10 Horror Video Game Tropes That Need To Stop

Ever since the nightmare fuel that was Alma in the F.E.A.R series made climbing ladders a terrifying ordeal, horror games have continued the tradition of using ladders to toy with us.

By keeping the camera focused on the top of these comically long ladder while we gradually make our way there, we’re given plenty of time to wonder if there’ll be something at the other end waiting for us when we get there. The trouble is, though, that there are an overwhelming number of ladders in every horror game for them to still be scary.

Thanks to Alma's spooky hijinks, ladders have become an easy means for developers to throw in moments of suspense to sprinkle in some extra tension. Every time we're faced with a long ladder which leads into a dark abyss, we're conditioned to expect something to happen.

But what makes trope more aggravating for horror fans is that rarely anything horrifying ever happens on ladders. If anything is going to happen on a horror ladder, it's that it will break on the way down to stop us from leaving an area.

There are other ways to climb between levels in games that aren't ladders. What's wrong with stairs?