What are some games that simulated fear and tension in creative ways?

[Turbo Kid]

I love how Until Dawn used the "Don't Move" mechanic to simulate the tension of hiding from a dangerous enemy by forcing players to not move their controller. It sounds simple, but many players found themselves moving the controller without realizing it making future "Don't Move" moments in the game more nerve racking and tense for players. Some players started holding their breath or cheating by putting the controller down on a table.

And then of course there is the well known insanity effects of Eternal Darkness: Sanity's Requiem which actually broke the 4th wall to fuck with players and make them think that maybe their game is possessed.

 

[Redwall Muzyczka Redwall Muzyczka Redwall Muzyczka's icon]

I agree with Until Dawn -- that's downright genius.

I really like how the Alone In The Dark games had some sort of "soft" weight limit on your character, making it so you could destroy vital objects by not being careful about them or leaving them way behind because you "momentarily" dropped them without realizing you'd need them later. It sounds ridiculous, but it fries your nerves... And it's the one thing Resident Evil took and improved upon.

Oh! And you can block enemies from entering the game by manipulating furniture, but you can still see (and hear) them trying to gain entry. It's nerve-wracking.

 

[PSVitaForever]

"Darkest Dungeon" where your characters could die of heart attack for the fear.
I played the second one with a guide with recommended classes because I got fed up of always dying for stupid reasons, but still I could feel the anxiety at every fight. Honestly I don't remember if this mechanic was in 2 as well, surely it's in the first title.

 

[Graves Ruinwalker]

Original Metroid 2 on Gameboy .
This game has a soundtrack that is contextual very good and makes the game really creepy when there is actual music while the bleeps and bloops makes the whole adventure truly alien .

The metroids are even sometimes so weirdly placed , you get some good jumpscares here and there , while you getting hints how many there are in the direction you heading in .

Maybe not perfect but the game knew how to squeeze some sort of horror into the gameboys limitations. And the feel of isolation just really delivers it very good .

 

[RETRO-VETRO]

Many games simulate fear and tension in creative ways, using more than just jump scares. Eternal Darkness: Sanity’s Requiem distorts the game itself with a sanity meter that fakes system errors and messes with player perception. Doki Doki Literature Club breaks the fourth wall, turning a cheerful visual novel into psychological horror. Atmospheric titles like Subnautica and Inside build dread through isolation and ambiguity. Meanwhile, Five Nights at Freddy’s and Papers, Please create anxiety through resource management and moral pressure. Games like Amnesia: The Dark Descent and Alien: Isolation heighten vulnerability by removing combat, forcing players to hide and survive. These mechanics show that fear can be felt through tension, uncertainty, and psychological design.

 

[zacharinolongpants]

When your character loses sanity in Shadow Hearts, the music gets really freaky and your character starts acting up. Not a typical thing in old turn based RPGs. The music is really creepy and you're stressing about your character going nuts and sabotaging the party.

Also I added the composer on FB and he likes my cat pictures so that's tight.

 

[jon2]

Silent Hill (PSX)

Fog and radio static

Makes your anxiety (not just fear, as you don't know what will happen) run wild

 

[Segadude113]

METROID FUSION

 

[Varyag]

I don't usually play horror games, but I LOVE playing Stalker Gamma. It doesn't do anything that the unmodded Stalker games don't already have, but it does so in a way that always always keeps me in the edge of my seat. The random chance of a Blowout happening anytime you're traversing the Zone makes me have to plan out every outing, and always keep in mind what's the nearest piece of shelter, and if I have the stamina to sprint directly there before the storm kills me. Trust me, you eventually get pretty good at recognizing quickly when one is starting. Add to that the fact you need to be paying attention for mutant monsters or hostile stalkers... Sometimes a relaxing stroll through radiation fields of the Truck Cemetery can turn into a panicked sprint real quick.

 

[zacharinolongpants]

How about when Santa Clause turns into a boss monster in Secret of Mana?

 

[vulonkaaz's iconvulonkaaz]

there is one quest in Oblivion Shivering Isles that succeeded really well in simulating drug addiction