The Evil Within creator Shinji Mikami said he is returning to his survivor-horror roots with the Bethesda-published game, not only because he likes scaring people, but because it will be easier to do so now that graphics have increased.
Speaking with Eurogamer, Mikami said better graphical quality has the “capacity to make the fear much closer to you,” and the ability to add in more animation can change how a character moves in a certain situation.
Mikami feels many horror games suffer from sequelitis, and in order to continue, developers just amp up the action instead of the scares.
“Used at the right time and in the right way disempowerment can be the most powerful tool for the horror game creator,” he said. “Sequels are a big problem in horror entertainment. As a horror game series continues you begin to know who the enemies are going to be. Just this knowledge naturally makes the game less scary.
“So to capture a wider audience designers add more action. That further reduces how frightening the game feels. Instead of trying to introduce new ideas I want to return to survival horror’s roots. We’ve strayed from that. I want to explore fear again, and that sense of overcoming fear, one that’s unique to games.
“That’s one reason I’m making The Evil Within. Really, I’m making this game just because it’s fun to scare people.”
Mikami feels many of the genres available in games at present is limited, and he feels the indie crowd can help remedy the issue.
“I am certainly disappointed that genres are so limited these days,” he said. “I want to see a broader spread of games. I love indie games. These younger people with lower budgets and bigger ideas; maybe they will define new genres? Big budget games have to sell a great many copies which makes new ideas too risky. And sometimes the creator’s egos get in the way.
“I think small games, and personal creations: this is where we’ll find the new shoots for the future.”
The Evil Within is slated for release on PC, PS3, PS4, Xbox 360 and Xbox One in 2014.
Comments
Post a Comment