Thatʼs where a lot of thought and creativity is needed.” “But we donʼt want to put humans as enemy characters. “I think that the scariest thing for us as humans is actually other humans,” Mikami says. Game Informer spoke to some of the creators behind Resident Evil, Silent Hill, Fatal Frame, Darkest Dungeon, and the Dead Space remake about the research and concepts behind horror games – from the influence of personal experiences to what scares the people who craft these frightening worlds.įor Shinji Mikami, Tango Gameworksʼ founder and one of the creative minds behind Resident Evil and The Evil Within, it all starts with a theme. Examining the right moment to insert a jumpscare, looking at real-life imagery to design otherworldly creatures, and using personal experiences as influence is all part of the 9 to 5 routine. Developers spend their days exposed to the ways they intend to scare their audience. Working on horror games often leads to stories like this. “I was like, ‘Why am I so obsessed with it?ʼ” Then it dawned on him: he was recreating his memory. “I was very specific about, ‘If I ran around here, this is how the enemy should behave,ʼ” Barlow says.

However, if the creatures ran on all fours, the camera would have difficulty showing them as theyʼd be lower toward the ground.

In Shattered Memories, you can look over the main characterʼs shoulder during chase sequences to see how close enemies are from grabbing you. But testing the level presented an issue.

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