Can cooperative survival horror work?

Developers diving into the realm of horror have always followed a few specific guidelines if they ever hoped to create a successful game. These guidelines, such as minimal amounts of health and ammo, grotesque enemies (whether it is due to their physical features or their actions) who remain hidden until the opportune moment and creepy, claustrophobic areas that build heart-pounding tension, are all very important in creating a terrifying experience for the player.

However, if there is one rule that has been applied to almost every single horror video game in the history of the industry, it’s isolation. Our survival horror protagonists have almost always gone through their adventure alone.

Why is that? Well, the answer is simple: isolation is a scary thought. Very few people want to be alone which is why this tactic is used so often by developers. The sense of dread increases immensely when a player realizes they don’t have anyone to speak with or back them up.

This is why players have rarely seen a survival horror game feature any type of cooperative mode. Ever since the rise of the genre began with the releases of the original Resident Evil and Silent Hill this formula has, for the most part, stayed the same due to its proven success.

Unfortunately, this has also engrained in many minds the belief that video games cannot be scary if there’s cooperative mode. I simply don’t accept that. After years of gaming (and my recent play through of ObsCure), I think such a feat, with the appropriate amount of time effort and money, is entirely possible.

As I mentioned earlier, there are several guidelines developers, consciously or unconsciously, follow. Yet this is an age of innovation. Rehashing the same video time and time again (unless it’s a sports franchise) is a surefire way to kill a series. This is why developers take these guidelines into account, and then mix and match what they want to use.

Take Resident Evil 4 for example. It contains grotesque enemies and creepy areas, but in no way does it have a lack of ammo or health for the player to use. Even though the game throws enough provisions at the player to supply a small army, it’s probably the most successful game in the franchise!

Developers have altered or removed whatever they felt necessary in order to create a good game countless times. What does this all mean? It means that, no matter the genre, not every guideline, rule or feature from previous games is needed to make a successful game.

So, why exactly is going solo a must for survival horror?

“Games can’t be scary if you’re playing with someone else.” I’ve heard this quote said and written many times in many different ways but I don’t agree with those who stand by this. Let’s take a quick look at films.

Horror films have almost never presented a solo act; and I only write almost because I haven’t seen every horror film out there so please let me know if one exists because I’d love to see it. Instead, they focus on a group of two or more people trying to survive the evil that pursues them. Take a look at these examples: Halloween, Friday the 13th, Evil Dead, 28 Days Later, [REC], Paranormal Activity, etc.

The point I’m trying to make is that many people still found these films scary even though the characters were never alone until the latter moments of them. Even most of us were with family or friends when we watched those films! Why can’t that synchronized feeling of terror be replicated in a video game? Is it because it simply can’t be reproduced, or do collective minds refuse the possibility due to the changing of a well-structured formula?

Yes, I do understand that films are a different form of entertainment than video games, but video games are interactive! In some ways, it should be easier to recreate that terror since it is us being placed in those horrific moments.

Of course, a project such as cooperative survival horror would be no easy task. It also doesn’t help that the few video games that do support this feature are far from shining examples of how to properly pull it off; Dead Space 3 and Resident Evil 6 being the most recent examples. Even though I don’t agree with them, it's because of these games I understand why people believe cooperative survival horror can’t exist.

The major problem with those games in regards to this topic is that survival horror was not the focus. People claim cooperative play as a contributor to the fall of survival horror in these games but that is not entirely the case. Instead of survival, the developers placed intense action on the forefront.

How can a couple of people be terrified of encroaching enemies when they’re given powerful weapons with endless amounts of ammo and a health bar the size of a zombie’s appetite? That’s not surviving, that’s obliterating all opposition.

Another problem with these games, in terms of survival horror (because I do enjoy these games for what they are), is the amount of enemies thrown at the player. Seriously, the amount borders on ridiculous. While playing Dead Space 3, there was one part when I yelled at the game, “Are you done yet?! Can I move to the next area? Oh, of course not; there’s another three waves of enemies I have to fight!”

When you see the same enemies over and over and over again they lose their original scare factor. This is where games such as Amnesia: The Dark Descent succeed in more ways than one. Even though the game boasts just a few different types of enemies, players only run into them on rare occasions. This makes each confrontation absolutely terrifying.

Adding to this development of fear is the fact that players are defenseless. An encounter with these monsters creates instant panic as players sprint towards a hiding spot and praying they weren’t spotted.

If these concepts were incorporated into a cooperative survival horror adventure, I believe it would flourish. Hear (read) me out as I suggest an idea about a two player cooperative survival horror adventure that has the capability of being a success.

Imagine two players adventuring the dark halls of a mansion; please excuse me for the cliché. The two of them must work together, solving puzzles and finding specific items to progress further into the mouth of madness. The eerie, distant sounds inch closer; the two know they’re being watched. Suddenly, the evil, tormented being appears. The two players, defenseless, must seek some sort of shelter from the terrifying soul pursuing them. Unfortunately, only one makes it to a hiding spot. The other gets cornered, shouting for help but to no avail. Then… silence. Now the surviving player, accustomed to partnership, is now truly alone increasing the sense of dread by tenfold.

It’s a very basic concept, and there are many kinks that would need to be worked out; an example being communication. Allowing players to communicate freely would give them the means to converse about tangent topics which could diminish the tension the atmosphere is attempting to build. On the other hand, restricting communication (à la Resident Evil: Outbreak) can lead to a barrier between players resulting in a loss of teamwork and strategy.

Either way, I believe that somewhere out there is a company who can create an amazing cooperative survival horror experience. I highly doubt any AAA company would ever be able to create something like this since publishers have their hands tied. This leaves it in the hands of indie developers who have the freedom to create what they choose.

Accomplishing a feat like this would be difficult, and they would need to start small before working to a larger project; somewhere around the size of Slender. Nonetheless, I believe they have the ability and the creativity to develop a cooperative survival horror game worthy of recognition.

I understand that for many of you the idea is still hard to believe. Although the odds of something like this working out favorably are slim, I hope to open your minds to its possibilities and the fun that it would (or wouldn’t) be. If the proper amount of time and effort are put into making a co-op survival horror game—that follows the guidelines which have helped fashion many other horror franchises—I think it could be a monumental achievement for the genre. 

Scariest Moments in Gaming (For Me, At Least) Part Five

2. Coming out of the closet – Amnesia: The Dark Descent

I apologize for the long wait, but here is Part Five of this segment.

In any decent horror game, hiding is always the first option one should choose (the next being to run away and the last being to fight). In Amnesia: The Dark Descent, hiding was paramount. With no possible way to stand toe-to-toe with your attackers, fleeing the scene in hopes of finding a secure hiding place is the player’s only hope of survival. This is a lesson players will learn quickly when they encounter their first enemy and try to flee while screaming in fear of getting torn to bits by some disfigured creature (check out some Amnesia reactions on Youtube; they’re hilarious).

While there were many times I was frightened by enemies in different games, Amnesia held a certain charm throughout the terrifying adventure. Maybe it was because I could not combat pursuing monsters and I felt completely vulnerable as I searched the halls of the castle; or maybe it was the dark atmosphere and creaking noises that kept me on my toes; or maybe it was the joy I felt every time I found a tinderbox (yay!). Whatever it was exactly, I finished the game with a smirk and thought, “That was a great experience.”

The most memorable, yet frightening, moment in this game (for me) was during a moment of complacency. Before I continue, I must ask: Have you ever (many of you probably have) fallen into that mode of carelessness after you complete the same deed over and over again? At first, you commit the act attentively, and then, gradually, become casual about it because not much changes. This is extremely relevant in video games that don’t offer enough variety. Well, I was beginning to follow this example because I thought I was skilled at avoiding the hostile beings roaming the halls. Boy, was I wrong. After turning a corner, I saw an enemy evolve from the darkness causing me to turn quickly run into the adjacent room to hide. Hearing the monster’s screams, I knew it had saw me run across the hallway.

I immediately searched the room for a safe haven and located a closet to my left. Quickly stepping inside and shutting the door, I heard my stalker enter the room. The slowly shuffling steps and soft grunts forced me to wait patiently inside the closet; but I wasn’t worried. “I’ve done this before and I can do it again,” was the thought that ran through my mind. After a moment or two, the steps and grunts fell silent. Finally, I could continue my journey.

As I opened the door to exit the closet my screen flashed red as a claw mark ran across my view. My voice cracked as I let out a high pitch scream (rarely, and I mean rarely, do I ever scream while playing a horror video game). The creature had positioned itself to the right of the closet door just out of my line of sight. I attempted to scurry away to safety but it was to no avail. The monster was hot on my trail and cut me down without remorse.

Ten minutes later my heart still pumped hard enough to hit the walls of my chest. I am still not sure if that was great AI design, or a once in a life time fluke; but it completely changed my impression of these intelligent adversaries. Never again did I fall into that state of complacency during my trek through Amnesia as that moment made a significant mark in gaming career.

Closing comments

I know, I know. How dare I make you wait longer for the number one entry? But I promise it will be up by Saturday along with another article I've been working on. That one will be closely related to this segment as it focuses on the horror genre. After that however, I will be gone for two weeks on military orders so another absence is inevitable. Still, when I come back I will do so with a vengeance! Not only will I increase my article writing, but I will also be posting videos on the blog. Yay! I've finally been able to purchase really nice recording hardware/software and I can't wait to try it out. I will be posting a couple tests first to make sure I know how to use it correctly to deliver quality videos. But I digress. As always, thank you for reading!

Silent Protagonists

When Crysis was announced as a downloadable title for Xbox Live and the Playstation Network, I was ecstatic. I never was able to run that beast of a game on any PC I owned. The minute it was released, the game was downloaded onto my hard drive, and I enjoyed every second of it. Once I completed the game, I wanted more. Knowing there was a sequel already released, I decided to pick Crysis 2 up and continue the nanosuit experience. It started out well enough, but one thing I noticed started to really bug me: Alcatraz is a silent protagonist.

Some may think nothing of this since it is a technique used in many games, but I actually find this really annoying. While I am fine with this in the Half-Life and Legend of Zelda series (because those two have shown their success utilizing silent protagonists), I hate this mechanic when used in other video games such as Dead Space or Call of Duty.

Yes, I know that the reason for this is to "immerse yourself into the world" and "make you the character," but I don't feel that when I play. Plus, I don't play video games to be myself; I play to become a badass soldier or and spaceship engineer. Let's face it, I am not Soap, I am not Alcatraz, and I am not Isaac Clarke. I cannot throw a knife with pinpoint accuracy into someone's eye while injured, I cannot cloak myself to stealth kill enemy soldiers, and I cannot dismember necromorphs while floating in zero gravity (although all of these would be really cool). So, when I play video games, I enjoy the fact that I am controlling these characters and utilizing their abilities; not my own.

It also ticks me off when conversations occur in video games with silent protagonists. They are always one-sided and it is awkward (at least to me) when another character asks a direct question since they are always answered with silence. If I am supposed to be the character, I wouldn't stand there with my mouth closed while being spoken to. Being in the military, when someone orders me to do something, they want a response. If you do not give them one, be prepared to get chewed out. I also wouldn't be able to keep quiet when chaos is taking place. There are missiles dropping, aliens invading, and people dying. I understand keeping calm under pressure, but the occasional "Shit!" or "Look out!" would add some life to these characters.

There are times when silent protagonists don't even make sense, like the Modern Warfare and Crysis series. In Modern Warfare 2, Soap talks the entire game but the moment you take control of him, he zips his lips. In Modern Warfare 3 however, Price won't shut up when you take control of him. Why is this? Why? Why?! It makes no sense! I apologize for the outburst. That is simply a mystery I cannot seem to solve.

With Crysis, the first game had a protagonist who spoke, and it was a nice touch to hear his dialogue when traversing the alien infested mountain. Why did the developers feel need to alter this in the sequel? Early on in the game, Gould mistakes Alcatraz for someone else because he is wearing Prophet's suit. Eventually, he discovers the truth and even pulls a gun on him. This could have all been resolved had Alcatraz stated, "I'm not Prophet." Some people say that the reason for this is because of the injuries Alcatraz suffered at the beginning of the game. While I can accept that, no character in the game states this is the reason behind his silence. I know I may seem like I'm asking for a lot; but it would have been a nice touch if any scientist or main character said, after analyzing the suit, "His larynx has been badly damaged resulting in a loss of speech." Then, I would have thought, "So that's why. Okay, I can deal with that."

However, not all games need a character speaking out loud (I know many characters whom I would love to have shut up), but he or she can still be given a voice. Take the Penumbra series or Amnesia: The Dark Descent, for example. The character speaks during the introduction yet, for most of the games, you can only see his thoughts from the subtitles at the bottom of the screen. Sure, there aren't (m)any characters to interact with but the character is thinking. The subtitles allow the player to read his thoughts and discover what he is feeling, giving him a voice.


I simply feel a character with a voice is much more effective. Take into consideration Dead Space 2 and the Jak & Daxter series. The characters, once given a voice, evolved into people with emotions and desires, instead of mindless zombies taking orders without debate. Because of this, I develop a deeper connection to the character and their plight.


After some disappointing cutscenes in Crysis 2, I needed to share my reasons on why this mechanic doesn't work for me. I know you all have different opinions on this subject, and I'm fine with that. To each his or her own. That being said, what's your take on silent protagonists? As always, thank you for reading!