Best Reluctant Heroes in Survival Horror Games

Highlights

Protagonists in survival horror games face terrifying challenges, whether they are trained heroes or ordinary individuals dragged into horror scenarios.
Games like Remothered: Broken Porcelain and The Closing Shift show how anyone can become the unlucky protagonist in a survival horror story.
Characters like Fiona in Haunting Ground and Rebecca in The Mortuary Assistant must use whatever resources they have to survive terrifying situations.

As a seasoned survivor of various horror games, I must say that each tale of terror presents its unique flavor of dread and despair. However, it seems these young women find themselves in the most harrowing situations, their lives turned upside down by forces beyond their control.

Characters (protagonists) play an equally crucial role in survival horror games, alongside antagonists, monsters, atmosphere, and the central plot. This genre, steeped in terror, has roots dating back to games like Resident Evil, often acknowledged as a key influence on the development of the survival horror genre.

In this game series, you often find heroes associated with groups like S.T.A.R.S., Secret Service, or BSAA, who embody typical heroic traits. However, it’s not only the trained and willing who encounter survival horror; characters without formal training or a desire to fight evil can also be unwillingly thrust into these terrifying situations.

8 Remothered: Broken Porcelain

Jennifer’s Desperate Attempts to Escape are Thwarted by the Denizens of the Ashmann Inn

Best Reluctant Heroes in Survival Horror Games

The story before “Remothered: Tormented Fathers, Broken Porcelain” focuses on Jennifer, a young woman from Flemmington’s Girls Institute who was dismissed and assigned to work at the Ashmann Inn as a housekeeper. However, her time at the inn is far from ordinary, as she discovers that it holds more than just the hardships of working in service; instead, she encounters horrors beyond child labor.

At the inn, people like Andrea and Stefano, who became violently insane, attacked Jennifer cruelly. Fearing for her life, she had no choice but to flee from their grasp. She didn’t want to hurt them or become a hero; all she desired was to survive and perhaps discover more about herself and her past. However, with great reluctance, she found herself compelled to take whatever actions were necessary for self-preservation.

7 The Closing Shift

An Everyday Barista Becomes the Unlucky Target of a Stalker

Platforms: PC
Released: March 18th, 2022
Developers: Chilla’s Art
Genres: Indie, Horror

Chilla’s Art is widely recognized within the horror gaming sphere for creating characters who hold common day jobs like store clerks, coffee shop workers, or couriers, and then subjecting them to terrifying circumstances. This is done to illustrate that anyone could find themselves as the hapless hero in a survival horror scenario.

Among the outstanding games they’ve created thus far is titled “The Closing Shift“. This game revolves around an unnamed female character who works late shifts at a cafe. In her locale, she becomes the focus of a stalker. As time progresses with each shift, seemingly insignificant occurrences escalate until they reach a dramatic climax in the final shift. The outcome varies based on the decisions made, making the game all the more captivating. It’s this ability to depict how an ordinary individual can unwittingly star in a chilling horror narrative that makes Chilla’s Art games so compelling and genuinely terrifying.

6 Amnesia: The Dark Descent

Left With No Memories, Daniel is Forced to Follow the Paper Tail

Awake in a crumbling, antiquated castle with no recollection of past events, the terror is already unbearable. Yet, when faced with the challenges of encounters with wandering monsters and a bizarre, flesh-like substance eating away at the structure, it pushes one to the brink of madness. Unlike most, Daniel doesn’t have the option to lose his mind, as he bears the heavy responsibility of being the protagonist in a survival horror game.

In “Amnesia: The Dark Descent”, the protagonist, Daniel, finds himself compelled to trace a sequence of diary entries and letters, apparently penned by his own hand, along with fragmentary recollections of discussions with castle owner, Alexander Brennenburg. With no other options available, he is left with no choice but to obey the instructions from his past self, despite his reluctance to take another life, even if it means using his own hands. In essence, Daniel is forced to delve into darkness to confront and possibly free himself from this terrifying ordeal.

5 Killer Frequency

It is Up to a Night-Time Radio Host to Protect People from a Murderer

Platforms: PC, VR, PS5, Xbox Series X/S, PS4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch
Released: June 1st, 2023
Developers: Team17
Genres: Horror, Adventure

In a small, seemingly tranquil town like mine, Gallows Creek, peace often reigns supreme – a blessing for TV news anchors and radio talk show hosts with little sensational drama to discuss. But, when the extraordinary occurs, it grips us all in terror. The irony is, our serene town has become a hunting ground for a chilling serial killer. As residents, we’re left on our own, without the usual support of law enforcement. Desperate for help, we turn to the local radio station, hoping they can shed some light on this shadowy menace lurking in our backyards.

One evening, Forest Nash expected to continue spinning records, but suddenly found himself dealing with a dead police chief and distress calls being routed to his radio. Now, he finds himself in a situation where he must help those in need, as they have no one else to turn to, all while avoiding the murderer who might not be pleased with his meddling.

4 Haunting Ground

Fiona Awakens into a Nightmare She Must Survive

A chilling horror game from the PS2 era, “Haunting Ground,” is one of Capcom’s overlooked masterpieces that truly deserves recognition. Set within a stunning yet ominous castle, the story follows Fiona Belli, who finds herself a prisoner with few recollections of her arrival at this foreboding location. Accompanied by her loyal canine companion Hewie, Fiona navigates the complex castle, searching for a means to break free from the malevolent inhabitants who appear determined to either capture or eliminate her.

After setting off to visit her family, Fiona found herself unwittingly thrust into a horrific ordeal. With no means of foreseeing this, she had to rely on whatever means she could find to survive, as she was now the hunted at Belli Castle. The young heroine must seek out hiding spots and trust Hewie to keep her safe.

3 The Mortuary Assistant

Another Night on the Job Becomes a Fight for Survival

In a mortuary, Rebecca Owens serves as an assistant, supervised by manager Raymond Delver. Contrary to her expectations of a routine night spent embalming deceased individuals, this evening proved quite unexpected.

Under normal circumstances, you’d think a person’s mind would conjure illusions when working at night with the deceased. However, for Rebecca, what she perceives is reality. There are indeed malevolent entities lurking in River Fields Mortuary. Aside from her duties, Rebecca must locate the body inhabited by a demon and execute the necessary ritual to prevent herself from becoming the next corpse on the embalming table.

2 Silent Hill 3

Heather Simply Wants to Be a Normal Girl

Building on the storyline from the initial game, Silent Hill 3 transitions the narrative focus from character Harry to his adoptive daughter Heather, now a rebellious teenager grappling with typical teenage angst. During a shopping excursion, she dozes off and awakens in a horrifying alternate reality while traveling home. Upon her return, she discovers her father’s tragic demise.

1) Claudia’s actions compelled Heather to act against her will, knowing that if Heather’s cherished one was taken away from her, she would seek revenge. However, on her journey for vengeance, Heather discovers more than just retribution as a cult has selected her as the host for their deity’s rebirth, regardless of her feelings. All along, Heather had yearned for a simple life with her father.

1 Resident Evil 7

On His Quest to Find his Wife, Ethan Becomes the Baker Family’s Next Victim

As a devoted fan, let me share my take on how Resident Evil 7 revolutionized this enduring horror franchise for me. Instead of the traditional third-person viewpoint, Capcom opted for an immersive first-person perspective, which brought the terror of the series back into sharp focus. Titles like Resident Evil 5 and 6 had somewhat sidestepped this aspect in the past. In the storyline, I found myself stepping into the shoes of a regular guy named Ethan. Married and worried sick about his missing wife Mia, he ventures deep into the swamps of Louisiana after receiving a cryptic message from her, having been gone for three long years.

Just like any fanatic would embark on a journey, I went there myself, anticipating a straightforward reunion with my beloved wife. Little did I know that I was stepping into a world of nightmares, the infamous Baker family’s domain. Instead of a serene meetup, I found myself ensnared in their treacherous web, compelled to defend myself against them using whatever tools came my way.

2024-08-06 01:35