I am thinking about making a horror game, but I have a specific type of horror in mind. I have always been interested in horror games that feel otherworldly. for anyone who knows what analog horror is, I’m looking for a style that is kind of like that, but different in a way also. I can not really think of a good way to explain the style I want, so I will just link some examples.
ok, I know thats a lot of examples. before responding to this post I encourage you to go play one or two if you have not already. anyways, the entire reason I made this post is to attempt to figure out what makes them all feel “surreal”. I don’t know about how you felt while playing these, but I personally felt very odd. all of them have this odd feeling, some more then others, but all of them have it. my question is what makes these games feel that way? what do these games have in common that makes them feel weird and strange? most of the games on here feel more like showcases, the only one that actually feels like a game to me is SIGIL. how can I take the styles that these showcase type games have, and use it to make a full horror game?
any feedback is appreciated. I’m mainly looking for what makes these games feel so weird, but if you want to comment on anything else relating to the games feel free to.
I think the lack of instructions, the werid ambient sounds and the emptiness. Also the moving player models that look like they are doing stuff beyond your knowledge. It almost feels like the exact oppisite of an normal game with all those ascepts
I did not even think about this but it’s soooo true. Lack of instructions if the games had instructions they would be way more “normal”, I 100% agree.
This also. I do not know how to describe it, but you do it pretty well here. I think you hit the nail directly on the head with “the exact opposite of a normal game”, that is what it feels like to me.
Making a surreal horror game needs quite a lot of thought put into it. The key elements putting together a surreal horror game are:
• Lore - make sure it makes sense and have the player connect the dots rather than just explaining it.
• Detail.
• Good design.
• Eerie feeling.
• Sound design.
Hope this helps
While playing you should always be experiencing eerie stuff like the music, assets and discovering interesting details while playing.
And make the colours/lighting and the sounds/music match how you should be feeling.
And none cliche scares.
That’s what I like in a good horror game
I personally think that detail isn’t a necessity when creating horror games. Take Party.exe for example. It’s an old cheesy Roblox horror game, but in my opinion, it has quite a few unnerving aspects.
Omg, did @Sigil just like my post? If you end up seeing this message, your game is amazing, the entire atmosphere is perfect. I love the PS1 style, it 100% deserves more recognition!
Edit: just saying if your ever up for it, I would love to ask you a few questions about how you made SIGIL. I looked at your dev forum account and it does not look like you have enough read time to reply, but if by chance your up for a few questions, feel free to message me at me7474#1451 on discord. 100% your choice, I’m still in disbelief that you even saw my post.
