Let’s say, for the sake of this feature, that you’re an argumentative internet commenter and found absolutely no joy in Resident Evil 4 whatsoever. It was just too silly and over-the-top. Well then, look no further than the Condemned series for another way to feature a ton of surprises and still be a tense experience from beginning to end. This under-appreciated gem of a series featured its fair share of boring stages that took place in abandoned buildings, but it also led players through an interesting assortment of locales that were chock full of scares.
For example, one level takes place in an eerie doll factory staffed mostly by deranged homeless people with a love of creepy toys. To make things worse, they’ve turned some of the dolls into explosive traps that chase you throughout the factory, complete with eerily familiar sound boxes straight from the worst childhood. However, the prime stage for showing off variety without losing the feel of the consistently oppressive atmosphere is one which finds you escaping a sudden bear attack in an empty lodge. It sounds absolutely ludicrous, but the first time the deranged fuzzball bursts into the room and tears you pieces, you’ll agree that it’s a scary experience.
The perfect survival horror game manages to find ways to keep players on their toes while introducing a number of totally different scenarios. As games like Alien: Isolation showcased, being stuck in the same environment for 20 hours doing the same thing over and over again is nowhere near as horrifying as being attacked by a rabid Kuma in a claustrophobic lodge. If you want to sustain your horror throughout an entire game, you’ve got to take the risk to switch up your circumstances while maintaining a consistently scary tone. It’s not easy, but when done right, it’s a valuable step towards perfecting your game.