Portal:Speculative fiction/Selected horror work/18

Survival horror is a subgenre of video games inspired by horror fiction that focuses on survival of the character and trying to scare the player(s). Although combat can be a part of the gameplay, the player is made to feel less powerful than in typical action games, because of limited ammunition, health, speed, or other limitations. The player is also challenged to find items that unlock the path to new areas, and solve puzzles at certain locations. Games make use of strong horror themes, and the player is often challenged to navigate dark maze-like environments, and react to unexpected attacks from enemies. Adventure games were the first games that attempted to creep out the players. Roberta Williams' first game, "Mystery House", was an Agatha Christie inspired murder mystery. "Mystery House" was one of the first graphical adventure games designed. "The Count" followed a year later and then "Transylvania" came out in 1982. The term "survival horror" was first used for the original Japanese release of Resident Evil in 1996 which was influenced by earlier games with a horror theme such as 1989's Sweet Home. The name has been used since then for games with similar gameplay, and has been retroactively applied to games as old as Haunted House from 1982. Starting with the release of Resident Evil 4 in 2005, the genre began to incorporate more features from action games and more traditional first-person and third-person shooter games, which has led game journalists to question whether long-standing survival horror franchises and many recent popular horror franchises have abandoned the genre and moved into a different distinct genre often referred to as "action horror".