Happy Halloween from the Kennel!
Pumpkin picks and fall fun with the Dogs.
As Halloween nears, the Kennel wants to celebrate with you!
We recently debuted new Naughty Dog-themed pumpkin stencils and put out a call to see your carving skills at work. You delivered some scarily great results.
Whether you chose to create a Dark Jak-o-lantern, a creepy clicker, or something original, your creativity and skills shone through (literally)!
Take a look at some of our favorites:
We’re honored you’re making us part of your spooky season! Hopefully those Clickers won’t scare off too many trick-or-treaters.
Pumpkin carving isn’t the only way the Kennel gets into the Halloween spirit. As the days get shorter and the couch calls out a little louder, the Dogs settle in for some seasonal gaming. Whether you’re after cozy fall vibes or games that’ll keep you up at night, we’ve rounded up a few favorites to get you in the spirit.
Bloodborne, FromSoftware
Francisco Lujan, Associate Tester
Bloodborne’s gothic vibes make it a great match for the spooky season. Although Bloodborne is consistently horrific throughout, the boss fight with Rom the Vacuous Spider always gives me chills. Folks with arachnophobia, beware…
CONTROL Resonant, Remedy Entertainment
Enrique Munoz, Lighting Artist
The story and themes in CONTROL Resonant go so deep. Battling interdimensional demons across Manhattan while navigating a dense story of sibling love and lost time is second to none. This game leans into the supernatural with incredible moments like traversing through the three-dimensional backrooms type maze while “Another World" plays in the background. Truly a magical moment that makes it a great fit for this time of year.
Costume Quest, Double Fine Productions
Matthew Gallant, Game Director
Costume Quest truly captures the feeling of going trick-or-treating as a kid. You play as twins Wren and Reynold, who discover that monster Grubbins are running loose under the cover of Halloween, collecting candy for nefarious purposes. The kids wander the neighborhood and act out their costumes in combat, transforming into robots and knights for turn-based battles. Every house you visit gives a treat (candy!) or a trick (a Grubbin battle!); I appreciate the little detail of them turning off the porch light after you complete each house. Costume Quest is so charming and clever, I love to revisit it around Halloween.
The Dark Pictures Anthology: Man of Medan, Supermassive Games
Alexis Boyle, Associate Game Designer
Ghosts, paranoia, haunted locations, and deadly quick-time events... What more could you ask for? All of that AND the chance to pass the controller couch co-op style with friends while you all stress munch on delicious snacks! It’s a fantastic spooky game experience to share with friends - the choices and outcomes change every game to keep replays fresh.
Disney Dreamlight Valley, Gameloft
Tina Campasano, Associate Tester
Disney’s Dreamlight Valley offers some of the prettiest Halloween decor around, and since I have limited space in my apartment, I like to extend my decoration efforts into the virtual world. I am also very easily scared - I fall for every jump scare. I am not cut out for horror Halloween, so a cozy cute Halloween in Dreamlight Valley is the perfect way to spend the season for me.
Doom 3, ID Software
Zachary Sewell, Game Designer
One of my go-to Halloween games is Doom 3. I love its atmosphere. Doom 3 moves away from the traditional fast-paced, first-person shooter vibes the franchise is known for and instead dives into slower-paced, horror-shooter themes set in a series of linear levels. I absolutely adore the level design and the level of detail ID added utilizing limited tech. And there’s an interesting blend of traditional jump scares and psychological horror.
Dredge, Black Salt Games
Atty McLellan, Personal Assistant
Dredge is the right blend of Oceanic, Eldritch Horror and coziness that I love around this time of year! It has such amazing stories, and some of the scares have made my heart drop into my butt! Also, the artwork is mesmerizing!
Fortnite, Epic Games
Claude Gastelum, Tester
Fortnitemares always gets me into the Halloween spirit. Each year’s seasonal event offers something new! All the unique Halloween items available this time of year are so fun to use. I love the Scream-themed Last Call item, and the new Freddy's Nightmare Mythic weapon is a blast to use against your opponents. Epic also adds wonderfully detailed Halloween-themed points of interest. I adore the way they look, and Nitemare Island in the Reload mode is one of my favorite maps ever.
Inside, PlayDead
Ben Dahl, Sound Designer
Inside is my go-to Halloween game because it is dark, atmospheric, unsettling, and brilliant. I appreciate the way it builds tension and makes the ordinary feel sinister, without relying on jump scares. A favorite example is the underwater sequence: PlayDead created the feeling something is following you without the player knowing what will happen…
Night in the Woods, Infinite Fall
Robert Rappoport, Senior Game Designer
Night in the Woods offers a beautiful story about endings and beginnings. A goofy, spooky, emotional journey through a weird autumn where everything is broken and nothing is as it seems. An ideal match for the season.
The Witcher III: Wild Hunt, CD Projekt Red
Corey Spanner, Operations Coordinator
There's no better mix of vibes, music, and fall foliage than in The Witcher III: Wild Hunt. Sometimes I just let the music play and pretend I live where it’s cold this time of year. All you have to do is load in and you’ll see how well the game captures that feeling - the soft breeze, the vibrant sunset, the dancing leaves. There’s nothing quite like spending this time of year riding Roach through the countryside, finding a pub, and playing some Gwent.