Things you like and hate in Horror Games.

**MyRedNeptune** · 05-15-2014, 04:06 AM

Not saying it was unnecessary, on the contrary with its intended significance it could have been done much better. That part of the plot didn't feel like any kind of culmination of the story to me. Yet supposedly this is what set Daniel on the path to remorse. Also, what eliasfrost said.

**imgoneimdead** · 05-15-2014, 08:19 AM

I hate all modern horror games. If turning around and seeing a tall man in a suit counts as horror now, then the genre is to die soon.
Seriously, name some noteworthy horror games made in the last two years that are ACTUALLY spooky.

**Alardem** · 05-15-2014, 10:04 AM

On the topic of fictional children (or characters) being killed:

I think it works when an actual emotional connection is made to the character through making it clear that the person is an individual. We should know about their personality. The writer should not assume that just because the character represents A Child that the player will care. That's my problem with Bioshock's rather empty exploitation of soulless children for ineffective "emotional" moments, and that's the issue with AMFP's use of kids too.

In that aspect, Amnesia 1 was alright with making us feel empathy for the victims of Daniel. Less so with linking that girl to Hazel - I wish Daniel's sister had a larger role than just loading screen text.

As for themes and AMFP: the main theme for that game was Industrialized Horror, and I personally thought it was a great dark take on the 'steampunk' motif. It was a lot more sterile and 'cold' than I'd imagined a pig-themed game to be, however.

**Alex Ros** · 05-15-2014, 02:01 PM

(05-15-2014, 08:19 AM)Dagrocks Wrote: Seriously, name some noteworthy horror games made in the last two years that are ACTUALLY spooky.

Miasmata. This is not a banal primitive game. Rather exclusive mixture of genres, adventuring and exploring, while building a growing sense of danger, tension. Not a perfect game, but also quite innovative.

**Tiger** · 05-15-2014, 03:01 PM

(05-15-2014, 08:19 AM)Dagrocks Wrote: I hate all modern horror games. If turning around and seeing a tall man in a suit counts as horror now, then the genre is to die soon.
Seriously, name some noteworthy horror games made in the last two years that are ACTUALLY spooky.

AMFP was a bit spooky. Even though it's more action survival-horror, Outlast was pretty decent.

**eliasfrost** · 05-15-2014, 03:06 PM

@Dagrocks: I thought Outlast was pretty good, I also liked Miasmata like Alex mentioned, it's good. There's also Betrayal, which has a pretty spooky atmosphere. Lone Survivor was good as well.

Then again, what one concider spooky is entirely subject so treat the above mentioned as recommendations more than anything, you might like them you may not but I thought they were good so.

Also, what do you mean by modern horror games? Anything post 2000 is modern to me and there's a lot of good horror games from the past 14 years.

**Alex Ros** · 05-15-2014, 03:32 PM

Can you please help with a link on Betrayal? I've never even heard anything about this game. While I've tryed to google it shows me BloodRayne:Betrayal. Is it right?

**eliasfrost** · 05-15-2014, 03:58 PM

(05-15-2014, 03:32 PM)Alex Ros Wrote: Can you please help with a link on Betrayal? I've never even heard anything about this game. While I've tryed to google it shows me BloodRayne:Betrayal. Is it right?

Whoops, it's called Betrayer, my bad Tongue

**Alex Ros** · 05-16-2014, 09:09 AM

I've been playing the Betrayer for some hours. And while playing I've been thinking about one parasitic thing in all (or most of) horror games. There's no transformation of usual into unusual. From the very beginning you're already brought into uncommon situation. You're entering an abandoned research base; waking up in a spooky castle; investigating empty streets of a foggy town; empty island; hospital; mansion... etc. Surely, while talking about nice games like Penumbra there's a horror build-up. Nevertheless I can't remember when as a player I was drawn into something common and usual and only at some point of the story development situation transformed into something frightening. I can't remember of such a transformation. Apocalypse is not only going to happen, it's already happened or happening.

I do not know how it might work with a horror story. I suppose the problem is that usual-common part of the game would be boring. If everything is usual, then what is the interest to be immersed into such a commonness? But I think the transformation of usual into unusual is something that might increase overall horror-ness in theory. Perhaps.

**AGP** · 05-16-2014, 09:24 AM

I think that's one aspect of horror that does have a tendency to get lost: intimacy. In order for the scares/atmosphere/mood to work, it needs to become personal and this does work with taking places we are familiar with, like a general home, and turning it into sone thing else entirely.

Not that it's a bad thing, but I've seen a lot of horror in general relying too much on the big haunted mansion or the insane asylum with the crazies. I mean these are fun and I enjoy them, but I'd like to see games getting more personal.

I think this why I liked the Groom so much from Outlast: Whistleblower. I won't spoil it for anyone who hasn't played it, but he really got to me because ultimately, it boiled down to you versus him. He was invading the player's space, making it personal. He wasn't just turning attention to you because he was a mindless generic enemy.

He took what is familiar and made it terrifying.

Don't know if any of that made to you....