What makes a good horror game? Developers have been asking this question for over a decade. The result of this quest for the holy grail of horror gaming has been arduous, delivering monumental fright fests as well as colossal disappointments along the way. Through the years, there has been an undeniable evolution in the formula, yet the genre is still far from perfection. If developers were to look to the past and pull elements from the best of the best in survival horror, could we finally get to see what the ultimate horror game looks like? Perhaps. Here's a simple recipe for guaranteed survival horror success.
Keiichiro Toyama—the creator and original director of the 1999 Silent Hill—shared his personal thoughts on the recently announced remake by Konami, reflecting on what the project means to him after more than two decades:
“I felt something similar when the game was adapted into a movie. It deeply moved me to see the names of the characters and locations I had created come to life visually, even though I wasn’t directly involved. That wouldn’t have been possible without the continued support of the fans and the dedication of the developers who’ve kept the series alive.
I’m really looking forward to seeing how the remake evolves this time. With the advanced technology we now have, I’m sure I’ll be surprised by how the game is reimagined. Since the original was built for the first PlayStation, there will naturally be challenges—like the camera and controls—but I’m eager to see bold and creative solutions to those elements.”
Haha Not only is bold and creatively not what the industry wants, it’s not what most people want.
They want to get scammed and pay twice for a thing they already own.
Was the SH2 remake even bold? Or was it more or less just a 1 to 1 over the shoulder remake?
Learn where you can get BioShock Remastered for free and enjoy playing it on your devices, including the Steam Deck.
In a career spanning interview, I speak to the creator of the Silent Hill, Siren, and Gravity Rush franchises about his 30 year time within the industry, what his thoughts are in making the transition from working for a AAA publisher to essentially becoming an independent, whether he’d be open to working on new iterations of the franchises that he’s renowned for, whether he’d be open to collaborating with any of the horror greats in the games industry, and what his long-term goals are for the next 30 years… Enjoy!
Interesting read, although the questions should have been more focused, and I think Gravity Rush, at least the first one, is fairly dark. Never got into the sequel.
I loved both games. There are pervasive themes of darkness worked in, but they're very vibrant games and Kat (history withstanding) is a very light-hearted character in a world that has its dark moments, but it's very generally upbeat, especially in comparison to Siren and Silent Hill.
Wait, dude made all 3? Wtf? Dude has a knack for cult classics like damn
"So most of the games that I’ve worked on have been new IPs, even though I’ve made different franchises and stuff. But I want to note that every time I make a new IP, my resources are pretty limited, and they’re limited by the company that I’ve worked for. So in that sense, Silent Hill, Siren, and the first Gravity Rush game, I think that we were striving to achieve something new, as opposed to making a big budget videogame. So I feel the need to do that every 3, 4, or 5 years. And I keep making new games, so going individual, like going indie right now, for me, I don’t really feel limited, I feel that it suits me more. So it feels like I’ve got an advantage, because I know how to work with limited resources."
That's encouraging. I really hope Sony would approach Toyama-san for a Gravity Rush sequel.
