Before we go
any further, we should talk about the history of horror games.
Horror gaming
has been around for quite a while and covers a multitude of genres. As such,
Horror gaming history nearly spans the history of gaming itself, but since I
don’t have the time or space to go in depth I will cover this history by
decade. For each decade I will highlight some key games and note a few
relatively unknown titles. And for the sake of space, the history will be split
by century because the turn of the century saw a shift in the
way horror games were presented; this in turn led to the birth of
action-horror.
This look at
the history after the jump.
NOTE: Titles are displayed as such: Title (date, platform). If a title has ’multi’ listed as its platform, this means it was released on multiple platforms.
1980s
Haunted House (1981, Atari 2600)
One of the first games to include horror elements, Haunted House gave players the task of finding the pieces of a magical urn hidden inside a dark mansion (Fahs, 2009). While the graphics at the time made any attempt to visually scare the player difficult; the creators used the unseen to scare the player as they avoid monsters and collect pieces to win the game (Fahs, 2009). In-game, players cannot attack monsters, and instead rely on matches to light their way through the dark house, which go out every time a monster enters or exits the room (Fahs, 2009).
One of the first games to include horror elements, Haunted House gave players the task of finding the pieces of a magical urn hidden inside a dark mansion (Fahs, 2009). While the graphics at the time made any attempt to visually scare the player difficult; the creators used the unseen to scare the player as they avoid monsters and collect pieces to win the game (Fahs, 2009). In-game, players cannot attack monsters, and instead rely on matches to light their way through the dark house, which go out every time a monster enters or exits the room (Fahs, 2009).
Uninvited*(1986, multi)
In Uninvited players wake up after a car accident to find their sibling missing and begin their search in the only building around: a haunted mansion (Chris, n.d.; Giant Bomb, 2012). A classic point-and-click adventure game on Macintosh that was later ported into a Déjà vu-style game on the original Nintendo Entertainment System—Déjà vu was a film noir-styled adventure game for the NES which was very fun to play when I was growing up (Chris, n.d.; Giant Bomb, 2012). Players were able to move about the mansion and could interact with nearly every object in the game to solve puzzles (Chris, n.d.; Giant Bomb, 2012).
In Uninvited players wake up after a car accident to find their sibling missing and begin their search in the only building around: a haunted mansion (Chris, n.d.; Giant Bomb, 2012). A classic point-and-click adventure game on Macintosh that was later ported into a Déjà vu-style game on the original Nintendo Entertainment System—Déjà vu was a film noir-styled adventure game for the NES which was very fun to play when I was growing up (Chris, n.d.; Giant Bomb, 2012). Players were able to move about the mansion and could interact with nearly every object in the game to solve puzzles (Chris, n.d.; Giant Bomb, 2012).
Ghost
Hunters*(1987, ZX Spectrum)
Ghost Hunters is probably one of the earliest forms of action-horror. The game features gunplay mixed with advanced platforming as players control Brad Studbuckle as he searches for his brother within a haunted mansion (Oliver & Oliver, 1987).
Ghost Hunters is probably one of the earliest forms of action-horror. The game features gunplay mixed with advanced platforming as players control Brad Studbuckle as he searches for his brother within a haunted mansion (Oliver & Oliver, 1987).
Games of note
- The Lurking Horror (1987, multi) (IGN, 2012)
- Splatterhouse (1988, arcade) (IGN, 2012)
- Friday the 13th (1989, NES) (Giant Bomb, 2012)
- Sweet Home (1989, NES) (Giant Bomb, 2012)
1990s
Alone in the
dark (1992, multi)
Inspired by H.P. Lovecraft’s horror tales, Alone in the Dark laid the groundwork for future horror titles. Aside from creating what would become known as ”tank controls” (in which left and right rotated the character, while up and down moved the player forward & backward respectively) the game brought adventure gaming into a 3D environment, keeping the genre’s fixed camera angles and puzzles (IGN, 2012). Alone in the Dark gave players limited resources to fight off monsters and relied on scripted events to create a constant sense of danger for players (IGN, 2012).
Inspired by H.P. Lovecraft’s horror tales, Alone in the Dark laid the groundwork for future horror titles. Aside from creating what would become known as ”tank controls” (in which left and right rotated the character, while up and down moved the player forward & backward respectively) the game brought adventure gaming into a 3D environment, keeping the genre’s fixed camera angles and puzzles (IGN, 2012). Alone in the Dark gave players limited resources to fight off monsters and relied on scripted events to create a constant sense of danger for players (IGN, 2012).
Resident Evil
(1996, Playstation)
Capcom’s Resident Evil has become one of the most widely recognized horror franchise in gaming, and not without reason; Resident Evil created the term ”survival horror” when it was used in advertisements to describe gameplay (IGN, 1996; Giant Bomb; 2012). Resident Evil’s gameplay was similar to Alone in the Dark: limited resources, strong enemies, and fixed cameras, and (as with many horror games) an abandoned mansion setting (IGN, 1996; Giant Bomb; 2012; Giant Bomb; 2012). This game managed to turn these tropes into a coherent, somewhat cheesy story while also pushing horror into the mainstream.
Capcom’s Resident Evil has become one of the most widely recognized horror franchise in gaming, and not without reason; Resident Evil created the term ”survival horror” when it was used in advertisements to describe gameplay (IGN, 1996; Giant Bomb; 2012). Resident Evil’s gameplay was similar to Alone in the Dark: limited resources, strong enemies, and fixed cameras, and (as with many horror games) an abandoned mansion setting (IGN, 1996; Giant Bomb; 2012; Giant Bomb; 2012). This game managed to turn these tropes into a coherent, somewhat cheesy story while also pushing horror into the mainstream.
Silent Hill
(1999, Playstation)
Konami's Silent Hill created a new form of gaming horror by using psychological scares and an emphasis on story rather than scripted jump-scares, scripted events that try to instantly frighten the player (Reyes, 1999; Giant Bomb, 2012). In Silent Hill, players assume the role of Harry Mason as he searches for his daughter in the mysterious town of Silent Hill (Reyes, 1999; Giant Bomb, 2012). This game is unique in many ways, but the most obvious example is that the game ditches the mansion trope and allows players to explore nearly every part of the fictional town (Reyes, 1999; Giant Bomb, 2012). Gameplay is similar to Resident Evil, with limited resources and fixed camera angles, yet the presentation is very different (Reyes, 1999; Giant Bomb, 2012).
Konami's Silent Hill created a new form of gaming horror by using psychological scares and an emphasis on story rather than scripted jump-scares, scripted events that try to instantly frighten the player (Reyes, 1999; Giant Bomb, 2012). In Silent Hill, players assume the role of Harry Mason as he searches for his daughter in the mysterious town of Silent Hill (Reyes, 1999; Giant Bomb, 2012). This game is unique in many ways, but the most obvious example is that the game ditches the mansion trope and allows players to explore nearly every part of the fictional town (Reyes, 1999; Giant Bomb, 2012). Gameplay is similar to Resident Evil, with limited resources and fixed camera angles, yet the presentation is very different (Reyes, 1999; Giant Bomb, 2012).
Games of Note
- Dark Seed (1992, multi) (IGN, 2012)
- The 7th Guest (1993, multi) (Giant Bomb, 2012)
- Phantasmagoria (1995, PC) (IGN, 2012)
- D (1996, multi) (IGN, 2012)
- Nightmare Creatures (1997, Playstation) (IGN, 1997)
- Hellnight (1998, Playstation) (Giant Bomb, 2012)
- Echo Night (1999, Playstation) (Everingham, 1997 )
In part two of
“History Time,” we will explore horror games of the 21st century and the
inception of action-horror.
Chris.
(n.d.). The Prehistory of Survival Horror [Article]. Retrieved From: http://www.dreamdawn.com/sh/features/prehistoryofhorror.php
Everingham,
M. (1999, September 7). Echo Night [Game Review]. Retrieved From: http://psx.ign.com/objects/011/011507.html
Fahs, T.
(2009October 30). IGN Presents the History of Survival Horror. Retrieved
From: http://retro.ign.com/articles/104/1040759p1.html
Giant Bomb.
(2012). Friday the 13th [Game Page]. Retrieved From: http://www.giantbomb.com/friday-the-13th/61-21482/
Giant Bomb.
(2012). Hellnight [Game Page]. Retrieved From: http://www.giantbomb.com/hellnight/61-10568/
Giant Bomb.
(2012). Resident Evil [Game Page]. Retrieved From: http://www.giantbomb.com/resident-evil/61-5842/
Giant Bomb.
(2012). Silent Hill [Game Page]. Retrieved From: http://www.giantbomb.com/silent-hill/61-4312/
Giant Bomb.
(2012). Sweet Home [Game Page]. Retrieved From: http://www.giantbomb.com/sweet-home/61-15120/
Giant Bomb.
(2012). The 7th Guest [Game Page]. Retrieved From: http://www.giantbomb.com/the-7th-guest/61-16298/
Giant Bomb.
(2012). Uninvited [Game Page]. Retrieved From: http://www.giantbomb.com/uninvited/61-9775/
IGN. (2012).
Alone in the Dark [Game Info]. Retrieved From: http://pc.ign.com/objects/008/008013.html
IGN. (2012).
D [Game Info]. Retrieved From: http://cheats.ign.com/objects/000/000581.html
IGN. (2012).
Darkseed [Game Info]. Retrieved From: http://pc.ign.com/objects/008/008457.html
IGN. (2012).
Phantasmagoria [Game Info]. Retrieved From: http://pc.ign.com/objects/008/008400.html
IGN. (2012).
Splatterhouse [Game Info]. Retrieved From: http://cheats.ign.com/objects/142/14249515.html
IGN. (2012). The
Lurking Horror [Game Info]. Retrieved From: http://cheats.ign.com/objects/793/793136.html
IGN.
(1996, November 25). Resident Evil [Game Review]. Retrieved From: http://psx.ign.com/articles/150/150610p1.html
IGN. (1997, October
26). Nightmare Creatures [Game Review]. Retrieved From: http://psx.ign.com/articles/152/152091p1.html
Oliver, A.
Oliver, P. (1987, June). Ghost Hunters: Review. Crash Magazine, 41, 20. Retrieved From: http://www.worldofspectrum.org/showmag.cgi?mag=Crash/Issue41/Pages/Crash4100020.jpg
Reyes, F. (1999, February 24). Silent Hill [Game Review] Retrieved From: http://psx.ign.com/articles/153/153982p1.html
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