User:JamesKinchUK/sandbox

= The Survival Horror Genre = The Survival Horror Genre or simply, Survival Horror, is a type of action game/adventure game that are inspired by horror fiction and horror films. These games are made to induce fear or create an eerie, ominous atmosphere that makes players uncomfortable while surviving against either monsters (figuratively or literally) or even their character's own sanity.

This definition of "Survival Horror" was originally coined when advertising for the 1996 game, Resident Evil created by Capcom which took inspiration from similar previous titles such as 3D Monster Maze (1982) and Alone in the Dark (1992). By taking different design elements from these games and adding more of its own, the game solidified what a "Survival Horror" game would become.

History
As the "Survival Horror" name was coined in 1995, the first game in the genre is often disputed. The original horror-themed games were created in the early 1980s with releases such as Nostromo in 1981 and Haunted House in 1982 for the Commodore PET and Atari 2600 respectively. These games are similar in their gameplay where the player's character must go into different rooms to collect different pieces of a puzzle and must avoid enemies that attempt to close in on them. Once the puzzle is complete, the player wins the game. While primitive now, the puzzle, lack of attack and survival aspects continue to be common place in the genre today.

Sweet Home, a role-playing video game, published in 1989 by is credited with the inspiration to the original Resident Evil. The game places an emphasis on survival rather than attacking (a common way that games were played at the time). This was created by having the player manage a limited inventory with limited health placed around the map and a dynamic map that would spring traps on the player.

In 1996, Resident Evil released to critical acclaim receiving 91 out of 100 on Metacritic, showcasing the first large success of a horror themed game. Using the PlayStation's graphical capabilities, it updated Sweet Home's art design and added themes that would better resonate with a Western audience such as zombies, guns and a simple narrative. In the 00s, the genre would begin to take more elements from the action genre. Doom 3, while considered a survival-horror game at the time, is an example of this. The player is able to kill enemies directly whereas, previously, the player was generally limited to using other tactics such as running away or using a makeshift weapon. At the turn of the 10s, with the rise of Indie game development, mainstream survival horror games began to utilise game design from Resident Evil while focusing on a stronger narrative, better monster AI and virtual reality. Notable games from the time are The Last of Us, Alien: Isolation and Resident Evil 7: Biohazard.

Gameplay
Survival horror games are a mixture of action and adventure games. Killing an enemy is generally not an option. Typically, stunning an enemy, running away or hiding are the only ways that the character has control over how it moves. Games in the genre typically have players manage their character's statistics such as food, water, health, sprint and sanity. Players are tasked with managing a limited inventory system which involves organising items on a grid with these items taking up different patterns and shapes so that they must be put in a certain way. Other puzzles include:

Collecting pieces of a puzzle. World-based physics puzzles (such as moving platforms via player's inputs).Word puzzle.

 Back tracking.

An enemy's AI is diverse in its movements and its attacks. Different types of enemies are placed in different scenarios to match the level design. While most spaces in these games are claustrophobic, some areas allow for more explanation and the game accounts for this by having different challenges for the player besides enemies.

Sounds play an important role in establishing the atmosphere that a game in the genre sets out to create. Enemies often make distinct sounds so that a player can identify them. For some enemies, this may not be done as to create a jump scare, a common horror trope. Music is also very important in establishing the atmosphere/scenario can vary from slow, creepy music to near silence. Establishing the tone of the music early can enable players to understand the pace that the game wishes them to take, leading to a better immersion.

Theme and Narrative Design
Horror themes include a variety of different monsters such as ghosts, aliens and zombies. Eastern survival horror games have typically focused around psychological horror and poltergeists whereas western survival horror titles revolve around typical movie monster tropes such as plot line being simple, more action occurs and things such as Barbara Creed's monstrous-feminine.

Games take place in abandoned places such as houses, factories or cities and depending on the scenario, either focus on a lone protagonist whom is confident in the situation or a small group that naive to the situation that presents itself.

Depending on the location, the lone protagonist finds themselves alone for most of the game. The only interactions they will have are from enemies or from books/computers that deepens the plot line. These methods allow for more explanation as to why the situation occurred or what happened to the author without the need of other non-player characters. Commonly, an enemy may be presented as the author.

Naive groups often follow character tropes that are found in horror films. Each trope plays a role in how the narrative unfolds. Characters that follow these tropes are often easy to spot due to their clothing, speech and their mindset when they are all in the same situation. The final girl is the last character to be alive and the game is told through their recollection of the events.