"Horror" games are a flawed medium

[yankii]

I've played every horror game people tout as scary and not a single one has been actually scary. It's always the fear of wasting my time or cheap jump scares. There's no lasting sense of dread or anything that will keep me up at night. Maybe I'm the stupid one for wanting to be scared into staying up like a kid, who knows.

The only exception is visual novels, which are more akin to movies and maybe one or two indie games that leave behind a lingering sense of discomfort but they're few and far between.

 

[ChalkLines]

Name some you've played. Most every horror walking sim is terrible imo and the market has been littered with them for several years now. Also, do you play in the dark at night and with volume up or headphones on? For me, the first two Fatal Frame games from PS2/360 are a couple of actually scary and disturbing games.

 

[Sicklyboy]

The original DOOM 3 (not the BFG edition rerelease) was great as a "horror" FPS IMO. Being forced to go through the entirety of the game in near pitch black with your guns out and ready to go, or, proceed through the game with your flashlight out and not be able to shoot. Make a choice between being able to see and barely being able to defend yourself, or being able to defend yourself but not being able to see.

 

[isoboy]

I didn't enjoy having to walk back down the stairs to the cellar in RE7 VR after being chased out of it by some ghost skeleton lady.

 

[yankii]

Name some you've played. Most every horror walking sim is terrible imo and the market has been littered with them for several years now. Also, do you play in the dark at night and with volume up or headphones on? For me, the first two Fatal Frame games from PS2/360 are a couple of actually scary and disturbing games.

Silent Hill 2 remake, Fatal Frame 1, RE4, The Bridge Curse, White Day, Darkwood and Signalis to name a few. None of it was scary.


Everything was played at ~2-3 a.m., in the dark, with headphones on. Some on Switch OLED for even better immersion.

Closest I've come to being creeped out is Fran Bow and part of Animal Well.

The original DOOM 3 (not the BFG edition rerelease) was great as a "horror" FPS IMO. Being forced to go through the entirety of the game in near pitch black with your guns out and ready to go, or, proceed through the game with your flashlight out and not be able to shoot. Make a choice between being able to see and barely being able to defend yourself, or being able to defend yourself but not being able to see.

The penalty for dying would be wasted time, there's nothing inherently scary about an FPS.

I didn't enjoy having to walk back down the stairs to the cellar in RE7 VR after being chased out of it by some ghost skeleton lady.

I gave up on RE after playing RE4. Crazy how it even qualifies as horror.

 

[isoboy]

Silent Hill 2 remake, Fatal Frame 1, RE4, The Bridge Curse, White Day, Darkwood and Signalis to name a few. None of it was scary.


Everything was played at ~2-3 a.m., in the dark, with headphones on. Some on Switch OLED for even better immersion.

Closest I've come to being creeped out is Fran Bow and part of Animal Well.


The penalty for dying would be wasted time, there's nothing inherently scary about an FPS.

I gave up on RE after playing RE4. Crazy how it even qualifies as horror.

I do agree with you though. I don't find any games in general very scary at all but that's because I've played games forever. I thought the games were creepy at release but now they're a joke. They live on nostalgia for me.

 

[Robert Newbie]

I had to think over my personal favorite horror/survival horror games. Resident Evil 2 OG, Resident Evil 4, Silent Hill, Silent Hill 2 OG, Haunting Ground.

Resident Evil 2 is more jump scares. It's a mix of action and adventure. Silent Hill is more scary atmosphere.
You're right, OP, I didn't find Resident Evil 4 scary besides a jump scare or two. Great gameplay and design, though.
Silent Hill 1 and 2 build on atmosphere and don't have as many cheap jump scares.
Haunting Ground isn't scary, but it's a worthwhile hidden gem of an adventure game.

From what I've played of Clock Tower 3, it's really a predecessor to Haunting Ground. (Likely the same devs and game engine.) I need to play the rest of it. What I played of it wasn't scary, though.
I hear Kuon is good, but I've never seen more than a few seconds of the beginning.

If I think of more, I'll jump back in.

 

[Taleweaver]

Try playing the static speaks my name.
It's not very long (10-20 minutes?) and it's free...but it delivers a gut punch that lingers long after finishing it.

But other than that...I mostly agree. Then again: I don't go about turning all the lights off and playing with a noise canceling headset under a blanket. I figure that if graphic novels can't pull that off, why shouldn't games be able?


EDIT: ooh...stories untold's first chapter also got under my skin. forgot about that one
(world of horror gets partial credit from me. Atmosphere is top notch, but the incredibly clunky interface kills the mood)

I should try getting back into cultist simulator again. If there was ever a thing like "abstract video game", that'd be it. That game makes you straight up paranoid.


EDIT 2: gotta admit: Fran Bow was good. Not a direction I had expected from a point & click, but very well made.

 

[Skv0ra]

I've played every horror game people tout as scary and not a single one has been actually scary. It's always the fear of wasting my time or cheap jump scares. There's no lasting sense of dread or anything that will keep me up at night. Maybe I'm the stupid one for wanting to be scared into staying up like a kid, who knows.

The only exception is visual novels, which are more akin to movies and maybe one or two indie games that leave behind a lingering sense of discomfort but they're few and far between.

You'll never beat Quake 1 on hard, as a kid, playing in the dark on a proper stormy night. After that, nothing is scary.

 

[Dakangel]

Everything was played at ~2-3 a.m., in the dark, with headphones on. Some on Switch OLED for even better immersion.

The switch is anything but immersive in handheld mode, it doesn't scare you because you have a small screen in front of you and many horror games were made to be played on a big screen TV at a safe distance in your darkened room.

 

[AncientBoi]

Ahhh, DEAD SPACE gave me it all. Bad creatures, jump scares and evil bosses to contend with.

 

[Skv0ra]

Ahhh, DEAD SPACE gave me it all. Bad creatures, jump scares and evil bosses to contend with.

True, but you kinda expect all that given the atmosphere and slow player movement.

 

[yankii]

The switch is anything but immersive in handheld mode, it doesn't scare you because you have a small screen in front of you and many horror games were made to be played on a big screen TV at a safe distance in your darkened room.

I did try docked but it looked worse as I don't have an OLED TV.