If you're about to create your own horror or you're just wondering what make a horror game, here's some of the basics of what can make a good survival horror. From what you dislike about that creepy child to why does that look like a necromorph, this is 5 ingredients for making a good survival horror.
5. Distortion
When you play a simple horror like Condemned or Amnesia, you can see things as misleading, that stack of books looked like a monster, the lamp's shadow looked like something ominous. It's like a trick jumpscare. If you didn't know, all horror flix and games have this ingredient.
4. False Innocence
In many games, children, one of the most unexpecting killer, can be the most fearsome and creepiest ghost/monster. But that's just a small example of what can be unexpecting. Mannequins are one that can snatch you when you're not looking, doctors are a man's worst surgeon in a haunted hospital and even toys such as dolls can be offensive. Anything that can that can't be seen as a creepy entity, is most likely to be put in a horror conflict.
3. Loneliness
One of the main keys to a horror is to feel alone. Loneliness is a feeling that can trend fear on the bravest man when exposed to such horrors in games.
Games like Condemned, F.E.A.R., or even Resident Evil have this to make you feel outnumbered or without anyone to help you accomplish escaping the hell hole you fell in. Sometimes it makes you question if you're still alive or if this is just all in your character's mind.
2. Powerless
One thing you don't want to be in a fight is being powerless, no weapons, no protection, or the monster chasing you is just plain unkillable! This factor is one of the most utilized concepts in horror games. The feeling that you have when you have to run instead of protect yourself is more terrifying experience than meeting the monster!
Games like Dead Space or Alien Isolation has this as you were trained to fight the huge monster after everything you had weaponized or can be used as a weapon was taken from you or just plain useless against him.
1. The Drive
In every horror, there is some kind of drive you need to keep playing; to survive from the horde to live longer, find your wife and escape the city, find out what and why you're here, there just has to be something to keep you from leaving the game on your backlog.
Games like Soma or Amnesia had you asking why were you there and how the hell did you get there? There has to be something to keep you playing. From why is the monster here, to where is my family could be great combinations to create a survival horror.
Did I miss anything? What makes your skin crawl in horror games? Well, I hope it's not about FNaF, because that game makes me angry!
'Til next time...
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