The Worst Places In Gaming To Go Trick-Or-Treating

Written for and originally published by Forces Of Geek on 27th October 2017. I love Halloween, it's my favourite event/holiday!  

Let’s face it, if any of us lived in a video game world we’d be regular folk, just your run-of-the-mill boring NPC. The only excitement in our lives (unless the protagonist crosses our path) would be special events or holidays. 

My favourite of which is Halloween, so it got me thinking, what would it be like to go trick-or-treating in one of the various video game worlds? 

The idea of an in-game Halloween sounds amazing on surface level but when you realise that the majority of game worlds are fraught with enemies, obstacles and a severe lack of sugar inducing treats, suddenly the idea loses appeal.  

I’ve come up with the worst places to go trick-or-treating in gaming, some of which might surprise you. 

Literally anywhere in Silent Hill (Silent Hill)

It might be the season of spookiness but don’t be tempted to go anywhere in Silent Hill at any time of year. It’s a place where your own demons physically manifest themselves and reality is constantly changing. 

If the fog causing you to lose your way isn’t a large enough deterrent for you, all manner of monstrous creatures should be. That said, dressing up as one of them might just save you. Though, don’t expect to find any candy here. 

Mushroom Kingdom (Super Mario Bros.)

There’s a very high chance that any candy you’re looking for will be in another castle and you could spend countless hours going door to door for naught. Even if you do find a treat, forget your fantasy of a diabetes inducing bounty. 

At best, someone might give you a mushroom but personally I’d be wary of accepting brightly coloured mushrooms from strangers. 

Spencer Mansion (Resident Evil)

Located several miles outside of Raccoon City (another place, I’d heartily avoid), you might be tricked into thinking whoever lives here must have a lot of money. More money means they probably spent more on Halloween candy. 

Except, the inhabitants of this mansion are undead and want to eat your brains just as much as you want to stuff your face with expensive sugary treats. Not only that, but they own some nasty looking zombie dogs and we all know that houses with pets are reserved for the bravest trick-or-treaters.

Dracula’s Castle (Castlevania)

While Dracula’s home is ideal for multiple Halloween balls and soirees (you wouldn’t even need to decorate it) it’s also his home. You know, Dracula as in the Dracula, the count, the king of the undead, Mr De Ville himself, whatever alias you know him by, he lives here. 

If anything, when you come knocking on his door, it’s more likely you who’ll end up as a treat for vampires. You can’t always rely on the Belmont family or Alucard to fend them off.

Castle Wolfenstein (Castle Wolfenstein)

Once more, you might be forgiven for assuming someone who lives in a castle lives a life of luxury, purchasing only the finest, sweet delicacies but Castle Wolfenstein is not that kind of abode. Knock on this door and you’ll be met by countless SS officers and Nazi’s who as we all know, are intrinsically evil. 

Wait, the genuinely scary thing is that if the current political climate is anything to go by, there’s an actual chance you might knock on a Nazi’s door this Halloween.  

Maze (Pac-Man)

Sure, the ghosts are being chased off by Pac-Man making it probably one of the safest places to collect candy so far on this list but the only sweet treats here are in the form of fruit. It’s a great healthy option, sure but the whole point of Halloween is to indulge in an alarming amount of sugar, I defy you to find me any child who believes otherwise. 

Then again, no-one knows what those little white pellets taste like I guess? You could in fact have hit the jackpot if they turn out to be candied! Then again, you risk eating unknown pellets that look like pills. Probably best to be avoided.

Skyrim (the Elder Scrolls series)

Traversing Skyrim or any of the provinces of Tamriel in search of candy on All Hallow’s Eve may prove perilous, especially given there are dragons, giant spiders and evil cultists ready to strike at any time. 

However, if the lure of sweet rolls entices you to face these dangers, there’s only one other problem. With literal witches, wizards and lizard people existing here, what on Earth do you even dress up as? 

Candy Town (Candy Crush Saga)

Jelly sweets, striped candies, liquorice, chocolate and colourful wrappers everywhere, it might feel like you’ve found trick-or-treat nirvana. But beware, this place is nothing but a farce, a place where the promise of candy is all that exists (a bit like a metaphor for the game itself). Any time you try to take candy, you need to match three of a kind. 

And while you might think 3-for-1 is a great offer when you eventually match candies…they disintegrate. It’s the ultimate trick at your expense, surrounded by all of the sweets and yet unable to attain any. It would be a waking nightmare.

So that’s my list, what do you think? Let us know in the comments section if there are any other places you think deserve to be mentioned.

Whether you only change your PSN or Xbox handle to something spooky, dress up, binge on scary movies or just like pretend no-one is home when the doorbell rings I wish you all a Happy Halloween!