Exploring how survival horror games use character design and genre conventions to build atmosphere and to depict a compelling narrative.
One of the most challenging aspects within creating and designing a horror narrative is battling the fine line of making things scary rather than comical. Without using dialogue and sound it can be quite challenging to create an effective atmosphere that could evoke the feelings I intend to generate. Over time, horror design has greatly evolved as the audience has grown a stronger stomach for the types of horror depicted within media, this is due to the fact trends in horror are largely responsive to the socio-political context of the period they are produced in. Gothic literature is one of the earliest examples of the horror genre, which later paved the way for film adaptations. Most of the famous classics: Dracula, Frankenstein and The Wolfman, capture society’s fear of death as modern western medicine didn’t yet exist during this period. Later slasher films such as Halloween, Friday the 13th and Nightmare on Elm Street became popular from 1960s following events like the Vietnam War, as well as different political assassinations, causing audiences to become fearful of society. However as social media allows for events across the world to be massively witnessed, it has become harder and harder to create an effective horror piece. Most audiences have been desensitised towards the types of imagery used within the horror genre.
For my current project I intend to perfectly capture the short story “The masque of the red death” in a haunting book cover, the way in which Edgar Allan Poe described it to be, yet still relating the 1842 book to a modern audience, more accustomed to the violence depicted within the pages. To achieve this, I wanted to explore the work of what I believe to be one of the most effective modern horror narratives ever created.
The character designer Masahiro Ito talks about being inspired by famous Irish artist Francis Bacon’s unique artwork.
Bacon’s work feels very sombre, “a pessimistic response to the second world war”, giving his work a sense of movement and feeling that other attempts at creating the same atmosphere, haven’t exactly achieved. I think an element of Bacons success was how deeply he felt about the current state of the world, he had a strong sense of the human brutality and suffering that was present at the time, following the months where the concentration camps were revealed to the world. When looking through his different works you can easily draw connections between Bacon’s creations and the types of monsters depicted within the Silent Hill franchise. For example, Bacon’s “Study After Velázquez’s Portrait of Pope Innocent” (1953), which depicts a portrait of the pope decorated with a streaked-out face, and a horrifying gapping mouth. Ito’s creatures have the same twisted faces and limbs of Bacon’s paintings, brought to life in a 3D space, the feelings Bacon was able to create within his audience during his prime, were mimicked in the reaction among horror fans surrounding the release of Silent Hill 2. A design so frightening, it draws the attention of likeminded individuals, feeling the effects of what each artist is commenting on.
Following from the success of the previous Resident Evil games, how was the already successful Capcom studio able to miss the mark so completely. In short Resident Evil 6 suffers from a bit of an identity crisis. The series had once been known for its creepy mansions, dark forests, and abandoned laboratories. In RE6, however, the settings feel bland and generic, depicted a superficial rooftop cityscape, that doesn’t evoke any sense of foreboding or isolation, which as shown through Silent Hill 2 are integral to the survival horror genre. At times, it very much stays true to the franchise’s roots, pitting its heroes against horrifying creatures yet this is ultimately undermined by lifeless gun fights, and boring dialogue. “Chris’s spectacular confrontation with a massive snake in a shabby Chinese apartment is preceded and interrupted by lengthy, monotonous gunfights on rooftops and a rather uninteresting fight against a helicopter.” (IGN, 2012). The monsters from this game appear completely uninspired, as you can see from the concept art being drawn as just dark shadows, and even in the finished results not differing much from these quick sketches. Compared to the monsters in Re2, it feels as though the game developers almost gave up on creating a tense atmosphere through there designs, relying on game mechanics to keep the story interesting.
The designs from the earlier games have unique aspects that at the time weren’t used as often in media, Resident Evil 2 introduces the horrifying creature The Licker, whose sharp claws and exposed brain matter sent players hiding from their screens, while Resident Evil 4 gave us The Regenerators and the Los Illuminados cult. These creatures were not just terrifying because of their physical forms, but also the way they played into the game’s atmosphere and mechanics. Yet, RE6 in contrast, fails to produce anything truly new or incentive. The average presentation of a zombie wasn’t wowing audiences as much as the designers had expected. The monsters feel recycled and don’t contribute much to the games overall tension or psychological horror. Screen Rant describes the zombies known as the J’avo as “One of the worst enemies in RE6, the J’avo aren’t frightening or threatening. At most, they’re annoying…they aren’t suited for a survival horror game”. (2022) The J’avo are enemies that mutate into more grotesque forms as the player damages them, their designs ultimately felt repetitive and lacked the unsettling human like features that made the earlier monsters so frightening. They almost feel like a missed opportunity to explore the more grotesque or uncanny elements that are so effective in the horror genre.
When creating something intending to scare an audience, it’s best to stay away from the ordinary presentations of the genre. An audience wants something unique and effective, rather than an over complicated version of something they have seen before. This isn’t to say that it’s impossible to make a simple horror narrative effective, but with a genre that’s so overpopulated, its common to see the same tropes again and again. This ultimately highlights the main difference between the successes of Silent Hill 2 against Resident Evil 6. The developers had way more passion, designing their monsters to mean something towards the plot and the aesthetics of the game, something in RE6 that simply doesn’t translate. Team Silent spent years analysing what audiences found effective, looking at artworks from across history, and current day events that would have influenced how the audience viewed their imagery. Instead of repeating the same lifeless character designs, they strove to make characters terrifying on a psychological level, manipulating society’s mistrust of each other, and creating twisted uncanny versions of people.
From comparing these two games, I have learned significant lessons about the theory and practice of creating an effective horror atmosphere. Silent Hill 2 demonstrates the importance of designing with intent, where every element, from the monsters to the setting, serves a specific narrative and emotional purpose. In contrast, Resident Evil 6 highlights how a lack of passion and originality is really apparent to an audience.
For my designs to have the desired impact, it is essential to anchor them in a strong narrative. This means understanding not only the message I want to convey but also the emotions I want to evoke in my audience, whether it be dread, unease, or outright terror. Without this sense of purpose, a design risks feeling stale and generic. To achieve this, my character designs must be deeply influenced by the plot and theme of the project. Each element, colour, texture and form should be a calculated decision, informed by the story’s message and its intended emotional response. For example, a character meant to embody the fear of mortality might feature fragmented or decayed features, similar to the designs within Silent Hill, symbolizing the inevitability of death. Or perhaps Edgar Allan Poe’s message within The Masque of The Red Death being no matter a person’s standing, or financials can escape death.
Furthermore, inspiration drawn from other mediums, such as Francis Bacon’s distorted portraits or Silent Hill 2’s psychological symbolism, highlights how deliberate artistic choices can amplify a design’s effectiveness. I intend to follow this approach by questioning every decision in my process: What does this design element communicate? How does it support the narrative? By doing so, I hope to craft a cohesive and impactful horror experience that resonates with modern audiences, whilst still upholding Poe’s original narrative.
Reference
Capcom (2012) Resident Evil 6. Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Resident_Evil_6 (Accessed: 18 December 24)
Konami Digital Entertainment (2024) Silent Hill 2 Remake. Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silent_Hill_2_(2024_video_game) (Accessed: 18 December 24)
Ito, M. I. (2001) Pyramid Head sketch [Ink Sketch]. Available at: https://www.silenthillmemories.net/sh2/arts_creatures_en.htm (Accessed: 20 December 2024)
GN (2024) Silent Hill 2 Is Utterly Miserable (and That’s Why It’s Great). Available at: https://www.ign.com/articles/silent-hill-2-is-utterly-miserable-and-thats-why-its-great (Accessed: 20 December 2024)
Tate (2021) Who is Francis Bacon? Available at: https://www.tate.org.uk/art/artists/francis-bacon-682/who-is-francis-bacon (Accessed: 2 January 2025)
Capcom (2012) Resident Evil 6. Available at: https://store.steampowered.com/app/221040/Resident_Evil_6/ (Accessed: 2 January 2025)
Samcharlot123, S. C. (2024) a terrible linear action game. Available at: https://www.metacritic.com/game/resident-evil-6/ (Accessed: 2 January 2025).
IGN (2012) Resident Evil 6 Review, Bigger than ever, but not better. Available at: https://www.ign.com/articles/2012/10/01/resident-evil-6-review (Accessed: 2 January 2025)
Screen Rant (2022) How Resident Evil 6 Became The Series’ Most Hated Game. Available at: https://screenrant.com/resident-evil-6-worst-survival-horror-game-leon/ (Accessed: 10 January 2025)
Fandom.com (2012) Dino Crisis. Available at: https://dinocrisis.fandom.com/wiki/Dino_Crisis (Accessed: 10 January 2025)