Survival horror
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Survival horror is a
The term "survival horror" was first used for the original Japanese release of Resident Evil in 1996, which was influenced by earlier games with a horror theme such as 1989's Sweet Home and 1992's Alone in the Dark. The name has been used since then for games with similar gameplay and has been retroactively applied to earlier titles. Starting with the release of Resident Evil 4 in 2005, the genre began to incorporate more features from action games and more traditional first person and third-person shooter games. This has led game journalists to question whether long-standing survival horror franchises and more recent franchises have abandoned the genre and moved into a distinct genre often referred to as "action horror."[1][2][3][4]
Definition
Survival horror refers to a subgenre of survival video games that include horror game elements.[5][6][7] The player character is vulnerable and under-armed,[8] which puts emphasis on puzzle-solving and evasion, rather than the player taking an offensive strategy.[9] Games commonly challenge the player to manage their inventory[10] and ration scarce resources such as ammunition.[8][9] Another major theme throughout the genre is that of isolation. Typically, these games contain relatively few non-player characters and, as a result, frequently tell much of their story second-hand through the usage of journals, texts, or audio logs.[11]
While many action games feature lone protagonists versus swarms of enemies in a suspenseful environment,[12] survival horror games are distinct from otherwise horror-themed action games.[13][14] They tend to de-emphasize combat in favor of challenges such as hiding or running from enemies and solving puzzles.[12] Still, it is not unusual for survival horror games to draw upon elements from first-person shooters, or even role-playing games.[5] According to IGN, "Survival horror is different from typical game genres in that it is not defined strictly by specific mechanics, but subject matter, tone, pacing, and design philosophy."[11]
Game design
De-emphasized combat
Survival horror games are a subgenre of horror games,[6] where the player is unable to fully prepare or arm their avatar.[8] The player usually encounters several factors to make combat unattractive as a primary option, such as a limited number of weapons or invulnerable enemies;[15] if weapons are available, their ammunition is sparser than in other games,[16] and powerful weapons such as explosives are rare, if even available at all.[8] Thus, players are more vulnerable than in action games,[8] and the hostility of the environment sets up a narrative where the odds are weighed decisively against the avatar.[5] This shifts gameplay away from direct combat, and players must learn to evade enemies or turn the environment against them.[12] Games try to enhance the experience of vulnerability by making the game single-player rather than multiplayer,[15] and by giving the player an avatar who is more frail than the typical action game hero.[16]
The survival horror genre is also known for other non-combat challenges, such as solving puzzles at certain locations in the game world,
Enemy design
A survival horror storyline usually involves the investigation and confrontation of horrific forces,[19] and thus many games transform common elements from horror fiction into gameplay challenges.[8] Early releases used camera angles seen in horror films, which allowed enemies to lurk in areas that are concealed from the player's view.[20] Also, many survival horror games make use of off-screen sound or other warning cues to notify the player of impending danger. This feedback assists the player, but also creates feelings of anxiety and uncertainty.[19]
Games typically feature a variety of monsters with unique behavior patterns.
History
Origins (1980s–1996)
The origins of the survival horror game can be traced back to earlier horror fiction novels. Archetypes have been linked to the books of
AX-2: Uchū Yusōsen Nostromo was a survival horror game developed by Akira Takiguchi, a
Another early example is the 1982 Atari 2600 game Haunted House. Gameplay is typical of future survival horror titles, as it emphasizes puzzle-solving and evasive action, rather than violence.[9] The game uses creatures commonly featured in horror fiction, such as bats and ghosts, each of which has unique behaviors. Gameplay also incorporates item collection and inventory management, along with areas that are inaccessible until the appropriate item is found. Because it has several features that have been seen in later survival horror games, some reviewers have retroactively classified this game as the first in the genre.[10]
1982 saw the release of another early horror game,
The latter half of the 1980s saw the release of several other horror-themed games, including Konami's Castlevania in 1986, and Sega's Kenseiden and Namco's Splatterhouse in 1988, though despite the macabre imagery of these games, their gameplay did not diverge much from other action games at the time.[11] Splatterhouse in particular is notable for its large amount of bloodshed and terror, despite being an arcade beat 'em up with very little emphasis on survival.[34]
Shiryou Sensen: War of the Dead, a 1987 title developed by Fun Factory and published by
However, the game often considered the first true survival horror, due to having the most influence on Resident Evil, was the 1989 release Sweet Home, for the Nintendo Entertainment System.[37] It was created by Tokuro Fujiwara, who would later go on to create Resident Evil.[38] Sweet Home's gameplay focused on solving a variety of puzzles using items stored in a limited inventory,[39] while battling or escaping from horrifying creatures, which could lead to permanent death for any of the characters, thus creating tension and an emphasis on survival.[39] It was also the first attempt at creating a scary and frightening storyline within a game, mainly told through scattered diary entries left behind fifty years before the events of the game.[40] Developed by Capcom, the game would become the main inspiration behind their later release Resident Evil.[37][39] Its horrific imagery prevented its release in the Western world, though its influence was felt through Resident Evil, which was originally intended to be a remake of the game.[41] Some consider Sweet Home to be the first true survival horror game.[42]
In 1989, Electronic Arts published Project Firestart, developed by Dynamix. Unlike most other early games in the genre, it featured a science fiction setting inspired by the film Alien, but had gameplay that closely resembled later survival horror games in many ways. Travis Fahs considers it the first to achieve "the kind of fully formed vision of survival horror as we know it today," citing its balance of action and adventure, limited ammunition, weak weaponry, vulnerable main character, feeling of isolation, storytelling through journals, graphic violence, and use of dynamically triggered music - all of which are characteristic elements of later games in the survival horror genre. Despite this, it is not likely a direct influence on later games in the genre and the similarities are largely an example of parallel thinking.[11]
In 1992,
In 1994,
In 1995,
The term "survival horror" was first used by Capcom to market their 1996 release, Resident Evil.
Golden age (1996–2004)
The success of Resident Evil in 1996 was responsible for its formula being used as the basis for a wave of successful survival horror games, many of which were referred to as "Resident Evil clones."
In 1998, Capcom released the successful sequel Resident Evil 2, which series creator Shinji Mikami intended to tap into the classic notion of horror as "the ordinary made strange". Rather than setting the game in a creepy mansion no one would visit, he wanted to use familiar urban settings transformed by the chaos of a viral outbreak. The game sold over five million copies, proving the popularity of survival horror. That year saw the release of Square's Parasite Eve, which combined elements from Resident Evil with the RPG gameplay of Final Fantasy. It was followed by a more action-based sequel, Parasite Eve II, in 1999.[49] In 1998, Galerians discarded the use of guns in favour of psychic powers that make it difficult to fight more than one enemy at a time.[59] Also in 1998, Blue Stinger was a fully 3D survival horror game for the Dreamcast incorporating action elements from beat 'em up and shooter games.[60][61]
Western developers began to return to the survival horror formula.[9] The Thing from 2002 has been called a survival horror game, although it is distinct from other titles in the genre due to its emphasis on action, and the challenge of holding a team together.[69] The 2004 title Doom 3 is sometimes categorized as survival horror, although it is considered an Americanized take on the genre due to the player's ability to directly confront monsters with weaponry.[45] Thus, it is usually considered a first-person shooter with survival horror elements.[70] Regardless, the genre's increased popularity led Western developers to incorporate horror elements into action games, rather than follow the Japanese survival style.[9]
Overall, the traditional survival horror genre continued to be dominated by Japanese designers and aesthetics.
Transformation (2005–present)
In 2005,
The original genre has persisted in one form or another. The 2005 release of
Examples of independent survival horror games are the
The Last of Us, released in 2013 by Naughty Dog, incorporated many survival horror elements into a third-person action-adventure game. Set twenty years after a pandemic plague, the player must use scarce ammo and distraction tactics to evade or kill malformed humans infected by a brain parasite, as well as dangerous survivalists. This was followed by a sequel in 2020.[97]
Shinji Mikami, the creator of the Resident Evil franchise, released his new survival horror game The Evil Within, in 2014. Mikami stated that his goal was to bring survival horror back to its roots as he was disappointed by recent survival horror games for having too much action.[98] That same year, Alien: Isolation, developed by Creative Assembly and based on the Alien science fiction horror film series, was released. The game updated the concept of a single un-killable villain chasing the protagonist throughout most of the game, requiring the player to use stealth in order to survive.[99]
In 2015,
Multiplayer
The Resident Evil series abandoned its action-oriented direction beginning with 2017's
See also
- List of horror video games
- Survival game
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But co-op seems anathema to the spirit of survival horror; not only does it give you someone to lean on, it usually also alters the design balance in favour of action – see the disappointing Resident Evil 5 and risible Dead Space 3.
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