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Horror RPGs deserved better

NeverKnowsBest

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A look at the troubled history of horror rpgs.
Featuring hits such as Parasite Eve, Koudelka, System Shock 2, VtM Bloodlines, STALKER, Pathologic and Fear & Hunger. As well as some not so hits...

0:00 - Why horror RPGs?
7:18 - A history of horror RPGs
47:22 - What went wrong?
53:45 - The resurgence
1:15:16 - Conclusion

sources and music:
https://pastebin.com/8WC621aQ

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20 Comments

@NeverKnowsBest Creator 1 year ago Pinned

I should be streaming Sun-Thur 6pm gmt+1 on twitch for the next couple weeks https://www.twitch.tv/neverknows_best
new second channel here https://www.youtube.com/@BestNeverKnows

@natsurr 1 year ago

1:06:35 "Every second in game lowers both your hunger meter and your sanity. This effect also occurs to your in-game character."
Well played, Sir.

@nekromorg 1 year ago

Somebody: "You are, without a doubt, the worst selling video game I've ever heard of."
System Shock 2: "But you have heard of me."

@hermannhand4557 1 year ago

The last time I was this early "horror rpg" meant someone made a horror game in rpg maker and didn't know how to delete the "magic" tab from the menu

@growlngpains 1 year ago

>fear and hunger saved for an entirely different video
Now you're just spoiling me

@justinjamin 1 year ago

Look Outside did such a great job of recreating and improving on that Sweet Home feel and aesthetic.

@TwistedScarlett60 1 year ago

These videos are always like "And that's how AAA fucked everything up because they were greedy..." - then fade to black, 'and here's how indie games saved the day'

@occupationalhazard 1 year ago

"The Titular Elvira"

I see what you did there...

@-KorruptionOfLight- 1 year ago

I think modern developers are ahead of the curve. Nothing screams horror and existential dread than looking at your bank account after buying a game and all the DLC extras that crop up in game

@skulllocks 1 year ago

The only thing I'm sad I didn't see mentioned here was World of Horror. A 2-bit JRPG fusion of Junji Ito, Lovecraft, and those old school dungeon/text based CRPGs. Anyone who's fans of those things should absolutely check it out

@PhriekshoTV 1 year ago

I just wish we had more World of Darkness representation in gaming

@Outpost-13-Hockey 1 year ago

Pathologic is such an underrated game. But I think part of the reason people bounce off it if they even find it is it's more gruelling and brutal than Dark Souls and even more unfathomable.

@The_Argonautica 1 year ago

"spaceships are dungeons in space" hey everyone, play Mothership for some good horror ttrpg-ing. They have a lot of great story modules. Bloom terrified my players.

@Nick_Scratch 1 year ago

The clever use of “titular” in the same sentence as Elvira did not go unnoticed, sir

@lordneojacks 1 year ago

"many people describe horror and RPG as two genres that fundamentally don't mix"

In my 35 years gaming and chronically internet user never heard anything close to that sentence

@oktinaa 1 year ago

the way you have slightly more inflection in your tone every single video feels rewarding for watching you for so long 😭 one of my favourite channels fr

@Majk__ 1 year ago

As of the day of this recording, Paradox actually decided to release the 2 day 0 DLC clans as part of the main game

@CainFreemont 1 year ago

22:20 A remake of Baroque was also made and released in 2007 (2008 for western release) and while it retained a lot of the biblical overtones and a deeply unsettling world and its denizens, the graphical style and shift from first to third person perspective arguably detracted from the horror element.

@huddleaw 1 year ago

I think Dying Light deserves a mention as well. The day/night cycles bring a lot of tension because you don't want to get stuck somewhere unsafe and when you get caught in the open at night, it's very stressful.