This horror game looks like Silent Hill, but it doesn't get what made it scary

Date:
Fri, 09 Dec 2022 17:23:21 +0000

Description:
While the trailer for Post Trauma looks spooky, it may have missed what makes psychological horror terrifying.

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We got to see a ton of great games at The Game Awards, with some heavy
hitters coming out of the blue. We were spoilt for choice.

However, as a fan of scares, I did notice a lack of horror games present,
that is, until I saw the trailer for the survival and psychological horror game Post Trauma. In this, we can see a gentleman navigate what seems to be a forgotten and decaying subway system. Through this journey, there are cosmically horrific entities; tentacle monsters stuck on walls, blood-filled hallways, and some kind of flesh-covered vegetation.

Theres also a playable demo available on itch.io, with a more recent demo hopefully coming to Steam very soon. The demo I looked at was the older itch.io one, and while there are definitely threads that match the horror
seen in the trailer, I felt there was something missing. Dont get me wrong, its no walk in the park, but it also doesnt seem to be as scary as it should be. Long walks in the subway

If you need to get your steps up, this is the game for you. The itch.io demo contained a hell of a lot of walking. Slowly stumbling around a strange and abandoned subway is unnerving, but the lack of abnormal and terrifying encounters made me feel like a lost tourist rather than someone trapped in a horror game.

Post Trauma left me wondering if I was too stupid to get scared in psychological horror

The monsters that inhabit this underground space were either sadly shy or
made for being whacked over the head with an axe. Either way, I never felt threatened by them. There were also bloody pentagrams or mannequins that felt like they should do more. Taking something out of a decrepit hand surrounded by a pentagram lost its horror when I figured out they were glorified
shelves.

However, it wasnt all bad. The absolute highlight was the camera angles. I do love a good third-person horror game. They are also incredibly in vogue with updates to Resident Evil Village allowing third-person and the upcoming
Silent Hill 2 remake heading back to its third-person roots. But Post Trauma took these to the next level. With fixed camera angles from various angles,
it highlights the emptiness of this subway and the lack of agency you have as you wander around corners unsure of what will be waiting for you.

Sadly, this wasnt enough to get my blood pressure up. While I appreciated the third-person fixed camera angles, much of Post Trauma left me wondering if I was too stupid to get scared in psychological horror games anymore. The monsters, while grotesque, seemed lacklustre, and the strange audio quickly became regular background noise to me. Silent killer (Image credit: Raw Fury)

While this is only an early demo and trailer, I think I know where Raw Fury
is trying to take Post Trauma; Im getting some serious Silent Hill 2 vibes. I hope they figure out what made that title so iconic. For me, it had to be the constant and relentless feeling of dread.

The Silent Hill franchise may have some hits and misses, but we can all agree that the sound design and monsters in each game are something to be admired
or avoided depending on whether youre a horror fan. To this day the sound of Pyramid Heads giant serrated sword scraping across concrete floors still
fills me with fear. This merciless creature is one of the most profound and unsettling monsters Ive encountered. The only thing worse than seeing him right in front of you was not knowing where he was. I felt myself looking
over my shoulder at all times, expecting to see his metal head emerge from
the shadows or fog.

I can see Post Trauma trying to get its head around this, it uses some grotesque-looking enemies and weird audio scattered around the demo, but it forgets one thing; it's consistency that creates dread.

From the very beginning of Silent Hill 2, the game establishes why you need
to connect a sound with a horrific-looking monster. This audio queue could be the difference between life and death. After this link is found, Silent Hill spends the rest of the game toying with you. It creates a masterful sense of dread. (Image credit: Raw Fury)

Its no good hearing weird noises and seeing bizarre things randomly, even if they are hidden metaphors for your protagonist's mental state. The game has
to prove to you why it means business and why you need to start running for the hills as soon as you hear a certain sound, and then constantly remind you who's really the boss.

Luckily, theres plenty of time for Post Trauma to nail this. In the state its in now, with the terrific camera angles and location, Im still very hopeful
to see this horror game join the ranks with those that keep me hiding in storage cupboards and making me physically ill . The MCU has affected games like Silent Hill in a weird way



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Link to news story: https://www.techradar.com/news/this-horror-game-looks-like-silent-hill-but-it- doesnt-get-what-made-it-scary


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