Survival Horror Game Franchises That Were Killed Off Too Quickly

Key Takeaways

• Kuon is a rare gem inspired by Japanese folklore, combining fixed angles with spell casting.
• Dino Crisis, created by Shinji Mikami, influenced horror games with its unique panic system.
• Manhunt raised controversy with its snuff film theme, leaving fans curious about a modern version.

Now that the gaming world is experiencing something of a renaissance in the horror genre, it’s worth looking back at all the great franchises that came before. Several series with great potential faded too soon, and fans still wonder what could have been if they still existed in the present day.

Now that the gaming world is experiencing something of a renaissance in the horror genre, it’s worth looking back at all the great franchises that came before. Several series with great potential faded too soon, and fans still wonder what could have been if they still existed in the present day.

7 Kuon

Heian Horror

Developed by FromSoftware (the company that delivers epics like Dark Souls and Elden Ring), Kuon is a fascinating PS2 game. Inspired by traditional Japanese folklore and horror literature, it is set in the past and filled to the brim with cultural specificity.

Using fixed angle perspectives like the Resident Evil games, players use hand gestures to cast spells to ward off supernatural creatures (an awful lot like Ghostwire Tokyo) as they make their way through the story. The narrative comprises three separate campaigns that tell a compelling, tragic story around an ancient Japanese manor. It’s a little derivative, but a lot of fun, and has become one of the most valuable rare PS2 items in existence.

6 Dino Crisis

Horrors From The Past

From the mind of Shinji Mikami, the creator of the Resident Evil franchise, Dino Crisis was released on the PS1 in 1999 and has cemented itself as a cult classic ever since. Its campy sense of humor made it feel like a horror B-movie writ large on screen. Recently, the game has re-emerged on the PS5 (though its port is somewhat frustrating).

Yet, despite its self-evidently goofy premise of fighting dinosaurs in a research lab, the game had an innovative panic and quick turn system that would influence horror games to come. Despite a couple of sequels, Dino Crisis never got the time to develop into something special in the modern era.

5 Manhunt

Snuff Out The Light

Released by Rockstar North in 2003, Manhunt was controversial before it was even released. The game follows an convict who wakes up as an unwitting participant in a series of snuff films which, understandably, get very violent, very quickly.

Known for the brutal violence that got it banned in countries like Germany and New Zealand, Manhunt‘s snuff film aesthetic was genuinely innovative if not disturbing. It’s hard not to wonder what a modern version of Manhunt might do to push the horror genre of games into more uncomfortable places.

4 Clock Tower

Don’t Run With Scissors

When it comes to classics in horror gaming, it’s hard to think of anything more important than Clock Tower. Though outdated by modern standards, Clock Tower is important for innovating many horror mainstays. For example, players are unable to defeat the monster, and can only hide from them instead.

Despite a couple of sequels, some of which are the scariest games on their respective platforms, it never became a long-lasting franchise like the games it inspired. However, a new remaster of the original game in Clock Tower: Rewind is on the way soon. Maybe there’s time for Clock Tower to regain its rightful place as one of the founders of horror gaming.

3 Forbidden Siren

Sightjack Your Way Out

Released in 2006 on the PS2, Forbidden Siren 2 is the brain child of Sony’s Japan Studio (responsible for other classics like Ico and Shadow of the Colossus). The game effectively condensed the aesthetics and tropes of J-horror into a masterful survival horror game that was the purest evocation of supernatural horror found on the console.

Yet, despite its critical acclaim and dedicated fanbase, Forbidden Siren 2 never found much of an international audience (probably because it didn’t have much of an international release at all). Ot has become an abandoned franchise in the meantime, which is such a shame. It was a masterful title, so it’s hard not to wonder what could have been if another entry emerged in the present day.

2 Eternal Darkness

Sustain The Sanity

Eternal Darkness, released in 2002, has enjoyed something of a popular renaissance lately. In the years since its release, it has become clear just influential its core mechanics were in the meantime, particularly the innovation of the sanity meter.

Its story is more than a little befuddling and its scares don’t hold up brilliantly. However, was clearly made with innovation in mind, and holds up very well for a 2002 game. It’s hard not to wonder what more innovations could have been discovered if it had turned into a longer lasting franchise.

1 Fatal Frame 2

Picture The Demise

Though the Fatal Frame franchise has its fans and has a litany of great entries, it still has nowhere near the respect or adoration it deserves, considering that Fatal Frame 2 has a claim as one of the best horror games ever made. Yet, it has languished in recent years and been forgotten.

Which is a shame, because its innovative camera mechanic of capturing ghosts and intense atmosphere can be seen clearly in games like Outlast, Phasmophobia, and Resident Evil 7. Yet, the Fatal Frame franchise hasn’t enjoyed a new entry since 2014, and there don’t seem to be plans for a new entry any time soon. Fatal Frame was killed off far too soon, and deserves another entry to show what a masterful job can be done with a simple but effective camera premise.