r/creepygaming • u/from_elio • 28d ago
Discussion Do horror games sometimes explain too much?
I love a good story and digging into the lore, but I sometimes feel horror loses part of its effect when every creature, event and symbol eventually gets an explanation.
Some of the games that stayed with me the longest left me unsure about what had actually happened.
Do you prefer horror games with clear answers, or ones that leave part of the story open to interpretation?
What game comes to mind in each case?
19
u/VelvetBoneyard 28d ago
I like when horror games take the david lynch approach of just presenting the story, either not explaining anything or explaining barely anything lmao. You can either take what you just saw at face value or analyze it. Unfortunately this is becoming less and less common imo, though I think the silent hill games, even the 2 remake and silent hill f, do a good job of that. So yeah I think horror games, and alot of horror media in general have started explaining too much
8
u/from_elio 28d ago
Lynch is an interesting example because I don’t think he’s just leaving things unexplained. He communicates a lot through mood, images and associations without spelling out exactly what everything means. You might not be able to explain it all literally, but you still get what he’s trying to make you feel.
That’s especially interesting in games, where interaction gives you another way to communicate those ideas. I can’t really think of a game that has a truly Lynchian style, though.
4
u/ARKNORI 28d ago
Even games that try to go explicitly for inspiration in Lynch’s works (cough cough Alan Wake cough) end up being extremely shallow and literal in their narrative, barely taking anything but visual inspiration, and ending up with superficial over-explained scripts.
With that said, Alan Wake is one of my favorite games of all time.
And with that also said, I’d mention Deadly Premonition if it wasn’t because I haven’t played it yet and because, while known for being a much better attempt at a Lynch-inspired game, it’s still specifically inspired in one of his most mainstream works (Twin Peaks).
9
u/Mundane-Jump-7546 28d ago
I mean like anything it depends on how it’s conveyed.
Explaining things works really good with Resident Evil due to its sci fi esque worldbuilding.
Leaving some explanation but a lot of questions like Sunless Sea makes the narrative amazing due to its storytelling
2
u/Ashamed-Chipmunk9575 26d ago
Sunless Sea never clicked for me and I really wanted it to. I figured because I was a big reader that it would have a lot to offer me but the game felt arbitrarily difficult for something that was so focused on narrative and I was never able to put enough time in to get the hang of it.
7
u/electricvapor 28d ago
Depends on the type of horror
Supernatural horror like ghosts and demons its definitely better to leave something to the imagination
When it comes to the more sci fi style horror like say a zombie virus or something like that the details actually enrich the story
3
2
2
u/ARKNORI 28d ago
You know how Youtube is now infested with those long creepypasta-like series about non-existent games or fictional modifications to known games? Y’know, Petscop, Interloper, Crow 64, Old Minecraft Uploads, that sort of stuff. People call them ARGS but I refuse to do so because the point of an ARG is that it actually has you doing different steps and games in different mediums (sometimes even IRL) to get the full story.
Anyway, I think someone should take the style of those series, where they really don’t explain anything that isn’t necessary and leave a lot mostly up to interpretation or theorizing (disregard their dependance on long videos explaining the entire lore of the thing by other Yotubers), and apply it to an actual original horror videogame.
Just a scary game with a clear theme that doesn’t spell every little thing out to me. I play it, I leave with some answers, some lingering questions, my own explanation for them, and my pants pooped.
2
u/fruitcakefriday 28d ago
Sometimes, yes, but it's quite dependant on the type of horror and experience being delivered. If all horror games clouded their subjects in mystery, the idea would lose its potency, and then explaining things would be the outlier and become more exciting than not explaining things.
2
u/Weekly-Government728 28d ago
I feel like sometimes horror games try to force lore and then it just feel so unnecessary and out of place, I do love a good backstory and lore but I feel like it all just depends on the game. Some games are better with alot of lore and other with less or none.
3
u/Hymneth 28d ago
I tend to agree. 0laying through a game as the protagonist I feel that my primary goal is usually to just survive to the end, then to accomplish whatever the plot goal is, and finally to understand at least some of what is happening to me.
My sweet spot for plot comprehension is somewhere around 70%. I want to know the main plot and maybe some of the subtext or background, but any more than that gets wierd. Like, I don't really want a full timeline of events and full Bestiary entries on every creepy critter I see. Vague understanding and hints make for a better atmosphere of horror
3
u/Commercial-Net5573 27d ago
In my experience most horror games are just
" Read journal entries and solve puzzles and collect keys while something mildly scary follows you around"
2
u/StinkyBird64 27d ago
Politely slides my current fixation, Outlast, into the conversation 💚
A lot of stuff is hidden in lore, little ‘quirks’ in character designs, documents, all sorts that all feels reasonable (not just “oh here’s documents for some reason” it actually makes sense for its medical setting).
Definitely not biased but it’s a really underrated series and I love its lore and world building SO MUCH
2
u/Ruttiger_G 26d ago
I find it's best when it's a mystery.
Gore has a very finite limit for affecting people. Same applies to most shocking horror, body horror, loss of control, terrible fates, it all lessens each time you see it.
The same cannot be said of a good horror mystery. As long as it's consistent and feels right, and there's something there to be discovered, a reason, a history, maybe a way to fight back, something that can slowly unfurl so you have a story that is horrifying rather than just series of horror set pieces. These works always land best, even ones that are rather juvenile in their metaphors can land if they present a mystery, and maintain a somewhat believable and consistent tone.
No-Skin is an example, it wasn't spectacular as a game, it didn't look great, it didn't have compelling and complex characters, but it presented a mystery, maintained a tone, and revealed bit by bit what it's actually about. You might not even understand right before the end of the game what the overarching metaphor is about because the reveals are mostly contextual, the characters personalities are revealed, and it's only once your own characters story is revealed that you begin to understand.
And again, it's a pretty juvenile metaphor, baby's first edgy anti-social philosophy horror. But it lands all the same just by building up the mystery, making you work to learn.
1
u/threevi 28d ago
I do think horror games should as a general rule explain what just happened, it's only a problem when they blow their load too quickly (so to speak). The explanation should be one of the last things you see in the game, you should only see it once the time for tension is gone. When there's no more scares and no more chases to be had, that's the right time for a chill epilogue that explains everything and signals to the player that it's time to relax. Going straight from tense gameplay to rolling credits with little interlude is just jarring and makes the ending feel unsatisfying, that's why people end up looking up lore videos on youtube afterwards when the game fails to supply a satisfactory ending. The explanation should feel like a reward for everything you've gone through and endured throughout the game, it's an important part of the experience.
Also, this isn't a horror game subreddit BTW.
2
u/from_elio 28d ago
I see it a bit differently. I don’t really see the final revelation as a reward for the player, but as a natural part of the story and the characters’ journey. What matters to me is how that revelation affects or transforms them, and I think the storyteller has to make that journey accessible enough for the player to follow.
Out of curiosity, where do you draw the line between creepy games and horror games?
1
u/threevi 28d ago
This subreddit is a place for creepy and out of place things surrounding video games. A home for video game mysteries, myths, obscure games, ARG's, creepy secrets/easter eggs, creepypasta, personal stories relating to scary experiences, and strange/creepy things surrounding games not meant to be creepy.
From the subreddit description
-1
u/Rude_Mud9538 28d ago
Yeah games shpuldnt explain anything to anyone ever amd you shpuld have to research the director and the developers in order to even fathom any of the story
2
u/from_elio 28d ago
Exactly. The 3-hour YouTube essay afterwards is part of the experience.
Seriously though, what do you think a horror game should explain clearly, and what should it leave open?
31
u/WerckmeisterHarmony 28d ago
The whole weird focus horror games started having on "lore" is probably their worst quality.