Well, for this article in my series about horror videogames, I thought that I’d take a look at how themes can be an integral part of many horror games. Although it is possible to make a scary horror game without an underlying theme, quite a few classic and modern horror games will often be built around a clearly-defined theme.
And, yes, the “built around” part is important because – in many horror games – numerous small details within the game or even the way that the game has been designed will help to emphasise or reinforce the theme of the game. Usually, this theme will either be something inherently disturbing or it will be a more general theme that adds depth to the game itself. The best horror games will often keep these themes “hiding in plain sight” – easily visible to observant players, but also a subliminal part of the overall experience that some players may not even consciously notice.
A great example of a game that uses it’s themes to add to the horror is “Silent Hill 2” (2001) (SPOILERS ahead!). Throughout the game, there is a prominent theme of guilt and judgement – the main character meets several morally-ambiguous characters, the main boss monster of the game looks like an executioner, part of the game is set in a prison, ominous hell-themed graffiti can be found on several walls, there’s an item puzzle involving a set of gallows etc…
All of these subtle thematic elements are not only there to foreshadow a major plot twist about the main character’s morally-dubious past, but they are also inherently disturbing in their own right too – and they really help to add to the game’s uniquely creepy and ultra-bleak atmosphere too. There’s a real feeling of hopeless damnation and doom throughout this game. And it works so well because these thematic elements are a core part of the game, rather than something that has just been bolted on afterwards. They influence a lot of subtle design decisions throughout the game.
“Amnesia: The Dark Descent” (2010) (SPOILERS again) is another game that uses disturbing themes to brilliantly chilling effect too. As hinted in the game’s title, this is very much a game about one character’s slow descent into villainy. We get to see how this character uses “morality” to justify doing horrible things to other people and how he slowly goes from being reluctant to act in a cruel way to relishing it with sadistic glee. It is a game about the nature of evil.
In addition to this, the prominent theme of torture in the mid-late parts of “Amnesia” is not only inherently disturbing in it’s own right but, like the extreme horror movies of the 2000s (such as the “Saw” films), can also be seen as a criticism of the US military’s use of “enhanced interrogation” during the height of the War On Terror too. By presenting torture as evil and disturbing, rather than “necessary” (in the way it was portrayed in some thriller genre TV shows during the 2000s), this game makes a moral and political point.
Themes can also be completely based on things like gameplay mechanics too. For example, “Dead Space” (2008) makes a point of making all of the game’s HUD elements completely diegetic and avoiding non-interactive moments as often as possible because the designers believed this would make the game more immersive.
The classic “Resident Evil” games have a strong mechanical emphasis on resource management and creating suspense through placing limits on the player. Combat in these games also places heavy emphasis on keeping a good distance from monsters whilst fighting too. The horror in these games is always based in science, rather than the paranormal, too.
In contrast, one mechanical and visual theme in the earlier “Silent Hill” games is suspense and ugliness. Not only is the player always alerted to the presence of monsters before they become visible, but many of the game’s locations look deliberately run-down, decaying and/or dilapidated. Even the combat system in these games plays into these themes too – with fights often being brutal and ugly close-range things involving a main character who is inexperienced with weapons (reflected by clumsy combat mechanics, sound/animation design and vague weapon descriptions). Another theme is mystery – with the stories of the older “Silent Hill” games often being delivered in slightly fragmentary ways, with the player left to “fill in the gaps”, and the game world itself often being shrouded in a thick layer of obscuring fog too.
Sometimes, themes are less about creating horror and more about adding depth to the story of a game. A great example of this is probably “Resident Evil: Code Veronica X” (2001) – although the main story of the game sits somewhere between “preposterous”, “melodramatic”, “stylised” and “ridiculous”, the game’s amusingly corny sci-fi horror thriller plot is lent a bit more depth thanks to it’s themes of siblings and mirroring.
The two villains in the game, Alfred and Alexia Ashford are both siblings whose names begin with the same letter. The two main “good” characters – Claire and Chris Redfield – are also siblings whose names begin with the same letter. Both pairs of characters are almost complete mirror images of each other. The Ashfords are presented as aristocratic, cold and ruthless. The Redfields are presented as ordinary, friendly and capable of empathy. Yes, the game includes some very dated elements – such as the contrast between Alfred Ashford’s cartoonishly ultra-feminine personality and Chris Redfield’s rugged masculine personality – but the theme of mirroring and siblings really helps to add a bit of extra depth to the game’s story.
In fact, and I’ve mentioned this before, one fascinating theme throughout pretty much all of the older Resident Evil games (1996-2004) is a criticism of wealth and power. In all of these games, the villains are presented as being involved with a wealthy corporation founded by eccentric aristocrats. This is even reflected in the location designs in these games, which will often deliberately include opulent-looking areas filled with horrifying monsters. Likewise, these games often show how teamwork between ordinary people can overcome the plans of aristocrats or wealthy CEOs. For a series of older videogames, this is surprisingly left-wing and it really adds an extra satirical dimension to these older games.
And, yes, themes can also be used in horror games to add satirical elements too. Another good example of this is probably “The Coma Recut” (2017) which seems to be a criticism of the intensity of the education system in South Korea. The game focuses on an exhausted student who falls asleep in an exam and is not only chased through the corridors of the school by an evil version of his teacher, but can also find things like vending machines that sell cans of coffee too. In the 2019 sequel to this game the main segment of the game begins after the main character finishes a school day… late enough in the evening for the moon to be visible!
The main theme – fittingly – in all of the games that I’ve mentioned so far is that they have all been designed around their themes. These themes are a subtle background element during gameplay, rather than something that has been shoehorned into the game after it has been completed. Often, these themes will be subtle enough for some players to not even notice them unless they are actively paying attention to and thinking about the game. And this is when themes in horror games are often at their very best, when they are something that subliminally shapes the experience and/or are an “Easter egg” for observant players – rather than the game lecturing the player about a particular topic. And, again, a strong thematic core isn’t essential to a scary horror game – but it certainly shows up in a lot of good horror games.
—————
Anyway, I hope that this was interesting 🙂
PekoeBlaze - the official blog 