Summary
Horror game visuals get all the glory, but any horror fan knows that the soundtrack is the glue that holds the effect of fear together. Musical stings, sound effects, atmospheres, scores, and every other sound at the developer’s disposal combine to make the merely spooky into the downright terrifying.
Whether it’s the terrifying soundscapes of Akira Yamaoka or discordant string sections that keep the player’s nerves edge, there are plenty of games with immensely immersive soundtracks.
The pressure was on for the 2019 remake ofResident Evil 2.After the surprising success of the rebootResident Evil 7, Capcom still had to prove that their tactic of remaking the old games would work, and that the new-fangled RE Engine would cohere into third-person.Resident Evil 2proved all of that without a doubt, becomingone of the best Resident Evil games ever made.
A big reason why the RPD and its surrounds work as a horror setting is because of the sound. The score is full of discordant electronic elements, the rooms have a brilliant sense of space, and listening to Mr X’s thumping footsteps around the RPD is one of the greatest sound-based mechanics in recent horror gaming.
FromSoftware games are always excellent at creating dismal, depressing, or even beautiful atmospheres with a light touch. WhileDark Soulsdealt in near-apocalyptic dark fantasy,Bloodborneveered directly into Gothic and cosmic horror for an entirely new atmosphere.
Simply standing still in Yarnham makes the city come alive, with the moans of victims, horror roaring from a few blocks over, and the visceral tearing of flesh when the player hunter gets into action, and that’s to say nothing of the brilliant score that drives home the dark Gothic atmosphere withdramatic and memorable bossesand their themes (looking at you Cleric Beast) that remain some of the best-loved horror tracks in gaming.
For the casual horror fan,Darkwoodmight have flown under their radar, which is a true shame considering that it’s one of the very best horror indies of the 2010s. While its oppressive atmosphere, brutal mechanics, and striking art design certainly help, the game’s attention to sound design is truly incredible.
Making a top-down game like this scary is no mean feat, but the careful attention to a minimal creepy score, creaking trees, and the howls of monsters in the dark actually pull off a feat that few other games ever have.
Alien: Isolationwas a game far ahead of its time in many ways. Though it was released over ten years ago, it’s still graphically stunning with one of the best digital representations of theAlienfranchise ever made, but one reason that the world feels so tangible and tactile is the stunning sound design.
As the player is often helpless against the titular xenomorph, they need to creep through the levels of a crumbling space station while keeping a careful ear out for the alien. Is that bump in a vent the apex predator, or just pipes cooling? The only sure-fire signal is the sound of fast-moving thumping footsteps behind the player’s head, which spells sure-fire doom.
In the 2010s, Frictional Games built a sterling reputation for horror games that didn’t have much in mechanical depth. Still, they made up for it in truly affecting stories and horror atmospheres and landscapes that were unparalleled in their immersive qualities, withSOMA,in particular, becomingthe best game the studio has ever made.
Sound is a major reason why the underwater research station ofSOMAfeels quite so tangible. The steel constantly creaks, the garbled screeches of the monsters echo down the cramped corridors, and every footstep echoes. It’s dark, oppressive, and really frightening.
The originalOutlastremains one of the biggest sleeper hits of the 2010s, single-handedly saving developer Red Barrels from financial ruin and founding one of the best-loved modern horror franchises. The games are defined by their first-person perspective, where the player character needs to peer down the lens of their night-vision to get any sense of their surroundings in the dark, which sets the scene for the immersive soundscapes.
Outlast 2develops these ideas into a more open space, but the oppressive atmosphere remains. Red Barrels makes judicious use of silence so that the player can listen out for the mumbling ofthe game’s rogue’s gallery of monstrous pursuersor the deafening stings that accompany the game’s delightful jump scares.
The originalDead Spaceremains one of the best-loved modern horror games, and the 2023 remake somehow managed to improve on it, faithfully re-rendering the Ishimura in glorious modern graphics, and amping up the intensity of the experience in every way, including the soundscape.
Due to the AI director that can dynamically spawn scares throughout the ship, the soundscape becomes incredibly important for the player to make sure they’re not caught unawares. The creaks of the ship become dynamic, sometimes signaling a necromorph, sometimes not. The sound of lights flickering, old machinery whirring, and the distant howls of monsters cohere into a singularly immersive sense of place in horror gaming.
No list of immersive soundtracks in horror would be complete without tipping the hat to Akira Yamaoka, the long-time sound lead on Team Silent who largely defined the audio profile of theSilent Hillgames. He is an expert in making the surreal and horrifying silence ofSilent Hillfeel stifling, oppressive, and drowning.
While his sound design credentials are well known, it’s also worth mentioning his soundtrack work, which he entirely remade for the 2024 remake ofSilent Hill 2. These tracks not only deliver on the accompanyingthe game’s scariest monsters, but also use space-filled ambient rock to contrast the horror with scenes of surreal peacefulness. It’s a masterclass of contrasts, and his singularly unique work remains unsurpassed in the world of horror gaming.
