Dev Update #3: Trying Something New with Horror

Hi everyone, David here with a new update. There are so many cool things happening with We Harvest Shadows, but unfortunately I can't share anything yet. BUT just know that we're working hard and some amazing things are happening that will make this the best game I could have envisioned. I need more time though, but the wait will be worth it.

I wanted to talk about my goals for the horror and atmosphere in We Harvest Shadows. I always wanted this to be a story and character focused game, but the psychological horror elements are key to Garrett's journey. His inner-demons and greatest fears physically manifest on this farm (but why does that happen? You'll have to play and find out 😉)

I always wanted this game to be a totally different type of horror experience. A24 films have popularized a new subgenre called neo-horror (and I love those films), so I thought "why can't there be a neo-horror game?" I really think gamers want something new when it comes to horror, so I'm trying to avoid as many clichés as possible.

So first off, I play a lot of indie horror games, and I watch a lot of horror movies. I personally am tired of death cults, zombies, demons, etc. Not to crap on those games, but they don't really scare me much. Nowadays, I'm more interested in why the cursed video tape in The Ring is so terrifying, even without the typical gore or jump scares.

Do you know what truly scares me? Feeling totally alone in a forest, and suddenly seeing a normal face hide behind a tree. Disfigured creatures which look human but aren't really scare me. I think catching a glimpse of something you can't make quite make out in the darkness is the scariest thing of all.

Most of the great horror films like The Shining or Hereditary are very restrained or "slow burn". There's not really much horror in finally seeing the monster that's following you (that's actually the release), but it's in the build-up and the tension. That's also because the scariest thing to you is what your mind imagines when it fills in the blanks.

That doesn't mean you can't have any payoff or release in a horror game... that would be just boring. But I really want We Harvest Shadows to be an elevated, beautiful type of horror game which takes it time and marinates in the atmosphere. I want the monsters and entities to look like something you've never seen before. I want them to be narratively rich and to symbolize the deep trauma that Garrett's going through. You can probably guess that Silent Hill is a huge inspiration for me. It's those creature designs and industrial soundscapes which really sell the horror in those games. It's almost pure atmosphere!

Below is my mood board I'm using as inspiration. Some of the sculptures are actually beautiful but still unsettling. There's lots of nature-themed materials. I really love these examples:

From a gameplay perspective, we have an advanced dynamic horror system that takes into account lots of different factors. There will be dozens of unique events, and every playthrough will be different. Some entities are more dangerous than others, but even I can't know what exactly will happen to you when the sun sets and the forest darkens.

Now, this does mean that players who typically like sudden jump scares or tons of gore will probably be disappointed in this game, and I'm totally OK with