#SpookySpread- the Ambience of Horror
Hey everyone, Rebecka here. Every week I will be posting a variety of #SpookySpread content, from horror game reviews, opinions, background information, and discourse. Hopefully your time with me will cause your veins run cold with fear, and encourage you to think on terror!
Alright, lameness aside, let's take a look together at the ambience of horror games. What exactly do I mean by ambience? I mean the atmosphere. The setting that creates it, the lighting that shapes it, and the music and sound (or lack thereof) that fosters it. Characters are also exceptionally important in the creation of an effective horror game, but they really deserve a post of their own, don't you think?
It would be safe to suggest that ambience is significant in horror games. There is nothing that ruins a creepy atmosphere more than strangely placed music, and an inability to properly see what is going on around you (horror movies are unfortunately guilty of this all the time, but we won't get into that here). Often, the more subtle an aspect of ambience, the more creepy the game can be. Because, rather than shoving the horror directly at you, the game developers, designers, writers, and composers, let you fill in the fear with your own imagination. Is there anything scarier than the darkest depths of the human imagination? Rather than get too philosophical, let's break down the discussion of ambience by tackling each category, one at a time.
First, the setting of a horror game is crucial. Of course, that could be said of any video game, but it still needs to be mentioned here. If the setting is wrong, then the game just won't feel right. It won't feel scary, or creepy, or intimidating. And that isn't very fun! Horror is full of all sorts of different tropes, and so we often see particular settings appear again and again. Because they work. Exploring a very old and abandoned village in Project Zero 2: the Crimson Butterfly (one of my favourite horror games, in case you were wondering), where everyone has disappeared, but the candles and lanterns are all still lit anyway, is unnerving. You can almost feel the chill of the ever present fog that hangs in the air. The old, crumbling house that sits directly on a Louisiana bayou in Resident Evil 7: Biohazard, filled with danger, and long forgotten remnants of a normal life, sparks a sense of dread as you sneak around the corners, desperately trying to avoid the gaze of the patrolling owner. These settings are painstakingly designed to amp up the uneasiness that the player feels as they wander through the game world.
Secondly, the lighting. Lighting is so important in creating good horror ambience. If it is so bright that you can see everything around you (though who knows what may be creeping up behind you), then your imagination doesn't need to fill in the blanks. It doesn't get the chance to make you wonder what exactly that strange shape in the corner was, or whether or not something moved behind that chair. You don't get to experience the joy of staring at one space on the screen for a little longer than you probably should, just to make sure that doll is actually a doll, and not a living, breathing entity. And that really detracts from the whole experience.
However, if things are too dark, we head too far toward the other extreme, which is that your imagination has to supplement the game too much. You don't have time to take in everything on the screen, because you're too busy trying to make sure you have seen all that needs to be seen. In that poorly lit cutscene, essential to the story, what exactly was happening? They pointed toward an open door, but I didn't see a bloody thing there... did I miss something cool? Will I need the information I missed later? I needed to take a photo of that ghost for my photo album, but it was so dark that I didn't see it in time. These moments are infuriating, and can really impact your immersion in the game, as you stop to replay from your last save, look up a walkthrough, or watch a video of the same part, just to be sure you got it all.
Lastly, we have the music and sound of horror. Implementing the sound right, and composing the perfect music is just so damn essential to making a good horror game. The sound effects of a video game really bolster your immersion in it, and that is imperative when it comes to creating an effective horror game. You should be wondering if those creaking sounds are your own footsteps, or if an enemy is sneaking up on you. You should be nervous about the strange tapping you could swear you heard a minute ago. Goodness, that door really needs to be oiled at some point, don't you think? And let's not even go up that hallway right now, because you're pretty sure that is where the singing is coming from, and you were positive you were here alone.
in the game. And, let's not forget the strange singing you heard in the hallway before.
Did you think we were done with sound and music? Oh no, no, no. There is one final aspect to this category that needs to be mentioned. Silence, or at least, the lack of any sound that is not environmental. A lot of people underestimate the powerful effect that silence has on a person. But we horror gamers don't, do we? We have felt the tense muscles that come along with straining your ears over the deafening silence, listening for... anything. We have experienced that feeling of your heart in your throat as you turn around a corner, assuming it was safe, as there was no warning music, only to be accosted by a disgusting zombie monster you really don't want to touch (is that a chunk of flesh sliding off of his arm?). And honestly, is there anything better? The above video is a good example of combining music, quiet moments, and environmental sounds.
So, hopefully you have started to think more about the ambience of your favourite horror games, and you may even begin to notice it a little the next time you play! What horror games do you think have really effective, creepy ambience? Which ones miss the mark? Let us know. Horror appetite not yet sated? Join me every Wednesday for more #SpookySpread.
If you want more game content, don't forget to check out our Twitter, over at @TheGamerSpread, or find me on my personal Twitter @gsrebecka, and remember to stay spooky!
Alright, lameness aside, let's take a look together at the ambience of horror games. What exactly do I mean by ambience? I mean the atmosphere. The setting that creates it, the lighting that shapes it, and the music and sound (or lack thereof) that fosters it. Characters are also exceptionally important in the creation of an effective horror game, but they really deserve a post of their own, don't you think?
It would be safe to suggest that ambience is significant in horror games. There is nothing that ruins a creepy atmosphere more than strangely placed music, and an inability to properly see what is going on around you (horror movies are unfortunately guilty of this all the time, but we won't get into that here). Often, the more subtle an aspect of ambience, the more creepy the game can be. Because, rather than shoving the horror directly at you, the game developers, designers, writers, and composers, let you fill in the fear with your own imagination. Is there anything scarier than the darkest depths of the human imagination? Rather than get too philosophical, let's break down the discussion of ambience by tackling each category, one at a time.
 |
| Project Zero 2: Crimson Butterfly- the Lost Village |
First, the setting of a horror game is crucial. Of course, that could be said of any video game, but it still needs to be mentioned here. If the setting is wrong, then the game just won't feel right. It won't feel scary, or creepy, or intimidating. And that isn't very fun! Horror is full of all sorts of different tropes, and so we often see particular settings appear again and again. Because they work. Exploring a very old and abandoned village in Project Zero 2: the Crimson Butterfly (one of my favourite horror games, in case you were wondering), where everyone has disappeared, but the candles and lanterns are all still lit anyway, is unnerving. You can almost feel the chill of the ever present fog that hangs in the air. The old, crumbling house that sits directly on a Louisiana bayou in Resident Evil 7: Biohazard, filled with danger, and long forgotten remnants of a normal life, sparks a sense of dread as you sneak around the corners, desperately trying to avoid the gaze of the patrolling owner. These settings are painstakingly designed to amp up the uneasiness that the player feels as they wander through the game world.
 |
| Resident Evil 7: Biohazard- the Baker Mansion |
Secondly, the lighting. Lighting is so important in creating good horror ambience. If it is so bright that you can see everything around you (though who knows what may be creeping up behind you), then your imagination doesn't need to fill in the blanks. It doesn't get the chance to make you wonder what exactly that strange shape in the corner was, or whether or not something moved behind that chair. You don't get to experience the joy of staring at one space on the screen for a little longer than you probably should, just to make sure that doll is actually a doll, and not a living, breathing entity. And that really detracts from the whole experience.
 |
| Amnesia: the Dark Descent |
However, if things are too dark, we head too far toward the other extreme, which is that your imagination has to supplement the game too much. You don't have time to take in everything on the screen, because you're too busy trying to make sure you have seen all that needs to be seen. In that poorly lit cutscene, essential to the story, what exactly was happening? They pointed toward an open door, but I didn't see a bloody thing there... did I miss something cool? Will I need the information I missed later? I needed to take a photo of that ghost for my photo album, but it was so dark that I didn't see it in time. These moments are infuriating, and can really impact your immersion in the game, as you stop to replay from your last save, look up a walkthrough, or watch a video of the same part, just to be sure you got it all.
Lastly, we have the music and sound of horror. Implementing the sound right, and composing the perfect music is just so damn essential to making a good horror game. The sound effects of a video game really bolster your immersion in it, and that is imperative when it comes to creating an effective horror game. You should be wondering if those creaking sounds are your own footsteps, or if an enemy is sneaking up on you. You should be nervous about the strange tapping you could swear you heard a minute ago. Goodness, that door really needs to be oiled at some point, don't you think? And let's not even go up that hallway right now, because you're pretty sure that is where the singing is coming from, and you were positive you were here alone.
Music evokes so many emotions and thoughts inside a listener. Isn't it said that music is the language of the soul? It certainly seems that the composers and musicians that work on horror games took this expression to heart. The eponymous theme music that you listen to, even when you aren't playing the game, because it brings back so many wonderful memories of the first time you played. The tension building music that graces your ears as you make a new discovery in the castle that you're trapped in. That mysterious bell sound as you reach out for the discarded note on the floor, making you wonder if reaching out is really the best idea. The calming music of the safe room, flooding you with relief. The high pitched, chaotic strings of the violin as you fight (or perhaps even hide from) one of the bosses
Did you think we were done with sound and music? Oh no, no, no. There is one final aspect to this category that needs to be mentioned. Silence, or at least, the lack of any sound that is not environmental. A lot of people underestimate the powerful effect that silence has on a person. But we horror gamers don't, do we? We have felt the tense muscles that come along with straining your ears over the deafening silence, listening for... anything. We have experienced that feeling of your heart in your throat as you turn around a corner, assuming it was safe, as there was no warning music, only to be accosted by a disgusting zombie monster you really don't want to touch (is that a chunk of flesh sliding off of his arm?). And honestly, is there anything better? The above video is a good example of combining music, quiet moments, and environmental sounds.
So, hopefully you have started to think more about the ambience of your favourite horror games, and you may even begin to notice it a little the next time you play! What horror games do you think have really effective, creepy ambience? Which ones miss the mark? Let us know. Horror appetite not yet sated? Join me every Wednesday for more #SpookySpread.
If you want more game content, don't forget to check out our Twitter, over at @TheGamerSpread, or find me on my personal Twitter @gsrebecka, and remember to stay spooky!
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