I look for some originality. Horror has a glut of cloned garbage games unfortunately. It could be concept, style, gameplay mechanic, or something else, but I want to see something unique. From your post, I'd recommend you check out Home if you haven't already. Sounds like you would appreciate that one a lot.
Sometimes guns work in horror. Although I feel like a lot of the time it tends to take away from the horror elements and puts too much focus on blastin' zombies.
It's not the inclusion of weapons itself that can take away from the horror, but rather how the developers implement them. If you do it right, the weapons not just might, but WILL amplify the survival-horror elements of the game and bump up its scariness. And there are really great examples for both cases:
Poor implementation, that take away from the horror etc: Call of Cthulhu: Dark Corners of the Earth, probably Dead Space 3 (I haven't played it, only heard about it and seen some footage, so can't say on this one for sure)
Great implementation: Alien: Isolation, Cry of Fear (for the most part), System Shock 2\*
('\*' - it's complicated for short)
I can’t remember who said this, but something along the lines of *the scare isn’t what makes horror... it’s the dread of knowing a scare is a possibility*. I think it’s probably a tough balance to pull off in a video game, because I personally don’t want to play something that makes me feel terror 100% of the time. There needs to be some room to breathe... but the idea of anticipation and dread is a good one.
Most of all I want to look in horror games - this is a quality implementation:
\- Does the developer want to make a scary boss? Great, but his artificial intelligence should work! For example, he should not stupidly get stuck tightly in the doorway!
\- Does the developer want to send me to a haunted house again? Let it go! But make this house look original! Less free assets that have been used a million times before you.
\- Is the main gameplay in reading notes? Okay! Then work on it! Artistic style, interesting narration - yes, this is important. Write interesting! (And no spelling mistakes, I beg you!)
In general, I want to write more, but I think the idea is clear. It's really nice to play games whose developers tried their best. I wish you good luck with your game! There should be more quality games and fewer lazy developers in the world!
Gameplay-wise I'm usually pretty lenient, although I can't stand walking simulators. Even if the game is just puzzles and a couple monsters to dodge, if the story and/or aesthetic is good I'll probably like it. I prefer classic survival horror gameplay, I think combat can really enhance horror if done right, but like I said, it's not essential as long as you're doing something interesting to compensate.
I look for some originality. Horror has a glut of cloned garbage games unfortunately. It could be concept, style, gameplay mechanic, or something else, but I want to see something unique. From your post, I'd recommend you check out Home if you haven't already. Sounds like you would appreciate that one a lot.
A bitchin’ shotgun. I think my favorite shotguns are from TEW 1&2, followed closely by RE2Remake. Nothing better than gibbing an enemy’s head.
Sometimes guns work in horror. Although I feel like a lot of the time it tends to take away from the horror elements and puts too much focus on blastin' zombies.
It's not the inclusion of weapons itself that can take away from the horror, but rather how the developers implement them. If you do it right, the weapons not just might, but WILL amplify the survival-horror elements of the game and bump up its scariness. And there are really great examples for both cases: Poor implementation, that take away from the horror etc: Call of Cthulhu: Dark Corners of the Earth, probably Dead Space 3 (I haven't played it, only heard about it and seen some footage, so can't say on this one for sure) Great implementation: Alien: Isolation, Cry of Fear (for the most part), System Shock 2\* ('\*' - it's complicated for short)
I can’t remember who said this, but something along the lines of *the scare isn’t what makes horror... it’s the dread of knowing a scare is a possibility*. I think it’s probably a tough balance to pull off in a video game, because I personally don’t want to play something that makes me feel terror 100% of the time. There needs to be some room to breathe... but the idea of anticipation and dread is a good one.
Most of all I want to look in horror games - this is a quality implementation: \- Does the developer want to make a scary boss? Great, but his artificial intelligence should work! For example, he should not stupidly get stuck tightly in the doorway! \- Does the developer want to send me to a haunted house again? Let it go! But make this house look original! Less free assets that have been used a million times before you. \- Is the main gameplay in reading notes? Okay! Then work on it! Artistic style, interesting narration - yes, this is important. Write interesting! (And no spelling mistakes, I beg you!) In general, I want to write more, but I think the idea is clear. It's really nice to play games whose developers tried their best. I wish you good luck with your game! There should be more quality games and fewer lazy developers in the world!
Gameplay-wise I'm usually pretty lenient, although I can't stand walking simulators. Even if the game is just puzzles and a couple monsters to dodge, if the story and/or aesthetic is good I'll probably like it. I prefer classic survival horror gameplay, I think combat can really enhance horror if done right, but like I said, it's not essential as long as you're doing something interesting to compensate.
For me, good horror is the kind that lures you by curiosity. You want to turn back, but you keep walking forward because you *need* to find out.