The horror in SOMA

[Googolplex]

I think this is off-topic, because this thread is thought to be about the design of horror in general. As we know, Amnesia TDD was scary as hell. But since Pigs I have the feeling FG is more focused of the story instead to make a really mindfucking game. I will not say this is bad, but it's just a different kind of horror (more pleasant than scary). Previously I watched some horror movies that are not scary, but excellent in any other way of emotions and human evil. So, I really like this new shine of horror, but Pigs was a great game and now I think it's time to go back to pure horror. I mean scary horror.

There is something I want to show, what represents the creepiest kind of design in my opinion. I would like to have a "disturbing" game like this from Frictional Games.

Spoiler below!

The japanese developer Team Silent did a great job at the design. The monsters are no fantasy demons with evil mouth. Of course, Frictional Games does also an awesome job here. Look at the brutes, the grunts, the suitors and the infected etc. But they look more like evil creatures instead to be nightmarish.

And when I see the location in SOMA, I think it is not as scary as the pictures above. It will be definitely an excellent horror game with a deep story, but I doubt it won't feel the player like to be trapped in hell.

I praise Frictional Games for their fantastic gameplay, story, music and atmosphere. But I would love to see a game what is disturbing as humanity could imagine.

[FlawlessHappiness]

I can do nothing but agree with everything you said

[Red]

Underwater horror? I am gonna stay neutral on this, it's impossible for me to know how it feels like, if i haven't simply played it yet.
The trailers aren't enough, even ATDD first trailer didn't scare me like the actual game did. The actual game really suprised me, i expected something different.

But you have a good points there.

[Alardem]

That's, like, your opinion, Goog.

No seriously. Barring the obvious fact that Frictional didn't make Amnesia 2 (which you most definitely know), the futuristic setting of SOMA is not the same as the sexual and religious themes featured in the Silent Hill sequels. They're different games.

[Streetboat]

ffs googolplex i thought it was common knowledge by now that frictional games didn't design AMFP, hence why it had a different focus on storytelling rather than horror.

[Googolplex]

ffs googolplex i thought it was common knowledge by now that frictional games didn't design AMFP, hence why it had a different focus on storytelling rather than horror.

Yeah, I know. But they always said Pigs will be even scarier than The Dark Descent. And it was not. For this reason most people got disappointed. It was a great game (one of the best out there) but only less scary and that was what people originally expected.

Pigs has a masterpiece of story, they really could have make more of it. The question is not story or horror. Why not have both?

Pigs is scary, but it could be more and when I compare it to Dark Descent or Silent Hill it is really leisurely.

[RedKnight]

I am not so much excited in games anymore, they actually don't interest me much

[Streetboat]

well it was a different kind of scary. it was 'dread' scary, rather than 'danger' scary. TDD's scares came from the fact that you never knew if there was another monster around the corner, or (for the first half or so of the game), what they even looked like. AMFP was scary because the atmosphere was absolutely and completely oppressive and lonely. the sound design in AMFP is the best I've ever heard in any game to date, and that was like 85% of the reason it made me absolutely hate going down deeper into the machine, because i actually felt like i was getting further and further from sanity.

think of it like this: TDD is like waterboarding, and AMFP is like the chinese water-drop torture.

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at any rate, i think SOMA will make me shit my pants. I know everyone seems to think the monster they revealed is lame and a 'disco ball grunt', but I thought it was terrifying. everything has a very menacing loom to it underwater, and the silent nature of the way that monster could slowly plod up to you from afar, glowing hypnotically (many underwater creatures have bright flashy colors on them to ward off predators or warn of danger) is freaky as fuck, and then suddenly its RIGHT THERE IN YOUR FACE and god knows what it does to attack you! to me, that's some scary shit, and that's just the first monster to be revealed.

some people were saying they wanted to see a deep-sea fish be at least one of the monsters, and I disagree. it's not as scary being chased by a beast, because it's just a beast. you know you can outsmart it if you want to. an unknown humanoid, though, is terrifying because you don't know how smart it can be. with the advances in AI technology lately, I hope frictional is making their humanoid monsters be as devious as possible.

[MyRedNeptune]

ffs googolplex i thought it was common knowledge by now that frictional games didn't design AMFP, hence why it had a different focus on storytelling rather than horror.

Yeah, I know. But they always said Pigs will be even scarier than The Dark Descent.

FG didn't say anything of the sort, it was TCR.

[Traggey]

Again, dude.. I've told you to put your massive image dumps inside of spoilers.