Unlike a movie or television show, video games actually put their audience right into the action. The player takes an active role in the main character’s survival. Because of this, the suspense within the story and action is felt more profoundly.
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It doesn’t matter if the game focuses on action and adventure or straight-up horror, suspense can be riveting and quite thrilling. Sometimes suspense means dangling off the edge of a cliff. Other times suspense can be hiding from a monster that is stalking the player. Regardless of where it comes from, suspense has always been an important part of the gaming experience. Here’s a list of games that handle suspense well.
11Uncharted
Right from the start,Unchartedwanted to express to the player exactly what type of game they were getting themselves into. This meant starting the player off by dangling from a flying airplane and trying to climb their way back inside.
Of course, this ridiculous kind of action can only happen in movies or video games, and the hero never dies. Still,Uncharted and its sequelswere all about being an explorer and pushing its hero to his limits. In that regard, Uncharted is definitely full of suspense.
9Heavy Rain
Heavy Rain was a very interesting game to play. It didn’t focus on huge action set pieces to create suspense. Instead, it crafted a very intricate and complex narrative using a multitude of characters. It was designed very much like a cinematic experience that forced the player to uncover the identity of a killer.
Rather than a movie or TV show though, Heavy Rain allowed the player to heavily influence how the story played out and its ultimate ending. This format created real stakes for the game that upped the suspense tenfold.
8The Blair Witch
Because it was such a unique film to be released at the time, The Blair Witch Project divided horror fans on whether it was suspenseful and scary, or not. This game, however, is a lot more straightforward, so it’s hard to argue thatit’s not a relatively quickand suspenseful experience.
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Besides being hunted in several very creepy settings, the game utilizes a camcorder to great effect. What’s seen on the camcorder screen is different from what the player sees. This contrast creates several very suspenseful moments that linger long after the game is over.
7Tomb Raider
Tomb Raider’ssuspense is very similar to Uncharted’s. Both games utilize action and adventure to create suspenseful moments. However, Uncharted has a much more linear style to its gameplay, which gives a more cinematic feel.
Early Tomb Raider games took this approach, but the reboot established an open-world sandbox style that allowed the game to increase its suspenseful moments. Lara Croft has the freedom to explore and traverse dangerous territory to access hard-to-reach places. One wrong move, and she can plummet to her death.
6Alan Wake
Alan Wakecreates suspense in several unique ways. It doesn’t necessarily fall into a clear category as an action-adventure or even a horror game. It has a mixture of both that creates a subtle layer of suspense as its main character tries to come to grips with the bizarre supernatural world around him.
The long-in-development gamealso takes a peculiar meta approach to how its story unfolds. The main character is a writer whose work starts to come to life. That alone is a dreadful recipe for suspense.
5Arkham Asylum
There are essentially two different sides to the BatmanArkhamgames. The first side is combat, which doesn’t offer a lot in terms of creating suspense. The other side, which is about stealth and hunting criminals, is completely immersed in suspense.
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Batman has to utilize a wide assortment of gadgets in order to take down his foes. Players have to be patient and remain unseen. Those two factors combined are a great recipe for filling the air with suspense. In fact, a true Batman player may spend as much as an hour trying to take bad guys down.
4Game Of Thrones
Like most Telltale games, Game Of Thrones did not have a lot of action that the player can take part in. Like Game Of Thrones itself, the game has players engaged in a lot of conversation. However, the dialogue is very much like a chess match.
What’s said or not said to characters may ultimately influence how the story plays out and who dies or lives. These stakes, the fact that one wrong decision can lead to death, makes the game surprisingly suspenseful and tense.
There’s something about space and horror that are a perfect combination for creating suspense.Dead Space handles this very wellright from the beginning. It utilizes the setting and enemies to create an environment filled with anticipation. Players don’t know if and when creatures will jump out at them.
That suspense of anticipation lasts throughout the franchise. Also, the game is known for creating various sequences that push the boundaries of horror and cringe.Dead Space2 was notable for featuring a close-up scene of a needle entering an eyeball.
2The Last Of Us
What makesThe Last Of Ussuch a great game filled with suspense is that it doesn’t just rely on its atmosphere to create that suspense. Its dystopian world with mushroom zombies is already scary to live in. But it uses its characterization and its story to create truly heartbreaking moments.
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The player feels such an emotional connection to these characters that suspense permeates every single moment regardless of what’s going on in the game. With all these elements combined, it’s a true masterclass of video game suspense.
