The Value Of Having Just One Building In A Horror Game

Well, for this article in the second season of my “Horror Videogames Series“, I thought that I’d talk about the value of having just one building in a horror game.

This was something I ended up thinking about a few weeks before writing this article when, after a brief moment of intense nostalgia, I started re-playing “Resident Evil” (1996) yet again… only to abandon it about a third of the way through. In particular, I abandoned it after I’d unlocked the back door of the game’s famous mansion using the four crests and had to venture through the gardens to the “guardhouse” (a smaller self-contained building) segment of the game. Whilst it isn’t “bad” per se, it is probably one of my least favourite segments of the game and – at the time – I couldn’t be bothered to play through it again.

Yes, I understand why it is there. It adds to the feeling of “exploration” by giving the player somewhere unfamiliar. It also fits into the pacing of the game reasonably well because, when you return to the mansion after completing the guardhouse… there’s a scary surprise for inexperienced players. Also, the stark wood and concrete minimalism of the gatehouse contrasts well with the opulent splendour of the mansion too. On a game design level, I understand why the guardhouse is there. But, as a player, it can feel a little bit like a chore or a nuisance. I’d much rather be spending more time inside the mansion instead…

One of the great things about the resurgence of low-budget indie survival horror games these days is the way that some of them focus almost exclusively on one location. This is often done for budgetary reasons, as well as being inspired by classic horror games.

Games like “The Coma Recut” (2017), “Remothered: Tormented Fathers” (2018) and “Alisa” (2021) take place almost entirely within just a single large building. Yes, they might have a short “garden” or “cellar” segment (or even a brief outdoor introductory segment) to shake things up a little, but the overwhelming majority of these games take place inside a single large building or structure.

Not only does this strict focus on a single building give these games a brilliantly tense claustrophobic atmosphere, but it also creates a fascinatingly weird feeling of indoor exploration too. Exploration in videogames is often associated with open worlds, outdoor areas and moving between multiple buildings – so, being able to explore without leaving a building feels inherently weird. There’s something simultaneously fascinating and frightening about buildings that are large enough to get lost in.

Although I seem to have gotten completely distracted from it by playing “Alisa” (2021), I started reading Mervyn Peake’s “Titus Groan” (1946) a few days before writing this article. One of the fascinating things about this quirky and cynical gothic fantasy novel is the fact that what I’ve read so far takes place almost entirely within the outer walls of a gigantic semi-abandoned castle called Gormenghast that is filled with mysterious secret passages, weird stuff, abandoned attics etc…. This is one of the best fictional locations that I’ve ever encountered and large portions of the first half of the book are devoted to just “exploring” it. And it works! Even the castle’s roof is wonderous, creepy and fascinating! Indoor exploration is inherently weird – which makes it perfect for horror games.

It’s a similar feeling of apprehensive fascination to those “urban exploration” videos that people sometimes post on sites like Youtube, where people sneak into large abandoned buildings or tunnels just to explore and document them. There’s a tension between the nervousness of “Oh god, they’re trespassing – what if they get caught?” and the fascination of seeing footage of intriguingly mysterious large derelict locations that most people don’t ordinarily get to see. It’s fascinating and scary at the same time. And horror games that are set in a single building tap into a similar contradictory feeling.

Another advantage of horror games being set within a single large building is that they are a lot more memorable. Because the player is spending all of their time within a single building, they will get to know the place. Although these games often include an in-game map that the player can consult, you’ll usually end up learning the layout of the building off by heart. And this makes these locations so much more immersive and memorable!

In addition to this, although learning the layout of the building lessens the scary mystery at the beginning of these games, it means that any new rooms the player unlocks or finds feel genuinely fascinating. A sudden moment of the unknown within a well-known location. The joy of “Oooh! Somewhere new!” paired with the nervousness of “Oh no! Somewhere new!“. Single indoor locations are perfect for these sorts of contradictory emotions.

Not only that, because buildings are things made by people, there’s a lot more room for creativity in horror games that are set within a single building. Yes, games like “Outlast” (2013), “The Coma Recut” (2017) and “Remothered: Tormented Fathers” (2018) try to focus on “realistic” buildings, which adds a layer of immersive scariness to these games. However, I’d argue that this style of game is at it’s very best when the designers try not to be realistic. When they make their one large building a bit strange, unpredictable or eccentric in order to create a contrast between fascination and fear.

Although it includes some brilliantly weird “evil circus” and “creepy dollhouse” elements, one of the fascinating things I’ve noticed about “Alisa” (2021) is how a few parts of the game’s mansion are inspired by Dario Argento’s legendary art-horror movie “Suspiria” (1977) 🙂 This classic horror movie mostly takes place almost within the walls of a creepy dance academy in Germany, and it is a stunning work of visual art. The location designs and lighting designs aren’t even vaguely “realistic” at times, yet – along with lots of expertly-used suspense and genuinely disturbing scenes of cruel violence – this is what makes the film so scary.

It takes place within the walls of a completely weird fairytale-like location. The main character and, by extension, the viewer has to explore this strange and evil ornate building. It’s a masterpiece of a horror movie. And I’ve just realised that “Alisa” (2021) may have been inspired by it 🙂 See for yourself:

This is a comparison between the creative locations in “Suspiria” (1977) and “Alisa” (2021). And, yes, the scenes in “Suspiria” when the main character is alone definitely have a “survival horror game” kind of flavour to them. Likewise, notice how both things use a dramatic red, green or blue colour scheme during select moments. I’m also genuinely surprised it took me this long to notice that “Alisa” took inspiration from the 1977 version of “Suspiria” – no wonder I loved this game enough to keep playing it despite the utterly brutal difficulty level of the version I played in October.

In conclusion, horror games work really well when they are almost entirely set inside a single large building for so many reasons. The locations are more memorable, the designers can be a bit more creative and – most of all – it allows for all sorts of brilliantly contradictory emotions too. Exploration and limitation, familiarity and fear, fascination and nervous apprehension etc…

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Anyway, I hope that this was interesting 🙂