So, I’m making a Horror Game (Hence the Title) and I want to put the player into a position where they feel suspenseful and curious to keep them engaged throughout my game. I’ve been told the atmosphere is the most important part. The thing is, I’m not entirely sure how to capture that, and make the player feel dread or scared.
So far, I’ve gotten this as the atmosphere and other rooms that are similar to this
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The psychology of horror breaks down into three principles
- The fear of a threat (something dangerous, a slasher, a monster)
- The fear of the grotesque or unnerving (gore, graphic images)
- The fear of the unknown (mysteries, darkness, obscurity)
The third one is the most effective. People are far more scared when they cannot tell what’s going to occur. Your atmosphere should reflect this by reducing visibility, and then also propping up the other two, specifically the second one (as the first one should be done with whatever is going to kill them)
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Creating suspense and fear in a game can be a challenging task, but there are a few key things you can do to make your game more effective at eliciting those emotions in players.
One of the most important things is to set the right atmosphere. This means using lighting, sound, and other visual and audio elements to create a sense of unease or foreboding.
You can also use jump scares and other shock tactics, but be careful not to overuse them, as they can quickly become predictable and lose their effectiveness.
Another important element is to create a sense of vulnerability for the player. This can be done by making the player feel weak or powerless in some way, such as by giving them limited resources or making them vulnerable to attacks from enemies.
Finally, it’s important to create a sense of uncertainty or unpredictability. This can be done by introducing unexpected events or by giving the player multiple choices that have uncertain outcomes.
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A good example would be the game silent dark, its utilizes suspense and fear of the unknown, The suspense comes from dialogue saying things such as “something is in the house” and “You are not alone”, This makes the player feel like their is a threat even though there is none. Another from of suspense would be when you go to sleep on a bed in the game and you have to hold a button to close your eyes slowly while staring into the corner of the room, this makes the player think anything could just appear there, this makes the player scared. Fear of unknown comes from the waking up in random places you have never seen and being stranded in a phone booth in the middle of a forest while the glass slowly breaks. This game is terrifying from these factors.
I’ve always loved creepy secrets, lore, story, etc…
Don’t forget to add it in your game, whether it be a secret ending where you escape your monster, lore such as why the monster exists, why you are in the place you are…
And, you don’t need terrifying jumpscares. Make the game have an unnerving vibe, the sense of “Something is down that way, I don’t want to go there!” Jumpscares are fine, but don’t use them too often and don’t put them where people expect them.
Try to create a context and backstory, then make a plot twist and a final jump scare. It’s your choice to end the story entirely or end it with a cliffhanger (a cliffhanger is recommended if you intend to make a sequel).