I think horror really benefits from being first person. Brings you more into being there in the moment as that character, rather than a detached observer, makes things far more scary when they jump out at ya
And yet Silent Hill 2 remains the apex of the genre.
Jump scares are not the same thing as horror. I think this is a mistake that a lot of people make, both in games and in movies. Sudden movement and noise startling someone isn't what makes the genre. Look at something like the original Alien. The horror comes from the creeping dread of the atmosphere and not knowing what's out there, or knowing what's out there but not knowing where it is. It isn't the jump scares that stick with you, it's those times where you could hear Pyramid Head's rusty blade dragging along the ground in the distance but he wasn't on screen and didn't show up for another hour or two of gameplay. Just knowing he's out there but being completely unsure of when or where he'll show up...that is the essence of the genre. The dread, not the reveal.
you're not wrong in that most of it is in the build up and dread, but still, for me that reveal is enhanced by it being first person.
Tightening the pov and making it feel as though something is behind you the whole time, all the time that the dread is being built, that is also enhanced by it being first person imo.
No disrespect to the SH franchise but personally I think first-person Alien Isolation nailed down horror perfectly (until it fucks everything up at the end) and you're mileage may vary but I have to imagine the immersive first-person plays a role in that.
Even with Resident Evil I'm an apologist for the new first-person games when it comes to the horror aspect, even though RE4 and below are my personal faves from a "fun exploration puzzle resource management shooter" aspect.
That's a fair rebuttal, though I'd still argue that Alien Isolation still emphasizes the dread and that said dread is always more important(and effective) than the jump scare.
Jumpscares are an important part of the puzzle, but lazy devs treat them as the entire thing.
A properly executed one is there to make the build up and dread actually lead to something. No matter how well equipped you are or confident in the game, its an attack on you the player, meaning its always effective. Without the "jumpscare" portion, the sound of Pyramid Head scrapping in the background loses all fear because after the first go around you know its meaningless filler and cannot actually harm you.
The apex of the Genre still is and will always be Condemned 2's multiplayer, because it actually managed to incorporate both the "building dread" and the "jumpscare" portion into part of the actual gameplay instead of just player feelings. The constant dread means you don't move as fast as you should in fear of an ambush or getting spooked and you keep your flashlight off so they don't see you coming, lighting is so powerful that players can be jumpscares if they choose to by turning off their flashlights and waiting for you to come by (because you turned yours off to not be seen, you can't see them either), and the low TTK and sensitive controls means that someone who just got jumpscared won't be able to land the necessary hits to win a brawl.
It even manages a game mode to do the RE style, where you have a gun with a lot of ammo and health but your supplies are finite, while the enemies have instant respawns and low health to Bum Rush (name of the mode) you to try and chip you down. So its the growing fear of knowing every missed bullet or small damage will add up.
I think horror really benefits from being first person. Brings you more into being there in the moment as that character, rather than a detached observer, makes things far more scary when they jump out at ya
And yet Silent Hill 2 remains the apex of the genre.
Jump scares are not the same thing as horror. I think this is a mistake that a lot of people make, both in games and in movies. Sudden movement and noise startling someone isn't what makes the genre. Look at something like the original Alien. The horror comes from the creeping dread of the atmosphere and not knowing what's out there, or knowing what's out there but not knowing where it is. It isn't the jump scares that stick with you, it's those times where you could hear Pyramid Head's rusty blade dragging along the ground in the distance but he wasn't on screen and didn't show up for another hour or two of gameplay. Just knowing he's out there but being completely unsure of when or where he'll show up...that is the essence of the genre. The dread, not the reveal.
you're not wrong in that most of it is in the build up and dread, but still, for me that reveal is enhanced by it being first person.
Tightening the pov and making it feel as though something is behind you the whole time, all the time that the dread is being built, that is also enhanced by it being first person imo.
No disrespect to the SH franchise but personally I think first-person Alien Isolation nailed down horror perfectly (until it fucks everything up at the end) and you're mileage may vary but I have to imagine the immersive first-person plays a role in that.
Even with Resident Evil I'm an apologist for the new first-person games when it comes to the horror aspect, even though RE4 and below are my personal faves from a "fun exploration puzzle resource management shooter" aspect.
That's a fair rebuttal, though I'd still argue that Alien Isolation still emphasizes the dread and that said dread is always more important(and effective) than the jump scare.
Jumpscares are an important part of the puzzle, but lazy devs treat them as the entire thing.
A properly executed one is there to make the build up and dread actually lead to something. No matter how well equipped you are or confident in the game, its an attack on you the player, meaning its always effective. Without the "jumpscare" portion, the sound of Pyramid Head scrapping in the background loses all fear because after the first go around you know its meaningless filler and cannot actually harm you.
The apex of the Genre still is and will always be Condemned 2's multiplayer, because it actually managed to incorporate both the "building dread" and the "jumpscare" portion into part of the actual gameplay instead of just player feelings. The constant dread means you don't move as fast as you should in fear of an ambush or getting spooked and you keep your flashlight off so they don't see you coming, lighting is so powerful that players can be jumpscares if they choose to by turning off their flashlights and waiting for you to come by (because you turned yours off to not be seen, you can't see them either), and the low TTK and sensitive controls means that someone who just got jumpscared won't be able to land the necessary hits to win a brawl.
It even manages a game mode to do the RE style, where you have a gun with a lot of ammo and health but your supplies are finite, while the enemies have instant respawns and low health to Bum Rush (name of the mode) you to try and chip you down. So its the growing fear of knowing every missed bullet or small damage will add up.