome, great way to kick off the Halloween. Happy Halloween David! Yeah the seventh saga castle level was creepy till I learned the story then it was like a punch to the gut.
I think Saint Gral Labyrinth is pretty creepy. The whole thing is a creepy castle, and really sells the horror aesthetic, but its music is beautiful to listen to, and it is the best Schoolhouse dungeon.
Algandars Castle from radiata stories. The rest of the game has a plucky charm and lighthearted feel to it until you to this castle. The music is chilling. The story behind it is tragic. And you literally have to to fight a demon summoned from hell there. I have played Radiata Stories so many times and this place is the place I dread going to most.
I'm really happy you included Magus's Castle, Chamba (which I love the town theme here to pieces) and especially the Final Fantasy 6 haunted train. That train section was one of my favorite memories of that game! Great idea for a list! Also its good to see that you got Shadow Hearts in here too, that makes a ton of sense in this case especially. Happy Halloween! (Oh also David, I just started my channel recently, a sub would be wonderful). Now that we are on the subject of holiday related JRPGs (or sections of) are there Christmas JRPGs or sections of them like it?
Hey David have you played Robotrek? In the game there was a Haunted mansion. As it turns out it was some kind of time space anomaly. But while you were going through that mansion all of the enemy goons were standing around telling each other all the things that they were noticing about the place and freaking each other out. You have to walk up to them and use that loud horn tool you have and they all freak out so much that they could've jumped out of their skin. It spooks them so much that they clear out without noticing your character. The first time I ever did that I was laughing so hard I almost started choking. But I didn't see any mention of that mansion in this video.
My list included: Dark souls - the way to Nito, bc it‘s all dark, what if I miss the bonfire? How should I come back? Nier - the Villa, where you meet Emil, it was the setting, and that the game turned black & grey, I really feeled the tension Bloodborne- the nightmare area, well its filled with nightmares xD Smt - Nocturne - I just say: Matador Persona 2 the innocent: I think it was the second dungeon, and they say, there is no way out, and I really didnt know, what to do Pokémon - Lavendia town - as a kid, it creeped me out I really like it, when games give me strong feelings like that!:) Thank you, for your list!:)
Hey David, sorry to be off topic but when is the Cold Steel 4 walkthrough starting? Was excited to play through it alongside the walkthrough and was surprised you haven't started it yet.
It’s been a while since I played the game but it’s in Lost Odyssey with that haunted house where you get I think her name is Sarah. Another one that maybe isn’t as intentional scary but gave me bad vibes were those giant ancient ruins from the same game.
Question: Are the Corpse Party series considered JRPGs? If so... ya know, the entire series takes place in one of the creepiest area in any RPG, Heavenly Host Elementary.
JRPG logic: You can suplex a train!
#LiftingGoals
Let's not forget Sabin also holds an entire mansion up by it's front door frame later in the game. Final Fantasy is just too damn good.
Magus Castle was haunting, seeing these kids turn into skeletons with no music, creepy. then you find magus and he is using OP spells
The no music part is probably the best aspect of the atmosphere.
You could just put the entirety of Koudelka here.
I also think Lohengrin Castle from Trails of Cold Steel was creepy when you first entered. Already seeing it from the outside gave me goosebumps.
Star Ocean 4's Palace of Creation was creepy when first entered as well. Absolute silence, enemies frozen in time, only the echo of your own footsteps...
The Incan Gold Ship in Illusion of Gaia is pretty creepy. After exploring a beautiful, luxurious vessel and speaking to its passengers hopeful to reach their destination, you wake up from your nap to find that the ship is dilapidated and everyone you spoke to just moments ago is long dead and are really just piles of rotting bones.
There are two places that came to my mind immediately: Tinto's mines in Suikoden II and, indeed, Zhaoyan Village in Shadow Hearts (Honestly, thinking twice, all the areas of the tetralogy - including Koudelka - come to mind :D). In FF6, I would have picked Cyan's dream. And Lucifer's Call as a whole, DDS as a whole, Persona 2 as a whole; let's say SMT as a whole :)
Other JRPG heroes: exist
Sabin: Do you even lift bro?
The train graveyard in FF7 could have been so much shorter.
Don’t forget the Forever Forest from Paper Mario and Twilight Trail from Thousand Year Door.
What a great and spooky list!
Personally some areas that scared me as a child were the town of Luran in Terranigma (see comment from other user here) and several areas in Illusion of Gaia, like the Inka temple and ship where the ghosts of the deceased still roamed. Or how about the diamond mines where even kids had to labor as slaves and were guarded by monsters? Or the cannibal town later in the game? But the scariest was probably the underwater continent Mu and the vampires. *shivers*
Then the next big spooky JRPG I can think of would be the Shin Megami Tensei games for the PS2. SMT III had several very dark underground areas and DDS 2 had a meat processing plant, where humans/demons were processed into canned meat. It was part prison, part slaughterhouse and totally scary/gross.
I think Grandia 2 also had a few scary places, especially in that town with the eyes of Valmar that would fly around and follow people.
No SMT games on the list? David you wound me. Good list anyway!
Honestly, dungeon crawlers probably should dominate a list like this. SMT, Mary Skelter, Coven of Dusk - they all are kinda horror RPGs. I think the genre tends to go for horror for some reason, maybe because of the limited controls and first person perspective.
Especially the first 2 and the Digital Devil Saga. Nocturne and 4 are better imo, but 1 and 2 have that old school creepiness that I can't really put into words.
Glad you included a clip of Sabin suplexing the Ghost Train in FFVI. That always gave me a kick as a kid, as you couldn't do anything like that in any previous RPG.
Surprised nobody's mentioned Nibelheim Manor from Final Fantasy VII, and the underwater reactor. Both are pretty eerie for JRPs.
I feel like Sweet Home deserves a mention here, though I can see why it wouldn't qualify for this list. The haunted Mamiya Mansion is a scary JRPG area, but it's also the only location in the whole game.
I thought that Sweet Home was a survival horror game; good to know.
Zhaoyang was definitely the creepiest place in Shadow Hearts. But I also have to tip my hat to Bistritz. Dirty Nails is an amazing song from that soundtrack and the wind vane creaking in the background went along seamlessly with the music.
I always thought that in Final Fantasy VII the Forgotten Capital was creepy. Even on my first playthrough back in 97, I had a feeling something bad was going to happen with the music and especially when we slept and had to go to Aerith at night.
Also Ultimacia's castle in Final Fantasy VIII was creepy as well.
Always dug that last level from FF8... so weird and memorable!
Post Mechonis Core Alcamoth from Xenoblade Chroicles. And most because the game glitched on me where the music AND the in battle dialogue muted...so the only thing j could hear was the ambient sound if wind and the screams of pain of the Telethia I battled...add to that what they are in game and...yeah it's pretty damn chilling
For me the scariest stages were the police station in Parasite Eve and the castle in Digital Devil Saga. The police station up until then served as your hub only to have Eve shatter that security and delivers a heartbreaking boss battle. The castle is an abandoned theme park attraction complete with a cheery narration that goes on as you progress that adds to the creepiness of the decaying landscape and music.
There are a number of areas in Chrono Cross that are creepy. But that may be the music choices in these areas giving me the impression...
Ff7 remake upped the train graveyard quite a bit. It measures up well, particularly when you scan Eligor, realize he feeds on despair, and then picks Aerith to steal over ptsd Cloud and scared Tifa.
I would add also Morlia Gallery from Tales of Phantasia. The way how the pitch of the music gets lower and lower beginning from the 11th basement makes it creepy, and also the basements are hard and the enemies are true nightmares.
Also from FFVII I recall Shinra Corp after that event of the trail of blood.
I'm actually surprised there was no mention of legend of legaia or parasite eve in this video. Both those games fit the theme well IMHO.
Parasite eve was probably not included because the entire game is basically is scifi horror rpg. I think his picks were specifically fantasy rpgs that have noteworthy darker moments in them.
@@Artimes. but he included shadow hearts, which is one of the best horror rpgs ever made
@@astaynax7531 Shadow hearts has some darker elements to its story. The setting is just more grim than your usual cheery, bright and colorful JRPGs and it had certain gothic elements to it. Its predecessor Kodoulka is probably more so a horror game then shadow hearts is. How ever Parasite eve is actually a japanese horror novel of which the game is based from. So much like Resident Evil, parasite eve is of the horror genre completly, Shadow hearts is not. Probably why he did not include games like Sweet home or Clock Tower because both are of the horror variety.
The video was specifically about picking out the top 10 most spookiest area's in regular traditional fantasy jrpgs. So i don't think he had the intention of selecting games that are steeped in nothing but horror because that sort of defeats the purpose of his video. His picks inspire me to want to play some of those games though just to get those creepy moments.
True. I played the game when I was 10 and Drake Castle was so scary that I was so overpowered when I actually got inside. Been refusing to enter it for days until my brother forced me to 😂😂 and don't get me started at other places. Actually EVERY PLACE THAT HAS MIST ARE REALLY SCARY. AND THOSE TERIFFYING MUSIC!
@@canlyhansen1588 Legend of Legaia would have been a great fit for sure.
I have always considered the wells in Breath of Fire 2 spooky, it gets scary whenever you find someone with a facehugger-like creature on their faces as they turn around... The Ghost Ship in Trials of Mana comes to my mind, too 🙂
No Lavender Town. Thank you.
Moonside always edged out Threed for me due to a strange reason; it reminded me of an animated film that unintentionally horrified me as a kid- the Grinch meets the Cat in the Hat. During it, the Grinch creates a machine that can basically turn any area into Moonside, complete with creepy neon lights, turning normal words into gibberish, causing fights, causing food to spoil, and much more. Of course the Grinch mends his ways in the end but he's WAY scarier here than his more famous film/book.
Wait a minute, there's something fishy about this "Phantom Train"... *[pulls off Phantom Train's mask]* It was a ghost ship the whole time!!!
It became a flying dutchman 😂
I'd have to add, at least as an honorable mention, the cultists tower in ff6(3) as well.
I love Magus' castle! Especially how when you first go in, the creepiest thing is that there is no music at all at first. And then those doppelgangers pretending to be a loved one for each party member.
I think a couple other good ones are that weird ghost manor place in Lunar 2 where Lemina joins you, Choral Castle in Tales of the Abyss, and Shinra Mansion in Final Fantasy 7. I mean, there is a frickin coffin right down there in the basement with Vincent. XD
I was really impressed by how you had games from different eras in here. A spooky part of a game doesn't require super high end graphics or anything like that to draw you in
Thanks for the list! Lenoire Castle really is a great example, thanks for reminding me of it! I would just add the lower levels of Charlock Castle in DW1 always creep me out because of the tension and changed music
Shinra Tower after Sephiroths visit. The blood trail and the escaped monsters made this already bad place really haunting.
Man I'm surprised FF7 wasn't mentioned. The Niebelhiem Castle, Train Graveyard, and the Cave in Cosmo Canyon
The Via Infinito from FFX-2 always scared me. Its music is unsettling, the enemies are strong, and dying can be pretty punishing if you haven't saved in a while (which isn't always easy to do depending on the floors you get). I hated having to walk by the elder drakes and mega tonberries. Also the last few floors where Chac becomes a regular enemy can put you on edge.
I'm surprised Exdeath castle (I think that's what it's called) isn't on here. The fleshy walls that appear to have faces are definitely creepy.
The Land of Morytha is also pretty eerie with the tonal shift introducing zombie like enemies brings plus just the realization of what these enemies are. That whole area is definitely unsettling.
Pretty much any area from Mary Skelter would also deserve to be on this list, but I'd nominate Graveyard and Train Station. Graveyard because those giant twitching gnomes are freaky and the station because it's where I first noticed you can hear the monster going through doors as it approaches you - that makes the back of your neck tingle everytime you hear a creaky door and know it's nearby and actively looking for you.
Hi, David! Thanks for the upload! Stay safe! Here, some people are using candy chutes for the kids. There's no trick-or-treating allowed in my apartment complex anyway. I'm having some spooky Canadian Halloween candy myself. (liquor store was out of fall / pumpkin ales) Coffin Crisp, scary Kit-Kat with a cat, Scaries, and ScAero!
I love that they gimmicked the candies this year! Haven't seen ScAero around London yet though 🤔
@@xdeathsrk This year? In Canada, they've been around since 2013, I think. I had to buy them the first time I saw them! They now even have boxes of 30 of each kind if you want! Too bad you haven't seen ScAero!
Magus' Castle was indeed amazing, that's one of the most iconic locations in all of JRPGs in my opinion. The phantom train in FFVI was also really awesome. I always enjoyed the stereotypical ghost ship trope but considering they're in so many games I guess it's hard to include just one haha. Not to be a self-promoting douche (and I promise I won't spam your videos with comments like this in the future, just this once considering it's a similar topic) but our channel actually just made a video over the top 10 ghost ships in JRPGs if you ever wanna check it out. Always loved watching your videos and you're partly what inspired us to start making some JRPG list videos in the first place so wanted to say thanks for all the quality content!
Though it is more of an anction-RPG, I always hated the part in Terranigma where you travel to Lhasa. You see the town, the people and can even buy supplies. And then you go to sleep and wake up in an abandoned, decaying ghost town with zombies and creepy music. And the place is almost a maze.
That or the town where Beruga comes from, where a really creepy cult has formed and ominous music plays and weird sermons about Beruga being the saviour are being held.
The town of Lhasa was so scary to me as a child that I almost couldn't continue playing this game. It didn't help either that it was rather complicated to figure out what you had to do. But at least that area is great for farming a few levels.
Two places come to mind in the spooky factor in Legend of Legaia: Conkram and Bio Castle.
Moreso the latter, because it's a fittingly creepy-ass final dungeon with body horror everywhere.
Necrohol of Nabudis and the western mines of the Barheim passage Final Fantasy 12 as honorable mentions.
Kanto (especially with Lavender Town) gets all the attention but I believe Sinnoh out does it imo, when it comes to "creepy" locations in Pokémon;
*The old Chateau plays extraordinary disturbing music, the ghosts silently move about with zero animation, the glowing red eye's of the portraits and if you went in blind during the night, well having a Rotom jump out of the TV while playing dramatic legendary music will certainly give you a jump!
*The Hearthome city church; there's literally no music just empty silence, all the NPCs are kinda out of it and there's a sense of uneasiness that doesn't fit in with the otherwise upbeat contest capital of the Sinnoh region
*The distortion world... nuff said!
I always was very nervous going through the Ifa Tree ins FF9. The music was the icing on the cake.
Like all of your lists, it makes me want to rub my temples and challenge my memory to come up with a list of my own! However, I'm short on time, and it's no longer the spooky season, so I'll settle for saying just a few things that came to mind immediately.
1. Norstein Beaker's Sideshow at the Millenial Fair or however it's spelled with the floating clown head and hands alway spooked me when I was a kid. Not too mention the fact that he can CLONE any of your party members. Dubious ethics much?
2. Magus's castle is spooky, 100% true. But Mother Zeal one ups her son when she raises the Black Omen. Whereas the visuals and sounds of Magus's Castle are spooky enough to get a tingle down my spine, the gameplay and horror of the Black Omen enthralling ordinary citizens throughout time, not too mention its final stretch to the fight against Zeal... *shudders* To me, that's the definition of horror.
3. I always loved the monster in FFVI on the Phantom Train, "Stillgoing." Basically just zombified Narshe guards, and you literally just killed these guys an hour ago!
4. It's not a spooky dungeon, but any scene involving Albedo from Xenosaga 1 or 2 is just... phew. Ma Belle Peche :)
I personally would of put Guruberk Tower from Phantasy Star 4 on this list. As a kid that tower gave me nightmares, its fleshy pulsing walls still gross me out.
Anywhere in Parasite Eve could work here. Oh god, the concert... 🤢🤮
Sea Mother in Shadow Hearts should have an honorable mention. "OOOOOOOOOOHHH... OOOOOOHHHHH.... OOOOOOOOOOHHHH"
That could be top 10 worst voice acting lol
Gotta go with the final (optional, post-credits) labyrinth in Etrian Odyssey 4. What a tone shift. There was also a pretty creepy one in Persona Q.
Threed didn't mess around. Burying 2 kids alive in a grave is just messed up and going through that graveyard as a kid was just horrible for me.
good video :) yes that sewer in xenogear was a pain , shadow hearts fits well in the first place indeed :)
The world of Skies of Arcadia always creeped me out.
Such a fun lil haunted house romp at the beginning of DQ5 charmed me into the rest of the game! It was a good move to put a level like that so early... usually you gotta slog through basic stuff, especially if it’s a “childhood” arc
I would have included the Evil Spirits Club from Persona Q. Seriously THAT labyrinth was freaking terrifying. From the outside I thought it was a run of the mill haunted house and I was all "this won't be so bad" then I got in there and it looked like something straight out of Corpse Party and my brain was going NOPENOPENOPENOPENOPE. And those FUCKING DOLLS. Had to put down my 3ds the first time one of those jumped out at me.
The cave to the past is the creepiest dungeon in earthbound because of the "music" imo.
Cyan's mind was also a very spooky dungeon in ff6
Whispermill in octopath traveller was disturbing when I first went there. The music and the people not talking made it very unsettling
Pokemon: kanto: lavander town
Jhoto: ruins of alph
Hoenn new mawville
Sinnoh: eterna forest castle, team galactic base lab and the distortion realm
Gen 5 n's castle and the home in the desert
Gen 6 that building in lumiose
Gen 7: po town and ultra space
Don't forget the abandoned mall on Gen 7.
There's a lot of games and areas I like on this list. Personally, I think the final dungeon is the most disturbing in Earthbound, although Threed is more Halloween-esque. Also, I'd say that there should probably be an area or two from the Shin Megami Tensei series (or one of its spinoffs), as those games are drenched in spooky atmosphere.
Great list of scary rpg towns and dungeons. Hope you have a great Halloween night tomorrow, David. Thanks also for being yourself in your videos David.
The vinquette mainson in the sword of mana was also pretty spooky
Those are some spooky places. The spookiest places I can think of Lavender Town in Pokemon, the Courtyard from The Darkest Dungeon and the Ghost Ship from Legend of Dragoon!
Zhaoyang Village is amazing, the doll house from Covenant would be up there for me.
Magus castle, my favorite area in any game ever.
I nominate Terra in Final Fantasy 9. At first, it looks so bright and peaceful, but after listening to the music and wandering around for a few minutes, you start getting the sense that something is not right. The place is pretty, but everything about it just feels OFF...
Oh, I'd also give honorable mention to Exdeath's castle in Final Fantasy 5.
Magus castle, a true classic. For my take I will put the true lab from Undertale, thats monsters were creepy as hell.
Fun fact: the spooky music of Secret of Mana is based on “gamelan” music of Indonesia, which splits the octave into seven notes (in this case) instead of twelve. To Europeans, Americans, and Asians raised on western music (which has twelve tones, ex. A A# B C C# D etc), it sounds oddly out of tune and otherworldly. When I first heard gamelan, my mind immediately went to Secret of Mana
The sewers were too infuriating for me so i dont consider it a spooky place BUT the dungeon were you fight opiomorph (can't remember the name) had a very suffocating atmosphere. Can't wait for that ghost ship video david! Happy Halloween! 🎃
Missing Neclords castle.
Before I watch the video... these came to mind as my spookiest
Asellus's scenario in Saga Frontier, where she lives in a vampire tree town
Thanatos in secret of Mana
Ghost train / Doma castle in FF6
Devil king palace and Leonid's castle in Romancing saga 3
The Cathedral near the start of Chrono Trigger
Any dungeon in 7th saga... they were all dark, claustrophobic, and had awful bosses
I spoke that saga frontier town in one of my top 10 towns videos, that place is creepy AF
Awesome, great way to kick off the Halloween. Happy Halloween David!
Yeah the seventh saga castle level was creepy till I learned the story then it was like a punch to the gut.
One that you might not think of is the Solaris Factory in Xenogears.
The first that came to mind: Nighttime in Satorl Marsh - "Xenoblade Chronicles"...
I think Saint Gral Labyrinth is pretty creepy. The whole thing is a creepy castle, and really sells the horror aesthetic, but its music is beautiful to listen to, and it is the best Schoolhouse dungeon.
Algandars Castle from radiata stories. The rest of the game has a plucky charm and lighthearted feel to it until you to this castle. The music is chilling. The story behind it is tragic. And you literally have to to fight a demon summoned from hell there. I have played Radiata Stories so many times and this place is the place I dread going to most.
I'm really happy you included Magus's Castle, Chamba (which I love the town theme here to pieces) and especially the Final Fantasy 6 haunted train. That train section was one of my favorite memories of that game! Great idea for a list! Also its good to see that you got Shadow Hearts in here too, that makes a ton of sense in this case especially. Happy Halloween! (Oh also David, I just started my channel recently, a sub would be wonderful). Now that we are on the subject of holiday related JRPGs (or sections of) are there Christmas JRPGs or sections of them like it?
You have a channel?? I'll hop over there in a minute :)
Fun fact about Xenogears. Redrum was not the murderer...no indeed...
Great video and some great areas but maaaan... You need to play Sweet Home. The entire game could fill this list!
Hey David have you played Robotrek? In the game there was a Haunted mansion. As it turns out it was some kind of time space anomaly. But while you were going through that mansion all of the enemy goons were standing around telling each other all the things that they were noticing about the place and freaking each other out. You have to walk up to them and use that loud horn tool you have and they all freak out so much that they could've jumped out of their skin. It spooks them so much that they clear out without noticing your character. The first time I ever did that I was laughing so hard I almost started choking. But I didn't see any mention of that mansion in this video.
Yes I have, great game!
Good job on the video enjoyed watching and happy Halloween
Happy Halloween David and viewers!
Happy Halloween David!
My list included: Dark souls - the way to Nito, bc it‘s all dark, what if I miss the bonfire? How should I come back?
Nier - the Villa, where you meet Emil, it was the setting, and that the game turned black & grey, I really feeled the tension
Bloodborne- the nightmare area, well its filled with nightmares xD
Smt - Nocturne - I just say: Matador
Persona 2 the innocent: I think it was the second dungeon, and they say, there is no way out, and I really didnt know, what to do
Pokémon - Lavendia town - as a kid, it creeped me out
I really like it, when games give me strong feelings like that!:)
Thank you, for your list!:)
Hey David, sorry to be off topic but when is the Cold Steel 4 walkthrough starting? Was excited to play through it alongside the walkthrough and was surprised you haven't started it yet.
Happy Halloween.
One of your best list, right on point! FF6 Train scene is so sad!
The medievil world in Secret of Evermore ... duuuude
I’m surprised you didn’t mention The Shinra Mansion
It’s been a while since I played the game but it’s in Lost Odyssey with that haunted house where you get I think her name is Sarah. Another one that maybe isn’t as intentional scary but gave me bad vibes were those giant ancient ruins from the same game.
Have you played through BS Radical Dreamers? That game has several spooky areas, also almost the whole game takes place in a spooky mansion.
omg! what a fantastiC idea!! happy halloween
Tokyo in SMTIV is super spooky.
idk why but Pharos from FF XII spooks me a lot
Errrr......in Pandora's Ruins you need to be using Charge Attacks, preferably Lv2 or higher, the enemies don't shrug those off nearly as easily.
No spoiler but if memory serves, Redrum is not actually the murderer in the case; Citan does want you to think he is though...
Great video like always!
I'm probably going to check out Breath of Fire 4 or Xenogears thanks to this vid
You're in for a treat!!
@@davidvinc
Can't wait!!!!
Train Graveyard, from FF7R.
Happy Halloween 🎃
I'm surprised that you mentioned the phantom train without mentioning Sabin suplexing the train.
It wasn't enough that I showed it? I have to mention it too?
@@davidvinc it's fine as it is, but i just said that because memes.
Oh sorry I'm not aware of any memes
Those are some good choices. I want to play those games now
Question: Are the Corpse Party series considered JRPGs? If so... ya know, the entire series takes place in one of the creepiest area in any RPG, Heavenly Host Elementary.
Omg seventh saga made it on a list!! XD
Time to get so spooky levels
Ooo thats a great idea for a video!
Ah, the perfect video to go with some candy corn :3
Halloween Town from Kingdom Hearts really should of been here or End Of The World
No Shinra mansion from FFVII?