Jump scares in video games are most effective when the playerleast excepts them. Games likeDead SpaceandResident Evilhave perfected their craft at immersing you in their environments so well, that players all but expect to have theirpants scared offat any given moment.
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Over the generations, horror game developers have experimented and refined what it means to build and execute the ultimate jump scares that’ll have fans literally screaming for more. The best jump scares leave a lasting impression and more often than not,it isn’t pleasant.
10Krypt Monster
Sure, theMortal Kombatseries is the granddaddy of all thingsvisceral and gruesome, butMortal Kombat 11fromNetherRealmStudios is home to one of thejumpiest of scaresin the modern era. In theKrypt modeof MK11, you eventually obtain a blindfold that, once equipped, allows you to enter aspirit realm.
Once the blindfold is on, however, the world becomes dark and the idea is you are using your other senses to barely make out the faint outlines of objects about 2 feet in front of your character. As if thedecreased visibilityand thedeafening environment soundsweren’t enough, each time you put on the blindfold a ghastlyzombie-like creaturelunges out tograb you at random.
9Fatal Frame Broken Neck Lady
On the topic ofghosts and spooky apparitions, enter theBroken Neck Lady, also known in the Japanese version asKubi ga Oreta Onna no Rei, fromFatal Frame. You first encounter Kubi at theMinakami Cemeteryon the bridge just before you enter the building. At first glance, the bridge appears to be empty and safe.
However, equip yourCamera Obscureand the Broken Neck Lady hastily enters the frame, and you get a full look at the damage she caused herself when shejumped offthe top of a building.
8Batman Arkham Knight Man-Bat
Sometimes the best jump scares come from the most unlikely of places.Batman Arkham KnightfromRocksteady Studiosis a brilliant game worth your time, but there is a tiny bat problem over onMiagani Islandthat is worth your investigation time.
The Arkham KnightMan-Batjump scare can be initiated onceBatmanreaches the very top of the building in the middle of the island. Man-Bat, a massivehideous mutated bat, crash lands on the roof above, screeches at you bloody murder, takes a meaty swipe at you, and flies off into the night.
7Alien Isolation Alien
Maintaining a consent level ofhigh tensionis no easy feat for a video game but developers over atCreative Assemblyreally knew what they were going for when they madeAlien Isolation. Jump scares in survival horror games are ascommon as tap waterbut what set Alien Isolation apart is the jump scares feel organic and apart from the overall gameplay loop, rather than a single scripted event.
You play as Amanda Ripley as you attempt to escape a derelict spaceship all the whilecreeping silentlyaround enemies and narrowly avoiding thebloodthirsty Alien. The scariest part of this game is that youcannot kill the Alien, so you are forced to avoid contact at all costs or thegame is over.
6P.T. Lisa
Konami, the developers of the massively successfulSilent Hillseries, flexes their horror game chops with their 2014-releasedPlayable Teaser, also dubbedP.T.Lisa, the demos antagonist andgruesomely jittery apparition, that relentlessly haunts you throughout your short playthrough.
Lisa is anightmare creaturewho can be heard sobbing incessantly as you progress through the demo. The constant crying through your speakers scrambles your thought process making it very likely you will eventually get to meet Lisa,up close and personal.
5F.E.A.R. Alma
Alma Wade, the main antagonist of theF.E.A.R.series by Monolith Productions, ishorror incarnate, and she spends multiple games reminding you of howpissed off she is. Alma, an immenselypowerful Psychic, is on a mission to destroy those who conducted horrific experiments on her because of her powers, all in the name of theall-mighty dollar.
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While we understand why Alma is my have slight negative opinions about theArmacham Technology Corporation,sneaking up on people from behind is child play, and not in a fun way. In the first F.E.A.R. game, Alma suddenly appears from behind you while you are merely climbing down a ladder. This jump scare is iconic because it happens at such a random time and the fact that Alma looks like a young child adds an indescribable amount ofcreep factorto the event.
4Condemned Locker Man
The brilliantlyhorrific mindsover atMonolith Productionsstrike again with their hair-raising jump scare in their 2005 game,Condemned Criminal Origins. This jump scare comes after you leave the gymnasium and engage in combat with 4 addicts. After the fight, you are instructed to use your UV scan to follow a trail of blood to a series of closed lockers.
The game instructs you to open a locker after scanning it and upon opening it you find alifeless body of a man. You are tasked with taking a picture of the body and upon doing so the corpse reaches out for you and thus beings the years of coping therapy to expel theterrifying imagefrom your core memory.
3Resident Evil Interrogation Room
Resident Evilenemies are, more often than not, apain in the neckto deal with and soak up a metric ton of ammunition. Often, it is better toavoid confrontationand zip past most of the lower to mid-tier baddies à la, a botchedDark Soulscorpse run.Sometimes, Capcom’s developers thrust you intopure concentrated terrorin the form of pairing a jump scare with a boss fight.
The licker scene in the interrogation room inResident Evil 2will shake you to your very core because most of the lower areas of theRaccoon CityPolice station seem barren as if not much zombie activity was going on.Resident Evil 2 Remakeputs a fresh new coat of paint on the original game and this scene, although heart-stopping for some, gets you just as good as it got you the first time.
If you think about it, when a game’s music starts to swell, the violin section starts wailing, and the strobe light effects are in full swing,Dead Spacemight be hinting that something’s probably about to make you soil your jammies. Dead Space Necromorphs alone will have you running for the hills in fear, but this first Necromorph jump scare one that will leave your entire body ice-cold.
The ship is infull lockdown modeand everything that is alive on it wants you dead. This is madeterrifyingly clearonce you see your firstNecromorphlunge at you only for it to be immediately eviscerated by the might of theUSG Ishimura’sElevator doors.
1Resident Evil Zombie Dogs
The jump scare that started them all takes the top spot on this list because of the impact it had on how developers createdeffective and immersive horrorwith the technology available to them at the time. This jump scare comes early on in the game when you are just exploring the massive Mansion, in theL-shaped corridorthat’s brightly lit and offers absolutely no indication that something terrifying is about to take place.
Simply walk forward to trigger the event, and get ready to beat feet in the opposite direction to come up with a plan for dealing with thezombie doggos. Fast-forward a few generations and Capcom is still reminding the industry why it remains thetop doginsurvival horror jump scares.
