What do you think makes a horror game WORK?

[BenJepheneT]

In all honesty, horror always baffles me in how it works. Take a "horror game" like Resident Evil 5. Savage, virus-ridden villagers clamouring to stab you in the back may sound frightening in concept but once you play it it's really just a run-of-the-mill Japanese KUHRAYZEE action game with SOME horror elements to it. (Provided you're not playing co-op, then the whole game just becomes a lolcow)

But then you have games like Metro 2033, which genuinely scares me at times, with it's dark twisted tunnels and janky ass shooting mechanics. It's not even the monsters that scare me. That level where you have to inflitrate a militia to get to somewhere else scares me more than your normal indie SCREAMING AAAAAAAAAAAAAAA game.

So to spare you my train of thought, here's my conclusion: first of all, disempowerment.

I'm not talking disempowerment as a core mechanic. Like pic related, disempowerment only gets you so far when done multiple times. I'm talking more about disempowerment as a core theme.

Say you're put in an home invasion. What's more scary? Arming yourself with blunt weaponry and hiding in the dark closet, clutching your hammer in fear, waiting for that right apt moment to smash and dash? Or being quadriplegic in a wheelchair with nowhere to go but to wait for someone to jump on you going ABOOGABOOLOO.

Point is, horror works best when you're severely overwhelmed but at the same time, you're given just the right tools and situational advantage to at least get yourself out of there.

Case in point, Alien: Isolation. Right from the get go you're in a ship with a map and a general sense of idea on where to hide or go. Late into the game you're given tools like a gun or a flamethrower to help you navigate through the ship to GTFO. Yet, you can't defeat the big scary alien with those weapons; you can merely wound it and skadoodle right after. That, is my definition of disempowerment: giving you the right tools not to defeat the threat but to evade it.

Same thing goes to that one level from Metro 2033. You can't defeat the giant turrets sitting on the side of the platform. You technically can, but unless you're an FPS god or a dedicated speedrunner, you're most likely left rushing into the dark down below the current platform with nothing but a few bullets and a dying flashlight. You can't beat em, but you're given tools to evade them.

The feeling of barely making it within a hair's thread. THAT'S what makes it scary.

But going from that term, that would mean FNAF is one of the best of the horror genre, right? You're given doors and a camera. You can't fight the furry fucks but you can "evade" them, right? So why does it get so boring after Night 3?

Here comes my next point: variety.

Having the same spook multiple times doesn't fuck with you. Amnesia: TDD was great on the first 3 hours. That is until the 30th slack jawed oogey-boogey comes for you again and you're forced to, once again, run around without a light. It's a great mechanic, along with the sanity meter, but it's just about the same with every encounter. See monster > put down light > hide until scary boo boo walks away >repeat.

Even pic related, which still holds the top spot in my horror list, falls short in this regard. At first, it was a breath of fresh air. You're given the option to run, hide, wait it out, or simply gun it into the dark, with or without the NV light. Options and routes to take. Then after that, simply finding a closet to hide becomes a fucking chore. It's just a change of scenery and people that fucks with you. It's nothing. The only thing that got me hooked since then is the story, which is highly debatable and very opinionated from my POV, but my point on its gameplay still stands.

Again, Alien: Isolation does this well. Even if you're constantly challenged by the Xenomorph in the same environment, you're given ever changing objectives and tools to help you navigate the ship. Back then you could only scoot into lockers, but now you can burst out the shotgun, get a lucky shot in and skadoodle to another direction. You're never in the advantage, but you're constantly switching positions in which you gain your salvation, making the gameplay engaging WHILST maintaining the scare.

Resident Evil 7 ALSO did this well. Your arsenal is constant up until the ballroom where you get your shotgun, but they spice it up with the monster variety. Every boss encounter is different (up until Lucas, which is starting to wear off), and the location, though still grounded within the house, relatively freshens up with every scenario.

And since I don't have a good segue into the third point, I'm just gonna wing it with Resident Evil 4 as my main topic: jank/clunky controls.

I'm not talking about BAD controls. If your horror games STILL aim like the og RE from the 1990s, it doesn't scare, it frustrates. I'm talking about heavy, hard controls like tank movement, or manual inventory management, or just heavy aiming in general.

Going out of left bound here, I'm gonna reference the new Modern Warfare here: the mission Hometown. You're basically playing as a young girl trying to escape a military invasion with your brother: you can't aim for shit and you can barely even reload. You move slow and trip all over the fucken place. In short, you're a trembling little pussy, and the game acknowledges it. It places its enemy sporadically, usually in duos or solo whenever you're given the chance to cap 'em. Unlike the usual soldiers, you die in a single hit, which makes every shot count. The sensation of having the inability to risk even ONE SHOT is terrifying, in of itself. Even cocking a new round in a revolver takes at least a second, and trying to land the second shot while your sight wiggles like Parkinson's is some of the most tension-ridden experiences I've seen in recent gaming.

Resident Evil 4 even manages to do this while being a somewhat action-romp. Hell, they even manage to do the holy trinity whilst having a usable RPG in their horror game. Enemies rarely go down in one hit, and any one hit kill game usually have sparse ammo (Broken Butterfly, for example). Every shot MUST count, or you're forced to hold spacebar to fight the fuckers. Enemies anyways switch up, when villagers get old, you get chanting cultists. When THEY get old, they throw you fucken BEES. And the tank control and slow reload is JUST right, along with the enemies, which rarely exceeds 15 at a time ('cept for that house with Luis, but that is a controlled environment) Even if they reach double digits, it's always in a huge arena with space to run and corner and gun.

My conclusion is that horror can work well, given that you have the ability to evade the monster in varying scenarios, barely wrangling the controls that just doesn't seem to want to cooperate.

Things like art direction and setting CAN make a difference, but given the example from Modern Warfare where horror can be achieved even in broad daylight among war-torn Iraq, it shows that mechanics and engagement truly is king.

So yeah, there goes my rambling of the week. I'm happy to invite the hundred replies that will surely prove me wrong with examples, since my gaming takes are prone to miss.

 

[Deleted member 29316]

What can you say about the game Amnesia?

Edit: I didn't see you already talked about it.

 

[Deleted member 29316]

Have you played FEAR? That one is a hell of an experience for me when I was starting as a gamer.

 

[Joyeuse]

I just came to say I pretty much agree with everything you said, funny enough, although for RE4 it kind of only applies to the first playthrough(since afterwards you can get some weapons with infinite ammo), and screw button mashing quicktime events (I loved some other quick time events tho, like when facing the right hand), sort of wish there were more games with the same camera and aiming system as RE4, it actually felt comfortable to me

 

[BenJepheneT]

Have you played FEAR? That one is a hell of an experience for me when I was starting as a gamer.

FEAR was less of a horror game but more of a survival first person RTS for me. The horror kinda went away when you understand how to cheese the mechanics and by the end of it you ARE the horror, hunting down the last of the hit squad with a fucken SPAS12.

I just came to say I pretty much agree with everything you said, funny enough, although for RE4 it kind of only applies to the first playthrough(since afterwards you can get some weapons with infinite ammo), and screw button mashing quicktime events (I loved some other quick time events tho, like when facing the right hand), sort of wish there were more games with the same camera and aiming system as RE4, it actually felt comfortable to me

my first death was actually the boulder.

fuck the castle sewer bugs tbh

 

[NotaNuffian]

Never really played any of the horror genre except RE:6 where I tried to fill every body I found with lead but they still ended up a zombie, but I do like some of their gore arts... I kinda just think most horror games hinges on jump scares, scary music and some level of disempowerment, like most horror films that I ended up watching because I need to get my weak heart more chance of a cardiac arrest. I think I love the Shutter the most because of the revelation, like who is actually the real monster.

 

[YuriDoggo]

Cant believe you never even touched upon shitty jump scares. Is this even a discussion about horror without shitting on some of their overreliance on jump scares?

 

[BenJepheneT]

I think I love the Shutter the most because of the revelation, like who is actually the real monster.

I can respect the effort to bring deep character studies to a plot but holy shit that "muh inner demon" troupe is so overdone and used it's almost like someone's mother I know.

Cant believe you never even touched upon shitty jump scares. Is this even a discussion about horror without shitting on some of their overreliance on jump scares?

Scratch that, THIS troupe is someone's mother I know.

 

[OvidLemma]

I generally agree with your analysis, though I'd frame it a bit differently: good horror teeters on the razor's edge of control, fluctuating between an uneasy feeling of control (e.g. getting the tools/info to deal with a monster that was previously unbeatable) before plunging into uncertainty, where you lack either the information or power to deal with a new threat. And the nature of the threat is important, too. The threat of being quickly killed is very bad, but not really horrific - it's the threat of a permanent loss of control, whether that's torture/mutilation, insanity, body horror, monster transformation, etc. that usually does it. And a successful horror story or game has to be able to dangle escape/victory in front of you but keep it out of reach for salient, story-driven reasons. Thus, our fear is the ultimate loss of control, we can feel that ultimate defeat fast on our heels and must escape it, and our goal is to permanently remove what cannot be known or controlled before it destroys us.

 

[TheOneWho]

WHAT I HATE ABOUT HORROR NOWADAYS IS THE JUMP SCARE.
That's not horror, horror is the dread. The unease, the constant feeling that you need to watch your back. Horror, true horror isn't just a cheap surprise. Its the constant gnawing feeling that you feel at the back of your mind, telling you something isn't right, but no matter how hard you look. There isn't anything wrong. Horror is constant and hidden. Not sudden and temporary.

 

[TheOneWho]

WHAT I HATE ABOUT HORROR NOWADAYS IS THE JUMP SCARE.
That's not horror, horror is the dread. The unease, the constant feeling that you need to watch your back. Horror, true horror isn't just a cheap surprise. Its the constant gnawing feeling that you feel at the back of your mind, telling you something isn't right, but no matter how hard you look. There isn't anything wrong. Horror is constant and hidden. Not sudden and temporary.

But maybe I'm not the best person to talk about horror, I'm not really the brave or do that well with the horror genre. So take what I say with a grain of salt.

 

[SailusGebel]

I think that the thing that makes horror in games work is the atmosphere. And how well it's done. You can be a death machine in-game most of the time, but when you get thrown into an oppressive location, where you can't do a thing, the contrast strikes you hard. The games that come into mind are Bloodborne, Stalker. I heard about certain locations in games that made them scarier than a horror game. Thief one of the old ones and Vampire the Masquerade had that kind of location. Also, Ravenholm from Half-Life 2.

When game designers using not only the basic fear but start adding something new. Like claustrophobia, fear of the unknown, fear of being rejected by your relatives, powerlessness to help other people and change their fate to a better one. Even without the jump scares, and music, just the ambient makes you depressed and horrified. Something like Arx Fatalis, or maybe Dark Souls. Legacy of Kain Blood Omen 2 was something like this. Even though you are a badass vampire, it's hard to play it because of how dark it is.

 

[Joyeuse]

But maybe I'm not the best person to talk about horror, I'm not really the brave or do that well with the horror genre. So take what I say with a grain of salt.

No I believe we all agree that poorly used jumpscares are bad, ideally you want to inspire dread on the player, make them feel vulnerable but still giving them hope, jumpscares can be fun though, if used correctly they can reinforce the feeling of dread or serve as an entrance to an adrenaline heavy situation, or both

 

[mostlyharmfulll]

Good analysis.
I would disagree that FNAF is getting boring after night three. It works more like a placebo: If you believe it is scary, then it is scary. If you believe it is not scary, then it is not scary.
My personal favorites in horror games are Dead Space 1 + 2 (which do a very good job of creating tension while still giving you the ability to fight and also manage to use jump scares that work and an awesome atmosphere) and Silent Hill (which mostly have intriguing psychological stories to add to the usual horror). Silent Hill Shattered Memories really nails down the "Can't fight but only run away" terror you mentioned.
And then there are games like Dark Deception or Slender, which really run on the "Always surviving by a hair's thread" stuff you also mentioned. I really dig Dark Deception because each level is a completely new world with new look while still retaining the same formular and giving the players new abilities to mix things up. One of the best newer horro games IMO.

 

[LordAstrea]

Yeah I would agree with the bulk of this.
For me, I liked Metro 2033 because of the bits of relief in between they would give you at the stations. It was a safe haven, but at the same time you needed to prepare for the unknown with your currency. Do I buy something with my military-grade ammo, or save it since they do more damage? Do I use it for more crappy bullets or gear to help with my survival? Reaching the surface was always a joy to see the environment, but I also dreaded what might be lurking and keeping an eye on my filters. I agree, the awareness of threats mixed with the unknown and what might inevitably happen was a splendid mix.
I also love Dead Space 1 and 2. On higher difficulties the ammo was scarce and the idea of shooting body parts instead of the head was refreshing. You'd blow off a leg and the damn thing would start crawling on the ground towards you. You'd pass a vent and think, "Dammit, I just know one of those things is gonna burst out of there when I pass back through." The dementia on 2 also added a whole new element, and on your first playthrough you wonder what is real and what is all in your head.
Horror is perfect for me when I have an idea what to expect, yet I am still desperately planning, shining my flashlight in every dark corner and forgetting things that I would normal take into a consideration in other games because I am more calm and collected. And just another thing to say about Dead Space 1 and 2 -- more than just talks of setting, graphics, monster design, controls and the scares -- the sound! Oh my god the sounds in that game are absolutely incredible!

 

[Stratothrax]

A small budget and a small team. Big budget stuff almost always falls on its face because of feature creep and a desire to put all that money and manpower to work making something epic- epic is not scary.

 

[BenJepheneT]

No I believe we all agree that poorly used jumpscares are bad, ideally you want to inspire dread on the player, make them feel vulnerable but still giving them hope, jumpscares can be fun though, if used correctly they can reinforce the feeling of dread or serve as an entrance to an adrenaline heavy situation, or both

Cry of Fear does this good. Jump scares come every 5 minutes or so, but not in a way that wrangles your screen and takes away your control going OGAABAGOOLOO. You can still shoot the threat and kill it. They set it up in a way where YOU KNOW that there's a jumpscare coming, but just that you don't know when, thus putting you on edge for most of the game's duration.

God, did I mention the whole damn game is FREE?

A small budget and a small team. Big budget stuff almost always falls on its face because of feature creep and a desire to put all that money and manpower to work making something epic- epic is not scary.

Yeah, I can slightly agree on that, but more on a statistical standpoint than an objective standpoint. Dead Space 3 is a clear example, but might I add that indie games does this as well. Frictional games tried it with that new Amnesia: Rebirth game they made and holy shit the story is a pile of steaming ballsack hacked to pieces.

 

[TheTrinary]

My big thing with horror in any genre is that it needs to keep the reader in the dark. There needs to be solid rules what the scary things can and can't do, but as soon the reader/watcher is 100% certain what those rules are, then it's not really scary anymore.

 

[OneRanter]

So to spare you my train of thought, here's my conclusion: first of all, disempowerment.

Here comes my next point: variety.

My conclusion is that horror can work well, given that you have the ability to evade the monster in varying scenarios, barely wrangling the controls that just doesn't seem to want to cooperate.

That's only true to a limited degree. Both disempowerment and variety need immersion/investment to work. Only when you manage to pull the user into your world, you will be able to scare the shit out of it.

Take for example the first Slenderman where you have a lot of disempowerment but your jumpscares happen always in the same form i.e. it has not variety at all. The game does the job amazigly well despite using the same mechanics over an over because of how immersive it is, pulling the user inside the world with subtle changes in the backgorund music, ambiance sounds, and A.I. behaviour with each page you get.

On the flipside, you can still get away with it and freak out the user without relying on jumpscares at all. For example, you can see Ib here. In Ib, the game aims to dread out the player by making it invested into the characters, world, and story. It is true that in the game you get to experience a certain degree of disempowerment. this in the sense that you, as a player, can make choices with have consequences that alter the story/ending you get.

But it only works so well because, beyond disempowerment, it is the investment of the player into each character and their struggles what ends up being horrifying.

At least, that is what I feel about the genre in videogames. I think that if you go only for disempowerment and variety at most you will get a low quality jumpscare game. For it to be truly great game you need to pull the player into the world in order to make it experience your disempowerment and variety to the fullest.

 

[Leti]

What make you afraid the most? The darkness under your bed, or the monster? People won't always share the same answer with you. Regardless, a decent horror game will try to invoke that feeling out of you by any means possible. But without immersion, there is nothing.

Horror works best when it leaves a lasting impression to the player. It's the thing that makes people unable to sleep wondering if what happened in the game can happen to you.