4 games to play during Halloween season that are not scary, but still very fun

As the season of autumn arrives and the leaves begin to change their color, the Halloween vibes begin to cover everyone and everything. It's the perfect time to play games that are related to the horror genre, whether they are terrifying or fit in line with the spirit of the holiday. But some people aren't always in the mood to play something that will scare them straight, especially if they aren't too keen on being scared in a big way. Luckily for everyone, there are still games that one can play to get into the spirit of Halloween, while keeping the frights far away.

Games that feature all forms of monsters, ghouls, and ghosts can still be a great option to play during Halloween time. Even when the scare factor is low and there's nothing to be afraid of, one never has a lack of games to play. Regardless, if you're someone who is into heavy-duty action that makes you feel powerful or just in love with the silly parts of the season, the feeling of Halloween time is very strong at this time of the year. These are four games to check out during the Halloween season that are not scary, but still very fun to play.

Castlevania: Symphony of the Night

Hit that great gothic-vibe music

The Castlevania games from Konami have always been fun action games that have very strong ties to the horror film genre. The original game on the NES included many nods to classic Universal and Hammer Horror movies that were huge inspirations to it. But while it can be argued that any Castlevania title is a great game to boot up during Halloween time, it can also be an excuse to boot up one of the most beloved games of all-time. Castlevania: Symphony of the Night helped create a new subgenre of action game, known as metroidvania, after being heavily influenced by Nintendo's Super Metroid on the Super Nintendo. The game is seen as one of the best 2D action games of all time, and stands apart in the genre as a foundational title on the original PlayStation.

Although Castlevania: Symphony of the Night has many creative monster designs and vampiric imagery, the game is anything but horrifying. It's the action and style that exudes from every part of the castle that you explore as Alucard, Dracula's son, and the skirmishes he finds himself in. But even more attention grabbing is the soundtrack, which sounds like a stylish combination of techno tracks and gothic music. You'll be slashing at monsters and demons while an amazingly catchy track plays in the background, accented by the sound of thunder behind Castle Dracula, and it's many corridors to explore. It's everything dark and diabolical from what makes up the horror genre, but delivered with such a cool factor that is unlike anything else.

Splatterhouse 2

Graphic, yet satisfyingly action-packed

The Splatterhouse games were the equivalent of a brutal slasher-flick on 16-bit consoles. Back in the day, they may have frightened young kids who were playing them in the dark, but for most people, they're just straight-forward brawler with a graphic edge to them. The second game in the series, Splatterhouse 2, is arguably the best of the series on the Sega Genesis. The plot involves a man named Rick trying to save his girlfriend's soul from the dark forces of Hell within a haunted house. It's a direct continuation of the first game, but with more gore and brutal fights than before. The first game was made for arcades and the PC-Engine, while the second and third games in the series were released on the Sega Genesis.

As much as Splatterhouse 2 tries to be as gruesome and graphic as possible, none of it is actually scary. There's almost a dark sense of humor to how over-the-top the game tries to be gory. Punching the insides of a bloated monster that throws slime at you, cutting up horrifying fetuses hanging from the ceiling, and demonic worms crawling on the ground are only some of the things the game throws at you. It might be shocking at first glance, but it quickly loses any bite as the game goes on. It's as jaw-dropping as a 16-bit game could be in the horror genre at that particular time.

The majority of the game can get a little frustrating with how enemies can attack Rick in each stage, but it never gets to the point of actually being scary with any enemies that appear. The boss battles at the end of each stage are creative, but still equally frustrating to beat at times. A reboot of the series was released in 2010, but did not get as positive of a reception as the original arcade game it was re-imagining.

Luigi's Mansion

Silly fun with ghosts

The Nintendo GameCube had some very interesting launch titles, with Luigi's Mansion being one of the more unique ones that people loved. Set within a haunted house where Mario is missing, Luigi's Mansion follows the green hat-wearing half of the Mario Bros. as he goes through a mysterious house in search of his brother. Along the way, Luigi teams up with Professor E. Gadd, who gives him the Poltergust 3000 to help him fend off any ghosts that are roaming around the house. Eventually, Luigi discovers that the source of the problem and why Mario has been missing is because of King Boo having captured him. Luigi could suck up ghosts with the Poltergust 3000, as well as use it to solve puzzles that allow him to explore more areas of the haunted house.

To say that Luigi's Mansion is light-hearted fun would be an understatement. The game plays with scary themes and has many different kinds of ghosts that haunt the house that Luigi explores, but it never becomes too scary for its own good. This is still a Nintendo game with Super Mario characters in it, and the level of cheesiness and humor one would expect is present throughout. But that doesn't mean the game is bad or worse than other Mario-related games from Nintendo, and it has received a lot of praise since it first released on the Nintendo GameCube. Two sequels to the game were released on both the Nintendo 3DS and the Nintendo Switch, continuing the story from the original.

Funny enough, Luigi's Mansion is the second game to star Mario's brother Luigi before it's two sequels. The first game where Luigi was the main character was in Mario is Missing for the Super Nintendo. The majority of the time in Nintendo games, we see Luigi as a support character to Mario whenever he is around. But it was refreshingly different to see Luigi step into the spotlight with his own solo adventure, even if it involved Mario being in the background.

Devil May Cry 5

Sick style and bold monsters

The Devil May Cry series from Capcom is incredibly popular for many reasons. It has a likeable hero with Dante, crazy-looking monsters in every game release, and some of the most off-the-wall combat that the action genre has seen over the decades. But many of the best elements of Devil May Cry came together with the release of the fifth mainline entry in the series, Devil May Cry 5. Not only did the game continue the story from its predecessor, but it also included multiple playable characters with their own ways of fighting that told a big story. Whenever monsters and demons would show up to terrify everyone, a quick pull of the devil trigger was enough to flip the script and wreak havoc on them.

The game further enhances the combat that many people loved from Devil May Cry 3: Dante's Awakening, while also improving upon some of the better parts of Devil May Cry 4 that many players enjoyed. Nero and Dante offer varying styles of gameplay with their unique fighting styles, but also a third character named V provides even more variety to the combat with different types of attacks and abilities. Battles against demons and all sorts of monsters can be fierce, but also incredibly fun when chaining attacks together between different weapons. Nero can grab foes with his arm gear in-between big attacks, while Dante can switch between weapon styles and chain together all sorts of stylish-looking attacks. V takes advantage of his dark familiars to attack enemies in ways that can controls crowds and deal massive damage.

Every aspect of Devil May Cry 5 is topped off with an amazing soundtrack that is everything people love about rock music and more, setting a tone that is just too cool for anything to be horrifying. The game still has its gruesome moments with demons being chopped down in gory fashion, but things are more action movie craziness than survival horror. Capcom is one of the kings of the horror genre, but they know how to make it look good when someone as stylish as Dante enters the picture. They absolutely hit the JACKPOT with this game, and ultimately, with the entire series being a massive hit among Capcom fans.

Never being scared of the horrors

Halloween is always a fun season that celebrates many of the classic and cliché elements of horror stories. But while part of the fun is feeling the fear of the unknown or something lurking in the dark, it's not the complete story of the autumn holiday. Everything related to ghouls, ghosts, monsters, and beasts can be part of celebrating Halloween, even when it's not scary at all. Each of these games are incredibly fun to play on a dark night when the moon is out, or if you just want to have a good time getting into the spirit of Halloween. And the best part is you never have to be scared playing them in the dark.