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无助感和氛围是当代恐怖游戏重要元素

发布时间:2012-07-20 17:27:07 Tags:,,,

作者:Mike Rose

恐怖电子游戏还在继续发展着。我们曾经以为不断发展的行动类游戏,如《生化危机》已经算是恐怖游戏的顶峰了,但是真正的恐怖游戏应该是充斥着恐惧与紧张感,以及我们难以避开的一些潜伏元素。

Capcom制作人Masachika Kawata在今年早些时候曾经说道,虽然老式的恐怖游戏还是没有多大的市场(比起恐怖游戏玩家更喜欢行动游戏),但是自从2010年《失忆症:黑暗后裔》取得了巨大的成功及其续作的各种宣传都表明恐怖游戏将再次崛起。

前几周出现了几款引人注意的恐怖游戏,它们通过使用完全不同的方式去传达这种游戏理念,并且未使用任何强烈的行动去诱发玩家的恐惧感。

以Slender Man神话为题材的《Slender》便是通过创造一种“崩溃”感而营造出恐怖氛围,它将玩家放置在一片树林繁茂地区,让玩家觉得背后有个高大的巨人不断地追着他,但是玩家却没有任何防御武器。

与之相比,来自Dreampainters的《Anna》便是一款更加传统的冒险游戏,它围绕着意大利的一间锯木厂而展开。尽管玩家不会真正遭遇任何敌人,但是游戏却通过黑暗和音效制造出背后有东西在注视着玩家的感觉。

无助,不可预测性和氛围

slender(from gamasutra)

slender(from gamasutra)

《Slender》开发者Mark Hadley认为在恐怖游戏中营造出可怕氛围的元素很多,而最大的影响要素则是无助感。

“我认为身处无助的情境是任何游戏中最可怕的时刻,”他表示“《失忆症》在这一点便做得很好,而也正因为这一点它才成为我最喜欢的游戏之一。”

他补充道:“但是这并不意味着玩家能够反击时就会削弱恐惧元素。只要不是让玩家感到彻底崩溃和抓狂,适度的无助感便是一种有效的元素,这能够让玩家觉得自己还有一丝胜算。即使玩家可以进行反击,但只要其他元素也设置到位,游戏仍然不失恐怖感。”

Hadley认为不可预知性是诱发玩家恐惧感的另外一大要素。虽然能够最大化意外感的脚本元素设置得当时也能创造惊人效果,但它们却会违背冒险精神,并导致玩家丧失一些恐惧体验。

“游戏会随机在玩家周围安插某些元素而创造出各种不确定性。并且这种不确定性将始终伴随着玩家,以此制造出真正的恐惧感,”他强调道“这也是为何《求生之路》等游戏总是能够带给玩家恐怖感的真正原因——即使玩家在游戏中已经全副武装了;因为游戏中的随机性,玩家永远都不会知道不远处正有一辆坦克等着自己。”

同时他也表示这是《失忆症》中存在的一个问题——“玩家在一开始玩游戏时便能够感受到极其可怕的游戏体验,但是在此之后当玩家慢慢知道今后会出现什么时这种恐怖感也逐渐消失了。”

而脚本序列则意味着我们必须增加“跳跃元素”,即想办法让玩家感到惊讶而不是害怕。

“不要误会我,跳跃恐惧也有它的作用,但如果你的游戏只有跳跃恐惧的话,那它便不能算是恐怖游戏,”Hadley说道“如果你是一开始先创造一个恐怖的氛围并如此引出跳跃恐惧,那会更加有效。而如果你设置了合理的悬念,你便可以直接给为家营造出恐惧感了(且无需让他们感到惊吓)。”

氛围设置(游戏邦注:例如墙上的阴影投射或者未知的回音等)更是决定了一款恐怖游戏的成败,无论你是如何设置其它元素。

Hadley说道:“如果缺少了音效和视觉效果,恐怖游戏便不能有效运行。也就是说它们只是游戏的点缀品而非游戏本身。它们只能用于加强游戏的恐怖感,并不能完全取代游戏。”

“但是这并不意味着我们只能通过阴影和不祥的音乐去传达恐怖感;有时候沉寂也能营造出非常有效的惊悚氛围。”

恐惧来自恐惧本身

anna(from gamaustra)

anna(from gamaustra)

Dreampainters游戏设计师Simone Tagliaferri非常清楚他们的团队希望创造出哪种感觉的《Anna》。该款游戏将背景设在意大利的Val d’Ayas,并且一开始的场景是在明亮的农村,玩家希望在此找回属于自己过去的记忆。

而当玩家进入一间锯木厂时,游戏便迅速笼罩了一层可怕的氛围,并且此时玩家耳边总是回荡着一个陌生女人的声音叫他离开。在场景设置中标记和信息也非常重要。

Tagliaferr表示:“我们尝试着将早前图像冒险游戏与现代心理恐怖游戏结合在一起。”

“我们并不想在屋子中放置怪物或其它敌人。在如此场景中设置这些角色并没有任何意义。老实说Anna并不想杀死主角,她只是想通过吓唬他而让他离开而已。锯木厂只是用来驱逐访客而已。”

《Anna》通过创造一些恐怖的氛围带给玩家恐惧感——而这也是电子游戏还未真正涉及到的理念。

Tagliaferr也提到《失忆症》对于他们团队在开发《Anna》时带来了一定的影响,他们同样也使用了图像冒险游戏系列中常出现的黑暗布景。

针对《生化危机》等动作恐怖游戏他则认为,单单从动作游戏角度来看,这些游戏都很出色,但是如果说到恐怖感,它们则远不如冒险游戏。

他说道:“在玩《生化危机5》时玩家唯一要做的便是考虑如何杀死敌人——但是他们却不会害怕这些敌人。玩家在此与《使命召唤》中的一般士兵没多大区别。”(本文为游戏邦/gamerboom.com编译,拒绝任何不保留版权的转载,如需转载请联系:游戏邦

A new age of survival horror games, thanks to indie developers

by Mike Rose

Horror in video games is constantly evolving. Where we may have once associated increasingly action-based franchises like Resident Evil as being the pinnacle of what horror games can offer, the dish of the day is now fear and tension: the idea that something may be lurking just around the corner that you cannot easily fend off.

Capcom producer Masachika Kawata said earlier this year that there simply isn’t a large enough market for the good old-fashioned “survival horror” angle and that players want action over terror. Yet the success of 2010′s Amnesia: The Dark Descent and the brewing hype for its sequel suggest otherwise.

The last few weeks have seen a couple of notable horror titles released, both of which explore the genre in completely different ways, yet both still manage to capture that sense of true fear without the use of high-octane action.

Slender, based on the Slender Man mythos that originated from the Something Awful forums, takes a ‘freak out’ approach to horror, putting the player in a position where they are being pursued by a tall figure through a wooded area, yet have no means of defending themselves.

In comparison, Anna from Dreampainters is a more traditional adventure game based in a real-life sawmill in Italy. While the player never actually encounters any enemies, darkness and sound are used to suggest that something or someone is always watching you.

Helplessness, unpredictability and atmosphere

Slender’s creator Mark Hadley believes there are a number of key elements to making a horror game the scariest it can be — the largest factor being the feeling of helplessness.

“I think being in a helpless situation definitely makes for scarier moments in any game,” he tells Gamasutra. “Amnesia did this very well, and it’s one of my favorites because of this.”

“That’s not to say being able to fight back removes some of the fear factor,” he adds. “Helplessness can always be a good element as long as it isn’t frustratingly overwhelming; it has to feel possible to win. Even if you can fight back, however, it can be scary if the rest of the elements fall into place.”

Hadley thinks unpredictability is another huge element in building up terror in players. While scripted elements can work wonders if placed in such a way that maximum surprise is achieved, they can always work against the grain of the adventure, causing the experience to lose some of its scare factor.

“Sometimes just causing elements to be shifted around randomly adds a bit of uncertainty that’s always present. And that kind of hangs over your head as you play, in order to really produce that sense of dread,” he notes. “That’s why games like Left 4 Dead, for example, can be scary even though you’re often armed to the teeth; you never know if there’s a Tank waiting around that next corner, thanks to the randomizing elements of the game.”

This, he argues, was one of the only issues that Amnesia had – “it’s a fantastically scary experience the first time you play, but after that it loses a lot of the dread since you know what’s coming.”

Scripted sequences also mean that you’re essentially ramping up the “jump factor,” startling them rather than scaring them.

“Jump scares have their place, don’t get me wrong, but if your game is nothing but jump scares, that’s not a horror game,” says Hadley. “If you create a creepy atmosphere first, you can lead up to a jump scare and it becomes a lot more effective. If you do the suspense right, you can even scare someone without startling them.”

The way in which a horror game tackles atmosphere, from shadows bouncing off the walls to eerie echoes originating from an unknown source, is the difference between a winning or losing formula, no matter how you’ve tackled other elements.

Says Hadley, “Without the right sound and visuals, it won’t work. That said, this should be the icing on the cake, not the cake itself. By that I mean, it’s meant to enhance the horror, not try to substitute it.

“That doesn’t mean that everything has to be drenched in shadow and ominous music; it’s surprising how effective a moment of silence can be, for instance.”

Fear through fear itself

Dreampainters’ Simone Tagliaferri had a clear picture of what his team was looking to accomplish with Anna. The game, set in Val d’Ayas, Italy, begins in a lush, bright rural setting, as the player looks to resurrect memories from their past.

This all quickly descends into madness once the player enters the sawmill, however, with an unknown, haunting female voice constantly trying to ward the player away. Symbolism and messages also play a huge part in setting the scene.

“We have tried to create a blend between an old graphic adventure and a modern psychological thriller,” notes Tagliaferr.

“We didn’t want to put monsters or other enemies inside the house. They are needless in a setting like this. To tell the truth, Anna doesn’t want to kill the main character: she wants to scare him enough to let him go away. The sawmill is designed to repel its visitors.”

Indeed, Anna works through the concept that some sort of terrified spirit is attempting to keep people away through terror — an idea that isn’t often explored in video games.

Tagliaferr also notes Amnesia as having an impact on how his team approached the development of Anna, while also citing the Darkness Within graphic adventure series.

As for action horror titles like Resident Evil, he says that these work well as action games, but in terms of horror, as they simply cannot offer the tension of adventure-based game.

“Playing with Resident Evil 5, you only have to think about how to kill enemies — You don’t fear them,” he says. “At least, no more than a generic soldier in Call of Duty.” (source:GAMASUTRA)


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