.Keys: Using locational based save system removing player possibility to save anywhere, just like Alien: Isolation.
MarkoH01: That's a positive thing?
It is, yes, in the survival horror genre.
By survival horror genre I mean
True Survival Horror, not
Action Horror (action games with horror themes/elements).
What began as a "everybody does this currently on the market" back then when games of many genres used to allow only a couple of saves, or no saves at all, and also because of technological limitations, later became a main mechanic to the survival horror genre with classics such as Resident Evil.
You see, the objective of limited saves on survival horrors is to heavily punish players for not planing their gameplay or playing recklessly.
Allied with the tense atmosphere, limited means of combat and few items or means of survival, limited save spots or save locations add to the tension at the back of your mind, creating tension and restlessness, thus, accomplishing the purpose of a survival horror: Creating in you, the player, the fear of loss, because what you lose is really important mechanically, that is, progress.
Common mechanics/design choices found in true survival horrors are:
»
Limited inventory space, making each item you carry important, thus clever inventory management is survival;
»
Difficult combat, or no combat at all, as means of making each encounter a decision on its own: 'Should I fight this enemy or just run away?', 'Will I have enough ammo against it?', 'What if I encounter a stronger enemy next room?'
»
Limited saves or saves only on specific spots of the map, normally a small open world with free traversal forward and back, therefore, making each save a decision on its own too: 'Should I save now with my current equipment and life, or try again from the last save?', 'What if I risk creating a hard time for myself in this room or making X puzzle more difficult to solve because of the lack of Y item?'
»
Puzzles with solutions based on map exploration, items scattered across the map, enemy positioning understanding and backtracking, creating the necessity of map memorization, note taking, out of the box thinking, and essentially enemy encounter management, as through backtracking you will probably fight the same enemies, or not, many times.
»
Heavy atmosphere focused gameplay with audio and visual design storytelling more than straight up telling the player the whole plot or lore, giving the player the urge to explore new map routes, find and read notes, pay close attention to story bits and environment awareness.
Some examples of known Survival Horrors games:
Silent Hill 1, 2, 3
Alone in the Dark
Resident Evil 1, 2
Dino Crysis 1
Penumbra 1, 2, 3
Amnesia 1, 2, The Bunker
Alien: Isolation
Tormented Souls
...and many classics and many new games, as it seems many indie devs are creating great gems of the genre nowadays again, essentially making the genre survive :P.
Some examples of known Action Horror games:
Doom series
Parasite Eve
Dino Crysis 2
Resident Evil 3, 4
Alan Wake
Dead Space 1, 2, 3
FEAR 1, 2, 3
Evil Within 1, 2
