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The golden age of survival horror: myth or reality? (Part 2)

If you haven’t yet read part 1 of this report, I strongly encourage you to do so in order to better understand what follows.

Here we are again on our journey through time to understand the evolution of survival horror and what some call its “golden age.” Last time, we reviewed the period stretching from 1992 to the mid-2000s. Alone in the Dark, Resident Evil, Silent Hill, Siren, Project Zero—we examined many of the franchises that helped shape the genre, and I deliberately stopped at the dawn of the 2010s. The reason is simple: this is when survival horror began to transform and truly move away from the formulas we knew from the big names I mentioned.

While the transition wasn’t necessarily abrupt, it’s undeniable that a metamorphosis of the genre began to be observed at the dawn of 2010. This only became more pronounced thereafter. But then, was there a game or studio that marked the beginning of this new era of video game horror? In my opinion, there was indeed one, and it’s called Frictional Games. Take your seat in the ghost train once again, because we have a new stop to make: 2007 and the release of Penumbra Overture.

Frictional Games and the beginnings of modern survival horror

Most horror aficionados are starting to recognize the name of this Swedish studio founded by Thomas Grip and Jens Nilsson in 2006. It must be said that they are behind the creation of the famous Amnesia franchise, which in 2023 gave us a new installment that was the opposite of its predecessors in the form of The Bunker. Overall, they are also known for the excellent Soma, which made a lasting impression on many people with its treatment of transhumanism, consciousness, and identity. I won’t say any more so as not to spoil the surprise, just in case. In any case, Frictional Games is also known for a very specific reason. It entered the market during a period of transition for survival horror, a period in which it played a major role.

It’s 2007 and Penumbra Overture is coming to PC, a platform with a larger player base than in the 1990s. The concept is simple: we join Philip, an English teacher who is trying to find his father, who seems to have disappeared in a mine in Greenland. Once there, he realizes that the place is not completely deserted, and that a few threats lurking in the shadows await him. He will have to survive these threats and shed light on what happened in these strange places. All in all, a fairly classic starting point.

The first distinctive feature of Penumbra is its first-person perspective, which was relatively rare for survival horror games at the time. This had already been used in 2005 for Condemned: Criminal Origins, to name but one example, but the trend still leaned towards third-person perspectives. Frictional Games made this choice in particular to implement its rather unique engine. The HPL Engine (named after Lovecraft, one of the studio’s major inspirations) allows players to manipulate all the objects and furniture around them, literally playing with the scenery. If you want to open a door, you have to push the mouse forward or move it towards you. To move a crate full of rocks, you first have to remove them one by one, otherwise it’s too heavy. Want to barricade a door? Look around you and find anything that could be used to block it. Of course, we’ve seen this before in games like Trespasser or, in a different vein, Half-Life. Where it differs is in the underuse of such an engine to create horror.

To break up the ice blocking the mechanism, lift a stone and throw it at it

The use of this engine has several fascinating effects. First, it greatly enhances immersion, plunging us into an experience where we really feel like we are in the shoes of the main character. This sensation is heightened by the use of a virtually silent protagonist, whose only sound is their breathing. It’s as if it were our own. Secondly, the diversity of options offered by this engine brings a community aspect to the experience. We don’t always approach a dangerous situation, or even a puzzle, in the same way, and this sparks discussions and videos between players. Finally, its unique nature and potential uses enhance the first-person perspective, which is becoming the norm in survival horror games.

That said, it wasn’t Penumbra or its two sequels, Black Plague and Requiem, that really made an impression and made the community aware of this new form of horror that was emerging. That role was reserved for Amnesia: The Dark Descent, released in 2010. The game that would change the game for Frictional Games and for survival horror. I already touched on this a little in part 1 of this feature, but I remained relatively vague so as to save some material for this second part. What makes The Dark Descent so important?

The explanation is simple, and it can be broken down into two aspects. First, we have the return of the HPL Engine, this time in its new version. Even more immersive, it transforms the entire mansion we explore into a playground. The Swedish studio makes more ingenious use of its engine with Amnesia and varies the passages where its use is essential. Secondly, The Dark Descent removes the option to defend yourself against the creatures that attack you. For a survival horror game, this is almost unheard of and will fuel debates about what does and doesn’t belong in the genre.

Clock Tower already did this, but The Dark Descent democratized it for first-person survival horror games. The only choice when faced with monsters is to run for your life or hide. In Penumbra, depending on the threat, you still had the opportunity to fight back. Here, that’s over. I don’t need to explain that this became commonplace throughout the 2010s, and the dominance of this type of game in the horror market continues into the 2020s. This is what we find in most indie games: the idea that you can’t defend yourself in a survival horror game. The term “horror walking simulator” has emerged, with the biggest examples besides Amnesia being titles like Outlast and Layers of Fear.

Before you even begin, Amnesia: The Dark Descent warns you: fighting is futile, so hide

In my opinion, Amnesia: The Dark Descent has had a considerable impact on the survival horror scene, much like Alone in the Dark did in its day. At least, on the indie scene. The transition wasn’t abrupt; it didn’t happen overnight, but it’s clear that a major change slowly took place starting in 2010. That’s also when franchises with bigger budgets began to appear, replacing the big names of the 1990s and early 2000s.

The advent of new popular franchises: a crumbling vision of survival horror

I already briefly mentioned this in the previous section of this feature, but the void left by the gradual disappearance of cult survival horror franchises was quickly filled. Without even mentioning new licenses, Resident Evil continued to live on through installments that also challenged our vision of survival horror. This was because, while the saga was a pioneer in democratizing the genre, it now lent itself to a mix of action and horror, sprinkled with explosions in all directions and karate moves. This wasn’t necessarily what we thought of as survival horror, which is why many players began to no longer recognize Resident Evil as a franchise belonging to this specific genre.

And that’s where it gets interesting. It wasn’t even 2010 yet, and the definition of survival horror was already dividing opinion. What does it include? In the 1990s and 2000s, it was popular franchises that dictated the criteria for being “accepted” into this category. What do we do now that the genre is evolving, transforming, and the names we all know are gradually fading into the shadows? We redefine the terms. Except that in reality, this isn’t the case. As we saw recently with the release of Cronos: The New Dawn, some people still view survival horror through the prism of the 1990s. Isn’t that nonsense when you look at where the genre is today?

Alors, survival horror ou non ?
Just an action/horror game or survival horror?

This is surely due to franchises that followed Silent Hill, Clock Tower, Project Zero, Dino Crisis, and Forbidden Siren. If we take the first Dead Space game released in 2008, we see that it follows a logic of action mixed with horror. However, Dead Space leans much more towards terror and anxiety than the unbridled action of Resident Evil 4, so can it be seen as a new form of survival horror that flirts with a more dynamic and nervous fear? While there isn’t really an issue with ammunition management, it goes without saying that you don’t feel comfortable playing it, mainly because of the unknown you have to face: the Necromorphs. However, not everyone agrees on this.

Another well-known example, whose popularity is well established, is Alan Wake in 2010. This time, we have a combination of horror and cryptic, poetic storytelling. A story that plunges us into the darkness of writer Alan Wake and takes us through the darkness alongside him. A tribute to the cinema of David Lynch and the work of Stephen King, a form of survival horror that doesn’t neglect its narrative, that’s all it took for this title to remain etched in the collective memory. Okay, it wasn’t universally loved, but the reactions to the announcement of its sequel and its reception show that it has retained its place in the hearts of survival horror fans. This is no coincidence. This game, like Dead Space, marked the transition of the genre into the modern era that was taking shape. But it also helped to establish a definition of survival horror based on that of the time, which would pose a problem for titles emerging from the independent scene.

We’ll come back to that, but first, we need to talk about The Evil Within. Shinji Mikami’s new baby, which he created with his studio Tango Gameworks and released in 2014. This time, no one questioned its status as a survival horror game or its importance within the genre. In other words, it earned a status similar to that of the big names of the time. It left a lasting impression. It’s also worth noting that this game and its sequel reignited debates about the “rebirth” of survival horror, as if it had disappeared over time before making a strong comeback thanks to Mikami. Once again, this is an archaic view of the genre. It is a view that fails to take into account the potential evolution of the genre, preferring to continue to define it in relation to its pioneers, namely Alone in the Dark and Resident Evil.

What I’m getting at is that despite the arrival on the market of franchises such as Dead Space and The Evil Within, the definition of survival horror has hardly changed at all in the eyes of the general public. It’s as if it were impossible for it to change and as if there were no desire to welcome newcomers into its pantheon. And this is despite examples that seem to fit this vision of the time, such as the Visceral Games license. The problem with all this is that, at the same time, the independent scene has continued to offer us a wide variety of horror games, far removed from what we saw in the 1990s, 2000s, and even the early 2010s. Is this survival horror? That’s where it gets complicated.

Survival horror, a genre with an increasingly blurred definition

If we take the example of Frictional Games with Amnesia: The Dark Descent, we can already see some disagreement within the community. For some, it’s not survival horror, but simply a horror walking simulator. Why? Because there are no weapons to defend yourself with and you can only hide from or flee the threat. Aside from the fact that this would mean Clock Tower was never survival horror, it’s a rather arbitrary way of looking at things. After all, isn’t the idea to feel powerless in the face of danger and to feel a growing sense of anxiety as you progress through the adventure? Besides, it’s called “survival horror” and not “survival horror with weapons but few resources.”

What’s more, this overlooks some groundbreaking franchises that are set to revolutionize the horror genre. While I’m not particularly fond of Five Nights at Freddy’s, I can’t deny that it has achieved cult status in the gaming world thanks to its ingenious use of camera angles, among other things. The first game is a closed environment, in the sense that you can’t leave the security room, but your eyes are everywhere thanks to the cameras scattered throughout the premises. It’s clever and, above all, inspired. Now, the franchise has risen to the top. Whether you like these games or not, they have built up a substantial community and have even been given a—bad—film adaptation. And in my opinion, FNAF is survival horror. In the first installment, it’s clearly stated: you have to survive—I repeat, survive—several nights as a night guard in the pizzeria and fend off the animatronics that want to make you their next victim.

All of this brings us to a crucial point: with the 2010s and now the 2020s, the very definition of what survival horror is has become increasingly blurred. Today, it seems very difficult to find a group of horror enthusiasts who can agree on a clear and precise description of the nature of the genre. It has changed so much that it can no longer be compared to its equivalents from the early 1990s and mid-2000s. In fact, there are well-known examples that perfectly illustrate how difficult it is to put into words what constitutes survival horror. Starting with Subnautica.

Yes, I consider Subnautica to be a survival horror game, as well as an adventure and survival game. This seems obvious to anyone who suffers from thalassophobia, but for others, it may be more difficult to understand. However, when playing the game, it becomes clear that the developers have included many elements with one simple goal in mind: to scare us. Let’s take the beginning of the game, for example. We land on an alien planet that, at first glance, appears to be a vast, endless ocean. Our ship has crashed, but the main character has escaped thanks to an escape pod. Now stranded in the heart of a hostile environment, you must flee by any means possible. However, this may prove difficult, as you are not alone in these waters.

Subnautica is tricky, because initially, the area where our escape pod lands is in clear water. It’s not too deep, we have good visibility of the seabed, and the fish swimming alongside us are completely harmless. Where things get complicated is that in order to progress and recover better equipment, you have to venture deeper into the ocean. This is where sunlight slowly but surely disappears and where much more dangerous creatures lurk. This is where the horror aspect of Unknown Worlds’ title comes into its own. We are prey in a world populated by predators.

When it’s time to start diving into the depths, you feel less calm

We have almost all the elements of a survival horror game: our protagonist has few means of defense at his disposal—they are often ineffective or serve only to buy time to escape—and his movements are limited by the waters that surround him. Sure, he can build underwater vehicles to better navigate the dark depths, but that only heightens the tension when encountering a monster: if the device breaks down or explodes, you’re left to fend for yourself in the depths of a space where no light penetrates. The only thing left to do then is wait for death. Suffice to say, it’s a pretty anxiety-inducing experience.

That’s not all, because Subnautica also plays on the fear of the unknown, a classic horror trope. It is often said that you should delay revealing the threat for as long as possible, and that’s true here too. The ocean you dive into is divided into several layers, each inhabited by different creatures. Some of them are deadly. However, since you have no information about them, the only way to get used to encountering them is to come face to face with them. Which is never a very pleasant experience for the heart. Add to that superb sound design that gives us a few nice thrills by letting us hear the cries of predators in the distance, and you have an excellent horror game.

However, as I explained earlier, I’m not sure many people see Subnautica as a survival horror game. At best, it is accepted that it has horror elements, but that it doesn’t go beyond that. This is surprising given that you can find numerous reactions on YouTube from players screaming in fear while trying out the game. If it weren’t so horror-focused, I doubt we would get such reactions. But ultimately, everyone is entitled to their opinion, and the idea here is to show that survival horror can take many different forms. Subnautica is not the only example we have.

Not for the faint of heart, we’re going to talk about the Fear & Hunger franchise. If you’re familiar with the name, first of all, I sympathize, and secondly, you probably know why I’m mentioning it. For those of you at the back, it’s a top-down RPG with the aesthetic of games made with RPG Maker. It’s a formula that has often been successful in the past. But Fear & Hunger goes even further than most of its predecessors by pushing the “terror” meter to the max. In every sense of the word.

Whether it’s the first game or its sequel, these are extremely difficult and punishing games, where you’re not held by the hand and where just about everything has the potential to kill you. When death occurs, it’s often in a truly gruesome manner, leaving you with traumatic images in your head. As you can see, Fear & Hunger isn’t just scary because of its brutality and deviousness, it’s also frustrating. You need a lot of patience to get to the end, and the first steps in this adventure are hesitant and accompanied by a good dose of fear.

So the question is: can Fear & Hunger be classified as survival horror? If it conveys a sense of dread, terror, and horror, while constantly plunging us into situations where we feel weak and fragile, isn’t it survival horror? I think so, and besides, horror RPGs that can—on paper—be classified as such are nothing new. I recommend taking a look at WaxWorks (1992), Baroque (1998), or Koudelka (1999), and you’ll surely understand what I mean. In fact, it’s simply another form of survival horror, just as psychological horror is another form.

In fact, nowadays there is a type of survival horror that is very popular, whereas this was not the case more than 20 years ago, with a few exceptions. I am, of course, talking about multiplayer horror games. Yes, Phasmophobia, one of the most famous, is survival horror. It can be played solo, but also with others. Its strength lies in the fact that it’s scary even when you’re not alone. Building on its popularity, other “clones” have emerged, such as Remnant Records, Demonologist, and Devour. This isn’t a new form of horror in video games, but it has certainly enjoyed a second life.

Multiplayer horror games like Phasmophobia have never been more popular than they are today

It’s worth noting that a studio like Red Barrels, the creators of Outlast, has started making multiplayer games with The Outlast Trials. This has also shown that it’s possible to create compelling survival horror games for multiple players. This is a growing segment of the horror market, particularly thanks to streaming platforms such as YouTube and Twitch. Streamers launch the game and sometimes invite their community to play with them. People then buy it, which boosts sales figures. This is further proof that survival horror has never been as popular as it is today.

I won’t go into all the examples that exist, but Subnautica and Fear & Hunger are enough to convey the idea that survival horror is a versatile and constantly evolving genre. It can take many forms, as we’ve seen again this year with titles such as Bye Sweet Carole and Look Outside. One adopts a “1930s Disney” graphic style with a nod to Clock Tower, while the other deals with cosmic horror from a rather… unique angle.

That being said, alongside all these games that constantly challenge the definition of survival horror, there are others that get everyone on the same page. This is hardly surprising, given that these are games that tug at the heartstrings of what we call nostalgia for a bygone era. I call them “tribute” survival horror games, and one of them recently shook up part of the gaming world.

A tribute to a bygone era

You’re bound to know a few of them, as they’ve been popping up all over the indie scene for several years now. Whether through graphics or gameplay, survival horror games paying homage to the genre’s past are coming thick and fast. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing, as it has given us some very enjoyable titles such as Crow Country, Tormented Souls, Stay Out Of The House, Alisa, and Signalis. The latter, released in 2022, has had quite an impact on the thrill-seeking community. And with good reason, as it perfectly sums up what appeals to fans of horror games that pay homage to the 90s and 2000s.

First and foremost, it’s important to note that Signalis doesn’t just draw inspiration from video games. It also draws on literature, such as Lovecraft, and animation, such as Evangelion. But here, we’re going to focus on the 10th art. The game is a distillation of the best of the old Resident Evil and Silent Hill games. One for gameplay and the other for storytelling and narrative construction. Above all, it doesn’t just pay homage to its predecessors, it has found its own identity.

This is the challenge faced by this type of survival horror game. We never say no to attempts to rekindle the flame of the past, but there are risks involved. You can miss out on what made these games so magical, or you can simply copy and paste without managing to stand out with your own strengths. The result is often oblivion in a black tide of new releases on platforms such as Steam.

My goal here is to convey both the breadth of the survival horror catalog available today and highlight the additional difficulty this presents in standing out from the competition. In the case of horror games that aim to pay homage to franchises such as Resident Evil, Clock Tower, Silent Hill, or Project Zero, this will play out in terms of the identity they manage to find while drawing inspiration from them. Signalis is the best possible example of this, and we remember it more for what it is and what it says than for the titles that inspired it. This even becomes anecdotal as we progress through the game.

Tormented Souls 2, released on October 23, 2025, is also a good example of a beautiful tribute to the genre’s 90s era

But despite this abundance of survival horror games, some people continued to proclaim loudly that the genre was “dead.” That its glory days were over. That all that remained were horror walking simulators, with occasional flashes of brilliance like Darkwood or Signalis. That Resident Evil is one of the last great representatives of its kind (even though the seventh installment follows the codes of modern survival horror to the letter, but let’s move on). Fortunately for them, several franchises from the “golden age” are making a comeback on the horror scene.

The return of licenses from the “golden age”

Ah, how we heard those famous words, “the golden age of survival horror is back,” when Konami announced all its plans for the Silent Hill saga. In fact, we already heard this talk in 2014 when a simple demo called P.T. was released, paving the way for the return of the flagship franchise. This famous demo promised a radical change in formula, going so far as to take the form of a walking simulator. I mention this because of the hype surrounding it. Unfortunately, the project never came to fruition, which was hard for Silent Hill fans to swallow.

For years, Hideo Kojima’s aborted child was bitterly mourned by the community. Clones of the demo emerged, some good, some bad, and it made such an impression that it influenced many survival horror games in the years that followed. Keep in mind that we’re not even talking about a full game, but a short demo. That’s how eagerly awaited the franchise’s return was. It’s easy to understand why there’s so much talk about the golden age that the genre supposedly enjoyed in the 90s and 2000s.

The impact of the demo can still be felt today, more than 10 years after its release

In any case, the wait was long, but it finally came to an end in 2024. The remake of the second game, whose direction by Bloober Team had caused some concern, was a success, welcomed with open arms by newcomers and veterans alike. Silent Hill f, on the other hand, divided opinion, but that doesn’t mean it was a failure, far from it. And fans of psychological horror and fog still have plenty to look forward to between Townfall and the remake of the first game. It’s reminiscent of Resident Evil, which is still going strong, but it doesn’t stop there. Other franchises have made a comeback that was unexpected, to say the least.

Admittedly, it’s not through new releases, but Clock Tower and Project Zero are still going strong. The former has returned in the form of a remaster called “Rewind,” retaining the original experience in its entirety but making it more accessible. The latter began by offering a remaster of its fourth iteration, which had never been released outside Japan. And it will soon follow up with a remake of the second game in 2026. At this point, all that’s missing is Forbidden Siren to complete the picture.

And how could we forget the revival of Alone in the Dark, which unfortunately didn’t shine as brightly as we would have liked. It had been since 2008 since we had seen a truly new game from the famous franchise (there was nothing in 2015), so it was eagerly awaited. While reviews were mixed, the real nail in the coffin was the closure of Pieces Interactive, the studio behind the game, by Embracer. This was very sad news, part of the terrible wave of layoffs that hit the video game industry and continues in 2025. Alone in the Dark will surely not be back anytime soon, which is far from encouraging.

As for major franchises such as Alan Wake and Dead Space, which entered the survival horror genre in the late 2000s, they followed suit, not wanting to end their careers. Alan Wake 2 surprised its audience with an inspired and gripping narrative, while Dead Space treated itself to a sumptuous remaster that allows players to appreciate the game’s gruesome aspects even more—in a good way. The only regret is the absence of The Evil Within 3, but you can’t have everything in life. Despite this, since 2020, we have seen more horror productions with substantial budgets, which is welcome.

The only catch is that this resurgence of franchises associated with the so-called golden age of survival horror has only increased the number of comments about the “resurrection” of the genre. Don’t get me wrong, I’m happy to see these names back in the spotlight. That said, I find some of the reactions a little exaggerated, and I think it has reinforced my impression that the definition of survival horror hasn’t evolved, that it’s stuck in the 90s. To take the example of Cronos: The New Dawn, for a handful of players, it’s not survival horror, but an action/horror game. It’s becoming increasingly difficult to navigate, and the return of Silent Hill isn’t going to improve things.

The golden age of survival horror: myth or reality?

I think you understood this from the first part of this article. There has never been a golden age of survival horror. In any case, if we really want to consider that there was one, then it simply never ended since the genre exploded in popularity with Resident Evil 1. On the contrary, it has only grown in popularity and taken on a more important role within the medium. We are still experiencing this in 2025. Not only are indie games still going strong, as evidenced by the Steam catalog of horror games, but the big franchises of the era are gradually making their way back into the spotlight.

The explanation for this “golden age” label is actually very simple to understand. It’s just nostalgia. Nostalgia for a time when a genre was being born through licenses that became cult classics. Nostalgia for a time when these franchises were released on the PS1 and PS2, two extremely popular consoles that made many gamers, myself included, want to continue playing video games. Nostalgia for a time when the industry suffered less from the misfortunes and controversies it faces today. So yes, we look back on it with great fondness, but in the case of survival horror, that doesn’t mean it reached its peak at that time.

There is also another reason that makes sense. Throughout this article, you have seen that the definition of survival horror is constantly being questioned. And today, for many, if there are no weapons to defend yourself or if there is a little too much action, then it is not survival horror. Indeed, if we think about it in such arbitrary terms, it means that the genre struggled to recover in the early 2010s and only stayed alive thanks to The Evil Within, the return of Silent Hill, and horror games that pay homage to the old days. I don’t know about you, but that seems a little too simplistic to me. Certainly, if we look at it from that angle, then the golden age of survival horror is long gone.

To tell the truth, this topic was more of an excuse to briefly revisit the history of the genre, something I’ve been wanting to talk about for quite some time. I say briefly, because a complete history in every detail would probably require writing a book. I’m sure there are games I haven’t mentioned that deserve to be included here, but the aim is not to overwhelm you with examples. That said, I think this is enough to give you an idea of the transformations that survival horror has undergone, and how it got to where it is today, in 2025.

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