Summary
- Sound plays a crucial role in enhancing the immersive horror experience in games.
- Some titles like “Don’t Scream” and “A Quiet Place” require players to remain silent for survival.
- Games like “Dead By Daylight” and “Left 4 Dead 2” use sound cues strategically to add intensity to gameplay.
For a horror game to stand out from the competition, it needs come across as immersive and believable. One way developers go about achieving this is by making sound an important part of the core gameplay. While it’s not uncommon for horror games to include bait mechanics, where players can toss out a rock while sneaking around an area to cause a distraction, some titles have taken this to the extreme, forcing players to be more strategic when it comes to navigating their environments.
Placing more focus on sound has also resulted in some experimental horror experiences that don’t play like anything else out there right now, giving horror fans an experimental alternative to dive into. It’s time to look at the best horror titles where noise truly matters in the moment-to-moment gameplay.
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8
Don’t Scream
Survive In A Creepy Forest Without Making A Noise
On the surface, the goal of Don’t Scream seems simple: survive in a dark and gloomy forest for 18 minutes. However, there’s a catch. If the game catches the player shouting or screaming into their mic, the story will automatically restart. Remaining quiet is far from easy when tons of unsettling ghosts and ghouls are creeping around the forest, waiting for their chance for a quick jump scare.
Don’t Scream is immensely fun to play in a dark room with the lights off to ramp up the challenge even more. Only the most hardened of horror fans will be able to make it through Don’t Scream without making a peep. The game is a shining example of how audio can be utilized in horror games.
7
Until Dawn
In Certain Moments, Only Silence & Stillness Can Save The Characters
At the core of Until Dawn’s gameplay are the choices that players make along their journey. Once the crew find themselves face to face with the main enemies of the game, noise starts becoming a much bigger deal. At several points in the game, the motion sensor on the PlayStation controller will show up on the screen, and if players move the controller too far out of the area, the character on the screen will make a noise, attracting the enemy their way and potentially getting them killed in the process.
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These sections become even more intense once the Wendigo show up. They are incredibly sensitive to sound, meaning even the snap of a twig can result in the death of a character. Until Dawn is fondly remembered for its unique gameplay systems and memorable characters, and with noise playing such a big factor, it adds a lot to the intensity of the gameplay.
6
Dead Rising 3
A Random Noise Can Catch The Horde’s Attention
Since Dead Rising 3 was a launch title for the Xbox One, it makes use of the Kinect that was sold alongside the console at the time. While players can use this to manually wave over fellow survivors with the motion sensor, the Kinect will also pick up on any sound. This can be a blessing or a curse, depending on the situation.
If a group of zombies is lurking in an area and refusing to move out of the way, letting out a quick “over here” will make them disperse, so Nick can go and grab some new resources for building weapons and vehicles. On the other hand, crunching down on a snack a bit too hard can end up proving disastrous when a swarm of enemies turns around. Ultimately, this ends up making the game feel much more immersive.
5
A Quiet Place: The Road Ahead
Players Must Monitor Their Sound Levels To Avoid Being Targeted
- Released
-
October 17, 2024
- ESRB
-
Mature 17+ // Blood, Strong Language, Violence
- Developer(s)
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Stormind Games
- OpenCritic Rating
-
Fair
Early in the story of A Quiet Place: The Road Ahead, players will receive the phonometer. This handy tool registers how much noise Alex is making when moving around and collecting resources. Any time the light starts to creep into the red, the lightning-fast monsters will race towards Alex to take her out, resulting in an immersive and intense gameplay experience that stands out for how unforgiving it is.
There are even moments in the game where the monsters walk next to Alex without even knowing she’s there. If players try to make a fast getaway, they’ll be lucky to escape with their life intact. While The Road Ahead is a must-play for fans of The Quiet Place movie franchise, it’s still worth checking out for non-fans who want to enjoy a short but fun and unique horror experience that prides itself on being challenging.
4
Dead By Daylight
Sound Is The Biggest Giveaway Of A Survivor’s Position
- Released
-
June 14, 2016
- OpenCritic Rating
-
Fair
While all the Killers in Dead by Daylight possess special abilities that make it easier for them to snoop out the Survivors, the biggest giveaway about a player’s location will always be noise. If a survivor is in a wounded state, for example, their grunts and moans will make it difficult for them to avoid the Killer until they are healed by their teammates.
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This also applies to the generators, which can get loud once they’re up and running. Some experienced players will even use generator noises to fool the Killer, such as setting one up and leaving it active so that the small buzzing noise causes a distraction. New Killers may be added to the game at a consistent rate, but no matter how strong or powerful they may be, sound is always going to be what they pay the most attention to while on the hunt.
3
Left 4 Dead 2
Set Off A Car Alarm, And Get Hounded By Bloodthirsty Zombies
Though players are free to try and run-and-gun their way through a campaign in Left 4 Dead 2, they’ll quickly find that it’s an easy way to get surrounded and killed by hordes of regular and special infected zombies. Instead, the better approach is to take things slow and stick with the team. This includes avoiding any of the sound alarms that will occasionally pop up, such as car alarms, which will attract the full force of the horde if set off.
Now and again, these sound cues will be unavoidable, meaning players will need to grab all the ammunition and health packs they can to make it through the wave of enemies in one piece. There’s even a Special Infected zombie named the Witch who can rip a survivor to shreds if they make too much noise when walking around her. Sound matters a lot in Left 4 Dead 2, and is just one of many mechanics that make the game so fun and exciting to play.
2
Amnesia: The Bunker
Even The Smallest Noise Will Attract The Dreaded Stalker Beast
- Released
-
May 16, 2023
- OpenCritic Rating
-
Strong
Amnesia: The Bunker may only feature a single enemy, but the terrifying behemoth who stalks the dark corridors of the underground bunker possesses an incredible sense of hearing. As a result, players must try to find their way through the bunker, solving puzzles and collecting resources as they go, all while keeping noise to a minimum, which is far from an easy task.
For example, there are numerous points in the game where an area has to be opened through the use of explosives, though how the players go about doing this is up to them and their level of creativity. Even the flashlight, which can only be charged up by pulling on a string, needs to be used cautiously. While Amnesia: The Bunker is fairly light on story, the intense sound-focused gameplay makes it well worth trying out.
1
Alien: Isolation
The Xenomorph Will Scurry Towards Any Noises It Detects
- Released
-
October 7, 2014
- OpenCritic Rating
-
Strong
For much of Alien Isolation, players will be defenseless when coming up against the Xenomorph, and will need to rely on their motion scanner to help them keep track of its movements. The problem is, using the radio scanner too much will give away the player’s position because of its constant pinging noise. Meanwhile, a random flashbang or gunshot will instantly catch the attention of the stalker enemy without even needing to wait around.
While this can make even the act of walking around a challenge in and of itself, players are encouraged to use the Alien’s keen sense of hearing to their advantage too. If there’s a room full of humans, for example, making a little ruckus and letting the Alien clear out the area can be an effective strategy, though it’s not easy to pull off. This is just one example of the many ways players can toy around with the sound in the popular survival horror classic.
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