History SoYouWantTo / WriteASurvivalHorrorGame

* ''VideoGame/{{AMY|2012}}'', a downloadable game from Creator/VectorCell, is a prime example of how '''not''' to make a SurvivalHorror game for your UsefulNotes/PlayStation3 or UsefulNotes/Xbox360. [[http://www.metacritic.com/game/xbox-360/amy As these reviews point out,]] there's nothing quite like a perfect storm of horrible controls, repetitive scares, and FakeDifficulty to buzz-kill an otherwise interesting premise.

** Nor should you make the mistake of assuming that the inability to kill enemies equates to giving the player no means to at least temporarily dispense with threats so they can make progress through the game. The need to drop what you were doing to run and hide from the ImplacableMan every 30 seconds quickly stops being scary and starts being ''annoying'', which is not the effect you're supposed to be going for. ''VideoGame/SilentHillShatteredMemories'' is one example of how to handle the defenseless approach well: You can only run away from enemies, but they also never show up in areas where you have to solve a puzzle.

** Building on the lack of ammo, some games also have melee weapons that take damage over time, eventually breaking or otherwise becoming unusable. This can be used to discourage players from getting gung-ho with melee combat, forcing them to stay on their toes and avoid enemies. If you do this, though, make sure you strike a balance between longevity and fragility -- having a single pipe that can last you over an hour of combat defeats the purpose of breakable weapons, but that same pipe breaking after only four swings can violate the players' WillingSuspensionOfDisbelief and frustrate them.
** Honorable Mention goes to ''VideoGame/Left4Dead'', which is Survival Horror only in the sense that it involves a ZombieApocalypse. It does, however, have a really useful feature you could crib: the ''[[VideoGameAI AI]] Director'', which pays attention to what has happened recently and is in charge of all enemy, item, weapon and health placements. By tailoring those things to your recent performance, the AI Director can guarantee that you are always challenged, give you breathers after intense sections, and keep the game from getting stale, since you'll never face the same exact placement and composition of enemies even if you replay the same level five times. (Well, except for the {{Videogame Setpiece}}s, but those are appropriate frantic even ''without'' procedural generation.)
* '''[[FirstPersonShooter First-person]] or [[ThirdPersonShooter third-person]] perspective?:''' The former allows for the player to be snuck up on by enemies much more easily, since most of the screen is no longer visible, but it can also frustrate players when they can't tell ''where'' the enemy is; also, it can cause eyestrain at least where dark areas are concerned. The latter avoids this, but can remove some of the fear and add FakeDifficulty if there's [[CameraScrew poor camera control]].
* '''How many enemies?:''' Some survival horror games get by with only one ImplacableMan hunting the player, a la [[Franchise/ANightmareOnElmStreet Freddy Krueger]] or [[Franchise/FridayThe13th Jason Voorhees]]. Others throw them into a zombie apocalypse. In the middle, a zombie apocalypse with a few iconic bosses/sub bosses can be used. In fact, it's possible to avoid standard enemies altogether by having the player trapped in a malevolent GeniusLoci.

** You walk by a cupboard and a monster jumps out and goes "A bloogy woogy woo!" (Cheap JumpScare moments, basically. Useful if not overdone.)

* '''What "flavor" of horror?:''' Western horror is visceral (the horror comes from the threat of being eaten or otherwise painfully murdered; a prime example would be ''Franchise/DeadSpace'', where the enemies are basically ZergRush zombies with tentacles and claws and have to be mauled to death), while eastern horror is cerebral (feelings of isolation and paranoia, some RuleOfSymbolism, and "being trapped with something that hates you in a very passive-aggressive way"; a prime example would be ''Franchise/SilentHill'' where there are few enemies, but the ones that are there are very symbolic and can be tied directly to regrets, frustrations and mental trauma). Something in the middle would be like ''VideoGame/TheThing2002'', where you're soaked in as much ParanoiaFuel as the writer thinks he can get away with, and he then provides a lit match in the form of an enemy [[ChestBurster popping messily out of a teammate]]. You could have something down the middle by starting out fighting hordes of zombies, and as you start to get mentally fatigued, pile on more and more Freudian imagery until the player is fighting (un)living Creator/HRGiger sculptures.

** EnemyRisingBehind. Think you got him? Naw he's just [[TurnsRed mad]] now.

* Instead of trapping the hero in a remote, monster filled location they must escape, place them in a densely populated environment where [[BystanderSyndrome no one will help them.]]

* ColdBloodedTorture is often done only by the villain. But is it too much to ask that the bad guy gets a taste of his own medicine for once? It's horror, use it as the MoralEventHorizon for the PC.
* Try setting your game in a historical period or a fantasy setting instead of the usual modern or sci-fi style setting. ''Film/ArmyOfDarkness'' and ''VideoGame/RedDeadRedemptionUndeadNightmare'' have deadite/zombie attacks in 1300's England and in TheWildWest, for example.
* Can't think of any cool monsters? Maybe try making a completely realistic survival horror. Perhaps take a setting that could be a shooter such as a [[TheCityNarrows crime infested district]] or a [[WarIsHell wartorn city]], but replace the skilled hero with a terrified, weak protagonist. It's a good way of showing how terrifying such a situation would be in real life, and lets you think outside the box in terms of gameplay; how do you take out that squad of trained soldiers with assault rifles if your pistol only has enough to take down two at most? Plus, when the monsters are human [[HumansAreTheRealMonsters any misanthropic lessons you want to impart have a greater impact then if it was just zombies.]]

* While the high-tension segments are the meat of the game, do give the players a chance to unwind a little. After a particularly climatic scene, give a bit of a BreatherLevel. Or just when circumstances seem the most difficult, give the player a temporary power up to surge their way through and clear it. Let the player have a HopeSpot before snatching it away from them. Let the tension ease out a bit after a time. You want to be frequently building tension, rather than maintain it indefinitely, and for that you need to release some of the previously built tension. A little relaxation once in a while will make the horrors to come seem worse by comparison. If you keep the tension up to long, the player will get too emotionally fatigued to continue playing.
* A very important aspect of making a tension during gameplay is to limit player’s ability to predict, what will happen next, as little as possible. If you decided to add a section with advancing wall of doom or a fight with hordes of enemies, you should never give hints that the darkest hour is going to stop soon. Things like suspicious game generosity should be averted. The appearance of high-tier enemies (if it is not an introduction) should never be telegraphed.

* The ''VideoGame/{{Siren}}'' games are a decidedly Japanese take on the ZombieApocalypse, with a heavy focus on stealth rather than combat.

* PersonalHorror. Give him (assumed to be a guy for the sake of convenience) a SanityMeter, and "comforts" to counteract his mental fatigue. If he goes for the [[YourFavorite home-cooked meals and/or treat food]], make the monsters [[DeadWeight fat]]. If he reaches for the [[INeedAFreakingDrink booze and pills,]] give them [[TheGrotesque meth-head complexions]]. If he heads for the whorehouse, make them [[EvilIsSexy voluptuous]]. If he exercises to take his mind off things, make them [[JerkJock athletic.]] If he uses the FinishingMove a lot, [[BodyHorror have them drip gore from a footprint in their chest]], and make them a mass of heavy bruises and {{Cranial Eruption}}s. Going to church a lot? {{Sinister Minister}}s and {{Naughty Nun}}s. Be sure to have them all reduce the same amount of stress, or they'll favour one over the other for that reason rather than that's how they unwind. Sanity effects should be in full swing, also using the same motifs, like gnashing, gaping maws, bleeding walls of bruised flesh, distorted religeous heraldry, and VaginaDentata.

* ''VideoGame/{{AMY}}'', a downloadable game from Vectorcell, is a prime example of how '''not''' to make a SurvivalHorror game for your UsefulNotes/PlayStation3 or UsefulNotes/{{Xbox360}}. [[http://www.metacritic.com/game/xbox-360/amy As these reviews point out,]] there's nothing quite like a perfect storm of horrible controls, repetitive scares, and FakeDifficulty to buzz-kill an otherwise interesting premise.

* '''Camera Control:''' In a movie, a monster popping up out of nowhere is scary. In a videogame, a monster popping up out of nowhere is also scary, but if overdone can be a little annoying. In a movie, a hero who doesn't look both ways and gets mugged by the monster is subject to audience mockery. In a videogame, a camera that can't be made to focus on the places the player expects a monster to come out of is CameraScrew, and ''damn annoying!'' So, use the former, avoid the latter.

* ''VideoGame/{{Metro 2033}}'' is a prime example for having all the proper trappings of the genre. Ammo is scarce, [[ScavengerWorld things you need are always in short supply,]] fights almost always end in a net loss, and [[CrapsackWorld there is no solution to the world's problem.]] The gameplay elements are taken UpToEleven in Ranger Mode, where every shot will be carefully aimed, each filter will be used to its limit, the knife will be used more than guns, and attempts will be made to avoid each unnecessary fight. Oh, and the mutants are [[NauseaFuel horrific and nauseating]] to the fullest extent of the words.

Also consider that a big part of horror is the familiar acting in an unexpected and horrifying way. Thus, a familiar location that has been distorted may be more effective than strange architecture or locations that most of the audience will never see. Also has the advantage of making people squeamish when they return to these places in real life, thanks to the TetrisEffect.

* AdultFear: My kid's in some serious shit, and I'm not sure I can help.

** Nor should you make the mistake of assuming that the inability to kill enemies equates to giving the player no means to at least temporarily dispense with threats so they can make progress through the game. The need to drop what you were doing to run away from the ImplacableMan every 30 seconds quickly stops being scary and starts being ''annoying'', which is not the effect you're supposed to be going for. ''VideoGame/SilentHillShatteredMemories'' is one example of how to handle the defenseless approach well: You can only run away from enemies, but they also never show up in areas where you have to solve a puzzle.

* CosmicHorrorStory: When [[AliensAndMonsters normal freaks]] aren't enough, it's time to go [[EldritchAbomination one step further...]]

* PlayingThePlayer. Give him (assumed to be a guy for the sake of convenience) a SanityMeter, and "comforts" to counteract his mental fatigue. If he goes for the [[YourFavorite home-cooked meals and/or treat food]], make the monsters [[DeadWeight fat]]. If he reaches for the [[INeedAFreakingDrink booze and pills,]] give them [[TheGrotesque meth-head complexions]]. If he heads for the whorehouse, make them [[EvilIsSexy voluptuous]]. If he exercises to take his mind off things, make them [[JerkJock athletic.]] If he uses the FinishingMove a lot, [[BodyHorror have them drip gore from a footprint in their chest]], and make them a mass of heavy bruises and {{Cranial Eruption}}s. Going to church a lot? {{Sinister Minister}}s and {{Naughty Nun}}s. Be sure to have them all reduce the same amount of stress, or they'll favour one over the other for that reason rather than that's how they unwind. Sanity effects should be in full swing, also using the same motifs, like gnashing, gaping maws, bleeding walls of bruised flesh, distorted religeous heraldry, and VaginaDentata.

* ''{{VideoGame/OFF}}'' gets an honorable mention in its combination of [[DerangedAnimation deranged art styles]], [[RuleOfPerception rule of perception]], and its skill at PlayingThePlayer.