The Revival of Low-Poly Horror
The Revival of Low-Poly Horror
The gritty, primitive sub-genre of low poly horror has crawled its way through the shadows of the more mainstream horror titles over the last few years, and it's now becoming a much more recognised and adored niche in the horror community.
You may have heard of games like Murder House and Lost in Vivo, both of which managed to get themselves some of the limelight due to an overwhelming praise for the tension and fear they create, but what exactly is low poly horror?
Who needs all them polygons?
On the surface, it could seem purely aesthetical, a way for indie developers to cut corners and hide it under the guise of ‘nostalgia’, but there’s much more to it than blocky character models and pixelated textures.
The themes and plots often feel like they’re straight from an 80s straight-to-video horror, with the branding to match - oftentimes going as far as scratchy VHS overlays and poor quality sound effects.
This style gives the sense that this will be just some popcorn munching, laugh-a-minute experience. But the scares come thick and fast, often relying on sudden harsh sound effects and abstract, grotesque character models rushing at you to keep you on edge.
Back to basics
If you played horror games in the 90s, you’ll have experienced this before - the rough soundbite of a zombie groan coming from the end of the hall in Resident Evil, obstructed by an intentionally concealing camera angle; or an abomination shuffling closer through the fog in Silent Hill, with its textures so low-res you can barely comprehend its form.
The hardware limitations of this era brought its own brand of horror, it accentuated the fear of the unknown (or at least the fear of the ‘I can’t work out what the hell that thing is’).
Jill Sandwiches
Low poly horror uses this ambiguation so well, but they don’t just stop there. Dialogue in these titles was often somewhat of a mess, with awkward phrasing often due to translation issues, out-of-character comments, and jarring tonal shifts in voice acting. These lines are fun to look back on, but they also provide a dreamy quality that gives another layer of terror.
Paratopic - An hour-long experience by Arbitrary Metric about a hitman (I think?) in a dreamlike world, goes a step further. Instead of stilted dialogue to up the surrealism, the voice actors are just babbling incoherent nonsense, with subtitles to fill you in on what they should be saying. This was one of the most inspired choices to create an impenetrable sense of unease that I’ve come across.
Videogame Nasties
Puppet Combo, a developer who some would consider to have perfected the genre, doubles down on the video nasty aesthetic with VHS-esque covers and synthy jingles. Their website gives a great insight into what to expect from their games.
Nun Massacre gives a pulse pounding experience as you have to navigate the narrow halls of a boarding school, whilst a demonic nun is hot on your heels. You have 1 life and no saves, so the tension is way up there, and I’ll admit, this one got me too scared and I couldn’t finish it.
Stay Out Of The House had a similar concept, you’re trapped in a decrepit farm house, creeping around for tools to help you escape. Fortunately, this one has the saving graces of three lives and (limited) saving. You do, however, have to deal with two enemies in this one - a cannibal butcher and his wheelchair bound mother, who roams the halls and will alert her son of your presence… I’ll admit, this one got me too scared and I couldn’t finish it.
But wait, there’s more!
I’d like to think low poly horror is here to stay. Something that could so easily have been a fad seems to have proved that it’s more than just gnarly stories and iffy visuals - not only does it capture a time and a place, it expands on it, elevating schlocky horror concepts into something much more terrifying.
If you’re looking for more low-res creepers, here’s a few others that hit the spot for me:
Tartarus Key - An escape room style game about a woman who wakes up in a mansion full of Saw-esque traps. Most of the puzzles can change the trajectory of the story if you fail them, so the tension is high!
Bloodwash - This gritty story by solo developer Black Eyed Priest, (published under Puppet Combos label Torture Star Videos) has you complete the simple task of going to the laundrette, whilst a killer with horrific intentions is on the loose.
No One Lives Under the Lighthouse - You’re tasked with the maintenance of the lighthouse on a remote island after the previous keeper went missing, but there’s something insidious on the island with you.
Whilst I’m a huge fan of one of the low-poly pioneers, Resident Evil, I’ve written an article about its issues with sticking the landing here.
If there’s any other low poly bangers you recommend, I’d love to hear from you in the comments below!
