Well, for this article in my series about horror videogames, I thought that I’d talk about area restrictions. This is when a game artificially limits the player’s access to an area that they would ordinarily expect to be able to freely explore, and it is one of those brilliantly effective horror game design techniques which isn’t really as well-known as it should be.
This is different to the standard videogame thing of refusing the player entry to a new area until they find a key – which is often done for pacing reasons, to encourage exploration and/or to make sure the player does everything in a particular order – but instead refers to when a previously-accessible area of the game world suddenly becomes dangerous, inaccessible and/or hostile towards the player.
When done well, it really adds to the feelings of suspense by not only hinting that the player is somewhere that they aren’t supposed to be, but also by making the game world itself feel more dangerous. Likewise, by placing obstacles between the player and where they want to go to, these games also encourage a more cautious and strategic playing style that is a really good fit with the slower pacing that good horror games will often use.
Some of the very best examples of this technique can be found in the 2002 remake of “Resident Evil” (gameplay SPOILERS ahead).
Early in the game, you will find a door where the handle on one side is damaged. This was just an ordinary door in the original 1996 version of the game – but, in the 2002 version, it can only be used in one direction 2-3 times before the handle breaks and it becomes a one-way door. So, the player has to carefully plan out when they are going to use this door, or look for slightly longer alternative routes to the locations on either side of the door.
This is a screenshot from “Resident Evil” (2002) showing the location of the limited-use door after it has been repaired.
Yes, on the lower difficulty setting, the door gets repaired halfway through the game. But, this isn’t the only way that the 2002 remake of “Resident Evil” restricts the areas the player can access in order to add suspense to the game. Surprisingly, the other methods work well – or better – even if you’ve carefully researched the game before playing.
For example, at least two jump scares will only happen if a player either returns to a certain area they pass through early in the game or, even more cleverly, if they pass through this area in the opposite direction. If you know about this in advance, then you’ll probably find yourself avoiding this area altogether after visiting it once – not only does this mean planning more elaborate alternate routes, but it also heightens the suspenseful feelings of dread and danger too… since part of the game world is literally too scary to return to.
Likewise, unless you are super-diligent with how you deal with the zombies that roam the halls of the game’s mansion – which is a source of suspense in and of itself – then you will find yourself facing faster and more powerful zombies later in the game. If your health is low or you are running low on resources, then it can often be best to avoid areas where these upgraded zombies are likely to be or to run through these areas as quickly as possible… and maybe get out in one piece. Like the earlier example, this heightens the horror by creating dangerous areas that can be too scary to return to.
The first two “Silent Hill” games (1999-2001) also contain great examples of area restrictions too. Although the blocked or destroyed roads you’ll find when exploring the fog-shrouded town of Silent Hill are mostly there to subtly funnel the player in the direction that they are supposed to be going, these outdoor areas are also designed in a way that creates an absolutely brilliant tension between curiosity and danger that is designed to unsettle the player.
On the one hand, the streets of the town are filled with hidden supplies and resources that can be really useful to curious players who are willing to explore. On the other hand, the streets are also filled with monsters too. Although these monsters can be easily dodged or fled from (and you should do this to avoid wasting resources), their very presence – ominously signposted by suspenseful music/noises before they appear – is a way of making the streets seem like a dangerous place that you shouldn’t remain in for too long. As I mentioned earlier, all of this creates a brilliant tension between wanting to explore and wanting to rush to the next place you are supposed to be.
Likewise, all four of the classic “Silent Hill” games will also include lots of permanently-locked doors in order to push the player to explore methodically, to create a feeling that the player is an intruder in various locations and also to create an ominous sense of mystery that uses the player’s imagination to scare them.
This is a screenshot from “Silent Hill 2” (2001), showing one of the many permanently-locked doors you’ll find in the first four “Silent Hill” games.
A milder example of this sort of thing, and the thing that inspired this article, can be found in “Resident Evil: Code Veronica X” (2001). In one of the middle parts of the game, you will find that a corridor linking three important areas is inhabited by three mutant moths. These are relatively weak monsters, but ones that can inflict time-delayed damage on you. They can be defeated with just three well-aimed shots and may not seem like much of a threat at first.
However, shortly after defeating them, you’ll probably enter one of the three areas. When you return to the corridor again, the moths have respawned once more. They do this literally every time you leave and return to this corridor. What this means is that passing through this area will cost you precious ammunition (if you fight them) or precious healing items (if you try to flee from them).
Having to pay a toll, in health or supplies, every time you use this corridor means that you have to think a lot more carefully about when to enter it- adding a further element of suspense and strategy to this part of the game, especially since there is no alternative route between these three areas too.
Interestingly though, modern horror games often take a subtly different approach to this than the older games I’ve mentioned. In a lot of modern-style horror games, either the entire game world is somewhere where the player has to tread cautiously or the dangerous locations are a lot more dynamic and unpredictable.
This is mostly because a lot of modern-style survival horror games – like “Monstrum” (2015), “The Coma Recut” (2017) and “Remothered: Tormented Fathers” (2018) – will often feature just one powerful invincible enemy that will either constantly hunt the player or will be someone that the player has to avoid as much as possible. By making the “dangerous” areas of the game world a lot more dynamic and unpredictable, these games are able to restrict the player in ways that are even more intense, long-lasting and frightening than in the older games I’ve mentioned earlier.
In conclusion, scary horror games will often either restrict or limit areas the player would usually assume to be accessible. Unlike the fascinating open-world nature or empowering exploration of other types of games, horror games work best when they add a slightly claustrophobic, restrictive or dangerous element to the game world itself. After all, this taps into the universal fear of being somewhere hostile or somewhere where you are not supposed to be.
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Anyway, I hope that this was interesting đŸ™‚
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