"Equal conditions fail to impress: Lead developers for Silent Hill f and Dying Light: The Beast focus on reviving terror in survival horror genre"
In the realm of survival horror, a significant shift is underway. Developers are breathing new life into the genre by emphasizing deep psychological storytelling and rebalancing the action-horror formula. This transformation is evident in several highly anticipated titles slated for release in 2025.
Dying Light, a younger franchise compared to Silent Hill, is no exception. With its blend of first-person melee action, survival-crafting, and encounters with the undead, Dying Light: The Beast is aiming to bring horror back to survival horror. The game is set to focus more on fear and atmospheric dread, moving away from the action-heavy sequences that have dominated the genre in recent years.
Similarly, Silent Hill f is returning to its psychological horror roots with a strong narrative depth. Set in haunting, immersive environments, the game explores themes of madness and identity, drawing inspiration from classic psychological horror and Japanese horror traditions.
KARMA: The Dark World, another upcoming title, features a fractured storyline that delves into identity, memory, and reality. Its surreal visuals and tense ambient audio aim to heighten psychological terror, with gameplay focused on exploration and puzzles rather than combat.
Titles like Cronos: The New Dawn, Dying Light: The Beast, Resident Evil Requiem, and others are consciously rebalancing the action-horror formula. They are toning down over-empowered action heroes in favor of slower-paced, fear-inducing gameplay to prioritize scares over action sequences.
This shift is a reaction to years where survival horror leaned heavily into action, diluting the sense of fear and suspense foundational to the genre. Developers like Techland and NeoBards aim to restore horror’s primacy by crafting deeper narratives and unsettling environments, paired with gameplay that emphasizes vulnerability over combat dominance.
In Dying Light: The Beast, Techland is building tension from darkness and disturbing ambiance. The game is set to herald the return of fan favorite original hero Kyle Crane, implement technical enhancements, and focus on nighttime encounters.
The typical Dying Light player is described as being into difficult, challenging experiences, never shying away from danger or scares. For these players, the upcoming Horror Special on our website promises to take them closer to their nightmares than ever.
Meanwhile, Capcom is waving off one of its most iconic Resident Evil protagonists as being too badass for horror. Game director Al Yang stated that the rebalancing of fear and action elements is part of evolving Silent Hill as a series and the genre itself. Silent Hill f is aiming to fortify the horror aspect in a way that hasn’t been done since Silent Hill 4: The Room, with its worldbuilding given greater focus over combat.
Cronos: The New Dawn, likened to Dead Space in Hell, offers a cool female protagonist, as the developers find that more interesting. The focus of these upcoming horror games is on telling deep psychological stories and making players scared again.
Our Dying Light: The Beast hands-on preview explores the first four hours of Techland's upcoming zombie slasher and how Kyle Crane’s return looks and feels. The upcoming Horror Special on the website is celebrating the best horror games of the near future, providing an exciting prospect for horror enthusiasts.
- Dying Light: The Beast, on its approach, strives to reintroduce terror to survival horror, focusing more on fear and atmospheric dread, moving away from the action-heavy sequences that have been dominating the genre.
- In a similar vein, Silent Hill f is revisiting its psychological horror roots, promising a strong narrative depth and immersive environments that delve into themes of madness and identity.
- Cronos: The New Dawn, likened to Dead Space in Hell, offers a cool female protagonist, a focus on telling deep psychological stories, and an intent to make players scared again.
- Techland's Dying Light: The Beast is building tension from darkness and disturbing ambiance, with the typical Dying Light player, known for their preference for challenging experiences, eagerly awaiting its release.
- Developers like Techland and NeoBards are consciously rebalancing the action-horror formula, toning down over-empowered action heroes in favor of slower-paced, fear-inducing gameplay, to prioritize scares over action sequences, marking a significant shift in the survival horror genre.
