February will almost certainly improve on a mildly disappointing January that saw only two major releases and two failed crowdfunding attempts from the makers of Sylvio 2 and DARQ. There’s more promising games coming our way over the next few weeks, and they’re joined by the ongoing crowdfunding efforts for Ghost Theory and Visage.

Calendula

Fans of psychological horror games will want to have a look at Calendula, if only to understand what it means when its developer says it “begins as a usual game… until it is not anymore.” With an “obscure” atmosphere and a meta-narrative set inside a “labyrinth of metaphors and abstractions,” Calendula toys with the fourth wall as often as it does conventional game design.

Or, at least I think that’s what I read on its Steam page.

Release Date: February 2 (PC)

Resident Evil 4: Wii Edition

The best, or second best, Resident Evil is headed to the Wii U!

Release Date: February 4 (Wii U)

Dying Light: The Following

Techland is going all out with Dying Light: The Following, which will be the largest expansion the game has seen since it released a little more than a year ago. The expansive map it brings will take advantage of the new dune buggies, and with a story campaign that involves a mysterious cult and potential cure for the plague that’s swept Harran, this DLC has the opportunity to improve on the base game’s disappointing narrative.

The Following is included in the game’s $30 season pass, or for $20 as an individual purchase.

Release Date: February 9 (PC, PS4, XBO)

Dying Light Enhanced Edition

Dying Light will soon return with an Enhanced Edition that bundles all of the game’s DLC, including The Following, with a free “enhancement” update that’s mostly comprised of endgame content like bounties, meta-levels, and a Nightmare difficulty mode.

Release Date: February 9 (PC, PS4, XBO)

Pesadelo – Regressão

Pesadelo is a frightening indie horror game that immediately fell off my radar after I spent some time with it a few years back. This made the news of a story-expanding sequel a welcome surprise, especially since I honestly think the first game had a story. Set in a monster-infested cemetery, a church bereft of salvation and “the school where everything began” Pesadelo – Regressão promises to deliver another frightening gaming experience when it hits Steam later this month.

Release Date: February 11 (PC)

Layers of Fear

Of the handful of unexpectedly brilliant horror games that managed to sneak up on me last year (Bulb Boy, Albino Lullaby), it was the surreal psychological horror game Layers of Fear that still lingers with me. The game’s been simmering on Steam Early Access and the Xbox One equivalent while Bloober Team slaps on another coat of polish. When they wrap that up, Layers of Fear will get a full release on Steam and consoles, with Aspyr Media handling the latter.

Release Date: February 16 (PC, PS4, XBO)

The Walking Dead: Michonne

Telltale’s acclaimed episodic series is returning in a big way this year, starting with the three-part mini-series The Walking Dead: Michonne that’ll make sure we’re adequately prepared to reunite with Clem for a third helping of their emotionally draining episodic series.

Release Date: February 23 (PC, PS3, PS4, 360, XBO)

The Town of Light

The horrors that reside in The Town of Light aren’t comprised of serial killers, zombies, or monsters. Developer LKA is looking elsewhere for its emotionally devastating tale of Renée, a 16 year-old girl whose life is effectively stolen from her when she’s committed to an asylum.

The game is set in 1938 Italy, when a limited understanding of mental illnesses had much of the world employing decidedly medieval methods to cure them. If LKA can make something special out of such a promising concept, I’ll absolutely be grabbing this when it releases on Steam.

Release Date: February 26 (PC, XBO)

Visage / Ghost Theory

Kickstarter is hosting two very promising supernatural horror games that are vying for your cash monies right now, so let’s start with the one that’s ending this month. In Ghost Theory, the paranormal activity you’ll investigate as a ghost hunter gifted with clairvoyant abilities and an arsenal of gadgets will be taken from real haunting grounds.

If that sounds like your sort of thing, its Kickstarter campaign will need your help if its going to have any hope of reaching its ambitious $141,439 funding goal.

The P.T.-inspired psychological horror game Visage also has a long way to go in its crowdfunding efforts, but with a considerably lower target of $24,550 and more than a month left to get there, I won’t start worrying about it for a few more weeks.