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What makes a truly scary horror game? What would make it a 10/10 masterpiece to you?

I feel like there are always great ideas out there, just not everyone's in a position to bring them to life.

Lets think about this: What makes a truly scary horror game? What sorts of things are the scariest to you? How would the gameplay work? What would make it a masterpiece in the genre?

Be specific and detailed in your descriptions.


hopefully this doesnt get dark af lol
 
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To be honest, I really don't believe that any setting can be legit scary in a game. At this point we have seen everything and there is no way they can come up with a monster that is really going to screw your mind up and scar you for life.

Personally I find that music in horror games can be scarier than anything else we will ever see.
 
Atmosphere, replaying Silent Hill 1 to hopefully beat it this time...I'll never forget one of my earlier playthrough attempts when I was playing it on a PSP in a brightly lit irl room and the hospital, that fucking hospital was still scary af on that puny PSP screen!
 

Danjin44

The nicest person on this forum
Hard to say, these days it’s very hard for us to get scared of monsters because how much we are expose to them, even none-horror games have creepy monsters.

episode_20_-_007.jpg

I would say the horror must be more psychological rather than with monsters.
 

Kataploom

Gold Member
Actual fear like Silent Hill... Hell even like Control DLC or sometimes Dark Souls... And zero stupid jump scares that are not scary, just annoying... I don't play games tagged like "survivor horror" because of that, I've been more pleased by primarily non-horror for horror stuff because of that
 

Heimdall_Xtreme

Jim Ryan Fanclub's #1 Member
Classic Resident Evil 2 did everything very well, I like the fact that it has different characters in their respective stories, the plot, the ending and how it can handle the close to realism of being in a situation.

I would like to use different characters in a horror environment, without knowing who is the hero or the villain, I like that about Siren games
 

Heimdall_Xtreme

Jim Ryan Fanclub's #1 Member
Hard to say, these days it’s very hard for us to get scared of monsters because how much we are expose to them, even none-horror games have creepy monsters.

episode_20_-_007.jpg

I would say the horror must be more psychological rather than with monsters.


As always, my respects to Keiichiro Toyama for making something as wonderful and beautiful as the Gravity rush saga, using this terrifying enemy, gives an atmosphere of terror in a beautiful world.
 

GametimeUK

Member
I've just finished RE7 in VR. I think the VR platform is a great way of spicing up horror games.

What makes a truly scary horror game is a bit hard to explain as there's more than 1 way to be "scary". You could go a more psychological or supernatural path, or you can go something a bit more based in reality where you're a person stuck in a situation like RE.

I think the location and aesthetics need to be on point.

The sound design needs to shine.

I guess horror can be done in such light, but darkness is just so much better.

For me personally prefer the gameplay and combat to be a driving factor. Running through Resident Evils mansion scares me due to the limited resources, saves are limited etc

Something like PT which whilst scary it just feels like an interactive movie or something at times. I'm never under the pressure of keeping my character alive. I'm just playing and scary stuff is happening with no real consequences or stakes.

LIMITED SAVES are what I ultimately find most scary. There's no consequence to dying when you revert back to a checkpoint 30 seconds ago. Running through a mansion when you haven't saved for a while and feeling the pressure of being in a sticky situation with little to no ammo gets the heart racing.
 
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Doom85

Member
Silent Hill 2 and especially 3 are the peak for me. Top notch ambience and horror and sometimes “wtf am I even looking at” moments. Funny enough, I consider the resource element irrelevant. To me, limiting the player’s resources is more of a stressful factor than a fear factor. I don’t mind it, but it won’t factor into how scared I am by what the game is throwing at me. The Last of Us limits your resources often, but while I consider that game a masterpiece, it’s not scary to me at all.

Resident Evil 4 is peak to me too, but as an action game with horror elements so it doesn’t count for me in this particular category. Honestly, as much as I love RE, I don’t find pretty much any of them that scary. Even 7 and 8, only scary moment for me in 7 was exploring the way towards Evie’s room in the old house and in 8 that “thing” you encounter near the end of the puzzle segment in Donna’s basement.
 

hinch7

Member
Tension, horror, limited supplies and good amount of variety of different horrors do it for me. On a first playthrough you can never expect whats coming up around the corner. Something Resident Evil games offer greatly. Playing offensively or defensively to your advantage all while trying to survive with whatever you can carry, makes for a nerve wracking experience. Particularly against enemies that are impervious to damage and can only be temporally stopped, or slowed down with select weapons or items. So in the respect RE7 hit that mark for me. Same with RE2 Remake.

I also find that limited FOV, like first person perspective adds to the tension as you have less visability overall when compared to third person. Brings you closer to the action and adds to the immersion. Also VR makes a lot of sense here. Granted I've not tried RE7 in VR I can imagine that being quite an experience.

Sound is a big factor too. With a soothing safer area's to break up the action and horrors, to exploring silent and deadly areas and great scores accompanying the action on screen.
 
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Flabagast

Member
Signalis is pretty close to a 10/10 horror game in my book.

Visuals, horror themes, story, resource management, weird puzzles, existential dread, sense of being lost, soundtrack & sound design, planning, etc.. You name it, everything there is top notch.
 

Danjin44

The nicest person on this forum
I also find that limited FOV, like first person perspective adds to the tension as you have less visability overall when compared to third person.
I kind of disagree with for me I like 3rd person way more especially with good animation when the character get wounded or killed, with first person you lose all of that.
 

Hobbygaming

has been asked to post in 'Grounded' mode.
I think dark lighting/atmosphere and creepy sounds go a long way in horror games and intimidating enemies
 
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angrod14

Member
Silent Hill 2 is peak horror, not only in games, but in any media ever. Pure psychological terror that crawls slowly under your skin.

It's not really my cup of tea; I would never be able to play that shit. I don't like to feel vulnerable in games and having to run away like a little bitch across the level.

RE4, TLOU Part II (specially the Ground Zero chapter), and alike nailed it for me. You're thrown in the worst possible circumstances, but your character is an absolute badass and you never feel like you shouldn't face whatever comes after you.
 

64bitmodels

Reverse groomer.
one of my biggest fears is disease. the idea that the enemy that i'm fighting isn't anywhere around me but is inside and destroying my very being from the inside out terrifies the fuck out of me.

Far Cry 2 isn't a horror game but that malaria thing makes me really fucking uncomfortable as a result of this LOL
 

Kagero

Member
PT was terrifying. Pretty much perfect in every way. Then again, the repetitive nature of it was okay as a concept but I’m not sure how well it would hold up as a full game. RE7 VR was also terrifying. I couldn’t get an hour in to that :(
 

Thief1987

Member
For me it's sound and music - things that build up my anxiety the most, like in anticipation that something should happen, something waiting behind that corner, etc. The actual visual representation of scary moments doesn't do much for me though. Also agree with some here that jumpscares are just annoying, not scary.
 
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Rickyiez

Member
Make it like really scary and terrifying ? But then it wouldn't sell well like that .

The games that I consider truly scary :

PT
Fatal Frame

truly disturbing :
Silent Hill 3
 

ACESHIGH

Banned
Its all about FINESSE: Most of modern horror games (aka post Gears of Evil 4) are too in your face. Horror is about potential incoming danger, and the tension that such a situation provides. Not about gunning down tons of monsters or gore porn.
Also making an horror game about running from a monster you cant kill can get annoying and make you lose imnersion.

A 10/10 horror game has to give as little camera control to the player as possible. Developers have to control and frame the game to help convey certain feelings. S tier sound design is key as well.
 

Chronos24

Member
While Outlast was slightly repetitive, that scared the hell out of me playing with headphones in total darkness. PT of course was quite scary as well and of course Resident Evil VR. Someone said before we're too exposed to all the "scary" monsters and whatnot and I honestly agree, but put in the right immersion (sound, hopelessness, a good scare at the right time, environment) and you can have a truly terrifying game. I do feel VR is the next step in experiencing a real horror experience. It puts you more "in" to the game.
 
No direct story first. It would have to gauge af. Just dropped into a really strange world. Death can’t be the primary drive for the game because in video games death is easily forgiven. It’s tough. Even the scariest moments in any game loses its fear factor after one or two deaths.

I think of something like the Sorrow. Very well executed horror moment. It would have to be something similar to that.
 

Rhazkul

Member
What makes a truly scary horror game? What sorts of things are the scariest to you? How would the gameplay work? What would make it a masterpiece in the genre?
Tense and suspense-packed Atmos-FEAR (lightning, sound etc), psychological and mental horror where most of the dread comes from your imagination, the fear of the unknown.

Gameplay: you gotta be weak and vulnerable. Resources need to be scarce, combat should be last resorts and every encounter could be your death sentence. Basically playing hide and seek.

I think Resident Evil nailed it and so did Amnesia, Alien: Isolation and SOMA. Dead Space 1 was really tense, though not as scary the further you got into the game...but the first 1/3 is excellent. Those are masterpieces for sure.
 
Most people don't even know what the term Horror means anymore. What makes a great game in the genre are the exact same things that make a great Horror book or film. It's not cheap jump scares or some stupid looking monster chasing you. The game needs to create an unsettling atmosphere and draw you into its world by having you empathize with deep and interesting characters and the conflicts they have to solve.
 
Madison, Resident Evil 7, Visage were games that truly scare me.
TBH i think everbody looks for someting different when it comes to horror games or horror movies. For me it is the dread being alone in a building / house and experiencing something supernatural. Gets me every time.
 

Drizzlehell

Banned
I think something like Silent Hill 3 or P.T. could still do it for me if I could really get into those kinds of games again. I used to piss myself when playing games like that, and really let my imagination go wild when subjected to the kind of scares and oppressive atmospheres that these games provided.

The problem is that I just can't be scared by make-belief anymore. Not when there's enough shit in IRL that already scares the pubes off my balls. I don't get gratification simply from watching or experiencing horrible shit and suffering either so if it's not purely fun to play because of the gameplay, story, or just some cheap thrills, then I probably won't bother playing it at all.
 
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tommib

Member
Demon’s Souls 3-2 in 2009 was the last really scary game I played.

RE7 in VR was quite something as well but that’s indeed because of the immersion that the headset brings.
 
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Hohenheim

Member
Eternal Darkness was absolutely stunning for its time (2002). If someone can develop that "insanity" system and refine it for modern tech, that would be very interesting.

In general, sound design is the most important factor for me. Also, what you don't see. When games play with your imagination, and take unexpected and bizzare turns instead of turning into a full blown "monsters everywhere-mode" for it's finale.
 

SJRB

Gold Member
Darkwood is an incredible horror game because it ticks all the boxes for me.

- atmosphere; deeply unsettling, surreal
- abstract story that doesn't hand it all on a platter but leaves it to you to piece things together
- slow descent into madness; the more you play the more surreal things become, as a player you feel like you're losing your mind
- terrifying enemies and very limited resources
- very weird NPCs with fever dream-like dialogues
- overwhelmingly bizarre and grotesque moments
- surviving the night is incredibly intense because you never know what will happen. All you do is board up the house and wait for sunrise while all kinds of horrors can pop up. Fear of the unknown is a powerful agent
- amazing audio design and soundtrack
 

M1chl

Currently Gif and Meme Champion
I am still really fond of Condemned: Criminals Origin, to be honest.
 

EekTheKat

Member
There was an early VR horror shooter title that was utterly terrifying to the point where it was the one and only time I've ever seen anybody cower on the floor in a fetal position after trying it.

The Brookhaven Experiment. Was basically a 360 degree stand in one place shooter with a super errie atmosphere. Definitely was one to not let family or friends try with weak hearts.

This was the early days of commercial VR with the Vive.

I guess my answer would be VR - it removes the "window into another world" effect that TV has and literally throws you face to face with monsters that seems mundane in anything else outside of VR.

It's literally changed from you playing a game about a guy getting bit by a zombie to you getting bit by a zombie.
 
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FunkMiller

Member
PT was perfect, nothing else is even close.

I imagine a better, happier world, where the premise of P.T was spun out into a full blown game. It would start the way the demo starts, but the house would just... get bigger as you went along. New corridors, new rooms. An impossible house, like the one in House Of Leaves... getting bigger, and bigger, extending out into both gigantic liminal spaces, and terrifying claustrophobic corridors.
 

Spaceman292

Banned
Silent Hill 2 is peak horror, not only in games, but in any media ever. Pure psychological terror that crawls slowly under your skin.

It's not really my cup of tea; I would never be able to play that shit. I don't like to feel vulnerable in games and having to run away like a little bitch across the level.

RE4, TLOU Part II (specially the Ground Zero chapter), and alike nailed it for me. You're thrown in the worst possible circumstances, but your character is an absolute badass and you never feel like you shouldn't face whatever comes after you.
Ground Zero doesn't get enough recognition. That whole part was awesome.
 
Even though I don’t really find most games and especially movies that scary nowadays, I always felt that psychological horror is much more impactful than other types of horror. For example, I think the mirror room in Silent Hill 3 annihilated anything in the entire Resident Evil series back in the day because it felt more cerebral and unpredictable to me.

I guess unpredictability and fear of the unknown can add to the experience and create tension because you don’t know what to expect. I think it can also depend on how strong, confident or weak your character is and their emotional state in the situation as well.
 
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JimmyRustler

Gold Member

  1. Silent Hill
  2. Dead Space
  3. Resident Evil
  4. Silent Hill 2
  5. Outlast
  6. Dead Space 2
  7. Resident Evil 4
  8. Amnesia: The Dark Descent
  9. Resident Evil 2
  10. Silent Hill 4: The Room
Really good picks here. I don't know what it is about the original SH but to me it's still the most scary game out there imo. Some combination of that gore, old school graphics, sound and sountrack make it really stand out.

A fully fledged Silent Hill game on basis of PT might have surpassed it but sadly we'll never know.
 

nkarafo

Member
The setting is the most important IMO. I want to explore a Spencer mansion, super detailed middle class houses, abandoned small towns with said houses, schools and hospitals. I don't want to explore mines, sewers or warehouses that are boring to look at just because developers like to make them since they are easier to make and can get away with many repeated rooms, textures and objects.

A Resident Evil 1 Remake in the same style as RE2/3 would probably be the perfect horror game for me. That or whatever P.T. was going to be. Some games like Visage come close enough to the later and it's one of my favorite horror games ever. Give me another game like that but increase the budget a bit, remove some jank and polish it a bit.
 
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