You’ve Never Played Anything Like This—and That’s Why Clive Barker’s Jericho Still Haunts Us
Back in 2007, Clive Barker’s Jericho landed on shelves as a squad-based horror FPS dripping with nightmare fuel—and it did so largely unnoticed. Fast forward to today, and it’s become a cult legend for horror gamers who crave something stranger, bloodier, and mythologically heavier than the average corridor shooter.
This forgotten 2007 horror FPS squad game was pitched as a twisted answer to military shooters and survival horror—a team of cursed soldiers with psychic powers hunting down evil across time. From Sumerian gods to Crusade-era demons to World War II abominations, Jericho pulled no punches. It wasn’t just gunfire and gore—it was psychic blood magic, possessions, and the Firstborn, a god-like being deemed too dangerous even for Heaven.
Clive Barker’s Horror Game Lore Explained
At its core, Jericho is a spiritual dungeon dive. The Jericho Squad—each member wielding unique supernatural powers—must descend into the cursed city of Al-Khali, a place that exists outside time. Every level slices into a different historical period, from ancient Sumeria to the Roman Empire to Nazi-occupied bunkers, all stitched together by a god-devouring mythos straight out of Clive Barker’s wildest notebooks.
Jericho Squad Powers: Psychic Blood Magic, Delgado, and Church
The gameplay stood out for its genre-bending mechanics. Players could jump between characters like Delgado, who wields a flame demon bound to his soul, and Church, a blade-wielding priestess who must cut herself to cast spells. Rawlings could resurrect allies, and Cole could slow time. Every mechanic fed into Barker’s themes of martyrdom, corruption, and divine punishment. It was as much a paranormal strategy puzzle as a shooter.
Reception and Controversy (or Lack Thereof)
Jericho received mixed reviews upon release. Critics praised the concept and worldbuilding but criticized the repetitive combat and sometimes-clunky controls. However, it avoided major controversy despite being packed with religious violence, gore, and occult imagery. Why? It flew under the radar—releasing alongside Call of Duty 4 and The Orange Box, it was doomed to be forgotten before it ever had a chance to be embraced.
The game’s boldness may have been its undoing. There were rumors of a sequel—but that Clive Barker Jericho sequel was cancelled before it left pre-production, leaving fans with a single nightmarish entry in a franchise that could’ve been gaming’s Hellraiser.
Legacy: Why Jericho Still Haunts Horror Gamers
Despite its flaws, Clive Barker’s Jericho has endured. It’s a title that tried to do everything differently: squad-based gameplay in a single-player horror, seamless character switching, and a heavy emphasis on myth rather than jump scares. Most modern horror games stick to what’s safe. Jericho dove headfirst into insanity, bloodletting, and biblical terror.
It didn’t ask if God was real—it asked what He did with His first mistake. And that’s why Jericho still haunts us.
