The Horror, The Horror!

Boo,

What makes a game scary? Is it the cheap thrill of a dog through a window as in Resident Evil? The cerebral terror of Silent Hill? The mind tricks and Lovecraftian madness of Eternal Darkness? No I say! While these certainly all play a role, I believe the fundamental characteristic of a horror game is a feeling of helplessness brought on through limited or bad control.

Did you know that the original Devil May Cry started life as Resident Evil 4? As development progressed, the game strayed too much from its roots and ultimately became a new IP, yet many horror elements remain: a dark tone and atmosphere, gothic setting and demonic enemies to name a few. Despite these aspects, no one in their right mind would call it a horror game; the player is simply too powerful. Sure, it is still "scarily" hard, but when you die it is because of your slow reflexes, rather than a failure to plan your moves around your avatar's limitations.

Think back to fixed perspective games like Alone in the Dark or Resident Evil, where characters controlled like a clock: up was always forward and down was always back, regardless of camera angles. Even simple tasks like running away became nerve-wracking experiences because of this unintuitive layout.

Resident Evil 4 redefined the franchise and set a new benchmark for horror games, but even it limited movement. While turning the enemy and ammo count way up, making it more like a third-person shooter, it still prevented players from strafing or even moving while shooting. To have it otherwise would overpower the player and rob the experience of tension.

Sure, stiff, imprecise control is not the only way developers create feelings helplessness. Severely limiting resources like ammo or saves certainly play an important role. However, I believe that making seemingly simple actions more difficult is one of the most effective and widely utilized methods of scaring players.

You're small time,
Saddler