Spoiler: theorizing about pocket mirror I'm getting the feeling this isn't just "facets of my personality" but a metaphor for actual DID
I'm actually gonna make one of these so if y'all could tell me what you think makes a great RPG horror game that'd be swell. I...actually can't play them myself, I get really stressed, but I love watching LPs and I love crafting horror stories.
Atmosphere is the "selling" point of most games, horror or not, these days. Choices matter and multiple endings are also gaining footholds in the industry more than they used to, and good, rounded, well-developed characters keep people hooked more than anything else. If you're going for something involving monsters or other such supernatural elements, I'd recommend taking a look at some lore other games haven't touched as much, such as Celtic instead of Christian. Playing off of those elements is generally more likely to get more hits than original lore, with the added bonus of saving you time in the world-building aspect. :D good luck!
From my experience a lot of RPG maker horror games play pretty heavily off surreal/psychological horror and the protagonist being out of their depth and helpless, probably due in part to the graphics and limitations of the engine. One thing I'd suggest is to have at least some things that present active danger to the protagonist and you have to react quickly to, but still have the game be reasonably possible to finish without having to redo sections. When you get into quicktime event "react instantly or die" territory like The Witch's House, the threats can stop being scary and start being annoying, but when you never have to worry at all about getting away from things it can feel more like exploration than horror (I was pretty much never scared when I played Yume Nikki because of this). I'm not sure I'd agree on the "play off mythology" thing- Ib got a pretty decent fandom without referencing any mythological critters.
Those there are some really thoughtful and cool replies and I thank you both. Also yeah, YN barely pinged me as horror for that reason -- it's weird and kinda creepy, but there's like ... one chase sequence? But then, I'm someone who gets really easily frustrated by reflex-based things because mine are terrible (part of the reason I can barely bring myself to play this genre in the first place...) so I'd've probably been tempted not to put any in. Balance! It's tricky. As for setting, I was sorely tempted to set it in Tokyo because there are some really cool locations there that would make great setpieces, but I don't wanna get eaten by Tumblr :v plus I'll probably do better with something I'm familiar with. My sister has promised me a rundown of all the coolest ghost stories of London, so More as the story develops! (If that's alright with you guys)
I'd love love love to hear what you got planned! So that is all chill and good with me. Also I won't go too much into it cause it's not made with RPG maker, hell, at this rate I could make this thread an 'Indie' Horror games thread, if that's alright with ya'll. But ANYWAY Oxenfree is v good 10/10 would recommend.
I remember Ib doing a pretty good job of hitting a balance between "you have to react to things" and frustrating reflex-based difficulty, though it's been a while since I played it.
mehhhh, I just remembered Star Stealing Prince, but does it count as horror or not. regardless, it's got great atmosphere and art. (bit grindy though, it's a pretty tough rpg.) I'm not selling this very well, but it's very good
Wait now that I made the thread 3 quarters self indulgent LET ME TELL YOU ABOUT OXENFREE. I keep mentally comparing it to Until Dawn because high schoolers get into some deep shit and are probably traumatized by it, but that's not quite fair, because the characters in Oxenfree are really well developed and the ways they interact with each other do deeply depend on you, the player, and also unlike UD, choices really do matter. Instead of two endings split between true and whatever else, there appears to be at least 3 distinct endings with multiple additions to them. Additions like "x person hates you" or "x person and y person got together". There is also a cool thing in which Steam grabs certain choices (3, to be exact) from one of your friends who has played the game (or, if no friends are available, some random steam user) to give to you, presented in the form of an entity giving you advice, which is advice towards a certain ending or ending alteration. At the end of the game, you get to make these same choices to either lead other players onto a nice path or lead them astray, should they choose to listen to you. There are also two replay options, which are reset and preserve. Preserve keeps a record of the last time you played, which enables extended content and permanent consequences, like the genocide route in Undertale completely barring you from ever doing a true pacifist run. Reset erases all records of your last play throughs and let's you start fresh, which, if you decide to pick up the game, I'd recommend doing until you get all the endings. I don't know if I can necessarily call it "horror", unless radio static, possession, disembodied voices, and ghosts qualify as horror for you. It doesn't necessarily keep you on your toes like a thriller would, and it doesn't purposefully utilize jump scares, but it embraces the supernatural and mixes in historic tragedy to build the story and the world you're in. Plot wise, the game centers around an island dedicated as a monument to a submarine that was sunk by the japanese during WW2. You, Alex, are a senior or junior in high school going to spend the night on the island, as is tradition at the school, with your step-brother Jonas and your childhood friend, Ren. There, you are told about how there are certain spots where anomalies, such as disembodied voices and weird static patterns, can be picked up using a pocket radio. You use these frequencies and open up a portal to another dimension, where the crew of the sunken sumbarine raise a stink and then yay! game! rest is spoilers from there on out but trust me when I say it is so good, replay value is phenomenal, and 100%-ing the game is absolutely worth it for even more story and lore. I haven't bothered to check if the island and the submarine are real things that exist/existed, but if anybody else is a war history fanatic like I am, the lore is really rich and interesting to give a spin. Here's the Steam store link if you're interested. The only trigger I can think of at the top of my head is suicide, and sensitive content is probably mild smoking, drinking, and death.
That sounds fucking awesome. eta: also @Ruevian -- just wanted to say cheers for introducing me to both Pocket Mirror and ManlyBadassHero, he seems like a chill dude. I love Markiplier to bits but he can be a bit shouty for me during these kinda games, it can be hard to actually appreciate the game. And don't get me started on the AH guys...
