In horror games such asSilent Hill 2orAlien: Isolation, the protagonist is someone who isn’t expected to be put in a horrifying situation. However, in some games, the player is forced to step into the shoes of someone whose job it is to run towards danger as a member of the police force.
Whether it is a beat cop, police detective, or an agent of the FBI as a protagonist, it allows for a different perspective on the horrors at play. Instead of simply surviving monsters and killers, playing as a law enforcer gives the player a sense of responsibility while also providing different kinds of stories and personalities.
Heavily influenced by the bizarre horror-thriller style ofTwin Peaks,Deadly Premonitionfeatures an FBI agent named Francis Morgan investigating a grisly murder. Where most horror games stick to a mostly linear path, Deadly Premonition isone of the few that presents an open worldto explore.
The open-world mechanic allowed players to explore, complete missions, unlock cosmetics for Morgan, and tend to the character’s needs. Things such as food and sleep are made important, otherwise Morgan starts to lose health. Add in supernatural enemies and a villain known as the Raincoat Killer;Deadly Premonitionis unlike most games out there.
6Saw
Detective Tapp Returns In A Sequel To The Movie
Rarely are games directly based on horror movies good, butSawwas a rare gem in that subgenre. It helps that people who worked onSawmovies helped make the game, including Tobin Bell reprising his role as John Kramer, AKA Jigsaw. Also, rather than trying to adapt the events of the movies,Sawis a sequel to the first moviewith an original story.
InSaw, the obsessed Detective Tapp, previously played by Danny Glover, is the main character forced into a gauntlet of traps and puzzles. Playing as a legacy character helped in makingSawfeel authentic to the movies, especially since it gets the visual style of the movies almost perfectly, even down to the fast-paced edits and transitions.
Disturbing the player is the goal ofCondemned: Criminal Origins, as they play a framed FBI agent Ethan Thomas, on the hunt for the enigmatic Match Maker killer. It leads the agent on a first-person deep dive through the seediest locations and dealing with many twisted gory surprises that are still effective almost twenty years later.
Condemned: Criminal Originsis often praised for its dark and gritty locations combined with malicious enemies and a terror-inducing atmosphere. Everything in Condemned is grounded,helping the sense of realismthat enhances the horror that Agent Thomas endures to clear his name.
AsThe Evil Withinstarts, the players control police detective Sebastian Castellanos, arriving at a strange location to investigate a call. From there, it ramps up with Castellanos diving headfirst into a world of gory and psychological horrorthat pays homage to multiple horror filmsof the past.
In many ways, Sebastian is that typical gruff middle-aged detective character, but as the story progresses and more is revealed,The Evil Withinbecomes a gem of a horror game. It helps that it was developed by the creator ofResident Evilgames, taking what he did so well in the past and bringing something fresh to the table.
The originalResident Evil 2is a classic, but even hardcoreResident Evilfans agreed that a remake with modern visuals and a third-person perspective made for an arguably superior game. There are two characters with two different stories: Claire Redfield and Leon Kennedy. Leon is the rookie recruit of the Raccoon City Police Department, and he joined on the worst day possible.
As Raccoon City becomes ground zero of the T-Virus infection, Leon and Claire must fight their way out of the police department. An abandoned police station as a new officer adds to the eeriness while making for one of the most memorable locations of the series, especiallywhen being chased by zombies, Lickers, and the enigmatic Mr. X creature created by Umbrella.
Not all long-awaited sequels meet expectations, butAlan Wake 2surpassed them and became a massive award-winning success.Remedy Entertainment took what they did so wellin the first game and dialed it up to create a cerebral horror experience starring the titular author inspired by Stephen King.
However, Alan Wake is not the only playable character, as the game introduces Saga Anderson, an FBI profiler who gets all wrapped up in the dark and bizarre world ofAlan Wake 2. It mixes sci-fi, fantasy, and psychological elements together for a sequel that most would say is better than the original.
Leon Kennedy made a triumphant return inResident Evil 4, being sent to rural Spain to find the missing president’s daughter from a sect of people under a new virus strain. Theremake of the beloved horror gamemaintains the more action-packed style of the original while adding the horror and tension that previousResident Evilremakes executed so well.
From the chainsaw wielders to the regenerators, the Las Plagas-infected keep the players on their toes because they are not traditional zombies. They can wield weapons, use tactics, and feature more abilities than simply clawing and biting, but thankfully, Leon continues to be one of the best protagonists after the Raccoon City incident.
