Horror is dying

[rodrigogarlop]

I'm really sad to see what has become of the horror genre. Dark deception seems like the nth derivative variation of the Five Nights at Freddy's formula, which itself was not really a good game at all, not by a long shot. But "story-driven first-person horror action maze"? Come on, what is the point, really? May as well be a basic pac-man clone with monsters and more realistic graphics. It is precisely because people keep on supporting this kind of uninspiring games that the industry is killing the genre. I get not all titles can be mature hardcore psychologically intense experiences and that this is probably a casual take on the genre but it hurts to see where the whole industry seems to be heading to (not just games but movies).

Don't get me wrong, I think it is important for more people to get into this genre so that publishers and developers start taking it seriously once more, but the problem is that most horror titles lately have turned into heavy action zombie shooting (RE 5-6), remakes that try to exploit the fame of the original (even PT has been remade a dozen times by now and it was not even a game) or worringly ordinary jump-scare horror houses(FNAF and all derivative clones out there). Granted, there have been a few fairly good ones in the past years (e.g. Amnesia or outlast with their clautrophobic atmosphere, or even RE VII or The Evil Within despite it being a little too ambicious). Why can't we get something as good as the Sillent Hill 1 and 2, Resident Evil 1-3, Parasite Eve, Clock Tower 2, Siren, Fatal Frame 2, Eternal Darkness, etc. Please no more FNAF, Slenderman, or action-oriented RE.

Can anyone recommend good modern titles that are worth a try? I'm sure I've missed quite a few in the past years.

[Ha? Hamdok]

I have mid-to-high expectations for the upcoming Call of Cthulhu game. There is also an upcoming cosmic horror game called World of Horror.

[Codester]

Looks like Pac-mac.
Pathetic.

[rodrigogarlop]

Originally posted by Self Supp Carry:

I have mid-to-high expectations for the upcoming Call of Cthulhu game. There is also an upcoming cosmic horror game called World of Horror.

Yeah, that Cthulhu game seems quite good, at least from what i've seen so far. I never played the role playing game I think its based on but I love HP Lovecraft. Still, I will wait and read the reviews. I've kind of lost my faith in overly advertised AAA titles (at least when it comes to horror). Thing is, most innovative titles have come from indie and mid-lvl developers lately like Lone Survivor, the Amnesia series, Layers of fear (although most are filled with stupid, yet effective jump-scares).

[Stoibs]

Indeed.
Already got the Call of Cthulhu reboot on pre-order and have backed Scorn on KS, but yeah it seems like the genre is all but dead theses days. Seems like as each new generation of console came about they sort of petered out and diminished, with things with the likes of Forbidden Siren, Clocktower, Project Zero, Silent Hill, Obscure, RE etc. either getting less localized western releases, outright ceasing production, or just genre swapping to action oriented affairs...

I do hope Frictional games is working on another title, and I've got a handful of others on my wishlist like Man of Medan, the Peterson case, The Beast inside, Allison road..
A lot of those seem to just be following the same PT clone "First person jumpscare simulator" though, and it's saddening that the third person survival horror styling of the afforemented list of console games is basically non existent anymore.

Originally posted by rodrigogarlop:

Can anyone recommend good modern titles that are worth a try? I'm sure I've missed quite a few in the past years.

Remothered: Tormented Fathers is alright, I wouldn't call it a classic on par with some of the others brought up but it's a semi decent budget title that certainly scratches the itch a little bit. I love some of the atmospheric music and the stalker soundtracks. I kind of couldn't follow the story toward the end and the closing cutscene seemed to go on forever and made no sense to me though as a criticism.

Detention is a neat little 2D side-scrolling indie game that reminded me of Silent Hill for various reasons, picked it up in a recent humble bundle and was pleasantly surprised.

[rodrigogarlop]

Originally posted by Stoibs:

Indeed.
Remothered: Tormented Fathers is alright, I wouldn't call it a classic on par with some of the others brought up but it's a semi decent budget title that certainly scratches the itch a little bit. I love some of the atmospheric music and the stalker soundtracks. I kind of couldn't follow the story toward the end and the closing cutscene seemed to go on forever and made no sense to me though as a criticism.

Detention is a neat little 2D side-scrolling indie game that reminded me of Silent Hill for various reasons, picked it up in a recent humble bundle and was pleasantly surprised.

Thanks Stoibs! Both of them look worth a try, I'll put those in my wishlist. I just wish AAA horror games catch up with indies in the future. And you're right, 3rd person survival horror titles are totally missing these days. Which is kind of sad as having the camera behind the character created some very atmospheric situations (remember the infamous alley in SH1?). You normally didn't know what the character was seeing until you were too close to the monsters (generally on the next screen), adding to that sense of dread. In most modern games you can only look forward so you are forced into any jumpscares the designers have prepared for you. That's just lazy design.

[redacted]

???? how is this game like fnaf

[Stoibs]

Originally posted by pierceeparnell:

???? how is this game like fnaf

The art design of the adversaries are pretty obviously FNAF inspired, and the "Death" animation from the trailer is pretty much a plagiarized copy.

Putting that aside though I believe the OP was referring to this newish "style" of jumpscare game that FNAF popularized; animate some scary looking FMV and have a gnarly looking character model - but then just unsubtetely jam it in the player's face for cheap shock value rather than building upon what makes traditional horror games so eerie which had that feeling of constant dread through means of gameplay itself.

Give me the audio cues of a Hunter or Pyramid Head around a corner while I'm half dead and out of ammo anyday to ramp up the tension, give me the soundtrack and stealth/avoidance gameplay of Amnesia or Penumbra or Outlast with the stalkers vigorously searching for me to actually make me frightened.

Conversely obtusely shoving a GIF of a big-toothed animatronic in my face will cause me to recoil back for a moment and go "AH, yeah ok you got me, that was pretty good" for like, the first few times at most before it gets really old and annoying.

[XDeathxReconX]

Originally posted by rodrigogarlop:

I'm really sad to see what has become of the horror genre. Dark deception seems like the nth derivative variation of the Five Nights at Freddy's formula, which itself was not really a good game at all, not by a long shot. But "story-driven first-person horror action maze"? Come on, what is the point, really? May as well be a basic pac-man clone with monsters and more realistic graphics. It is precisely because people keep on supporting this kind of uninspiring games that the industry is killing the genre. I get not all titles can be mature hardcore psychologically intense experiences and that this is probably a casual take on the genre but it hurts to see where the whole industry seems to be heading to (not just games but movies).

Don't get me wrong, I think it is important for more people to get into this genre so that publishers and developers start taking it seriously once more, but the problem is that most horror titles lately have turned into heavy action zombie shooting (RE 5-6), remakes that try to exploit the fame of the original (even PT has been remade a dozen times by now and it was not even a game) or worringly ordinary jump-scare horror houses(FNAF and all derivative clones out there). Granted, there have been a few fairly good ones in the past years (e.g. Amnesia or outlast with their clautrophobic atmosphere, or even RE VII or The Evil Within despite it being a little too ambicious). Why can't we get something as good as the Sillent Hill 1 and 2, Resident Evil 1-3, Parasite Eve, Clock Tower 2, Siren, Fatal Frame 2, Eternal Darkness, etc. Please no more FNAF, Slenderman, or action-oriented RE.

Can anyone recommend good modern titles that are worth a try? I'm sure I've missed quite a few in the past years.

It's not dying, you're just biased and nostalgic. There's been plenty of pretty damn good horror games these days. You're litterally just complaining because there's a wider variety of horror genres now. The ones you like are still made regardless of how many freddy games are made.

[rodrigogarlop]

Originally posted by XDeathxReconX:

It's not dying, you're just biased and nostalgic. There's been plenty of pretty damn good horror games these days. You're litterally just complaining because there's a wider variety of horror genres now. The ones you like are still made regardless of how many freddy games are made.

You are probably right, XDeathxReconX, the genre is not dying but rather evolving, and I personally don't like where the industry is headed, especially when it comes down to forcing jump scares and action into most titles. Let’s just say I’m probably not part of the main target audience for horror games anymore. However, it’s not just mere nostalgia (although I certainly miss the survival horror genre) and of course there have been some outstanding games in recent years (which is why I asked if someone could recommend some and, please do, I’d be happy to try them out).
What I meant was that horror is, in general, a very personal experience. For some, it’s the feeling of dread and disgust, for others it’s the violence and gore that builds the tension but it’s precisely the feeling of having no control over the situation that drives a good narrative given the right context and it’s also what I think has been overlooked in recent years. Games like Outlast or Alien have exploited this brilliantly but the effect wears off easily after you learn how to tackle the situation and you can generally finish each segment after enough tries (even the monsters in Dead Space were more of a nuisance after a couple of hours into the game). But, for many horror games, context is missing for the most part; you expect to be jump-scared at any corner and that is precisely what you get. You are not generally invested in the background story or the atmosphere but rather trying to stay alive, escape or kill hordes of enemies and this makes it far less scary and more like a horror house fair attraction. Granted, games have better mechanics now and gameplay has improved a lot when compared to those clunky first 3d models in the 90s (Silent Hill and Resident Evil’s controls were awful) but most games feel shallow for me now. True, they are now more fun to play than ever but that is not what I want from the genre in the first place.
Now, I don’t think people are to blame for this trend. In fact, more players actually enjoy the genre now, which is good for it to expand and we have jump-scare simulators to thank for this renewed interest in the genre. But the growth of the indie scene and the obsession with metrics in major companies are severely impairing the genre. Never before had there been so many horror games out there, that is totally true, but too many poorly made clones have flood the market as a result. Worryingly, this translates into new ideas deemed too risky for developers and triple AAA titles focus on well tested and tried templates. Yet this is not exclusive to games but to horror in general. Movies like Slenderman, Smiley, Truth or Dare, etc. just exploit poorly written creepypastas and other urban legends to jump-scare the audience (mostly teenagers), which is mindless fun but also utterly forgettable experiences (much like jump-scare simulators like FNAF). Granted, most horror movies are actually pretty bad and it has been like that since the time most were only low-budget second features but some classics are well worth the time, even now, which can also apply to games. Just as I’m not willing to spend any money on these (and that is my very own personal opinion), I would like to buy only games that are actually good.
So, please recommend any games you think may be worth trying, that would be great

[XDeathxReconX]

Originally posted by rodrigogarlop:

Originally posted by XDeathxReconX:

It's not dying, you're just biased and nostalgic. There's been plenty of pretty damn good horror games these days. You're litterally just complaining because there's a wider variety of horror genres now. The ones you like are still made regardless of how many freddy games are made.

You are probably right, XDeathxReconX, the genre is not dying but rather evolving, and I personally don't like where the industry is headed, especially when it comes down to forcing jump scares and action into most titles. Let’s just say I’m probably not part of the main target audience for horror games anymore. However, it’s not just mere nostalgia (although I certainly miss the survival horror genre) and of course there have been some outstanding games in recent years (which is why I asked if someone could recommend some and, please do, I’d be happy to try them out).
What I meant was that horror is, in general, a very personal experience. For some, it’s the feeling of dread and disgust, for others it’s the violence and gore that builds the tension but it’s precisely the feeling of having no control over the situation that drives a good narrative given the right context and it’s also what I think has been overlooked in recent years. Games like Outlast or Alien have exploited this brilliantly but the effect wears off easily after you learn how to tackle the situation and you can generally finish each segment after enough tries (even the monsters in Dead Space were more of a nuisance after a couple of hours into the game). But, for many horror games, context is missing for the most part; you expect to be jump-scared at any corner and that is precisely what you get. You are not generally invested in the background story or the atmosphere but rather trying to stay alive, escape or kill hordes of enemies and this makes it far less scary and more like a horror house fair attraction. Granted, games have better mechanics now and gameplay has improved a lot when compared to those clunky first 3d models in the 90s (Silent Hill and Resident Evil’s controls were awful) but most games feel shallow for me now. True, they are now more fun to play than ever but that is not what I want from the genre in the first place.
Now, I don’t think people are to blame for this trend. In fact, more players actually enjoy the genre now, which is good for it to expand and we have jump-scare simulators to thank for this renewed interest in the genre. But the growth of the indie scene and the obsession with metrics in major companies are severely impairing the genre. Never before had there been so many horror games out there, that is totally true, but too many poorly made clones have flood the market as a result. Worryingly, this translates into new ideas deemed too risky for developers and triple AAA titles focus on well tested and tried templates. Yet this is not exclusive to games but to horror in general. Movies like Slenderman, Smiley, Truth or Dare, etc. just exploit poorly written creepypastas and other urban legends to jump-scare the audience (mostly teenagers), which is mindless fun but also utterly forgettable experiences (much like jump-scare simulators like FNAF). Granted, most horror movies are actually pretty bad and it has been like that since the time most were only low-budget second features but some classics are well worth the time, even now, which can also apply to games. Just as I’m not willing to spend any money on these (and that is my very own personal opinion), I would like to buy only games that are actually good.
So, please recommend any games you think may be worth trying, that would be great

I wouldn't even go as far as to say it's evolving, just broadening. People are still making survival horror games . You have to keep in mind with games like Alien Isolation, you're facing one enemy, if the only enemy you faced in silent hill 2 was pyramid head he'd lose his fear factor too and become dull. I appreciate your genuine opinion on the subject though, Imho, i'm not worried about the genre, there will always be plenty of good horror games and bad one, the only diference between then and now is technology improvements and the ease of distributing these game now and that anyone can do it now. The point I do agree on I think don't pertain to horror in specific, but gaming in general. All companies these days tend to follow trends instead of new ideas, not just horror games. Take the Battle royal craze, everyone is always looking to capitalize on the latest craze. Again though, i'm not worried, we've still got people like kojima out there who are willing to take there new ideas and put them out there, you just have to filter out the rest.

[Stoibs]

https://www.fanatical.com/en/bundle/origins-bundle?utm_source=SteamCommunity&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=Bundle+Origins

Awesome price for Remothered :D

[rodrigogarlop]

Originally posted by Stoibs:

https://www.fanatical.com/en/bundle/origins-bundle?utm_source=SteamCommunity&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=Bundle+Origins

Awesome price for Remothered :D

I will definitely buy it, thanks!

[Doctor Freaky]

Originally posted by rodrigogarlop:

I'm really sad to see what has become of the horror genre. Dark deception seems like the nth derivative variation of the Five Nights at Freddy's formula, which itself was not really a good game at all, not by a long shot. But "story-driven first-person horror action maze"? Come on, what is the point, really? May as well be a basic pac-man clone with monsters and more realistic graphics. It is precisely because people keep on supporting this kind of uninspiring games that the industry is killing the genre. I get not all titles can be mature hardcore psychologically intense experiences and that this is probably a casual take on the genre but it hurts to see where the whole industry seems to be heading to (not just games but movies).

Don't get me wrong, I think it is important for more people to get into this genre so that publishers and developers start taking it seriously once more, but the problem is that most horror titles lately have turned into heavy action zombie shooting (RE 5-6), remakes that try to exploit the fame of the original (even PT has been remade a dozen times by now and it was not even a game) or worringly ordinary jump-scare horror houses(FNAF and all derivative clones out there). Granted, there have been a few fairly good ones in the past years (e.g. Amnesia or outlast with their clautrophobic atmosphere, or even RE VII or The Evil Within despite it being a little too ambicious). Why can't we get something as good as the Sillent Hill 1 and 2, Resident Evil 1-3, Parasite Eve, Clock Tower 2, Siren, Fatal Frame 2, Eternal Darkness, etc. Please no more FNAF, Slenderman, or action-oriented RE.

Can anyone recommend good modern titles that are worth a try? I'm sure I've missed quite a few in the past years.

This game is not new and the direction its heading in is definitly diffrent then what your saying, dieing with a jumpscare is not anything new and was plenty around even before five nights at freddies and this game quite obviously has story to it. Take Lake Eerie or even PT for example. This game is accualy based on the movie "Monkey Shining" and didnt even have a jumpscare before because its older then Fnaf.

Ive enjoyed it immensly.

Horror is diffrent to everyone and always has been and if you hate this game so much why play it at all? Slender may seem scary to one person but not another and five nights at freddies may seem scarier to someone else too. Its just how humans work so complaing about it and trying to rally a "Oh those were the days and now everything sucks" doesnt really help anyone. Though i do agree with you on alot of things, there are still plenty of games being made of atmospheric horror. Heres a good recomendation, try Home Sweet Home.

[rodrigogarlop]

Originally posted by Gorgeous Freeman:

This game is not new and the direction its heading in is definitly diffrent then what your saying, dieing with a jumpscare is not anything new and was plenty around even before five nights at freddies and this game quite obviously has story to it. Take Lake Eerie for example.

Ive enjoyed it immensly.

Horror is diffrent to everyone and always has been and if you hate this game so much why play it at all? Slender may seem scary to one person but not another and five nights at freddies may seem scarier to someone else too. Its just how humans work so complaing about it and trying to rally a "Oh those were the days and now everything sucks" doesnt really help anyone. Though i do agree with you on alot of things, there are still plenty of games being made of atmospheric horror. Heres a good recomendation, try Home Sweet Home.

I agree on pretty much everything. This game may certainly appeal to some, specially to anyone fond of the FNAF franchise and jump scares. I’m glad someone’s enjoying them but I’m worried the industry is so heavily focused on such tropes and vices (not just on the narrative but also mechanically). I’m just not one who likes walking down corridor after corridor, waiting for some dreadful creature to get you. There are just way better ways to build-up tension, create an atmosphere and horror experiences in general.

Of course, this game was not the first to draw my attention to such phenomenon (that of the horror genre losing its atmospheric touch). Hell, even FNAF (the first one) couldn’t possibly credited with introducing jump scares in videogames and sure it wasn’t as bad for me the first time through. It just became the turning point for the genre and my original comment was something I wrote out of disappointment with the industry and the genre as a whole (actually, I latter commented this was also something affecting movies as well) as more and more media copied a set formula (which, over the time, has become tasteless in my opinion). I’ve certainly been struck with nostalgia before but this is more a matter of me not liking where the industry seems to be headed. I surely hope the trend is reversed in the future, towards more atmospheric and adult-themed titles and I’m starting to believe this may just be what’s happening lately.

Anyway, I think I’ve missed quite a few good titles, new ones I mean. And that is why I was asking for anyone who could recommend new titles (or old ones, it really doesn’t matter) that are worth it and not in the line of those mentioned before. So, thanks for mentioning Home Sweet Home. It looks quite interesting and I’ve added it to my wishlist.

[Doctor Freaky]

Originally posted by rodrigogarlop:

Originally posted by Gorgeous Freeman:

This game is not new and the direction its heading in is definitly diffrent then what your saying, dieing with a jumpscare is not anything new and was plenty around even before five nights at freddies and this game quite obviously has story to it. Take Lake Eerie for example.

Ive enjoyed it immensly.

Horror is diffrent to everyone and always has been and if you hate this game so much why play it at all? Slender may seem scary to one person but not another and five nights at freddies may seem scarier to someone else too. Its just how humans work so complaing about it and trying to rally a "Oh those were the days and now everything sucks" doesnt really help anyone. Though i do agree with you on alot of things, there are still plenty of games being made of atmospheric horror. Heres a good recomendation, try Home Sweet Home.

I agree on pretty much everything. This game may certainly appeal to some, specially to anyone fond of the FNAF franchise and jump scares. I’m glad someone’s enjoying them but I’m worried the industry is so heavily focused on such tropes and vices (not just on the narrative but also mechanically). I’m just not one who likes walking down corridor after corridor, waiting for some dreadful creature to get you. There are just way better ways to build-up tension, create an atmosphere and horror experiences in general.

Of course, this game was not the first to draw my attention to such phenomenon (that of the horror genre losing its atmospheric touch). Hell, even FNAF (the first one) couldn’t possibly credited with introducing jump scares in videogames and sure it wasn’t as bad for me the first time through. It just became the turning point for the genre and my original comment was something I wrote out of disappointment with the industry and the genre as a whole (actually, I latter commented this was also something affecting movies as well) as more and more media copied a set formula (which, over the time, has become tasteless in my opinion). I’ve certainly been struck with nostalgia before but this is more a matter of me not liking where the industry seems to be headed. I surely hope the trend is reversed in the future, towards more atmospheric and adult-themed titles and I’m starting to believe this may just be what’s happening lately.

Anyway, I think I’ve missed quite a few good titles, new ones I mean. And that is why I was asking for anyone who could recommend new titles (or old ones, it really doesn’t matter) that are worth it and not in the line of those mentioned before. So, thanks for mentioning Home Sweet Home. It looks quite interesting and I’ve added it to my wishlist.

Try home Sweet Home and Visage.