Techniques to building tension

One of the most important aspects of creating a successful horror game is setting the right atmosphere. This means creating a sense of unease and suspense that will keep players on the edge of their seats, waiting for the next scare. One way to do this is to use pacing effectively. Pacing is the speed at which a game progresses, and in a horror game, it is important to start slow and gradually build up the tension. This way, players are given time to explore their surroundings and get a feel for the game world before things start to get too intense. Another way to create a successful horror atmosphere is to use sound and lighting to your advantage. Creating a sense of foreboding with dark, atmospheric music and using techniques that signify something scary is about to happen such as a room suddenly becoming quiet or an extra long hallway where the player can't see far in-front of them. If its been done right and multiple techniques have been used correctly together this would signify a jump scare is approaching but what if there was another way to scare the player that didn't involve a jump scare. What if nothing was scarier than something.

Refraining from jump scares

When playing the Silent Hill series I found it to be incredibly terrifying but not in the traditional sense. The series used my own imagination against me by showing just enough to make my mind fill in the rest which is often worse than anything that could be shown on screen. I constantly felt it build the tension and I was always waiting for something to jump out at me or for there to be a loud noise to cut the silence but instead it relied imagination which is often more powerful than anything else. This is an example of something that doesn't rely on a traditional jump scare to be effective. It builds the tension but never releases it in a traditional sense. This keeps the player on edge because it goes against what a typical horror game does, causing all expectations to go out the window and the player's mind to run wild.

Keeping these techniques in mind while designing a modern horror game

While I was designing "Whispers of West Grove" I knew I didn't want to use cheap scares but rather make the world itself scary. I focused heavily on using both music and silence to build tension. When it would get dead silent and the only sounds are the players footsteps it leads to the expectation that something loud is going to come out from the silence but it never does. From there I used sounds that couldn't always immediately be seen to drive fear such as an enemy making noise off in the distance but having the player be unable to pinpoint where or what the threat is until they run right into it. By using the expectation of something that will never come it creates a truly terrifying experience.

To sum it up, using traditional jump scares might be the first thing that comes to mind when thinking about horror games, but they are not always the most effective way to create a truly scary experience. Instead, focus on building tension and using the player's imagination against them to create an atmosphere that will keep them on the edge of their seats.