The oldest signal, frequently misfiring in a safe environment.
Clock Tower (1996) is a point-and-click survival horror game with 3D graphics, released by Human Entertainment on Super NES in 1995 and on PlayStation as Clock Tower 2 in 1996. Players navigate using cursor clicks, manage inventory via screen-top access, and survive Scissorman under a dynamic strength system shown by cursor colour. Narrative branches from early choices lead to ten possible endings.
Fatal Frame II: Crimson Butterfly is a survival horror game developed and published by Tecmo in 2003. Players control Mio Amakura exploring the haunted Minakami Village, often alongside or searching for her sister Mayu. Exploration uses a fixed third-person camera, shifting to first-person when using the Camera Obscura—the primary tool for solving puzzles (via photographing objects and solving riddles) and fighting ghosts. Ghosts are signaled by coloured filaments (blue for friendly, red for hostile), and combat requires precise framing and timing, including mid-attack shots and the 'Shutter Chance' mechanic. Mayu’s presence aids puzzle-solving but also exposes her to ghost attacks, and both sisters’ health is critical—excessive damage ends the game. The narrative centres on a cursed twin ritual tied to the village’s history, with multiple endings determined by player choices, especially regarding Mayu’s fate.
F.E.A.R. is a first-person shooter psychological horror game developed by Monolith Productions in Kirkland, Washington. It uses the studio’s LithTech engine and centres on reflex time, adaptive AI, and melee as a core combat pillar.
The Forest is a survival horror game developed by Endnight Games and released in 2018. It features a non-linear open-world loop centred on resource gathering, crafting, fortification, and dynamic threat management against intelligent, behaviourally complex cannibal and mutant enemies. It includes a day-night cycle, sanity-based mechanics, environmental storytelling, optional narrative progression, and no autosave—relying instead on player-placed shelters for saving. Its systems emphasise player agency in survival choices, enemy interaction, and moral ambiguity in conflict.
Fatal Frame (2001) is a survival horror game developed by Tecmo. It places the player as Miku Hinasaki inside a real-time-rendered Japanese mansion. Navigation uses a semi-fixed camera and flashlight in total darkness. Hostile ghosts are sensed via a 'sixth sense', drain health on contact, and can only be defeated using the Camera Obscura—an antique camera operated in first-person view with dual-stick controls. Damage depends on framing duration and proximity, though ghosts intermittently fade. Film serves as limited, graded ammunition. Progress is gated by puzzles and saved at designated points and chapter ends.
Resident Evil 2 is a third-person survival horror game released by Capcom in 1998. It is the second entry in the Resident Evil series, which launched in 1996. Players control either Leon S. Kennedy or Claire Redfield as they attempt to escape Raccoon City during a zombie outbreak caused by a biological weapon. Gameplay revolves around exploration, puzzle-solving, and combat under strict resource constraints—including limited ammunition and tight inventory space. Tank controls govern movement independently of camera angle. Health is communicated visually through character posture and gait rather than numerical indicators. The Zapping System links the two protagonists’ scenarios, creating four distinct playthroughs. Safe rooms serve as the only locations for saving and item storage.