Although originally released back in 2018,Among Ushad a slow burn to its explosion in popularity, with the game really grabbing attention a whole two years later in 2020. Since then, it has become ago-to social game for friendsto enjoy together, which is easy to understand considering its humorous tone and addicting gameplay loop.
The ‘guess who’ setup of the game pits players against each other in a constant cat and mouse chase, resulting in a simple but effective mechanic.Among Ushas found itself being ported across multiple platforms due to its popularity, and hopefully its influence spreads into other genres that would benefit from its ideas of investigation and mystery, namely that of horror based video games.
RELATED:10 Horror Games Where Your Choices Really Matter
How to “Boo”
Even though its cutesy visual style and lighthearted sense of joy may exhibit anything but, make no mistake,Among Ushas all the ingredients to be a horror game in the making. With just a few little changes here and there to the design and graphics, thisbreakout indie titlecould be just as spooky as many of the contemporaries in the horror genre.Among Usheavily leans into the elements of uncertainty and the unknown, both of which are fundamental to how to scare anyone’s socks off.
Essentially, it’s not necessarily the spooky element itself that causes audiences to jump, be it a monster, ghost, or other freakish creature, but rather the anticipation that builds to the scare itself. That tension of not knowing what will happen (and more importantly when) escalates within the viewer, building anxiety up to a boiling point that is released from a sudden jolt of surprise. One of the most prominent examples is how theAlienfranchise creates terrorspecifically by what is not shown, over what is visible on the screen.
The Art of the Scare
There is naturally more to a scare than just that aforementioned build up, but it is one of the most crucial elements to success for this particular genre. Fans could look no further than the mistakes both the video game and film industry have made in past years for misunderstanding how horror works, thinking that just a relentless barrage of shock value moments can be as effective as creating a sense of unsettling atmosphere. TheResident Evilfranchise was suffering an identity crisisprior toResident Evil 7, opting for more relentless action over sheer dread and suspense.
The key is without a doubt in those calm, silent moments in between the bigger, more bombastic scares. A false sense of security or encouraged hope that success is near must always be given to the player, therefore making it that much easier to pull the rug out from under the player’s feet. Look at the simple, yet extremely effective approach thatFive Night’s at Freddy’sbrings to horror. All the player really does in that series is observe a number of monitors…just waiting for something to go wrong. As small differences are noticed on the screens and more of the fiendish animatronics attempt to attack, the suspense builds and leaves the player completely on edge because it’s unclear what will happen next.
TheAmong Usformat would be a great blueprint to adopt for upcoming horror titles, primarily those with multiplayer in mind. The concept offinding the imposter player in a video gamewould work wonders in aResident Evilmultiplayer mode, as opposed to the more expected team death match/combat based scenarios. Or even better yet, a future video game adaptation ofThe Thingcould make great use of the formula, with everyone trying to figure out who is infected while one player among them simply laughs, waits to strike, and tries very hard not to be ‘sus’.
Among Usis available now on Mobile, PC, and Switch.
