10 Most Brutal Punishments In Horror Video Games
Paying the ultimate price.
What are horror video games if not intense, nerve-shredding experiences where the player is constantly on their toes wondering what they might encounter next?
And with players so often having the terrifying odds stacked against them, it follows that they can end up severely punished for their mistakes, whether taking too long to complete a task, trying to rush their way to the end, behaving selfishly, or allowing curiosity to get the better of them.
Smart developers are able to exploit this risk-reward aspect to keep players in a state of high-tension, never sure that they're safe, though there are certainly times where players might consider it "cheap" or even unfair.
And so, whether savagely gory or simply devastatingly cruel, these 10 horror game punishments all left players agape at the harsh brutality of it all, of unforgiving developers inflicting insane fates upon those who didn't do the "right" thing.
On occasion it was a punishment most definitely deserved, but for the most part, these games gave players one hell of a raw deal...
10. James Commits Suicide If You Keep Your Health Low - Silent Hill 2
The majority of the Silent Hill games feature a number of possible endings depending on the player's actions throughout, and typically the player isn't made aware of these conditions before starting.
As a result, your first experience with each game is likely to end badly, and surely no more harshly than in the brilliant Silent Hill 2.
Perhaps the most common outcome for first-time players is the "In Water" ending, where protagonist James ends up committing suicide by driving his car into a lake.
The primary factor for achieving this ending is allowing your health to continually remain low for extended periods before healing.
According to the game's internal scoring system, doing so indicates that you don't care about your life, and so, when it's all said and done, James consequently kills himself.
There are other factors which make this ending more likely - such as checking Angela's knife, reading a suicidal patient's diary, and so on - but the defining attribute is how attentive you are to James' health.
Health management is an important skill in any game, for sure, but doesn't this seem just a tad unfair?