What makes a good horror game?
Is it the constant jump scares or the blood and gore that come along with the scares?
“It’s none of that.”
I sat in a daze, staring blankly at my computer while the hum of the fans echoed through the otherwise silent room.
Several hours had slipped by since I first sat down and opened my computer, yet in all that time—two long hours—I’d done nothing but stare blankly at the screen.
Developing a game wasn’t difficult.
With the current available tools and applications, I was confident in developing a playable game.
But that wasn’t the issue.
The issue was making the game scary. Especially in a world where scary games had less effect on the normal folk.
“…This is so much harder than I expected.”
I scratched the back of my head, feeling a headache coming.
For a horror game to truly be good, it needed to perfect several elements.
1. The atmosphere.
Tension was needed to build up before the jumpscare.
2. Sound and visuals.
Perhaps some of the most crucial elements lay in how the game engaged the five human senses. Tapping into these, especially sound and music, was essential for crafting the perfect horror experience. The right audio could unsettle, mislead, or completely immerse the player in dread.
3. Storytelling.
This was crucial to instill a psychological seed in a player’s mind. It was a developer’s job to use that seed and grow it into something bigger.
There were other elements that one needed to take into account when creating a horror game, but these three were generally the most important.
“Hmm.”
Click!
I pressed onto the mousepad and opened U-Engine. This was the main developer app that I used back at the old company to develop and program the games.
“…Considering that I need to get this done as fast as possible, I should settle for something simpler.”
The good thing about U-Engine was that it had a lot of available templates that I could use to develop the game. The coding could also be kept to a minimum.
“Regarding the game mechanics…”
In order to save time, those also had to be kept to a minimum.
However, it wasn’t necessary for the game to have complicated mechanics.
“All I need the character to do is move forward and run.”
I tapped my fingers against the table, deep in thought. The engine already provided sound and music, which meant the only pieces I was missing now were the storyline and the overall direction of the game.
“Should I use my most recent experiences as the baseline for the story and direction?”
I sat in silence for a few seconds before pursing my lips.
“Yes, that could work.”
There were two scenarios in my head. The first scenario was with the orchestra, and the second scenario was of the most recent trial.
Of the two, the easiest one to develop was the second experience.
The mechanics were simple, and so was the ‘monster’.
With my current skill level, developing a monster on par with the conductor was almost impossible. In fact, I was still having trouble handling said conductor.
For now, I could only settle for the second scenario.
With everything planned out in my mind, I cracked my fingers and got to work.
I had no time to waste.
*
Like that, four days passed.
Takakakakaka—
The rapid clatter of keyboard keys echoed loudly through the room. My eyes began to strain from the relentless glare of the computer screen, my head starting to hurt as a result.
Nonetheless, my gaze never wavered from the computer.
And then—
Tak!
“Done!”
With the last press of the keyboard, I pulled my hand back and stared at the product before it.
“…It’s still not done, but it should be playable now.”
I had incorporated everything I’d learned from my recent experiences. While it wasn’t an exact replica, I did my best to recreate the same atmosphere and tension I had felt, capturing as much of that essence as I could.
The overall result was something that I was pleased with.
“Surely this will be enough to scare some people.”
I hoped that’d be the case, and…
To Tok—
“Just in time.”
The door opened, and Kyle came in.
“Seth, it’s already eight. I’m done with work. Are you going to go—”
“Kyle, you came at the perfect time.”
I stood up from my seat and walked towards Kyle, grabbing him by the shoulders and pushing him into my chair.
“Wait, what are you…!?”
“Quiet down. I just need you to help me out with something.”
I pushed him down and clicked on the mousepad.
“Here.”
“This is…?”
Kyle’s brows furrowed for a brief moment before they suddenly widened as he realized what was going on.
His neck snapped in my direction.
“You’re already done? This quick? Don’t games usually take a lot longer to develop?”
“The game isn’t finished yet. This is just the framework, but it should still be playable. I want your honest feedback, no matter what.”
This was crucial.
Given that Kyle was someone who dealt with this kind of thing regularly, he was the perfect test subject for the game. If it scared him, I was confident it would have the same effect on most people.
Then again…
His tolerance for fear was higher than most, so there was a chance he might not get scared. Still, I figured he’d be able to tell if a normal person would feel anything. If he so much as fliched, that’d be enough for me.
“…Alright.”
In some way, Kyle also seemed a little excited to try the game.
“How should I play this? What do I do?”
“Here.”
I gave Kyle a quick rundown of the game and started it. Soon, the room fell into silence as I watched Kyle play the game.
‘He’s going to get scared, right?’
The screen flashed, and Kyle’s fingers moved.
I stared in silence, watching Kyle attentively. I wanted to catch even the smallest glimpse of a reaction from him.
I had put a lot of effort into the game.
To the point where I hadn’t slept much in the past few days. I was somewhat happy with what I had developed, combining every aspect of my recent experiences.
And yet…
[Game Over]
“…..Oh, I lost.”
Not a single reaction.
My heart sank as I stared at Kyle. He had a wry smile on his face as he looked at me and mumbled, ‘Let me try that again.’
I gave him a small nod and watched him try the game again.
Like before, I stared intently at him, waiting for a reaction from him. Just a flinch. Some sort of trembling. Hesitation.
But—
[Game Over]
It was the same. No reaction whatsoever.
Silence settled over the office as Kyle stared at the screen, trying to start the game again.
“Let me turn up the sound.”
“…Oh.”
I closed my eyes and nodded, feeling a tight knot in my stomach.
This time, I didn’t look.
I didn’t need to.
His reaction spoke volumes. Even if I had someone else try it—someone who wasn’t Kyle—I feared the result would be the same.
The game…
It wasn’t scary at all.
‘Shit.’