How best to scare someone...

Hey all!

With it being Halloween, I figured I’d take a little time to talk about horror games, my own personal take on what is and isn’t scary and some of the games I’d recommend to you if you too like to get yourself scared.

The Horror genre is easily one of my favourite genres of the gaming industry and has been for a long time now. I think that the first game that I played that could be described as a horror game was Resident Evil 2. Being only twelve at the time, I very much enjoyed the scares that the game provided. However, in recent years, having played various other games that use a similar format (Silent Hill, Dino Crisis, Alone in the Dark, etc.), it’s rather easy to just ignore the ‘jump’ scares that these games provide.

Of course, a scare that makes you jump, used in both movies and games alike, is a staple of the horror genre, has been for many years and will likely continue to be so many years to come. However, while these moments are scary, it hard to say that they instil a sense of fear from the game or movie. True fear and terror is something that’s hard to show in a movie, but the interactive media of games allows for a certain amount of it to trickle through the screen and into your mind, if done correctly.

So let’s think about what you really need, or don’t need as the case may be, to feel afraid. Well, firstly and most obviously you need a situation where you’re in some form of danger. The great thing about this point is that it’s something fairly easy to arrange. Most horror games are good at generating a setting where you’re trapped, alone and isolated. The idea that you’re totally alone, without the safety net of modern society to support you, is enough to make people worry and even panic. Even in real life situations this is true, especially so, because as a species we’re a social animal. Cabin Fever is a well-documented problem for people who become isolated for extended periods of time. So the first things you need to generate fear is a lonely, isolated location where you know that help won’t come. Secondly, and some would say most importantly, is something that hunts you. The idea that you’re totally alone is one thing, but the idea that you’re alone and that something is chasing after you is totally different. It taps into a primal part of the brain and generates a kind of fear that is rarely felt in today’s day and age.

Of course, the knowledge that ‘it’s only a game’ will always temper this fear. You don’t need to really worry about being killed if you can just reload an auto-save. And there’s other things that horror games do that can lower the fear value, the most common of which being the inclusion of weapons. A lot of horror games these days have weapons included (F.E.A.R., Resident Evil, Dead Space, etc.) and while it can be fun to wield a variety of weapons against your enemies, the knowledge that no matter what shows up you can deal with also dilutes the feeling of fear. Of course, because these kind of games often impose a limited amount of ammo in these games, that does make things more tense, constantly having to search out for every bullet you can find, hence why some games are called Survival Horror, rather than just outright Horror.

So really, what does Horror come down to? Well, different people react differently to different situations, so nailing down exactly how to make everyone afraid is very tricky, but for those of you out there who are thinking about making a horror game, always remember this basic rule: ‘Less is more.’ The less characters that you can interact with, the more isolated you feel. The less ways you have to defend yourself, the more frightening the monsters become. The less you see of a monster, the more you worry about when it will next show up.

Finally, I’m going to list a few games here that I enjoy playing in the Horror genre and listing why I think they’re scary, or not, as the case may be.

Alan Wake
I’ve already talked about this game before, but I’ll briefly say that while I don’t think that this game is outright scary, it does have a very good atmosphere, built up by an intriguing story, which helps to build a certain amount of tension regarding the events as they unfold.

Amnesia: The Dark Decent
The second game developed by Frictional games, who are a favourite company of mine, this is easily one of the scariest games you can play on. While the story is a little weak, the game oozes atmosphere and tension with every dimly lit corridor that you walk down. This one is a must if you like to be scared.

Dead Space (Series)
While the Dead Space series does from several horror faults, such as abundant weapons and overanxious monsters, there are a few good moments that can send a chill down your spine.

F.E.A.R
This game is definitely not scary. The main reason being that the game switches between blazing slow-mo gunfights between you and a host of military clones, and then suddenly delving into a short horror segment before going right back into the gunplay again. While the contrast between the two could have worded, the scare tactics employed aren’t really that good and most are often missed because you weren’t looking in the right direction at the time.

Metro 2033
This is a great title, and while it’s not as scary as it should have been, the atmosphere that the incredibly realised world exudes is makes the game alone worthwhile. While not really scary, it’s certainly creepy in all the right places, and is well worth adding to your game collection.

Nightmare House 2
Technically this is a game in the same sense of the other on this list. Nightmare House 2 is a single-player mod for half-Life 2: Episode 2, and a pretty damn good one at that. It’s actually one of the few games on this list that has weapons and yet still manages to be scary. This is largely because of the set-ups used; often making sure that you can’t actually do anything about the things scaring you. And the best part about it is that, being a mod, it’s free, and as long as you own HL2: E2, you can download and play it right now.

Penumbra
The debut game from Frictional Games, this game set down the platform that Amnesia was built on. While it’s a little rougher around the edges compared to Amnesia, I actually prefer it of the two, although that debate is likely to always be open. And as it’s been out for a while you can likely pick up all three parts cheap.

Project Zero (Series)
Some people think of Project Zero series, or Fatal Frame as it’s called in the US, as ‘Resident Evil with ghosts’, which is a poor comparison. While the first game in the series had terrible voice acting and rough gameplay, it’s the second game in the series that is the best. Improving upon the formula from the first game in every way, Project Zero 2: Crimson Butterfly is a terrifically scary game, with some great set-pieces, great location, and a very interesting story, it’s a must own. The third game in the series is also really good too, although it doesn’t quite have the wow factor of the second one.

Resident Evil (Series)
I doubt I need to talk about this series much, as most people would say that it’s the series that made Survival Horror as popular as it is today. Each game has its own charm, bringing in new ideas for the genre, and while the horror elements have been rather diluted in recent games, the original few can still bring the scares if you haven’t played them yet.

Silent Hill (Series)
I think that most people would agree that of all the Silent Hill games, the second game is the best, and I’m not gonna argue with that fact. The fog-bound town of Silent Hill is creepy in itself, couple that with the oddly shaped monster representing various parts of a person’s mind, and it makes for some creepy visuals. The games vary in how scary they are, but they all try their best to creep you out in their own ways.

Well, I hope that this was interesting for you to read and that I didn’t prattle on too much.

Let me know what you think

See you around!