Where has the survival horror genre gone and why?

[darkangel]

So, with excitement I had finished downloading the Dead Space 3 demo, OK, I thought, so Dead Space 2 relied just a little too heavily on action, but the Viscal games had still managed to retain the original atmosphere of Dead Space 1 so I thought to myself with joy that there was another proper survival horror game coming out. Great.

Or so I thought...

After just having finished the demo I must admit that I feel MASSIVELY let down. OK it was polished, OK it still has a great hub and imo inventory system, but after just having done the stupid drill boss I feel that yet again devs have peddled to the causal gamer and done away with any real frights, atmosphere and challenge.

When I think of my favourite genre, I look back on the good old days of when Silent Hill was still worth playing, when Resi was still a massive challenge, but nowadays... any 'survival horror' modern day release is just a rehashed action game with cheap shock tactics and some dark corridors thrown in. That imo, IS NOT the genre I know and love...

So, why is this? Why nowadays has the genre been turned into an all out action genre? Is it peddling to the casual gamer? Creative restraints or just any lack of real creative imagination? What in your opinion can be done to save this increasing rarer genre on today's current gen market and is there any way back to the good old days of old?

[sj33]

It irks me too, survival horror is probably my favourite genre of video games.

Publishers have been moving away from the genre and towards action games simply because the potential audience is bigger. Publishers believe they can expand the potential audience for a game by doing this, without really understanding that you can't have it both ways - broadly speaking, the more enemies you throw into a game, the more powerful weapons you include, the less scary a game becomes. It is a genre that thrived on the fact that players were severely underequipped.

The best survival horror games have been the ones that focus on establishing an atmosphere of seclusion and claustrophobia. They play with the senses by making players fear what they cannot see. Enemies are often sparse, but that serves to make players fear what could be around the next corner. The second that developers start to add swarms of enemies, powerful weapons and cooperative play, the whole thing is shattered.

The only survival horror series left is Project Zero.

Survival horror done properly.

[charlesr]

Or Ikenie No Yoru in which you could only run away (using your feet) and hide.

But yes, agree with OP.

[J0e Musashi]

It's because they stopped using tank controls.

*wonders if there are ways to run away that do not involve the use of feet*

[importaku]

Only horror i like nowdays is japanese horror, in that respect theres still decent scary games. Like mentioned above both project zero games and ikenie no yoru are rather scary. Also nanashi no game and the sequel also are able to scare which for handheld games is quite a feat.

The horror genre has been dumbing down for years, thank capcom for it. Nowdays biohazard has been reduced to a derpy shooter genre. Dead space seems to be heading the same way, ah well.

[sj33]

I can't really think of any decent non-Japanese games that are actually survival horror. There are decent western horror games, but it's not quite the same thing. Even Dead Space wasn't really a survival horror game, but it benefited from that fact that there aren't that many decent sci-fi horror games out there.

I've actually spent the past few weeks playing last-generation survival horror games. Siren and Silent Hill 4 are both obtainable on the Japanese PSN store (the latter actually being rather decent if judged as a horror game rather than a Silent Hill game), and I've been tempted to grab a cheap PS2 so I can replay Siren 2, Project Zero 1, 2 and 3, Kuon, Rule of Rose etc.

The Wii actually has a decent amount of 'proper' survival horror games too, more than the 360 or PS3.

[importaku]

Even ju-on wasnt all that bad, it was slow and cumbersome but it still was scary, calling was the same, i love that game.

[sj33]

Survival horror games have always had poor controls, it's definitely not the strong point of the genre. I actually prefer clunky tank controls because it adds to the feeling that you're underpowered and seriously at threat if something was to attack you.

Saying that, I understand that refining the controls would be necessary if the genre was to have any future. Unfortunately, it seems to be a slippery slope towards making an action game.

[Dogg Thang]

Seems to be just the perception that less horror and more action equals more sales. And maybe they're right? I don't know. But I agree it's a shame that the genre has taken a dive.

That said, Siren Blood Curse was too much for me. I cacked my pants playing that game and had to stop playing. I think I'm getting old! It is, no doubt, an awesome example of the genre though. The atmosphere is stunning.

For me, one interesting one was Silent Hill Shattered Memories because it did pretty much the opposite of what happened to RE and the like. It moved away from combat altogether and, in doing so, became a 'going for a walk' sim as I like to call this (sub?)genre. Could a game like that work without the threat of death through most of it? I felt yes, it worked really, really well. And we've had Dear Esther and Home and I would love to see more of this type of game. Because really, the combat was never a strength of something like Silent Hill 2. It was the lonely atmosphere, the eeriness. It actually didn't need the combat. It didn't even need the survival aspect, the threat of death.

I became convinced of this quite a number of years ago when I saw The Eye in the cinema. A Chinese/Hong Kong film, I think? It was incredibly creepy, made me jump in several places and was so tense and yet at no point in that movie was there a threat of death for the characters. It was enough that the ghosts were close. Threat of proximity was more than enough. We actually don't need our life (or our character's life) to be under direct threat to be scared.

[importaku]

Atmosphere is king with horror, it's why i love j horror. Usually just the setting and music is enough to put you on edge.

[sj33]

It's definitely true. The Siren games don't really have weapons per say, and the Project Zero games only really have the cameras.

What makes a survival horror game is the atmosphere. Even with games that do include weapons such as Resident Evil Remake, it's still a secondary focus. The most important thing is atmosphere reinforced by a great ambient soundtrack, and a feeling of loneliness and claustrophobia.

Once you start giving the characters a vast arsenal of weapons and filling the screen with enemies, this is completely destroyed and any token attempts at horror setpieces lose their affect.

[importaku]

Its good when you dont have a mini aresnal of weapons, just having a torch or camera to fight with is a lot more scary. Calling has some brilliant atmosphere, even more creepy is the cursed letters and pics that it sends to your wii message inbox. When i first saw that it really creeped me out hehe.

[originalbadboy]

ZombiU has restored my faith survival horror as it shows how to do it properly.

[MrKirov]

Some positive news though, Tomm Hulett has left Konami

[Brad]

Day Z is the best survival horror for ages I reckon. Genuine fear and panic with a constant hunt for food and drink.