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There’s something endearing about survival horror games. Since the days of the Nintendo GameCube, I’ve really come to appreciate the haunting quality of the genre. Scary movies are great, but there’s something about survival horror that can make for a much more frightening experience. Maybe it’s the fact that our choices can play a role in whether the character lives or dies, or maybe it’s the fact that a truly great survival horror title immerses you in the experience. Playing no small role in that immersion is a solid, haunting soundtrack. For this week’s track, we’ve selected the Guardhouse 1 music from Resident Evil on Nintendo GameCube! Take a listen!
Few other video game franchises have managed to channel fear like Resident Evil. While the games have certainly had some goofy moments, I’ve always found that the series is at its best when things are taken seriously. The Resident Evil remake on Nintendo GameCube is the first game that really showed me that games could mimic, and in some cases surpass, what a good horror film can do. When the game released in 2002, I had already played a couple of survival horror games like Dino Crisis on the original Playstation. I enjoyed that particular title, but it simply could not prepare me for what to expect from Resident Evil. The Playstation original was filled with cheesy acting and terrible dialogue, but the GameCube version approached the concept with a deadly seriousness, and the genre as a whole benefited.
Of course, the music contributed greatly to the success of the Resident Evil franchise, and the GameCube remake in particular. Guardhouse 1 is just one example, but there’s something beautiful about the way that the music fills you with dread. A few months ago, we featured the game’s Save Room music in a Track of the Week. That particular song is notable in that it’s the only song in the game that can make players feel relieved when it starts playing. Guardhouse 1 is almost the complete opposite. The track starts out soft, almost pretty, before a sense of fear quickly starts to creep in. There is no feeling of safety, only the knowledge that something horrible could be lurking around a corner. And I, for one, love that.
Are you playing any horror games as Halloween approaches? Let us know what games scare you in the comments below!
