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5 Genres of Horror Game Explained

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In fact, there are several subgenres of horror video games. Here are some of the more popular styles, broken down. Horror video games can offer some of the most intense experiences. However, it is often difficult to know exactly what you are playing Horror Game Genre any.

| Why is it so hard to define horror game genre?

Just like what scares us, it's hard to objectively identify the different subgenres you can find in horror video games. Unlike popular game genres like game adventure or  role-playing game, you'll notice a lack of unity in the gaming community regarding different subgenres of horror. For example, you may have heard of “survival horror”, but what about “action horror” or “stealth horror”?

Different gamers will have their own set of horror video game subgenres as well as own criteria for each category. What makes things even more confusing is that you can have a “survival horror” game that incorporates elements from “action horror” or “psychological horror”.

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Therefore, you Should not watch This list is a collection of true or false categories. It's more than a helpful guide to help you distinguish between different types of horror games along with your own horror perspective.

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1. Survival Horror Game

Ah, survival horror. The most popular sub-genre of horror video games, but there is still no specific definition for it. Because of this, it is easy to incorrectly categorize horror games as "survival horror".

Any game where something is trying to kill you is technically a game of survival, but you wouldn't call Call of Duty is a survival FPS or The Witcher 3 is a survival RPG. So why exactly is there a genre called survival horror?

Survival horror means different things to different people, but a good way you can categorize a game as survival horror is to watch it. focus on how good the survival part.

Survival includes things like Limited resources, extremely dangerous enemies, bonus zones for exploration and inventory management. Basically, the variables you need to manage and the choices you need to make to ensure your survival.

Your main focus is not on killing all you see, survival horror games usually no emphasis on combat and more to weigh your options. Every bullet/heal item counts and you can't defeat every enemy. And, though you can find boss fights and the like in survival horror games.

But most of your time is less spent on the action and more focused on exploration and puzzle solving. Prominent in the survival horror subgenre are Resident Evil 1, 2 and 7, Silent Hill and Alien: Isolation.

2. Action Horror Game

It's easy to lump action horror games into the subgenre of survival horror, especially when one genre often contains aspects of the other. However, the game action horror are a breed of their own.

Here you will find games like Dead Space 1 and 2, Resident Evil 4 and Dying Light. While there may be elements of survival horror, these games mainly focus on action elements like combat, chess placement and linear levels which focuses less on rewarding discovery, there are exceptions, such as Dying Light.

Combat is virtually inevitable, and it's usually part of your core gameplay loop for much of your gaming experience. For this reason, action horror games lack of sophistication commonly found in other forms of horror video games. But they can make up for that with plenty of horror imagery, such as grotesque imagery and creature designs.

Casual action horror game Faster tempo survival horror game and often thrilling and more content.

3. Stealth Horror Game

Now, here is a sub-genre that you may not have heard of before, mostly by people misplaced this genre into the genre of survival horror. The stealth horror game includes titles like the Outlast franchise and the Amnesia franchise. There are games that invisibility is the main mechanism, you can not hit back.

Stealth horror games usually have a very simple gameplay loop: get through enemies from point A to point B. There may be some puzzles, some extra mechanics (sanity in Amnesia) or Authentic collectibles, even telling the story, but you're mostly surreptitiously completing the plot.

Although The only thing you can do is survive, the stealth horror game is not a survival horror game: there simply aren't enough gameplay mechanics for you to oversee your survival. Therefore, stealth horror games often incorporate scare elements to scare players.

These games can be hit or miss. On the one hand, players may love the intense hide-and-seek gameplay these games offer, as well as their overall aesthetic. On the other hand, however, the gameplay can feel extremely monotonous and limited, replacing the sense of dread with gamer boredom.

4. Psychological Horror Game

Psychological horror games are horror games that have a form scare players mainly through incorporating elements of psychological horror.

Here, the game steps back behind the story trying to deliver an engaging, terrifying experience. Games like Silent Hill 2, Doki Doki Literature Club, Layers of Fear, Soma and Observer are examples of psychological horror games.

The main thing that you will miss from these games is the story they tell, the characters, the world the game creates, and how the game messes with you. The fear your mind creates The opposite of what you see is what these games focus on.

As a result, you will experience elements of psychological horror such as unreliable narrator, games that take control from you randomly or even break the 4th wall, character research with uncomfortable subject areas, etc.

These games excellent at telling a story with which you interact. As a result, their pacing can be very slow, the gameplay mechanics are limited and messy, and you may not find any strong fear in your face.

These games also lack action and focus more on reading, listening, and putting everything together, which might turn some gamers away.

5. Horror Game Reaction/Jump Scare

These types of horror games are basically rely on fear through increasing tension and unleashes it as a direct scare, usually a jump scare.

There really isn't much in the way of characterization, horror theme exploration, in-depth gameplay mechanics, creature design, or lingering fear. It's all about eliciting an external response from players, which is perfect for the Let's Play community.

The Five Nights at Freddy's franchise features the most popular games of this genre. Sure, there are elements of strategy and some form of story, but the main way a game like FNAF tries to scare you is through jump scares.

For some gamers, this could be a interesting loop of the game of tension and release. The scare comes quickly and easily, no big investment from players is needed to get there.

However, because these games are based on jump scares, they are inherently cheap. There's nothing exciting about it in terms of horror, and you could easily categorize jump scares as more of a biological reaction (i.e. startle) than real horror. And, when you're experiencing fear of jumping after being scared, you may experience lose sensitivity at some point.

Conclude

Although here not every sub-genre of horror games, but this is arguably the most popular and recognizable horror subgenre. You will probably have your own opinion about each as well as about other types of horror games.

That's what makes horror games and horror in general so appealing is how each gamer interprets them. No matter how we define them, enjoy all the unique horror games you can find. If it scares you, it's doing its job.

Thank you for visiting this post “Explaining 5 Genres of Horror Game” ours. Wish you have the best horror game experience!

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