Survival Horror Renaissance

**mazman34340** · 02-10-2014, 03:54 AM

I noticed a lot of promising Indie survival horror games are in production now. This has started at least two years ago but it's really taking off now. Recent titles in production include Routine by Lunar Software, The Forest by Endnight Games, and Kholat by Imgn.Pro and Wohoo Games. A horror game by the Russians, this otta be good!

Other games already well known are SCP Containment Breach by Joonas Rikkonen, and Outlast by Red Barrels, and the Slender games.

And finally, there are recent announcements that famous franchises are returning to their horror origins like Alien Isolation by Creative Assembly and possibly Resident Evil 7 since fans and the press are calling for a return to it's horror roots.

For at least four years since 2008 and even as recent as 2013, journalists have been calling survival horror a dying genre. I believe now they are wrong.

Not knock-offs of anything, many of the games come from different inspirations from internet legends, a tale of lost hikers in Russia, and the forum stories from Secure Contain Protect.

Finally, different technologies are now employed like the latest Unreal engine and procedurally generated levels.

Do you think Survival Horror as a genre is returning gloriously?

Amnesia : The Dark Descent was released at a perfect time when the market and genre was weak. Since disclosing that they have made one million sales, at least some of the developers and enthusiasts were inspired. I'm sure In the Games of Madness has been viewed by quite of few of these developers.

Therefore, Amnesia is partly responsible for this bloom in survival horror games and deserve this trophy....

Spoiler below!

Two other great reasons are Steam's digital distribution, and the cult-hit Slender games.

Honorable mentions go to Dead Space and Resident Evil for abandoning their original genre's leaving starving horror fans.

**Daemian** · 02-10-2014, 05:04 AM

And me? Did I win something? (?)

~~Googolplex~~ · 02-10-2014, 06:57 PM

I really ask me, why only Amnesia was the motive for this renaissance - where Penumbra was even better. And now, everyone wants to copy Frictional Games, but nobody can. Frictional is unique. Not just about the horror, it's about the exploration in their games. The gameplay mechanics that are about physics and interaction are the main reasons why I felt so much immersed and love their games more than others.

**Cuyir** · 02-10-2014, 10:22 PM

It's less a Renaissance and more a ''hey look, that Amnesia game got a lot of free advertising thanks to youtubers, lets do the same."

**eliasfrost** · 02-10-2014, 10:56 PM

I would call this the "golden age" of shallow jumpscare-intensive indie games.

**mazman34340** · 02-11-2014, 03:16 AM

Oh come on, not all games are the shallow jumpy games.

Are you more into the atmospheric games like Scratches (though that had a jump scare or two in there).

Then you should wait until Asylum comes out!

As for other originality, I don't recall Amnesia using the tracking / tool mechanic like in Routine.

Come on, there's gotta be some upcoming horror games you guys are looking forward too, name one.

====

On another note, what do you define as cheap jump scares? I think we all agree that Dead Space vent system was horribly overused, as well as the necromorph's playing dead. That series deserves some credit in it's art and music, but I am disappointed they couldn't try to find more ways to inspire horror than abusing the vent mechanic, and pant's necromorphs.

**eliasfrost** · 02-11-2014, 03:30 AM

Of course not all new horror games are shallow, but there's a clear oversaturation of games like Slender and of course Amnesia, though it's not jumpscare but oversaturation nonetheless. The thing is not that I dislike jumpscares, I actually love them when they are done right.

How do I define a "cheap" jumpscare? Most likely those that are overused and those that lack build up. I also dislike those that are clearly meant to solely scare the player without actual meaning to it. Sort of like the piggy mask on the ladder in AMFP.

There's a distinction between a game made with soul by a developer with artistic integrity and a game that is blatantly riding on top of another games success.

Routine is probably the only horror game I look forward to.

**VaeVictis** · 02-11-2014, 04:10 AM

(02-10-2014, 10:22 PM)Cuyir Wrote: It's less a Renaissance and more a ''hey look, that Amnesia game got a lot of free advertising thanks to youtubers, lets do the same."

Took the words out of my fingers.
But, let's not forget that Amnesia had jump scares-they just executed them in a way that was more effective than other games and didn't over do it (looking at you, Slender).