Horror games haveevolved drasticallysince Sweet Home first debuted on the NES. Now, they don’t rely simply on campy sprites, high stakes, and low resources: the NPC behavior itself is enough to make you feel fear. A good horror game gives you the feeling of being watched, being stalked, and being hunted.
Many horror games feature AI programming that is intended to be unnerving and unpredictable. As indie games like Amnesia: The Dark Descent stepped up the ante, triple-A developers were forced to make their monsters smarter and scarier as well. Here are eight horror games whose AI makes them feel morbidly alive.
Dead Space (2023)
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Dead Space is a 2023 remake of the classic survival horror shooter by Motive Studio. Rebuilt from the ground up, you play as Isaac Clarke as he navigates a mining ship that has been taken over by a deadly alien threat.
2008’s Dead Space was one of the most widely acclaimed horror games of its era. Its 2023 remake serves as a refined, polished version of the original. It isn’t just the graphics that have seen an overhaul: theiconic necromorphsare now more intelligent than ever.
Enemies in Dead Space change their tactics according to your combat style. If you’re far too good at cutting off their limbs when they charge you head-on, they’ll start crawling on the walls instead. They do display relentless aggression but in an intelligent manner. Most notably, necromorphs can play dead before taking you by surprise - so stomp on any you come across if they seem suspect.
Although Condemned may not have become a long-running series, its original game is still highly respected among horror fans for its unique story and creepy atmosphere. The protagonist, while trying to prove his innocence, ends up committing some shocking crimes of his own.
Combat in Condemned is melee-focused, with enemies using stealth and the cover of darkness to get the upper hand against you. As you block and hit back, these NPCs show fear and are almost pitiful in their reactions. The game’s unorthodox glory kill mechanics make you feel disturbed by your own actions.
Fear mixes the vibes of a military shooter and aJapanese horror film,yet the most oft-discussed aspect of the game is its realistic NPC behavior. The enemy soldiers are narratively controlled through the villain’s telepathy, but in actual gameplay their actions are dictated by an AI system called Goal Oriented Action Planning.
The soldiers in FEAR exhibit tactics, strategy, and reactions that place the game far ahead of its competitors. Their voice lines indicate their perception of your playstyle: if you’re brutal, they will show fear.
This game always comes up in discussions of horror games with superb AI, and for good reason. The alien featured in this game verges on being sentient; it is horrifyingly intelligent and exhibits behaviors like habituation. If you try using a single tactic too often, like noisemakers or flares, the alien simply ignores them. After it’s been damaged by a weapon, it exhibits caution the next time you arm yourself.
The AI for this alien comprises two portions, one which passively knows where you are, and one that is actively looking for you. The former slowly gives pieces of info to the latter, meaning that if you stay in one place for too long, the alien will find you eventually.
Despite its occasional bugs, Stalker: Shadow of Chornobyl holds up to this day, and for good reason. This game is one of the greatest survival experiences even to this day.
Stalker’s NPCs don’t have just artificial intelligence, but artificial life. They are, in essence, living out a story of their own in the zone. Even if this gives rise to occasional bugs, and caused the game to be extremely demanding on computers of the era, it is organic in a way that even the developers don’t have full control over.
When the 2005 version of Resident Evil 4 came out, the game had very good AI for the time. Ganados would notice where you were aiming and would duck, shield their faces, or dodge accordingly. However, when the 2023 remake came out, it made the sixth-generation version of RE4look primitive in comparison.
Ganados are now shockingly aggressive and intelligent. They move much faster and take advantage of Leon reloading to charge at him. RE4’s remake is far more challenging than the original due to the smarter enemies.
It isn’t just the modding support anddetailed animationsthat make Left 4 Dead more acclaimed than its Turtle Rock competitor Back 4 Blood. Left 4 Dead has a brilliant dynamic AI system that keeps the game infinitely fresh.
Apart from dictating the spawn points of zombies and the quantity thereof, Left 4 Dead’s director AI uses audiovisual cues to make each session a unique experience for every single player. If you’re playing with buddies, the game will present itself differently based on your own situation and proximity to your teammates.
Being left to survive a forest with the barest possible means, with cannibals stalking you, is one of the most terrifying concepts a horror game can have. Such a premise can also go dreadfully wrong if the cannibals themselves are not programmed well. Luckily, The Forest is a well-made title, and its enemies inspire primal terror.
Cannibals in The Forest have unique personalities: some may spy on you hesitantly, while others will attack recklessly. If you get the upper hand, they may surrender or fight to the death. Some will even try to communicate. The Forest is a game where every encounter makes you hold your breath.
