Multiplayer horror?

[SammiYin]

I've been considering this for a while now, I would LOVE a multiplayer horror game. Not the nazi zombies / LFD style of 'horror', but proper fuck with your head, run for your life horror. Me and my friends love the absolute terror in cod zombies where that doctor or Angry George are chasing you through tight corridors, it's pulse pounding and incredible.

Anyway, so when I saw some gameplay footage of Amnesia, I thought that with a few tweaks it would be perfect for multiplayer, you could use teamwork to solve the puzzles, and would have to split up and hide in separate areas when the monster comes out to snack on you. It could even have a minigame where you have to hide for as long as you can, and each minute adds an extra monster to the map [and if they find you they destroy whatever you're hiding in, so you start running out of places and just need to run run run]

Well I think it would be brilliant. Not sure about anyone else, but this genre is lacking in truly scary games that you can play with friends.

 

[Thaluikhain]

I dunno...wouldn't having a bunch of people on your side make things inherently much less frightening? Being backed up by AI isn't the same.

Also, would it work if the game was trying to scare multiple people at once:

"Ok, there's nothing in that room over here...hey, were you doing something without me? Um...could the monster disappear and jump out and say it's line again? I missed it the first time."

Having said that, I don't know much about horror games.

 

[Subbies]

Oh and if you add the possibility for a player to sacrifice the other to make their escape, then not only would the players be freaked out of the monsters but also weary of their teammate. That could really add some tension.

 

[Tjebbe]

Well there's Resident Evil 5, but personally I thought that the co-op there detracted from the horror; somehow it's a lot less scary if you're chatting to each other, and harder to get into the atmosphere. Or maybe it was just the game itself (I loved RE4, and we played through most of it hot-seat, taking turns to play).

Like the idea though, perhaps in Amnesia 2

 

[SammiYin]

I dunno...wouldn't having a bunch of people on your side make things inherently much less frightening? Being backed up by AI isn't the same.

Also, would it work if the game was trying to scare multiple people at once:

"Ok, there's nothing in that room over here...hey, were you doing something without me? Um...could the monster disappear and jump out and say it's line again? I missed it the first time."

Having said that, I don't know much about horror games.

This is a good point, but also good incentive for designers not to go for cheap scares, but instead total headfucking. For example you could make one player see the monster, but nobody else, which would make you A) freak the hell out or B) not believe them and be less likely to trust them if one is sneaking up behind you.

 

[Thaluikhain]

This is a good point, but also good incentive for designers not to go for cheap scares, but instead total headfucking.

That's true, but cheap scares are popular because they are easy to do.

Mind you, I don't mind jump scares when done right.

For example you could make one player see the monster, but nobody else, which would make you A) freak the hell out or B) not believe them and be less likely to trust them if one is sneaking up behind you.

I don't think that would work, personally, or at least be very difficult to get right.

Personally, I find games most frightening when you have monsters jumping out at you for a bit, but then stop and you have to go and find where they are hiding instead. The game has demonstrated that monsters will jump out at you, and every corner and doorway is a potential jump scare, which is much better than an actual jump scare, IMHO.

 

[MrGalactus]

SAW: The Game could've been so much better with this properly implemented.

 

[Katana314]

The only way I could see this moderately working is by limiting communication between players, or even cutting out communication at random moments.
"Okay, I hit the switch. Did it do anything in the main room?.................Greg?..........."

 

[Lacsapix]

dead space 2 has a pretty good multiplayer
I was suprised.

 

[Feylynn]

Multiplayer is inherently antithetical to horror.
If you make a horror game multiplayer you are making a a non-horror game in my opinion.

I do believe there is a way to develop a good multi horror but not with a combat system, not with guns anyways.

Guns are also antithetical to horror.

What you need to do is make a story based co-op game completely centered in illusions.
You need to take away the second player from your friend, figuratively speaking, maybe literally who knows.
Local Multiplayer would kill this idea I think so online only.

But that's enough bullet points what should the game be?
Basically anything as long as both people find it scary, your combat capability is pathetic, and you have a lot of set pieces that force them to split up.
You could have NPC's that share your allies skin and follow you before disappearing, maybe even purposely lure you off alone to die when they shift into something terrible.
I think Fatal Frame would work great.
One camera to share, that means one ally can't defend themselves and adopt a hide mechanic like Kei in 3 which is way more terrifying then the others. You then just need to make puzzles that force players to trade the camera by like dropping it through holes in the floor so allies can get it at an otherwise inaccessible area.
As long as both players fear the sight of their friend everything else is just making a good game.

Edit: Also, radio. You want to accommodate communication but also unsettle the player. Like in Portal 2 how one player can't hear some of the messages. That right there is horror gold.
Then you just need to make it a scary item to have with some silent hill effects or something.

 

[Thaluikhain]

The only way I could see this moderately working is by limiting communication between players, or even cutting out communication at random moments.
"Okay, I hit the switch. Did it do anything in the main room?.................Greg?..........."

Oh, that's a good idea. Be hard to stop it from being simply frustrating, though.

Also, would I be right in thinking that any multiplayer horror game would have to be played over the net? If you were all sitting roung in the same room, I think it'd defuse the tension alot.

 

[bombadilillo]

The only way I could see this moderately working is by limiting communication between players, or even cutting out communication at random moments.
"Okay, I hit the switch. Did it do anything in the main room?.................Greg?..........."

Thats a good idea, cut off communication if a player dies. But also do it randomly to mess with players. And to revive you must find their body. So the mic goes dead and you stop. Wait. Decide to backtrack and go down alternate path and find the body?

Make a system where the monsters are drawn to groups of people, by sound or whatever explination. That will encourage players to stay somone seperate.

Another idea. You have radios but using them drains batteries, so you need to really think before you speak.

 

[Fiz_The_Toaster]

I don't think multiplayer would help make horror games scarier, and I disagree with you on Amnesia being perfect to have it. To me, the reason why Amnesia was so scary was because you are alone and you are on your own, and I think that if you have someone there with you it would make it less scary.

I think it would only work if you mess with the players involved and not do cheap scares, like having things jump out at you. Do something like cut off someone's mic temporarily when you have to split up, footsteps that can be heard but don't belong to anyone/anything, hallucinations, and minimal enemies.

It could work if done right.

 

[Valkyrie101]

Doesn't work, because horror games rely on immersion. Multiplayer by its very nature is totally unimmersive, because the existence of other players is a constant reminder that this is just a game. It's hard to get into it in quite the same way.

 

[bombadilillo]

Throw in some smart dopplegangers. Walk into a room Fred seems to be trying to solve a puzzle. Need help Fred?....Fred?

 

[bombadilillo]

Doesn't work, because horror games rely on immersion. Multiplayer by its very nature is totally unimmersive, because the existence of other players is a constant reminder that this is just a game. It's hard to get into it in quite the same way.

If you have the right people and mood it can be immersive. Amnesia is also unimmersive when I play at noon listening to Queen songs.

You can help by Limiting the amount you can talk, and Amnesia style no weopons means your friend can't help you and will be just as scared if done right.

 

[Ironic Pirate]

Left for Dead style horror is the only one you can really get in an unscripted setting like that. Think of a shit horror movie, where all the characters are incredibly stupid, can't act, and never react the way they would in real life. That's essentially xbox live.

So no, I don't think it'd be that scary when two of my team-mates are arguing about something non-game related, one is arguing with his girlfriend over the phone, and the other is singing Journey songs into the mic.

 

[Biodeamon]

maybe fear 3 will have some good co-op horror.