Summary
Finding that perfect balance between gameplay and story in a horror game can be extremely difficult. If someone’s jumping intoan FPSor third-person action game, for example, they would probably expect to be spending more time gunning down enemies than watching cutscenes. In contrast, horror games need to gradually reveal their story over the course of a playthrough to keep players engaged, while also making them feel like a part of the experience through the gameplay itself, since this is a video game after all, and not a movie.
Though many horror titles have struggled to find a happy medium between the two, some developers managed to successfully implement both without one overshadowing the other, resulting in an immersive and satisfying horror experience that keeps players' eyes glued to the screens at all times. These horror titles below are among some of the most well-known examples of games that managed to pull off this tricky balancing act.
Tormented Soulsmay be a little on the shorter side when compared to the big AAA horror titles, but it still succeeds in providing a compelling story that is complimented by some truly intense gameplay segments. After being drawn to an abandoned hospital in order to find out what happened to a pair of young female twins, Caroline gradually learns through notes, files, and interactions with other characters that there’s something much more sinister going on behind the scenes than she initially realized.
While players will therefore pick up pieces of the story as they go, they will also need to try and survive against tons of horrific mutants and creatures by making good use ofCaroline’s nail gun. Pair these sections with the tricky puzzles, and it gives players plenty of freedom to enjoy the gameplay loop while also discovering more about the narrative the further into the hospital they go.
The main antagonist ofSystem Shock, SHODAN, is an AI who assumes control of the space station that players find themselves stranded on at the beginning of the game. Needless to say, the game kicks off with plenty of open-ended questions, though as players traverse their way through the environment, desperately trying to keep enemies at bay along the way, the SHODAN will speak to them in eerie riddles, dropping small hints about its true intentions and motives.
By picking up audio files scattered around the rooms, players will be able to get clued up on the wider context ofSystem Shock’sstory, which they can listen to either while waiting idly in a safe room, or while blasting away at any ghouls or machines that try to chase them down. This gameplay formula ensures that the story always has players hooked, while simultaneously letting them enjoy the combat and exploration too.
The Callisto Protocolmay have been largely overshadowed by theDead Spaceremake which was released not long after, but this doesn’t inherently mean that this survival horror title is a bad game. In fact, it has a pretty interesting premise which revolves around Jacob Lee, an unlucky inmate of Black Iron Prison who must attempt to escape with his life intact while crazed mutants attempt to hunt him down.
Along the way, there are plenty of twists and turns to catch players off guard, but in between these reveals are intense combat segments where players are encouraged to put their batting skills to good use. This is referring to the fact thatCallisto’scombatrelies heavily on melee, where players can swing a baton at the enemy before dodging their attacks, and then finally taking them down from afar with a firearm. The crunchy and satisfying gameplay acts as the perfect side dish to the game’s compelling story, which is paced well enough so that it never becomes an afterthought.
Admittedly,F.E.A.R.is a title that does lean into the action genre with its gameplay, but thesinister atmosphere and unnerving environmentsstill ensure that players are constantly on the edge of their seats, fearful of what could jump out around the next corner. The most important character in the story is Alma, a young girl whose true identity is revealed little by little as the game goes on through conversations with teammates and hidden files.
However, the game never gets too carried away with its story, always putting players back into the driving seat as soon as possible so that they can be thrust back into the combat without having to watch cutscenes that go on for too long. The game will also play tricks on the players as they engage in firefights too, such as flickering lights on and off or making random noises to remind players of Alma’s existence and her importance to the wider narrative.
In order forAlan Wake 2to tell its complex and ambitious story, it features pretty lengthy cutscenes to spell out exactly what’s going on. However, while this might seem like it should come at the expense of the gameplay because each level is so full of content, it balances out the two and even allows them to feed into one another mid-game.
For example, Saga’s adventure through theeerie carnivaltasks the player with finding several pieces that they can use to create a parade float. This can already take a little while, but in between the search, players can also enter Saga’s Mind Place, where they can piece together parts of the case, building upon the story along the way before eventually reaching a cutscene. It’s a pretty clever way for Remedy to flex their creative muscles, while also ensuring neither the combat nor story take a backseat to the other.
The Dead Space Remakeis undoubtedly one ofthe most immersive horror games ever made. From the moment players step onboard the Necromorph-infested U.S.S Ishimura, they will be free to explore the entire ship without any loading screens getting in their way. This means that there are technically no cutscenes, as the story instead plays out through a radio that Isaac uses to speak to Hammond and Kendra.
These calls will only pop up every so often though to avoid disrupting players when they’re in the thick of the action, giving them more than enough time to dismember a horde of Necromorphs before then being given their next objective to keep Isaac moving forward.
Just like the original game, theResident Evil 4remake is split up into chapters. The majority of these chapters will start off with a cutscene, establishing what Leon needs to do in order to continue his mission of rescuing Ashley from the clutches of the Los Illuminados. Once this is over though, players are then able to enjoy an hour or two of solid gameplay before a final cutscene plays at the very end to close out the chapter.
Leon will receive calls from Hunnigan and Ada during these gameplay segments, though because these are so short, they never feel like they break the immersion or take away from the gameplay. As a result, the way the levels are set up inResident Evil 4ensures the story moves at a brisk pace while players are still given more than enough time to duke it out withhordes of Ganadoalong their adventure.
Not long after players stumble into a mysterious lighthouse at the beginning of the firstBioshock, they’ll be ushered into the underwater city of Rapture, a once-thriving utopia that has since become infested with Splicers. After a few introductory cutscenes, players will be forced to fend off the bloodthirsty Splicers with their wrench, firearms, andPlasmidsthat can use elemental effects to take out large groups of enemies at once.
However,Bioshockalso introduced a pretty unique story-telling device through its audio recordings, which gives players small tidbits of information about the origins of Rapture, and the identity of the game’s main villain, Andrew Ryan. The player can therefore learn more about the story without ever being taken out of the action, and when those major cutscenes do play, they never feel out of place or jarring because of the amount of juicy lore that they each provide the player with.
