More
than
most
genres,
survival
horror
feels
rooted
in
time.
It
started
with
the
methodical
Resident
Evil
on
the
original
PlayStation
and
is
defined
in
part
by
limitation
—
a
slow
pace,
grimy
visuals,
and
scant
resources
to
help
amplify
the
scares.
Many
of
those
elements
stemmed
from
the
early,
awkward
days
of
3D
gaming,
whether
it
was
Resident
Evil’s
clunky
controls,
which
made
zombie
chases
more
terrifying,
or
Silent
Hill’s
fog,
which
lent
an
iconic
atmosphere
while
also
letting
the
developers
get
around
technical
limitations
of
the
time.
And
a
few
decades
later,
developers
are
still
finding
ways
to
bring
the
most
important
elements
of
those
games
—
namely,
the
mood
and
scares
—
to
modern
horror
without
feeling
dated.
The
most
obvious
way
to
do
this
is
keeping
the
style
and
tone
of
classic
survival
horror
while
updating
the
gameplay
to
make
it
more
approachable.
The
most
recent
example
of
this
is
Fear
the
Spotlight,
the
first
release
from
horror
movie
studio
Blumhouse’s
new
gaming
label.
Much
like
Crow
Country
and
Signalis,
it’s
a
game
that
looks
like
it
was
ripped
right
out
of
1998;
the
visuals
are
blocky,
the
textures
low-res.
It
gives
the
experience
a
grimy
feel,
which
is
just
the
right
note
for
horror.
Fear
the
Spotlight.Image:
Blumhouse
Games
Fear
the
Spotlight
—
developed
by
the
two-person
team
at
Cozy
Game
Pals
—
starts
out
simple
enough,
with
two
friends
breaking
into
their
high
school
to
perform
a
seance
in
the
library.
But,
of
course,
things
go
bad,
and
they
get
pulled
into
a
nightmare
realm
that
connects
both
to
their
own
pasts
and
a
dark
mystery
the
school
has
been
hiding
for
decades.
It’s
part
coming-of-age
story,
part
romance,
and
part
true
crime.
But
it’s
all
rendered
in
the
crunchy
style
of
PlayStation-era
horror,
which
lends
it
an
uneasy
edge.
The
game
also
lets
you
really
focus
on
the
story
by
streamlining
the
gameplay.
There’s
a
lot
of
puzzle-solving;
much
like
in
early
Resident
Evil
games,
you’ll
be
fixing
all
kinds
of
complex
mechanical
problems
and
dealing
with
arcane
statues
and
locks.
But
there’s
almost
no
actual
combat.
Instead,
you
have
little
choice
but
to
run
and
hide
when
the
terrifying
monsters
appear.
Some
of
the
scariest
moments
of
the
game
have
you
huddled
under
a
desk,
waiting
for
the
creatures
—
which
have
deadly
spotlights
for
faces
—
to
pass.
In
some
ways,
removing
combat
makes
the
game
even
scarier
since
you
have
no
way
to
fight
back.
These
moments
in
Fear
the
Spotlight
reminded
me
a
bit
of
stowing
away
in
a
locker
in
Alien:
Isolation,
hoping
the
xenomorph
couldn’t
see
me.
The
hazy,
dirty
visuals
only
amplify
this
feeling,
as
it’s
often
difficult
to
get
a
clear
view
of
what’s
ahead
of
you.
Silent
Hill
2.Image:
Konami
On
the
other
side
of
the
spectrum
is
the
recent
remake
of
Silent
Hill
2.
Instead
of
creating
a
brand-new
survival
horror
experience
with
modern
sensibilities,
it’s
an
attempt
to
take
one
of
the
genre’s
most
influential
titles
—
a
particularly
idiosyncratic
one
at
that
—
and
reimagine
it
as
a
big-budget
release
in
2024.
That
has
pros
and
cons.
Like
the
remakes
of
classic
Resident
Evil
games
and
the
original
Dead
Space,
Silent
Hill
2
looks
and
plays
like
a
modern
release.
The
visuals
are
crisp
and
detailed,
instead
of
hazy
and
disorienting.
And
it
controls
like
a
well-tuned
third-person
action
game.
It’s
immensely
satisfying
to
swing
a
bat,
whether
you’re
smashing
in
windows
or
fending
off
a
living
mannequin.
There’s
a
shift
in
tone.
The
modern
Silent
Hill
2
is
still
scary.
The
level
of
realism
makes
the
squirming
enemies
and
cramped
hotel
hallways
feel
incredibly
unsettling,
and
there’s
a
level
of
immersion
that
can
be
panic-inducing.
But
now
it
plays
and
feels
like
a
lot
of
other
games
and
is,
for
lack
of
a
better
word,
a
lot
cleaner
than
the
original.
It’s
no
longer
as
weird
and
distinct.
It
reminds
me
a
bit
of
the
2018
remake
of
Shadow
of
the
Colossus:
a
cover
song
that
doesn’t
replace
the
original
but
provides
a
different
way
of
looking
at
it,
one
that’s
welcoming
for
newcomers.
(If
only
Konami
made
the
original
Silent
Hill
2
more
accessible.)
The
point
is,
these
games
show
there
is
still
plenty
of
room
to
do
interesting
things
with
survival
horror.
And
they
do
it
in
a
way
that
both
connected
to
the
genre’s
history
without
being
stifled
by
it.
More
importantly:
they
find
new
ways
to
scare.
Fear
the
Spotlight
and
Silent
Hill
2
are
both
available
now.
(Originally posted by Andrew Webster)
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