FM Recs about cosy becoming scary - eg crossing the barricades to the sealed section!

hi_bjam on 18/9/2025 at 14:28

Hey lovely y'all.
One of my favourite FMs ever is the fifth mission of the Black Parade, The Brand, Which involves you chilling in the safety of the city before crossing the wall into the scary, plagued, sealed sector!
What I particularly love about it is the contrast of those colours from the calm & safe to the scary & forbidden.
I felt the same when playing the dark mod FM Iris (Also about crossing the barricade)!

So I thought to reach out to request any other FM recommendations that either feature:
(a) exactly this theme or
(b) feature the vibe of going to the cozy to the forbidden/ tense/ scary.

Thank you in advance <3

marbleman on 18/9/2025 at 16:01

Play Unbidden Guest, it features a similar progression. Eclipsed also features a comfy setting becoming scary, but in a different way.

downwinder on 18/9/2025 at 16:05

there was a contest a bit ago where there are missions just like that, i think it was the TMA 20th Anniversary Contest that had the missions you looking for

one even has me the southern savage those are the set of missions you want

nanao. on 19/9/2025 at 14:18

For variations of exact this same theme also: Dark Messiah, Rocksbourg 2
For nice contrasts between the high heavens* and deepest pits in general + top added aesthetic value (also one of the best FMs ever): Into the Odd

*plays at daytime

hi_bjam on 23/9/2025 at 23:08

thanks so much y'all! Generous answers :)

michael a on 24/9/2025 at 05:27

In 2nd mission of Scarlet Cascabel there is big manor-hotel with one part of it being abandoned and quite scary - marking stark contrast with main part which is comfy and dark. Not entirely sure but also perhaps Lost Among the Forsaken (from the author of Rocksbourg and iirc Brand) - it has opening sections set in human-populated regions of the City bordering with Old Quarter and then turns into huge zombie-infested sealed section.

The Rose Garden approaches similar theme differently. It doesn't have such a rigid territorial division between human-populated territory and the territory of the undead, but its approach is more… multifaceted. Firstly, there are more sinister locations. Secondly, although the entire action takes place in the "human" part of the city, depending on the plot and certain player actions, new NPCs may appear in the mission, which can significantly complicate the game's progress and greatly influence the atmosphere of the game.

lordhern on 24/9/2025 at 09:44

The Black Frog campaign has some nice contrast between missions, it's not normal to mayhem in a single mission, but in later levels. highly recommended.