Summary
The feeling of fear, and the fight or flight response it kicks into people, can be a truly exhilarating feeling that horror enthusiasts can just never get enough of. Lucky for horror game enthusiasts, most great games in a great franchise manage to deliver consistent scares using the developers' settings, world, and characters.
However, like every other genre out there, not all franchises are made equally. Some aren’t received well in general, while others are brought down by one or two entries that disappoint long-time devout fans. There can still be fun to be found in these franchises that may unfortunately not have been the across-the-board success studios were hoping for.
Five Nights at Freddy’s
TheFive Nightsfranchise became a hit from its very first game, fast becoming themost popular choice for content creators and streamers, introducing and popularizing it with a younger audience than what might have been intended. The pizzeria is the perfect setting, reminiscent of the early days of dining at Chuck E Cheese alongside the creepy animatronics. Very few animatronics are as terrifying as those inFive Nights at Freddy’s, which only resulted in more and more being added to the roster with each subsequent game.
However, its success was also part of the problem, as the franchise started to produce new projects at a blistering pace, and other developers decided to cash in on the craze, spawning unofficial spin-offs or copycats. The magic began wearing off with each game, as it was becoming tiring playing with the same mechanics and witnessing the same jump scares time after time. Some of the audience has moved on, although the games persist.
Team Silent Didn’t Handle all the Games, and PT’s Departure Still Stings
Silent Hill
In Silent Hill, you assume the role of widower Harry Mason, who is trying to get away from the pain of his wife’s loss by taking his daughter on a road trip. After a car accident on the outskirts of the resort town of Silent Hill, you regain consciousness to find that your daughter, who was previously asleep in the backseat, has left–or has been taken–from the scene. To find her, you must go into town and unlock the secrets that linger seven years after a tragic fire scarred the town.The game features formidable monsters, perplexing puzzles, a realistic 3-D town, and, most of all, an acute sense of foreboding caused by Silent Hill’s creative lighting and sound effects. The makers have included four different endings, based on performance throughout the game, so think, be quick on your feet, and hope for the best of all possible outcomes.
For the most part,Silent Hillis one of the most celebrated horror game franchises of all time. The first four are constantly praised as some of the best games of all time, though there are those still contentious aboutSilent Hill: The Room. However, the departure of the series from Team Silent, who was responsible for the best games in the series, caused issues among fans. They felt that the games just didn’t have the magic of the originals, and committed heinous crimes such as introducing Pyramid Head into another game that didn’t involve James Sunderland.
What is perhaps most egregious is the cancelation ofSilent Hills, a much-anticipated game among fans. The playableteaser showed great promise, and its cancelation still stings to this day. Even if the future ofSilent Hillmay look a little brighter nowadays thanks to the second entry’s remake, it still doesn’t undo the disappointments of the past. Some disappointments are also quite recent, withSilent Hill: Ascensionbeing held in poor regard by most long-time fans. But, there is always hope with the promise of future titles.
Bloober team found more fame than ever with its excellent work on theSilent Hill 2remake, which verged into some very unfamiliar territory for them: puzzles, combat, and just gameplay in general. Before that, they were mostly known for their work onLayers of Fear, which thus far has two games and one DLC to bridge the gap. In the first game, it’s a painter trying to capture the likeliness of his late wife. In the DLC it is the daughter of the painter, and the second game introduces an actor aboard a ship.
Layers of Feargames are undoubtedlygorgeous with sublime visuals, and this is where Bloober’s strengths shine through. There are visuals to admire at every angle, but the gameplay can leave a lot to be desired. There isn’t much depth other than shuffling from point of interest to point of interest, experiencing a surreal encounter such as doors vanishing or being locked in a room while something bangs relentlessly on the other side. The term walking simulator was coined for games likeLayers of Fear, which while isn’t meant as a direct insult, it isn’t used for praise either.
The firstBendy and the Ink Machinewas something of a sensation when it was released. Sure, it didn’t resonate with everyone, but what game has appealed to every single gamer in existence? Its style mimicked that of classic old-school cartoons such as Betty Boop and Steamboat Willy, and it played into these themes of 2D animation coming to life and the power of the ink used, the ink machine in particular being of great relevance.
Here lies the problem, as it is another shining example of style over substance. At least players could be assured that the game would just be a short fun jaunt with a quirky art style, but then follow-up games came and weren’t quite met with the same excitement. By the time theDark Revivalcame,Bendywas barely recognizable as its own game. It tried to imitategames likeBioShocktoo much rather than playing into its uniqueness, resulting in a weaker game, and watering down a series that was already stretched thin.
With a fresh new take on the post-apocalyptic genre that followed the story of Joel and Ellie, a girl said to be immune to the infection, many sawThe Last of Usas an exciting new game franchise in the zombie genre. For the most part, they were right. The first and the second games were fun to play with, seeing characters new and old develop with time. However, its success fed into the problems with this franchise.
There wereremakes for both gamesthat moved them to current consoles and PC. Considering the ages of the games when these remastered were released, they were somewhat unnecessary, especially since 2013’sThe Last of Ushad already received a PS4 remaster before a PS5 remake. Furthermore,The Last of Us 2’s Abby is arguably one of the most polarizing characters in the horror genre, and the second game can be a love-or-hate affair with some people (although, the gameplay is usually regarded as all-around great).
There is great evil within these games as promised. Containingterrifying entities, player must contend with using the weaponry at their disposal. Playing as a detective, they have the skills and know-how to survive…maybe. The gameplay was often praised as one of its strengths, which only improved in the sequel,The Evil Within 2. The enemy design was also one of the series' highlights, with monsters such as the Butcher and Laura being among the most terrifying in the history of gaming.
This sounds all well and good, butThe Evil Withincould have offered more. Unfortunately, its story fell short, coming across as disjointed and convoluted, making it difficult for players to engage and immerse themselves in. Not only that, but the games spike in difficulty, leading to frustration rather than enjoyment.
Resident Evil
Resident EvilisCapcom’s flagship franchise, immersing players into a world where corrupt scientists and pharmaceutical companies are responsible for some truly heinous atrocities, engineering viruses that create monsters and zombie-like creatures with contagious bites. It has a cast of popular legacy characters that have appeared in numerous games, such as Jill Valentine and Leon Kennedy, and is one of the longest-running horror game franchises with many titles under its belt.
For the most part, Capcom has succeeded in creating some of the best survival horror games of all time, from the firstResident Evilgame set in the smothering Spencer Mansion toResident Evil 7, playing into southern horror to great success. But then, there are games like5and6that favored action over horror and showcased not-so-great AI, and the numerous spin-off titles that flagrantly ignore what makes the coreResident Evilgames work.
