When looking at the impact PS1 graphics have had on modern indie horror games, it is important to mention the classic horror games that started on PS1. Spending less time on graphics also lets developers spend more time on the story, making PS1 horror unique. It seems that the PS1 style of horror is still alive and very popular today, giving developers the opportunity to make a hit game.
Why PS1 Graphics are scary
Some of the best horror video game series came from PS1. Silent Hill and Resident Evil changed the genre forever, but what made them have such an impact? The unsettling grainy and dark graphics definitely add to the immersion of a horror game and the people developing horror games today grew up on the PS1. There is something unnerving about the simplicity of PS1 horror, there have been hundreds of Creepypastas based on old horror games because of the impact it had on so many childhoods.
The environment and the atmosphere are what really make the low poly graphics factor in true horror along with what would be considered “clunky” controls. Movements that don’t make you feel like you are in control and force you to turn at different speeds than you would genuinely like. To take a turn into the psychology of horror, the graphics allow the game to already implement it with the way it is being made, forcing the user into a corner, literally and psychologically, that something is wrong and it’s not going to take much longer for it to be figured out that the game is intentionally screwing you over with bad controls that if you try harder to get it over with but it ends up running you into whatever the horror game is about.
Modern indie horror video games have clearly taken motivation from the classic PS1 horror games. The simple premise yet complex story of Slender is a great example of how the horror of old still has an influence on the community. Video games like Five Nights At Freddys and Outlast have also seen massive success in taking inspiration from classic PS1 horror games.
A couple of games that utilized PS1 graphics with success in recent years are Teke Teke: Moonlit Dread, inspired by the popular Japanese urban legend, and NIGHT OF THE CONSUMERS a retail-based horror game that emphasizes using disturbing images and characters. While these games might not have the most complex storyline they make up for it in scares and gameplay.
Conclusion
Graphics are important in any video game, but for horror games sometimes the worse the graphics are the scarier the game. 8-bit Horror has had continued success in proving that you don’t need good graphics to have a good horror game today. The PlayStation 1 defined the horror genre, and for fans to feel the nostalgia of that era of horror in a game today is a perfect combination.
With the horror genre not leaving anytime soon, the opportunity to create a successful game is there. Using the PS1 horror games as an influence in developing a horror game today would be a good start, what made the PlayStation 1 horror games and the modern indie horror games today so popular is the player experience. Low-quality graphics give the developer the chance to make any creature or monster look more distorted and unsettling.
The uneasy feeling a player gets when looking at a low-quality distorted monster is something that stays true today, and PlayStation 1 graphics mastered it in horror games. The action element is also important in why the gameplay itself was fun for the player, being chased and not knowing what is behind the door keeps players immersed in the experience. Playstation 1 showed the horror community that poor graphics can produce a successful horror game today.
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