I could easily fill this post with many many many games that when their intent was to be scary, it just didn't quite work. I'm only going to talk about a few of them, and some of them are obvious for reasons that come from developers, and others are just a sad excuse for a horror game and shouldn't even be allowed to be listed in the same genre. Also, there will be mention of a game that at one point, I did think was great, but as time went on, I realized the errors of my ways and I am now going to talk **** about it. Because I can, and you can't stop me.
So first up, we have a game that I've actually talked about before in my "Disappointment Valley" section, but I feel it deserves mention here as it's definitely one of the examples of a game that really shouldn't have gone the way that it did, and should have kept it simple and gone with a different concept altogether, i'm talking of course about...
Among The Sleep
Yes, I have talked about
Among The Sleep before, but i'm going to do it again. Why this game still holds a close to 5 star rating on Steam is beyond me, but than again, those reviews really don't matter. This games description at first had me thinking this would be a really cool experience:
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Among the Sleep is a first-person exploration game seen from the view of a toddler. The player can move the cursor to walk or crawl around, the latter of which is faster and is required to slide through obstacles blocking the way. Running is also an available option, though the player will stop to catch breath if it is done for too long.
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Now, the concept is there, it really is. I think a game like this could be done well if done right. Unfortunately, with
Among The Sleep, it was not done right. Instead, they took the concept of being in the perspective of a toddler, and basically butchered it. Not the toddler, the concept. It's unfortunate that I always have to give this game a bad name, because I really wanted to enjoy it. Honestly, the whole idea of a game like this hasn't actually been done before, and I had hoped that it'd make a new light on a difference perspective of horror games, but unfortunately, this game has everything but the horror aspect, and should just be considered a survival game and that's it. This game never managed to scare me, and i'm honestly surprised that people do get scared at this game. Everything from the gameplay mechanics to the graphics is just laughable.
The next game i'm going to talk about was actually never meant to be scary but was actually made to be more like an adventure, and if people are expecting a sequel to it's much better predecessor, you'll be in for a disappointment. Honestly, i'm only putting this here because it fits the description, however I actually like the game a lot and it does what it does well, but anyway...
Amnesia: A Machine For Pigs
Now you're going to ask, "But Ki, why are you putting this here if you weren't actually disappointment in the horror aspect of the game?" Well, i'm glad you asked. When I first heard that an Amnesia sequel was in the works, I knew nothing about it other than the fact that there was going to be a sequel to a game that I absolutely loved, so my mind instantly went to "man, this game is going to the best sequel ever", which it isn't terrible, but that's under the impression that this is a
direct sequel, which this is not. Honestly, all I can really say is, if you're more into an Amnesia style game that is more focused on the story and less on the scare factor, I'd highly suggest playing this game. The story is actually fantastic, and I was quite sad to discover the ending, but overall, it was really well done. There are a few times when the game is scary, but it's more about the adventure, and it does it really well.
Now, onto a game that I'm sure you're itching to hear about. I mentioned in my previous post that I'd be talking about a games sequel in another post, well...here it is:
Slender: The Arrival
Now, i'll give credit where credit is due. The whole idea of Slender is just brilliant. A guy basically stalking you at all times, and trying to find ways to find you and scare you. It was done really well in the previous game, and this game was meant to be an expansion on the first game / was meant to sort of put the pieces together and allow you to learn more about the thing you were dealing with (thing being Slender), however I feel like the game really missed out on an opportunity to skip out on the whole "collecting" thing and just go for a full on survival horror experience. My first time playing it, I actually quite enjoyed it, but I think that was due to me just enjoying a new game, but as time went on, I started to see the faults and in the end, realized that this game really wasn't as great as I once thought. Some of it's high points are the notes that you find throughout the game that give a bit of backstory to certain characters in the story, but the whole idea of collecting papers or whatever on every level really took away from the scare. Honestly, if they decide to make another sequel of this game, I just hope that they realize that the whole collecting thing doesn't work in a horror unless it's done right, like it's predecessor.