The past year has been a great one for horror games, with one particular type of survival horror game becoming very prevalent. 2024 was host to no less than 5 highly anticipated indie survival horror titles with a PS1-style aesthetic and atmosphere, among which Jordan Mochi’sConscriptwas one of the more talked-about. A World War I-set survival horror game with some obvious retro influences and a pixel art visual style,Conscriptended up being one of the few survival horror titles this year to place as much emphasis on its story as its gameplay. It’s the intersection of these two elements that seesConscriptwear its classic survival horror influences on its sleeve.
While not the first game in the genre,Resident Evilis survival horror’s mainstream breakthrough as well as where the genre got its name. Not long after the release ofResident EvilasBioHazardin Japan,Keiichiro Toyama would begin work onSilent Hill, leading to both franchises being synonymous with laying the foundations of the survival horror genre. As a retro-style horror game that pays homage to the 5th-generation classics in the genre,Conscript’s gameplay might adhere to theResident Evilschool of thought, but its story and emphasis on psychological horror are pureSilent Hill.
Conscript’s Gameplay Borrows Heavily From the Original Resident Evil Trilogy
When it comes toConscript’s gameplay, the influence of theoriginal threeResident Evilgameson PS1 is front and center. Players control the game’s protagonist, André, from a fixed overhead third-person perspective, navigating maze-like maps to solve puzzles and eliminate enemies. Of course, inventory management and careful allocation of limited resources factor heavily intoConscript’s core gameplay loop, as does collecting various items and clues to solve the game’s head-scratching puzzles. One area whereConscripteven goes above and beyondResident Evilis with its randomization of numbers used for combination locks, meaning players can’t rely on online walkthroughs or previous playthroughs to devise solutions.
Combat and traversal are especially similar to the 5th-generationResident Evilgames, with movement being somewhat sluggish and cumbersome as an intentional design decision. Players have to juggle a continually dwindling stamina meter and only have a single defensive maneuver in the form of a combat roll, making positioning and aiming crucial. Combined with limited ammunition and a wide variety of firearms that all operate differently,Conscript’s moment-to-moment gameplay will feel right at home to fans of theclassicResident Evilgames.
How Conscript’s Narrative Elements Pivot Its Survival Horror Influences
With its narrative, though,Conscriptflips the script from itsResident Evilgameplay influence to clearly owe a debt of gratitude toSilent Hill.Conscriptutilizespsychological horrorto continually unnerve players and lay bare the real-world horrors of the First World War. There are no supernatural elements to speak of inConscript. Instead, the game examines the human cost of war and the psychological effect it has on those fortunate enough to survive while surrounded by so much death.
In a clever twist on the standard survival horror gameplay loop,Conscripteven goes so far as to cause players to question their actions in the game. Killing enemies and looting their bodies is standard practice forthe survival horror genre, where constant acquisition of resources is necessary for pushing forward. Except in the case ofConscript, players will increasingly pick up photos from the German soldiers they take out as the game progresses, reiterating the fact that the enemies players dispatch aren’t just faceless goons but instead humans with lives and families.Conscriptupends player expectations by balancing how the game plays, and the story it tells, between two competing classic survival horror influences.
