Genres of Horror
The word “horror” is a broad term which encompasses anything remotely scary in video games. Fans of horror games know that this category of games comes in many flavors and varieties. When recommending a quality scary game, sometimes just slapping the label of “horror” is just not enough.
Like horror movies, horror video games can be broken down into several smaller subgenres. Many of our favorite horror games in the market fall into one or more of these categories. Each genre also has several shiny new games to look forward to this year.
We decided that lumping zombies in with ghosts will simply not do. Today we have compiled a list of the most popular horror genres and what about them that has us afraid to turn off the lights.
1. Zombie
Little girl, you have to go for the head shot!
Since the explosion in the popularity of The Walking Dead, Zombies have been the entertainment industry’s cash cow. After all this time, zombies do not appear to be losing steam. It seems that every year there are at least a couple titles which features zombies as the main antagonists. For 2016 alone we will be seeing the release of Resident Evil Zero Remastered, Telltale’s Michonne Miniseries, and Overkill’s Walking Dead game.
For video games, zombies are an ideal enemy. A single zombie does not pose a great threat, but as a group they become a force of nature. Can anyone say “cannon fodder”? Games like shooters require massive numbers of disposable enemy hordes. Zombies fit this description perfectly. Nothing makes a player feel more like the king of the apocalypse than plowing through a zombie horde with a machine gun or a double-ended chainsaw.
This is not to say that every zombie game is a gun-happy zombie-killing good time. Some games like The Last of Us make ammo a valuable commodity. In this instance you probably want to kill as quietly as possible, or avoid open conflict altogether. Other games, such as Telltale’s Walking Dead, focuses heavily on the human aspect of surviving the end of the world, and the emotional toll it takes on the mind. Zombies are enough of a blank slate that game creators can quite a bit of creative license, giving us variety in a world seemingly oversaturated with zombie games.
Examples from this genre include:
- Dying Light (2016)
Parkour and zombies. Enough said.
- Dead Rising (2006)
Customize your weapons and witness the carnage.
- Last of Us (2013)
Fungus zombies!
- Dead Island (2011)
Even zombies need a beach vacation.
- Left 4 Dead (2008)
Can four survivors make it against a horde of zombies?
- Telltale's Walking Dead (2012)
Sometimes there are no happy endings in a zombie apocalypse.
2. Serial Killer
Time to revisit Camp Crystal Lake. Survive the night as Jason or a camp counsellor!
What is the horror genre without our classic slasher villains? Human beings have always been capable of the most horrific acts. Serial killers in the news become overnight celebrities in the media. The 80s fed our love of serial killers by bringing slasher villains to the big screen. These movies spawned franchises which are still popular more than twenty years after their debut.
There are a number of video games that fall in this category. None of them are for the faint of heart. What else do we expect when we glorify the most twisted members of society? Some serial killers in games are scientifically enhanced (Outlast), while others gain their strength from a supernatural source (Friday the 13th). Others, like the entire cast of Manhunt, cause murder and mayhem without any outside help.
This Halloween we are excited to play as our favorite serial killer in the upcoming Friday the 13th video game. Yes, we all remember the original F13 game from 1989 was a colossal disappointment. I imagine some of you have trust issues, but there is hope. A number of the crew behind the F13 film series are involved in this project, so it is a reasonable to assume Jason will get the gore filled game he deserves.
Examples of games in this genre:
- Friday the 13th (1989 & 2016)
There is a reason Camp Crystal lake is nicknamed “Camp Blood”.
- Until Dawn (2015)
Eight unsupervised teens alone in a cabin? Classic recipe for disaster!
- Manhunt (2003)
Literally everyone is a serial killer. Manhunt is one of the most disturbing games on this list, and that is saying something.
3. Paranormal
Allison Road’s Hana bears a striking resemblance to a character from Silent Hill PT.
What occurs after death is one of life’s greatest mysteries. Do victims of violent crimes linger among the living to seek revenge? Do souls with unfinished business refuse to pass on to the next world? With ghosts, the element of the unknown sends us running scared. Whether you believe in an afterlife or not, everyone loves a good ghost story.
Paranormal is a loose catch-all term for anything involving ghosts, the dead, and the afterlife. The style of paranormal enemy in a game can vary wildly based on culture. A Japanese horror game like Fatal Frame will have a very different style when compared to an American made game like The Evil Within.
This 2016 we are anxiously awaiting a few new additions to one of our favorite horror subgenres. Perception, slated to be released later in 2016, explores elements of the supernatural from the perspective of a blind woman. Another paranormal horror due to come out later this year is the Silent Hill P.T. inspired Allison Road. Both are sure to bring us quality scares from beyond the grave.
Examples of games in this genre:
- Fatal Frame (2001)
Fatal Frame, taking selfies before it was cool.
- The Evil Within (2014)
Pretty much Silent Hill and Resident Evil rolled into one.
- FEAR (2005)
This creepy psychic ghost-child will haunt your nightmares forever.
- DreadOut (2014)
Time to fight a town of ghosts with a camera. Looks like Fatal Frame got an upgrade.
- Kholat (2015)
One year after the disappearance of a group of students you must uncover the truth behind the tragedy. Inspired by true events.
- Calling (2009)
What happens when you pick up the phone and hear the voice of the dead?
- Ju-On: The Grudge (2009)
Based on the hit Japanese horror film. Be prepared to scream when you hear her death rattle.
4. Psychological Horror
Layers of Fear takes the phrase “crazy for art” a little too far.
Want games that get inside your head and wonder what it means to be sane? We love psychological horror video games for their surreal quality. When delving into the human mind the rules of reality do not apply. In this genre, game developers have almost complete freedom when designing environments and characters. Some of the best monster designs have been manifestations of a video game character’s worst fear. The infamous Pyramid Head is an excellent example of this principal.
We have seen games exploring the minds of criminals (Condemned Criminal Origins), writers (Alan Wake), and even children (Among the Sleep). Early in 2016, we are taking a look into the mind of an artist, and his deep personal struggle to finish his masterpiece. Experience the scars depression and substance abuse can leave on the mind as reality literally melts around you. The excitement around Layers of Fear guarantees that psychological horror will continue to haunt our nightmares this year.
Examples of games in this genre:
- Amnesia: The Dark Descent (2010)
“If I stay in the darkness I fear I shall lose my mind.”
- Alan Wake (2010)
A game where the main character writes himself into his own horror story.
- Among the Sleep (2014)
This game has a surreal world that could only come from the mind of a child.
- Layers of Fear (2016)
Explore the darkest corners of the mind of an artist. Reality will literally melt around you.
- Amnesia: A Machine for Pigs (2013)
You feel a machine rumbling to life beneath your feet. You do not know its purpose, but you do know tragedy will follow.
- Penumbra: The Black Plague (2008)
This secret facility has undergone a major containment breech. When will these scientists learn?
- The Park (2015)
There is something sinister about the amusement park. Is it possible to love something and fear it at the same time?
- SOMA (2015)
What makes you a person? Is it your memories? Or is it something else?
5. Monsters, Mutants and Cannibals
My what nice teeth you have.
Cannibals, mutants and cyborgs. Oh my! One of humanity’s deepest fears is suddenly being bumped down a spot on the food chain. This can happen in a number of ways. Death can come in the form of a wild animal, like one of earth’s top carnivores. Death could also come into the form of a mutation, which can turn something that was once harmless into a threat. It could even come in the form of a human so detached from their humanity that they become little more than animals themselves.
We fear monsters for the same reason we fear a hurricane. What makes monsters in video games scary, apart from the claws and teeth, is their lack of humanity. They cannot be reasoned with, and given the chance they will eat you.
It is going to be tough to top the apex predator of the alien franchise, but there are some hungry monsters this year that refused to be overlooked. The afflicted of Pamela were once human, but have become so twisted by an unknown disease that there is barely any humanity left. The half-cyborg thralls of SHODAN in the upcoming remake of System Shock could also be arguably lumped into this category as well.
Examples of games in this genre:
- The Forest (2014)
Just your luck to crash landed into a jungle full of cannibals.
- System Shock 2 (1999)
Humans are only useful as her cyborg slaves.
- Silent Hill
Silent Hill makes us face our own personal demons.
- Slender: The Arrival (2013)
He is right behind you.
- Five Nights and Freddy's (2014)
Brace yourself. Jump scares are coming.
- Emily Wants to Play
Emily and her three nightmare-fuel dolls want to play.
- Resident Evil Series
Tons of zombies AND monsters!
6. Devil, Demon & Hell
That moment when you realize you are fighting the devil.(Doom)
Arguably, many of the horror villains who fall into the “supernatural” subgenre could also be considered demonic. We typically think of demons as malicious or vengeful spirits and non-human creatures. Depending on cultural influence demons can take many forms, or even have no form at all such as the Darkness in Alan Wake. In the west, we picture demons as the horned beasts from renaissance paintings.
Like zombies, demons are ideal for creating hordes of enemies as cannon fodder in video games. They can vary widely in size, shape and ability, so developers have nearly total creative freedom when coming up with character designs. Some of the most iconic video game demons can be found in the Diablo and DOOM series. It just so happens, after a twelve year wait, the DOOM franchise is due for its fourth installment. We can’t wait to face off against giant spiders and half fly demon babies once again. If those aren’t the definition of demon spawn, I don’t know what is!
Examples of games in this genre:
- Doom 3 (2004)
When the gates of hell open the only solution is to grab a bigger gun.
- Lucius (2015)
Play as the son of Lucifer himself. Looks like Alma has some competition.
- Alone in the Dark (2008)
Fear the demons that lurk in the dark.
7. Aliens and Deep Space Horror
This is a necromorph. It is a zombie … in space. That instantly makes it so much worse.
For that feeling of claustrophobia and utter isolation, nothing beats a survival horror set in outer space. Much like the “supernatural” category, this subgenre feeds off our fear of the unknown. Is there intelligent life on other planets? Are they friendly or hostile? If you have been paying attention to this article so far, you already know the answer to that question.
Extraterrestrial threats are a bit of a wild card because there is no way of knowing an alien race’s intelligence or technological capabilities. Alien threats can range from the animal-like xenomorphs of Alien: Isolation to the master race of Reapers in Mass Effect. You have no idea where on the spectrum they will fall until you’ve encountered them.
Even if there are no aliens involved, just being in space is enough of a reason to be afraid. Have you ever seen Gravity or Armageddon? If there is one thing we know about space travel, it’s that everything which can go wrong, will go wrong. The only thing protecting you from floating endlessly in the vacuum of space is a metal tube. Now that is scary.
There are many unknown factors in this year’s space themed horror game Routine. What is the nature of the threat in this upcoming game? The trailer chooses to leave this vague and let our imaginations do most of the work. We have high hopes that Routine will be one more in a long line of extraterrestrial horror games in 2016.
Examples of games in this genre:
- Routine
In an isolated lunar base the entire crew has disappeared without a trace.
- Dead Space (2008)
Space zombies. Enough said.
- Alien: Isolation
Continue the Ripley legacy in Alien: Isolation.
It is refreshing to see a game for every genre of horror for 2016. The sheer variety of games makes it tough to determine which category will be most popular this year. Perhaps we will have to regroup at a later time to tally up the number of quality scares.
What type of horror game is your favorite? Which genre of horror do you think will come out on top in 2016?
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