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Read before... reading
Welcome! I’m Natt, and I’m here to show you how to make a horror game! This topic takes a sort of theoretical approach, meaning I won’t directly show you how to make something in Studio, but give you the dos and don’ts of making a horror game before you jump into developing it. It’s also worth mentioning that this topic is suited more for narrative driven horror games. Even if your horror game differs, you may still find some points made useful.
Part 1 - Talking about what you’re going to be doing with the game - mainly how to write a script for your game and how to manage it. I’ll discuss with you what to do when issues occur.
Part 2 - Talking about what horror elements you should have, while also explaining what to avoid when writing. Helpful replies are mentioned in this part!
Here are some alternative topics to this one that are worth checking out:
- @JackADevil’s Halloween & Horror
- @TheCarbyneUniverse’s BOO - The 3 Prime Elements to Spice up Your Horror Games!
- @AzimuthBecameReal’s Game Design - Audience - Genres (look for horror)
Have fun reading!
PART I. - Shaping the idea
Everything starts with just an idea. To come up with an idea and shape it into a game, here’s what to do:
1. Planning and writing
Firstly…
Try to think of something original. If you get inspired by another game, you will want to have a lot of aspects that the original has, therefore making you get the original game’s aspects. People will recognize this and compare it, which is usually not something you want especially if it is a downgrade.
This doesn’t imply that you shouldn’t get inspired by other games - after all that is how many successful games were created. A smart move is getting an idea from one game and then adding something of your own to it to make it even better.
Secondly…
If you’re writing a script, avoid putting it on hiatus. After it has been days, even weeks later of returning to the project, it might be hard to be as creative as before. And, fully finish a thought or idea before taking a break.
Thirdly…
Don’t start working on the game if you haven’t finished writing the script for the entire game. You don’t have to plan game updates ahead of time though, since those will be based around the work you have already done.
Last, but not least…
Simply put, writing isn’t always easy. Though I would argue starting is the hardest, after you’ve got an idea it’s smoother sailing.
Anywho, with writing, you’re testing your creativity and your abilities. If you want to achieve your goals in writing, you must always have courage and the right mindset. Motivation helps.
Fun is another key factor. You might be reading this topic because you need a story (or you just want your game to make sense) - not because you want to write one. You should find entertainment in this sort of stuff for it to be most efficient. Explore your options and get immersed - all options are in your imagination after all!
SUMMARY: I’ve explained important things about planning and writing. In short, it’s important to be original, to write with the right mindset and technique, and to finish writing before heading to Studio.
2. Struggles that come with writing.
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You might be struggling with ideas. Maybe you thought out this amazing idea, but you later realize it was used in a popular game, and putting it into yours would seem like blatantly copying it.
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You’re struggling with how to put your thoughts into words.
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Maybe you think that what you want in your game is too complex, aka you won’t have the skill to script, build, etc.
Something that can help in these situations is just, plain thinking. A lot of it, without distractions. You can come on to DevForum but ultimately, you yourself know best what you want to do, or anyone who you’re writing with. It’s inevitable, it happens. 
3. Details
- Make sure to include easter eggs throughout your game.
Definition of an easter egg
Easter eggs in video games are ‘secrets’ hidden inside of them. Most are found by performing special actions that don’t have to change the game’s storyline but are there to surprise the player by discovering a fun detail about the game or revealing hidden lore that the main storyline usually doesn’t provide.
With Easter Eggs, players may be able to discover new endings to games. Perhaps, if a game is a cat-chases-mouse type of horror game, you can (maybe) learn about the cat’s backstory. We don’t see that often. It is a nice touch though. Usually in games, the threat, let’s take it in this case - a killer, we don’t know anything about the killer. The focus is just trying to escape it.
Players often visit the badges tab. In there, you can hint to them a lot of things. Discovering easter eggs can award badges. It’s another layer of gameplay committed players can explore.
SUMMARY: Explained what Easter Eggs are and how to make efficient use of them, where to put them, etc, while also suggesting how to resolve issues that come with writing.
PART 2 - Execution!
Now that you know the basics of getting started, here are some tips to, well, make your game more scary of course :]
Scaring players - Important tips & Mentions
How would we achieve this?
Here are 16 detailed in-depth tips that are sure to help! Be on the lookout for updates.
1. Make sure that your game has at least a little of each horror element:
- Fear
- Shock
- Disgust
I know that Roblox’s limitations can suck, so making less use of some elements is respectable, and sometimes it’s the only thing that can be done.
2. Don’t let horror begin right upon joining
Let players get familiar with the environment, lighting, controls, feel, and atmosphere of the game, as well as the plot (if needed). By doing this, you are allowing players to get comfortable with the aforementioned elements of the game which will enhance their experience from the get-go.
3. Turn things that people find happy and fun scary
This is a great way to mess with the player’s minds. We’ve seen tons of games execute this idea already, and it turned out well.
Reference Image
This was the cover-up for what was horror. As you probably know by now, FNAF was a big success (although it’s not a Roblox game it is notable as it fits this tip.)
4. Include the most common phobias and fears in your game
Most devs would first think about Nyctophobia, an extreme fear of the dark. However, what if we could spice that up with Arachnophobia, extreme fear of spiders, and other tiny creatures of the sort?
Other common phobias include Astraphobia, Agoraphobia, (the most important of all in horror!), Mysophobia. It’s fun to incorporate these in your game.
Astraphobia - fear of lightning
Agoraphobia - fear of being entrapped, unable to escape
Mysophobia - fear of dirtiness and filth (environment)
5. The use of people/“beings” in distress.
While overdone in a variety of cliches, these can prove effective in your game if implemented correctly. These could include crying, screaming, heavy breathing/panting, etc. or anything that will hint at mental instability.
Make sure to always think about the placement of these, and if you should even use them in the first place. They’re most effective when used when they connect to the game’s lore/plot!
6. Lock the game in 1st person
While you don’t need to do this to make a game scary, having a player see their goofy avatars surely downgrades the scariness at times. Plus, they can see their surroundings more easily when zoomed out which gives them an advantage, PLUS (lol), having it zoomed in makes the game more realistic and scary, like how they would experience the game in real life.
To help yourself when making the game in Studio, you don’t need to have it locked in 1st person, as it can get annoying to test the game. You can always easily zoom in to get an idea of what it’ll be, right? Right at the end of creating the game, you can set it to 1st person.
7. Don’t force or overuse jumpscares and rely on them
Jumpscares are a bit overrated, especially those that don’t even have anything to do with the actual story, like seeing a shadow behind a corner or hearing some whispers… Not to mention a horror game can play out just fine without a single jumpscare.
I wouldn’t say jumpscares are bad to incorporate, however. You can have them if they make sense and enhance the experience.
Make sure to include jumpscares at the right time and setting, when players least expect them. You can try and ask yourself “Is this a place where I would expect a jumpscare?” If the answer is yes, maybe don’t place the jumpscare there, and incorporate it elsewhere.
8. Include the uncanny valley to create sick monsters/creatures
Definition of uncanny & a little info by @izNatt
In this case, uncanny would mean something that looks like a human, but it isn’t, which gives a weird vibe. And, while the culprit could be this uncanny, that term also stands for something that is familiar but offsetting. That could help and could work wonders to mess with people’s minds, while not being taken down by Roblox. You’re welcome.
Scary image of uncanny
Although portrayed as a meme, this is still a good representation. Notice how it seems off?
You can use the uncanny to create environments in which players will be. After all, environments are one of the most important factors of games.
9. Let players choose a difficulty (if your game supports it)
I recommend making your difficulties the following, and I’ll explain why: Normal, Hard, Extreme.
Easy difficulties feel less intimidating which may not be a good thing.
Normal should be easy to beat (easy), Hard gets tougher (normal), and Extreme (hard) for those up for the challenge. It’s the easy-normal-hard formula but with different names.
10. Always make the player feel weak and vulnerable
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It’s a good way of scaring people, to make them feel powerless. Some creative ways of doing this are limiting player movement speeds or any other way to disorient them. You can make the screen darker and darker to represent fear levels, and so on.
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If combat is an option, make it feel unreliable. Like a double-edged sword, where the player is put at risk while using it. A good example of this would be TRAVERSAL - Roblox
11. Isolate the player from other people… if you’d like.
Having others going through everything gives us a little bit of comfort. If you can, try to minimize the interactions with players, NPCs, etc. by being separated. Don’t do this if it ruins your story, though. It’s supposed to enhance it, so if that’s not what it does then move on.
12. Make likable main characters (if… yknow, there are any.)
One of the most important things in video games are characters that will follow you through the game:
- you can relate to, always feel what they feel + like you’re them (if you are playing as a different avatar/someone that isn’t you and there is monologue/dialogue)
- Make them look good visually, but fitting in the style of the game as well
- If it’s an NPC:
- you’re happy whenever you see them - a character you can develop a deep bond with
- with a long time spent apart, you might start to think about when you will see them again
- you wonder how they will impact the story
13. Let players use their imaginations and feel emotion outside of horror
In general, horror games are made to scare you. But, what if they could make you feel sad, feel… happy?
Make players feel mixed emotions.
Example: Let them discover the backstory to the culprit by clues found throughout the game – this doesn’t always need to be hidden, though! It seems like a way to mess with the players’ emotions. For example, they find something sad about the villain, their motives and thoughts…
14. Limit players’ use of light; orientation
If you’re using a flashlight as your main light source in the game, make the player pay a price for it. Examples: make “the” creature come closer to you, or drain your flashlight’s batteries, make it noisy…
Adding to my previous point with a little detail; if you’re using a battery system, make it fair and scale it with the game difficulty. Also, if batteries are something that players can pick up and put in their flashlights, then: don’t scatter them on floors and tables for no reason. Hide them in drawers, cabinets, and perhaps devices like radios or toys in which players can find batteries via interaction.
15. Add flavor text to items and make them more interactable
What's flavor text?
Flavor text is any text in a game that is completely unrelated to actual rules or gameplay, and is included merely for effect.
Source (if you’d like to read more): Flavor Text - TV Tropes)
It’s often used in descriptions of items, weapons…
There’s not much to say, however, in games, it’s a nice little touch and gives them only a little more life.
Add monologue when interacting with or inspecting items (but don’t make it annoying like in The Walking Dead game franchises… if you know you know 
lol) - but moving on to the last tip.
16. Punish players for not paying attention to the game
Players tend to do what they need to do to move forward with the story and get the ending. They pay attention to things they must, such as other characters, the story, and stats (hunger, HP, sanity?) But, do they pay attention to the environment and the outside world?
For example, you have a pet at home. Like, a pet fish. If you go out and do your own thing with the storyline, when you come home your fish dies because you forgot to feed it before you went out… Just to throw people off-guard. This isn’t exactly common in horror games, but it would be a nice touch.
Replies on this topic worth mentioning
Kind Replies
Helpful Replies
- I agree! Every Roblox game should be very dark, but there’s a certain line that many games cross that makes it painful to progress, even with a source of light.
SUMMARY: Be careful when limiting sources of light.
- Agreed, but there are some downsides to this. I addressed them in tip #7.
Humans work in a way that when they know they are in danger, they never let their guard down unless they are out of that situation completely. There’s so much more to this than meets the eye. If you play your cards right, you might make this the best thing your game could have, but vice versa as well.
SUMMARY: Creating an atmosphere in which players can feel safe to then later seriously scare them is smart, however only when you know what you’re doing.
Other
A little something for all devs
Tips related to Studio development. 
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Never make overly complex projects at once. Start with small steps and progress at your own pace. If you think you can do it though, give it your all!
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Don’t compare yourself to others and your game to other games. Know that you’re a good dev and your game is awesome, and if someone made a bigger and more complex project, then… Good for them. You do you though and know you’re amazing in your own right!~
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Have fun. Remember that developing on Roblox should be purely for fun. And, sure, others have their definition of what developing should be, but, all devs can say that it at least is for fun. Don’t force yourself to develop on this platform. Do it when you can and want to.
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Never be afraid to state your opinions on DevForum and be free to ask for help.
Part 3 - COMING SOON!
Thank you for reading this topic.
You can tell me what you think by voting on the polls below!
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Part 3 hasn’t been released, so I haven’t put up a poll for it… yet.
Follow up with the topic to get notified of Pt. 3’s release.
-Written by @izNatt with small help from @google
-Awesome replies @mentioned
