!['Phantasmagoria' doesn't boast many scares. [Image Source: PushingUpRoses/YouTube]](https://staticr1.blastingcdncf.com/media/photogallery/2020/10/1/660x290/b_502x220x82/phantasmagoria-doesnt-boast-much-scares-image-source-pushinguprosesyoutube_2523720.jpg "'Phantasmagoria' doesn't boast many scares. [Image Source: PushingUpRoses/YouTube]")
A horror game has only one obligation: to scare. In any other genre, if a game were to have limited ammo, clunky controls, and limited draw distance, these would be seen as problems that needed to be addressed. However, we accept these elements in horror games because we know that they'll help serve the crucial goal: to give the player a sense of helplessness and fear. What makes games stand out from other mediums, such as films or books, is their interactive nature. If making the controls less accurate will help make the player feel more vulnerable and frightened, then so be it.
However, what happens when good design is sacrificed for the sake of scaring the player, and the game turns out to be not scary? As shows like "Mystery Science Theater 3000" proved, a failed attempt at horror can still be amusing even if it's not in the way the creators intended. There is a market for films that are "so bad it's good," but given the interactive nature of video games, it's hard to find bad game design as endearing.
This is a list dedicated to the wrong kind of horror. Some of the entries are worth a glance just for the laughs you'll get out of them, but make no mistake: the only feeling of terror you'll get from these duds is from the realization that you've spent actual money on them.
'OverBlood' doesn't know what tone to go for
One of the first games to try to capitalize on the success of "Resident Evil," "OverBlood," eschewed the pre-rendered backgrounds of the former in favor of a fully polygonal 3D world. Unfortunately, lousy design, laughable monsters, and a predictable story ruin what could have been a unique take on the formula. The game doesn't seem to know what tone it wants to go for, why the developers thought that a horror game called "OverBlood" needed a cute little robot sidekick is anyone's guess.
'Alone in the Dark Illumination' is neither alone nor in the dark
The first "Alone in the Dark" is widely considered the architect of the survival horror genre and its influence in the industry cannot be questioned. However, it seems that every subsequent entry did what it could to strip away any feeling of atmosphere and horror. "Illumination" is the epitome of everything that's wrong with this franchise. Not only are you not alone, but the main gameplay mechanic revolves around weakening creatures with light, so you're not even in the dark.
'Shivers' is undermined by cartoony monsters
To the game's credit, "Shivers" actually manages to pull off a suitably creepy atmosphere with its eerie museum setting and diary entries that show the inhabitants' thoughts leading up to their gruesome demise. Then you come across one of the monsters, and their Saturday morning cartoon appearance undoes all of that. On the one hand, I admire their restraint in using hand-drawn animation instead of dated CGI, but it's completely ill-fitting for what's supposed to be a serious horror game.
'Night Trap' is 80's horror cheese in video game form
"Night Trap" courted quite a bit of controversy in its initial 1992 release. It and "Mortal Kombat" prompted congressional hearings on violent video games, which led to the creation of the Entertainment Software Rating Association (ESRB.) If you play it nowadays, you'll wonder how a game with such lumbering and comical looking creatures could cause any offense. When the game was re-released on the PlayStation 4, the ESRB gave it a T for Teen rating: an indication of how times had changed.
'Harvester' tries to shock and offend instead of scare
Some horror games are so bad; they're worth checking out for a quick derisive laugh. "Harvester" is not one of those games. It's not scary, the combat's not fun, and the game attempts to weigh in on the debate of whether violent games can make someone more violent in real life. In the end, the developers lack the courage of their convictions to take a definitive stance, making its attempts at social commentary more offensive than its depictions of sex and gore. Play "Gabriel Knight 2" instead.
