Story Line for Horror Game

Hello everyone. I have been working on a horror game, and I am having trouble thinking of things to add to make the game interesting. The player starts off in a dilapidated house, which is haunted by a ghost. I want to use the space provided without creating one of those unimaginative “find the next key” type of games. One of the goals for the game is to make the player feel helpless in their situation, so I do not want any combat other than something simple like “spam e to escape.” The player will eventually leave the house and continue the game into another area. By the end of the game, the player will find out that they are crazy and everything they have experienced was in their head. I have listed my series of events below and would like to know what you guys can suggest.
(Bolded words in the list are things I would like you to give me ideas for)

What I do not want:

  • Combat
  • Scavenger hunts (find the notes, find the keys, ect)
  • Puzzles (one or two very simple puzzles might be okay)
  • Linear objectives

What I have so far:

  • Player wakes up dazed
  • Player is trapped in closet
  • Player sees dark figure leave room through closet shutters
  • Prompt to escape closet (e)
  • [Much more stuff here]
  • Player is given an objective upstairs (creates false expectation)
  • Player goes upstairs
  • Player tries to open 2nd floor porch door but is locked
  • Player turns around
  • Ghosts grabs player and player is thrown out window
  • Player lands in backyard (metal fence with spiked decorations to prevent escape) (dark and rainy)
  • [Some struggle either physical or objective-based]
  • Player reenters house (not necessarily by door) from first floor backyard (where they landed)
  • Player must return upstairs to complete objective before they were thrown outside
  • [Much more stuff here]
  • Transition out of the house

Please keep in mind that this is the very beginning of the game. Most of what happens here should build story and suspense rather than an intense conflict. Also bear in mind that this is inside a house. A chase scene is not feasible for a small environment like a house. Aside from what was previously mentioned, the story is mostly undeveloped so feel free to add things that directly impact the development of the story.

When adding to this list, please include the bullet point before it so I know where you are referring to.
For Example:

  • Prompt to escape closet (e)
  • Your idea here
  • Your idea here
  • Your idea here
6 Likes

So, this is something I’ve never seen before in a horror game or in most games, and it’s an interactive environment. A chandelier, for example, is suspended. It collapses if you shoot it. An exploding gas barrel is another example. It will have a significant impact on how horrifying games may be played.

Sounds like a really solid horror game but what will set your game apart from other horror games?

These are just some things to know about when creating your storyline. If you want your horror game to be effective you should also be thinking about some more things that can mess with the players mind. If you want to you can think of making this game as if you were making a horror movie.

  • For #1 this is really important, if you haven’t already make sure you get an idea of what sound and audio you will be using for about every scene in the story line because if you didn’t know, sound is one of the most important aspects of any game, movie, TV show or series (Any game with good sound but with decent graphics will be much more effective of their goal than a game with bad audio even with good graphics). Your goal with using sound is to make sure the game feels realistic to the player and also has an enhanced experience in the game. Make sure to put notes and imagine what sounds you will be adding throughout every scene (A good fitting soundtrack will set right the mood for the player, ambient sounds or background noise according to the location of where the player like a clock ticking and footsteps, maybe quiet voices in the players head if they are crazy) Some movies also use quieter sound before a jumpscare so it sounds louder and hits you harder (For example the player is walking down a hallway and the music fades away a few seconds before a monster pops out of the corner in a hallway) Make sure you also think as if you were player when you are thinking about adding sound. Using the element of no sound at the right moment can also really make your game pop out. You can find some good sound effects and music on freesound.org or YouTube, if you can’t find the one you want and you really need it you can always record your own sound and upload it to the roblox audio.

  • For #2 to mess with a players mind you can play with adding or removing ambiguous shapes in the scene that the player is in.

  • Also if you are saying the player is crazy, you could make some delusions that the player is having throughout the story depending on what kind of “crazy” they have.

  • If you’re having troubles finishing the storyline you could look up some tutorials on how to write a short film.

Remember to think about the little things. This is one of the many websites explains a lot of good things you will want to keep in mind when maing an effective horror game. Make sure you look up “make an effective horror game” on google it will give you so much information. Do a lot of research and I recommend you read the linked article.
https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/four-developers-of-scary-games-explain-how-to-make-scary-games-very-scary-indeed

3 Likes

When it comes to story, think, if x exists, why does it exist and if b happens why does it happen. Since you don’t want a linear story, see what players do when they first play your game, then build upon the different things you see them trying to do.

1 Like

I’ve never played horror games but I’m going to give you my opinion on what would make me continue playing a game like this:

  • Puzzles (Hints spread around the house) that will open a door or even easter eggs!

  • A really interesting story regarding all the hauntings with a ending that actually makes sense (not like those weird horror movies that have a really non-sense story and then end up with everyone dead or something among those lines)

  • Being Interactive all the time (Everything in the house has an interaction with other objects)

This seems more like a cinematic cutscene than a good opening sequence, consider adding gameplay like a hide-and-seek mechanic.

You should add triggered-by-touch cutscenes here and there as it provides a different perspective to the game and makes it a whole lot more engaging (in its own way).

player has to find food, keys and resources. Player remembers what happened in the middle of the story and there is an unfortunate ending after the player beats the game.