Did DBD lose its touch?
Does it feel like DBD lost its survival horror touch? You got a handful of Killers and Maps that I feel could be considered very creepy or scary, but killers like Wesker, Trickster, and Skull Merchant aren't the least bit of scary and games just feel like I'm playing with no urgency of really trying to survive and escape.
It's like the only killers close to creepy in-game are the stealth killers who can just pop up around a corner and gen grab for a little jump scare.
What's the general consensus on the horror factor of DBD?
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I thought this was comedy game now. It lost horror theme quite a lot
Post edited by Astel on0 -
Yeah, the horror factor of DBD has suffered greatly.
The main problem, at least in my opinion, are the map reworks. Even if you disregard the fact that no one asked for those changes, they've completely removed the horror atmosphere and eerie factor the maps used to have. Just look at Coldwind Farm, that one is a perfect example.
Oh, and the fog. There needs to be more fog, just like it used to be. How can they say their famous line of "see you in the fog" if most maps don't have the actual fog?
Sure, some people will use that same argument of "after a long time playing this game, it is no longer scary". And as repetitive as it is to see this exact same argument every time this kind of discussion pops up, they are right.
That, however, doesn't change the fact that there is a very clear difference between having a scary atmosphere and having nothing at all. At least the game is making an effort, you know?
Judging by the proposed "Disgustingly Scary" mode, the developers seem to be aware of this issue; If they will do something about it remains to be seen.
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Ohh it's definitely lost a lot of the horror touch. {Warning he's gonna rant}
The survivors have a lack of fear for the killer. Not saying due to killer aesthetics (a psycho pop star could be worrying to some) but survivors just don't fear anything and WANT to get in the killers face most times (least till they're on death hook, THEN they get worried). And with many safety nets (super safe pallets, buildings like garden of Joy's manor, long loops, the like) they've got little reason to fear at the start and think they're untouchable {till we prove otherwise}. This isn't even getting into the apathy players may feel from playing a long while or seeing the same thing 21 times or whatever reason and decide to jump on hook.
Killer players themselves also have some blame. Who's gonna fear the guy who can't chase but can stall out the game forever, or keeps chasing 1 guy and purposely ignores the rest? Not us that's for sure and probably quite a few others. Many run the same damn thing the same damn way. No creativity, no surprises, nothing to worry about or shock us.
Then the atmosphere. Not to sound to much like a certain Freddy main, but the older aesthetics created a much creepier atmosphere. Yes we like the new look of most maps (sans coldwind which is bright for our tastes, they all look very nice) but the fog and darkness of when we started caused our spines to chill. No hud {though admittedly it's probably healthier for the game overall}, no idea what everyone is doing, less perks to save yourself (baring DS which works once), we had to survive on instinct and skill. There's less mystery is probably what we're getting at.
{Apologies for the rant, he's cooling down in a corner now}
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Not to sound to much like a certain Freddy main
Hahahahaha, I'm happy you agree with me :)
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I agree 1000% on this. It feels like BHVR took DBD down the same route as Capcom with Resident Evil; RE1-RE3 truly gave eerie and horror vibes with the traditional zombies, then RE4 and RE5 came with the new action-like playstyle, but Wesker was just such a badass in RE5 that he's never considered scary or threatening really even when he chases you in the particular stages of the game (Hell, it turned to Sheva and Chris putting hands on my boy like what?). Sure, Capcom brought back a horror vibe with the later installments, though it wasn't what made RE what RE is. Feels like DBD went down that route and there's less incentive to go back to the roots, but make it more about exciting chases and map updates with pallets and better graphics.
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Credit where it's due. Newer maps may look good, but most lack the atmosphere.
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In terms of horror: it's still a horror game, it has simply just expanded into different types in the horror genre, which i think is a good thing.
In terms of scary: dbd has never been scary and that won't change no matter how many conventional horror characters you add.
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I don't understand either, they say "we'll see you in fog" and yet on the vast majority of maps there is no fog or barely any fog.
You want fog? Pay 4000 blood points to use it once
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Agree to disagree on this one. I can't stand to look at newer maps.
I will give them credit for creating the older maps, all of which I loved. That was a pretty good job.
But it is ruined now.
Community's feedback should be enough of an incentive to go back to the roots. We are saying things.
They just have to listen.
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Texas Chainsaw Massacre 1's most memorable scenes takes place during daytime, especially the finally.
IMO, i think the coldwind maps really captures that same feeling found in TCM, especially the Thompson House map, something i never got from the old version of the realm itself.
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You need to prepare thread demanding that good old maps to be back to devs. I really want to try that old maps. Those look so cool.
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I could do it, just gotta remember to make it very clear that I'll be asking for a classic pack, not for the maps to be reverted.
Because if I don't, I guarantee someone will show up there saying things like "ah, but x map is much better now, rose tinted glasses, blinded by nostalgia" blah blah blah.
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Pretty sure you'd get that no matter what. If you could also get em to bring heavy fog back too we'd appreciate it.
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Maybe, but I did suggest this on the recent Map Check-In for Disturbed Ward and people seem to like the idea, so maybe it would be better this time.
And yes, the fog is extremely important.
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I'd rather see that as basekit, like seeing more maps being scary/dark than a game mode.
And I wonder if Freddy's bright Dreamworld would have conflicts with that mode 🤔
To OP, other than stealth killers and Dredge (maybe Hag with the jumpscares), I don't find any of the killers scary (gameplay wise, 'cause I wouldn't like to face doctor irl LOL) tbh. Also maps are mostly way too bright and you can see the killer from afar, that's why I love indoor Maps, specially Midwich; which has a fantastic setting with jumpscares included.
So I'm not sure if it lost its touch or never was really there to begin with. As a horror fan I've never seen this game as scary.
I wonder if the new cooperative game they are making will be more horror oriented.
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I agree, but the fact they know we want it is already a good sign.
And nah, no need to worry about Freddy. Lighting changes can affect the Dream World. It would be fine.
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I started lightly playing near launch. I really miss the mood and atmosphere of the old game.
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This.
It wasn't at its peak when I started playing, but it was leagues ahead of its current state.
We really need that back.
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The only map that has that old feeling imo is midwich, but thats more a silent hill compliment. Its a shuge shame.
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I agree completely, my friend.
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Compared to the spooky atmosphere of a lot of older game play footage, I'd say it's lost some of its horror vibes.
But I can assure you, it's still very, very scary for beginner players and those of us with more of a nervous disposition. It does eventually feel kinda like Looney Tunes though, with the looping mechanics becoming the main game play focus for more experienced players.
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These are all good points.
Part of the problem is a truly scary experience is often very high threat, which means a likely low chance of survival. But because its an online game players often don't find that scary, or don't appreciate that as scary, and they just qualify it as annoying.
So to broaden the appeal, the game eventually gets more tame in the interest of balance. This is to appeal to those who don't want a threatening or scary environment because they think its unfair. This is not entirely a bad thing because we don't want the game to be too unbalanced but it does inevitably water down the horror factor.
So have they swung too far away from the horror in an effort to make the game more player friendly, a lil bit yeah.
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The last time I considered it actual horror was the "Silent Hill" chapter. That held very true to survival horror.
Unfortunately, with brighter maps, meme-ability (people running around as bunnies getting chased by a giant, pink elephant), the familiarity of the trials and such, the survival horror is long gone. Even when "Alien" came out, it didn't have a scare factor.
I doubt it will ever return, but a focus on creating more atmospheric maps with less predictable tiles and placements, maybe with a bit more hide n' seek over running in circles might bring a bit back.
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The game is definitely still horror themed and has its horror elements, it being under the survival horror makes sense. Everyone who've I introduced to the game who jumped straight to Survivor treated it as a normal horror game which is to be expected, and over time it started to fade away.
What the game lost, is its unique art style and atmosphere. When the game first came out they had this sort of water blotch art style which can still be seen on the Swamp maps. This made it stand out and the moment you saw a picture of the game you could almost immediately distinguish it from others. The lighting was also very unique compared to other games as it was just bland desaturated colors which for a beginner felt very eerie and uncomfortable.
Considering the size of the game was much smaller when it first released, anything that made it stand out was definitely needed to attract players. As the game grew and gained its reputation how ever, they needed to appease to a much wider audience as well as modernize the game, which is where the new graphics come in.
I know a few veteran players liked the old graphics better and that's fine, but to say its lost is horror touch is just false. The maps we have nowadays covers A LOT of different horror genres compared to what we used to have. People like to bring up Coldwind just because its "in the day time", but there's plenty of horror media that takes place during the day. Texas Chainsaw Massacre being one of the most iconic horror movies out there and I don't think anyone says it isn't a horror movie because of it.
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These are all good points.
I'm happy to read that :)
I think you bring an interesting point of killers having that intimidating and dangerous presence, though it is difficult to manage that while you also have to take the game's balance into consideration. It is far more likely for a player to be intimidated by an ultra-powerful character, but then how do you win against said character?
If I may add another matter to the discussion, there is also the fact of each killer's design and the way they approach survivors. This is influenced by the game around them, of course, but it also varies depending on the killer.
For instance, I doubt anyone was ever scared of Trickster or Legion. And that doesn't mean they should be removed from the game or anything like that, it just means they are missing a very important aspect of a horror game.
On the other hand, we have stuff like Myers stalking you from a distance, Freddy (in the past) being invisible to awake survivors, Doctor being a proper horror character, and so on. I think every killer should have a little bit of what they have. You know, make you feel that you're fighting against a monster that is hunting you on an eerie place.
DBD had that, and it shouldn't have abandoned it.
DBD should have been like Cuphead.
Cuphead, a very good game btw, doesn't have modernized graphics because it is meant to look like an old cartoon. It is that game's style and it was highly praised for it. DBD had its unique style, many people miss it, and it shouldn't have gotten rid of it.
Or, at the very least, there should be an option for us to select what we want: reworked maps or the older ones. DBD supports people playing on the same map with different lighting, modders have proved that, so there was no reason not to add such a feature.
A classic pack, if you will. I sincerely hope they do it.
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Well "good" is subjective, I just happen to agree largely with what you pointed out.
Yeah there is an aesthetic to maintain also both in appearance and mechanics, and I've always loathed Trickster, spamming those lil sparkle knives is just on the nose from a horror perspective. The singularity is also a lil too comic book looking as well. Both are laughable rather than intimidating in their current forms, something is missing.
The the original point though. Do you think it's the PvP aspect that is to blame somewhat? Do you think people would focus so hard on balance if the killer was a really hard to beat AI?
Imagine if DBD was more like GTFO, or 4 player Co-Op left for dead. Players would probably welcome the threat of a really hard to beat AI that played in the most brutal way possible. The moment the opponent is another person though player ego gets involved and the hyperfocus on balance eventually undermines the horror.
I've always said its not a bad thing to have a killer bias in outcome because that is the very source of the threat that makes survivor play so engaging. Many would disagree with me on that point though.
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It's an arena. Fear cannot be afforded. If you are 'scared' and play the stealth game then some killers start whining if they go out to look for someone that is.
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I have no doubts, my friend.
Dredge would work perfectly with the horror atmosphere the Old DBD had.
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This game has lost the horror element a long time ago. The closest thing to it is like you mentioned - the killers who can jump scare you w/ stealth. And even those moments can be rare. Besides that, the horror element is nearly gone.
& its even more clear that BHVR is moving away from the true horror, just based on decisions they've made.
Lighting up/washing out colors on maps, less fog, etc.
Killers and certain survivors who now have voice lines like Chucky & Nicholas Cage. Sure, its cool but its takes the horror element away completely. When I can hear a Chucky approaching me, ONLY b/c of his voice line, that shouldn't even be a thing. Same for Nicholas Cage. It adds comedy and in a game like this, I don't care for comedy. I don't want some survivor whose been taking to a realm by the Entity, to be cracking jokes. Its just weird. And ruins the whole feel.
So yea, horror has been at all time low/non-existent for awhile now. & I do think its intentional that they're moving more and more away from that genre/atmosphere.
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Its a comedy party game. They had a spurt of horror when they added the spooky Dredge with his darkness ability, but apart from that, its full of neon t shirts and pretty jumpers.
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I feel like BHVR took DBD down the same path Capcom did with Resident Evil. After the horror of 1-3, they started leaning towards action more than horror; the characters were just badasses kicking butt. 4 was great, but no zombies, instead there were hoards of infected people that were aggressive. 7 went back to horror, but it still wasn’t the same; the horror element was primarily thanks to First-person gameplay. DBD could be more intense with First-person, eliminating most of the advantages of 3rd-person, and looping. Right now every game feels like I’m going in excited for a chase than “this is creepy guys…my anxiety’s acting up”
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