How Important is Atmosphere to Games?

[CannonFodder52]

Adopt a user thread on behalf of, GootecksShimmy

Atmosphere is one of the biggest selling points to me and the best way to create immersion.

Great example would be Souls/Bloodborne which fully deliver through a variety of elements this sense of dread and hopelessness for atmosphere. The world building, enemies and bosses, soundtrack, and very moody voice acting help bring these games to life to truly suck players in.

Just about any horror game does this as well. They ooze atmosphere and I would argue without the success in atmosphere you can't have a good horror game at all. You can have pieces to a good game (gameplay, story, etc) but if it doesn't come off scary and dreadful or intense then it failed it's job.

Uncharted is a great franchise but I never feel like I'm on some great Indiana Jones adventure instead I feel like I'm in a poor mans Michael Bay film.

What are some standout games that excel in atmosphere? What ones failed at it miserably? How important is atmosphere to you? Is it being marketed well enough to players and if not how do you market this key element in games?

 

[SUPGUYZ]

I think without atmosphere, STALKER would just be a broken mess

 

[Arsic]

Thanks Cannon !

The best atmospheric experience I had this year was Prey. I felt like I was on that ship, I was panicked by Mimics being anything , and was baited into the mind trip the story set up.

I'm curious what you all think.

 

[Salmone_D_Oro]

Thanks Cannon !

The best atmospheric experience I had this year was Prey. I felt like I was on that ship, I was panicked by Mimics being anything , and was baited into the mind trip the story set up.

I'm curious what you all think.

Click to shrink...

I didn't like those aliens at all except for the big guy that spawned randomly . That scared me sometimes .

 

[Lime]

Almost number one for me. I'm also a huge fan of ambient music, so atmospheric games are absolutely important to me. Using audio and visuals to create a restrained aesthetic texture for the player experience can have an incredible emotional impact.

Atmosphere and ambience are the reasons why my favorite games are the likes of Silent Hill 2, Homeworld, Mass Effect 1, Mechwarrior 2, and Dark Souls. These games are really well executed in creating a texture for my play experience that emotionally resonates with me.

In fact I would say that atmospher and mainstream Game design usually don't go that well together since it's all about marketing and capturing the player's attention immediately. Eg that narrative designers are not able to establish character motivations for the protagonist before he or she becomes a mass murderer, because marketers and publishers demand that players get to the action immoderately - see tomb raider 2013 as an example of this.

 

[middlegray]

Completely agree and I've argued for a while that atmosphere--which is a good catch-all for setting, tone, theme, and soundtrack--is the most important feature to create an emotional resonance with the player.

Being real, games rarely have great stories and even when they do, they often bumble the opportunity to tell it compellingly. When so many gamers seek "story", what they usually mean is "atmosphere."

 

[Arsic]

I didn't like those aliens at all except for the big guy that spawned randomly . That scared me sometimes .

Click to shrink...

It added to the atmosphere of a hostile environment . Anything being an enemy in the room is great . Seeing sticky notes in various scientists rooms who had long since died writing "not a mimic" on the object really sold me on it being a lived in space. The design of the ship , how areas connected and made sense, plus to see it outside from space was incredible to me. No place was safe from mimics not even the outside of the ship.

They lacked in variety and design sure , but they did add to the experience rather than say generic zombies or monsters from a survival horror game you would see.

I felt it was quite akin to Bioshock which also oozes atmosphere at every turn .

 

[Salmone_D_Oro]

It added to the atmosphere of a hostile environment . Anything being an enemy in the room is great . Seeing sticky notes in various scientists rooms who had long since died writing "not a mimic" on the object really sold me on it being a lived in space. The design of the ship , how areas connected and made sense, plus to see it outside from space was incredible to me. No place was safe from mimics not even the outside of the ship.

They lacked in variety and design sure , but they did add to the experience rather than say generic zombies or monsters from a survival horror game you would see.

I felt it was quite akin to Bioshock which also oozes atmosphere at every turn .

Click to shrink...

Mimics are a great idea . I am talking about tall aliens , i didn't specified it . They are bland .

In The Evil Within for example , random undead people were scary with those white eyes , damn .

 

[CannonFodder52]

Click to shrink...

Recently, I thought the atmosphere created via Nier Automata's beautiful but lonely world and incredible music was top notch. I had one of the most memorable experiences in my gaming history while exploring the game for the first time. Here are some of the overworld themes:
City theme
Town theme
Desert theme
Amusement park theme

My all time favourite game atmospheres would likely be, REmake, Dead Rising, Psychonauts, Silent Hill, Yakuza 2/0 and the Souls games. But yea I agree very heavily with the OP, atmosphere is one of the most important things for me in video games.

Also, I haven't played Prey yet, but I'm very excited to check it out soon. Thanks for the reminder.

 

[Deleted member 16576]

Adopt a user thread on behalf of, GootecksShimmy

Atmosphere is one of the biggest selling points to me and the best way to create immersion.

Great example would be Souls/Bloodborne which fully deliver through a variety of elements this sense of dread and hopelessness for atmosphere. The world building, enemies and bosses, soundtrack, and very moody voice acting help bring these games to life to truly suck players in.

Just about any horror game does this as well. They ooze atmosphere and I would argue without the success in atmosphere you can't have a good horror game at all. You can have pieces to a good game (gameplay, story, etc) but if it doesn't come off scary and dreadful or intense then it failed it's job.

Uncharted is a great franchise but I never feel like I'm on some great Indiana Jones adventure instead I feel like I'm in a poor mans Michael Bay film.

What are some standout games that excel in atmosphere? What ones failed at it miserably? How important is atmosphere to you? Is it being marketed well enough to players and if not how do you market this key element in games?

Click to shrink...

Uncharted 4's pirate island had incredible atmosphere! I think it's better than any of the Indiana Jones movies and I love Raiders of the Lost Ark.

On topic: I think atmosphere is really important and contributes greatly to my experience with a game. I'm much more likely to play a game to finish if I'm into the atmosphere. I loved Breath of the Wild and played a ton, in part by the atmosphere, the art, and the feel of the world. Another great example is the first Bioshock. The team nailed that game's atmosphere.

 

[KillLaCam]

A good atmosphere can make a good game amazing. I think that's the main reason I like Bloodborne so much more than dark souls

 

[Seahawk64]

Very important.
REmake, Silent HIll 1 + 2, and Alan Wake wouldn't be the same games.

 

[Arsic]

Mimics are a great idea . I am talking about tall aliens , i didn't specified it . They are bland .

In The Evil Within for example , random undead people were scary with those white eyes , damn .

Click to shrink...

I was wondering when someone would bring up Evil Within or Dead Space

The original Evil Within is my top 5 games of all time all due to its incredible atmosphere . Everything in that game had the purpose to question your sanity, take you to the brink , and downright terrify the player. Lighting use from the lamp , level design being so varied , enemies being dreadful , bosses with 11/10 suspense , fantastic use of sound , and more is why this game is a knockout .

Then you have Dead Space 1 and 2 which still hold the crown in audio use for me to build its visceral world and atmosphere. The ishimura could scare you all from sound design . I've never played anything that did this so well as these games.

 

[Pixel Grotto]

Very important, IMO. It can elevate a subpar game into something great, and a lack of it can make an otherwise decent game feel forgettable.

The Witcher 1, which is quite clunky in many ways, has superb atmosphere that becomes apparent in chapter 1, when you're exploring the Outskirts and completing little tasks for people. Running through the open fields, researching different potions for fighting Slavic creatures, looking up at the sky as peaceful yet melancholy music plays in the background... It was one of the quiet yet supremely defining moments of the series for me, and it kinda planted the seed for my appreciation of all of the other games which have also managed to pull off the "lonely monster hunter against the world" sense of atmosphere quite well.

 

[Bugy52]

Incredibly important, you have no true immersion with out great atmosphere, these are two of the biggest things for me in a great game.

 

[Aters]

All this kind of questions can be answered by: depending on the game.
To me menu based games (RPG, strategy, etc) depend less on atmosphere because the games already introduce a high degree of abstraction of real world by introducing numbers. In direct input games (ACT, shooters), atmosphere is more important because your action directly mapped to real world action so immersion is important for preventing the mapping from out of sync.

 

[Arsic]

Recently, I thought the atmosphere created via Nier Automata's beautiful but lonely world and incredible music was top notch. I had one of the most memorable experiences in my gaming history while exploring the game for the first time. Here are some of the overworld themes:
City theme
Town theme
Desert theme
Amusement park theme

My all time favourite game atmospheres would likely be, REmake, Dead Rising, Psychonauts, Silent Hill, Yakuza 2/0 and the Souls games. But yea I agree very heavily with the OP, atmosphere is one of the most important things for me in video games.

Also, I haven't played Prey yet, but I'm very excited to check it out soon. Thanks for the reminder.

Click to shrink...

Nier is a good one to bring up because it is one I would disagree with having great atmosphere .

The OST is ace and does set a similar tone to the first , but at no point in Automata did I feel I'm being drawn into this world and what it is attempting to achieve . I would even say the characters and story don't quite fit the soundtrack at play .

Its harder to explain but something like Persona 5 is another JRPG this year that sets a clear expectation to the player of what it's atmosphere is through its use of style in all manners of game elements like UI , menus , etc. I'm in Japan , there's a mystery afoot, and more to sell this in an anime kind of world and atmosphere .

Nier you claim is a lonely beautiful world , but while humans are gone we still have cyborgs and aliens afoot the whole adventure. It didn't come off hollow.

 

[nellement]

It is super important for me, one of the reasons I loved S.T.A.L.K.E.R series and Metro 1, also Dead Space 1 and 2 to name a few..oh and not forget the Bioshock 1

 

[Arsic]

All this kind of questions can be answered by: depending on the game.
To me menu based games (RPG, strategy, etc) depend less on atmosphere because the games already introduce a high degree of abstraction of real world by introducing numbers. In direct input games (ACT, shooters), atmosphere is more important because your action directly mapped to real world action so immersion is important for preventing the mapping from out of sync.

Click to shrink...

I wouldn't agree a genre as a whole can't have atmosphere. Even sports games or racing games can sell a player of being a pro athlete and being part of something more within that respective sport if done right.

RPGs can sell atmosphere better than most, and its gameplay elements or "numbers" shouldn't take away from selling you on being a part of its world to being in it. Persona 4 is a prime RPG example or Witcher 3 .

RTS even sucks players in to feel like master strategists on an epic scale where their actions will impact success. Starcraft 2 wings of liberty is one that comes to mind for me as still going after this rich sci fi atmosphere to draw a player into this big intergalactic war.

Now do those genres have a harder time than a horror or souls game to get its atmosphere across ? Yes they would but it isn't undoable if a game designer puts it in the forefront of their mind . "How do these elements we've come up with tie together to sell players on the atmosphere we are creating ? What is the goal for our atmosphere ? How do we want the player to feel at any given time ?"

 

[BossAttack]

Pretty important, it makes or breaks most games.

Mass Effect, for instance, is all about that world's atmosphere. If you don't enjoy just walking around The Citadel in Mass Effect 1, then you aren't going to like Mass Effect.

 

[jett]

Depends on the game.

Some are nothing without it, e.g. Inside.

 

[VenomousCoffee]

It's probably THE most important part of a game to me. And I don't think it's a coincidence that Mass Effect is my favorite series.

 

[Peace]

Give me a nice atmosphere and I can forgive a LOT when it comes to a game. Atmosphere is the most important thing in a game imo.

 

[ShinkuTachi]

I'd say it's pretty important, quality horror games and RPGs depend on it. An inability to create atmosphere and mood, and use them effectively, can completely make or break a game in either of the two genres, imo

 

[Kickmaster Kim]

I'd say it's pretty important, quality horror games and RPGs depend on it. An inability to create atmosphere and mood, and use them effectively, can completely make or break a game in either of the two genres, imo

Click to shrink...

You're exactly right.

 

[OminousShadow]

Really important for me, but honestly depends on the game.
I don't necessarily need every single game to be some crazy immersive experience, but when it is an important component for people to get the full experience for your game you should definitely leverage that. Especially since gaming's ability to really immerse you in the experience is one of it main strengths over other mediums.

 

[Bishop89]

In terms of ambience it's great.
But if atmosphere gets in the way of gameplay I.e press O to climb a ladder and slowly climbing it with full animation, then I don't want it.
I rather climb a ladder like I'm counter strike than taking control away from me

 

[Serenitynow]

It's half the reason Majora's Mask is the best Zelda game. Atmosphere, plus the unique groundhog day mechanic.

 

[CannonFodder52]

Nier is a good one to bring up because it is one I would disagree with having great atmosphere .

The OST is ace and does set a similar tone to the first , but at no point in Automata did I feel I'm being drawn into this world and what it is attempting to achieve . I would even say the characters and story don't quite fit the soundtrack at play .

Its harder to explain but something like Persona 5 is another JRPG this year that sets a clear expectation to the player of what it's atmosphere is through its use of style in all manners of game elements like UI , menus , etc. I'm in Japan , there's a mystery afoot, and more to sell this in an anime kind of world and atmosphere .

Nier you claim is a lonely beautiful world , but while humans are gone we still have cyborgs and aliens afoot the whole adventure. It didn't come off hollow.

Click to shrink...

I'm going to try and explain why I found it to be hollow, lonely etc. I'm assuming you have finished it so there are some heavy spoilers in my response.
Also, I'm aware that Nier didn't strike a cord with a good portion of it's players. It seems very hit and miss.

Edit: Yea, Persona 5 has incredible vibe and atmosphere. Good mention.

Spoiler: Nier Spoilers

Everyone is dead, there are no humans left. It's an empty word, empty of it's previous inhabitants, containing only the ruins of their cities and homes.

The aliens are long dead.

For a decent chunk in the first playthorugh you lose your companion and are stuck progressing on your own. Most players will lose trust in Yorha very quickly thus leaving you feeling isolated. In the third play-through, you are exclusively on your own.

The robots are attempting to imitate mankind, but it feels hollow, a failed attempt at humanity that makes it even more sad and lonely.-

Emil is on his own, his companions from the first game are dead. He's the last of his friends in this world.

I'd would agree that there is a minor theme of co-operation and companionship sprinkled into the game, it definitely comes up at the end that to break the cycle you need the help of others.

Edit, it feels like the amount of living things in the game shrinks as you start unravelling the plot. First you are sent in to find the aliens, yet they quickly turn out to be long dead. Then you discover mankind has also left this world. Later that mankind is entirely dead. You discover that Yorha is not exactly benevolent. This all leaves you very alone in the world, especially without a companion later in the game.

 

[Aters]

I wouldn't agree a genre as a whole can't have atmosphere. Even sports games or racing games can sell a player of being a pro athlete and being part of something more within that respective sport if done right.

RPGs can sell atmosphere better than most, and its gameplay elements or "numbers" shouldn't take away from selling you on being a part of its world to being in it. Persona 4 is a prime RPG example or Witcher 3 .

RTS even sucks players in to feel like master strategists on an epic scale where their actions will impact success. Starcraft 2 wings of liberty is one that comes to mind for me as still going after this rich sci fi atmosphere to draw a player into this big intergalactic war.

Now do those genres have a harder time than a horror or souls game to get its atmosphere across ? Yes they would but it isn't undoable if a game designer puts it in the forefront of their mind . "How do these elements we've come up with tie together to sell players on the atmosphere we are creating ? What is the goal for our atmosphere ? How do we want the player to feel at any given time ?"

Click to shrink...

No not really. I perceived Persona 4's world as a highly abstracted model consisting of numbers (stats, days left, bonding points, etc). It's for the best because otherwise I would be pissed to have the protagonist dating girls when his friend got stuck in the TV. What kind of atmosphere is that? The Witcher 3 relies on atmosphere more because it uses direct input and it's an open world game which means every object and action in the game world has a 1:1 mapping to the real world.

 

[Darth Finky Spunky]

Makes or breaks a game for me.

 

[KomandaHeck]

There is a notable correlation between effectively atmospheric games and some of my favourite games ever.

My love for Witcher 3 is largely due to how the atmosphere is balanced between the different locations. Just when the oppressive reality of Velen starts to become a bit too much, you move on to Novigrad where the tone becomes lighter. Those two plus Skellige and Toussaint all capture a particular vibe extremely well.

 

[Deleted member 19924]

-

 

[The Praiseworthy]

It's one of the basic pillars the games stands on.

It can sells games to me.... and it can make games one of my favorites of all time, and it can make the experience so memorable.

Just look at Resident Evil Remake or the classic PS1 Tomb Raider games or the Final Fantays PS1 era games witg pre rendered backgrounds..... these were all memorable partly because of the atmosphere.

 

[Mashing]

It is an absolutely necessity for me. It's no wonder that all my favorite games just ooze atmosphere and immersion.

 

[katastrophic88]

It's critically important. It's impossible to get immersed in a game without the proper atmosphere, and that includes visual aesthetic, sound, story pacing, and a bunch of other things. Outlast just wouldn't work if it were set in Super Mario Odyssey's world and adopted that look and feel. It would be bizarre to be sure, but all the effects the game is going for would be completely lost. Games like FNAF and Bendy and the Ink Machine work as horror games because of the atmosphere they set up for it--it works around the kid-like nature of animatronics and cartoons.

 

[XrossExam]

The Souls games really made me appreciate atmosphere and level design to a greater degree. They as games just have a sense of cohesiveness, mystery and awe that most games lack in today's times.

 

[supernormal]

It's the biggest draw for me in any game. I honestly prefer games that narrow their scope in exchange of painstakingly crafted environments, and sound that design that creates an amazing atmosphere. I still remember those pre-rendered backgrounds from the RE series 20 years later. Games like LIMBO, INSIDE, PT, and very recently RUINER and Little Nightmares are small-scale games that are carefully crafted to deliver on this. Even something like THUMPER just sucks you in with its atmosphere.

 

[PaulloDEC]

Paramount. Atmosphere is what makes certain games unforgettable, for me.

 

[Deleted member 10611]

This will definitely vary from person to person, but looking back on what I'd consider my most memorable gaming experiences... the things that come together to create what we normally refer to as "atmosphere" in games are what stand out to me the most. Metroid Prime, for example. From the music that plays in each environment, to the creatures that inhabit it, and down to the intricately detailed information provided by the scan log that breathes life into the world, all come together cohesively as something truly atmospheric. It's no longer just a level in a game, but a place you're inhabiting. No matter how many times I replay Prime, no matter how many times I retrace my steps over routes I've covered dozens of times before, I still feel myself get lost in Tallon IV. That's atmospheric, and that's what makes it so damn special.

 

[Melchiah]

It's probably the most important thing for me, which can make me look past the shortcomings of the story, like in The Vanishing of Ethan Carter. It can even compensate for shortcomings in gameplay and combat, like it was with Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice. The atmosphere is what draws me into the game, keeps me playing, and sometimes makes me want to try something new. Bloodborne would be a good example of the latter.

 

[schatuk]

Probably the single most important factor when playing a story based game.

A good atmosphere can transcend the mechanics and gameplay loop entirely, making an otherwise average game into a great one. The obvious recent example for me is Mafia 3, which mechanically is sound but suffers from excessive repetition. Now because it was such a pleasure moving around in that world and experiencing the atmosphere the repetitive busywork is far less of an issue

 

[PreacherOfHell]

I think that the right atmosphere is what makes a good experience turn into a GREAT one.

For example, PT (Silent Hills teaser) has that creepy atmosphere that just completely sucks you into the game. I literally felt ill after playing and feeling completely lost and constantly watched.

Other game that stands out to me is Shenmue. I was completely blown away when Yu Suzuki compared the atmosphere of the game to the smell of rain. It was exactly what I used to describe Yokosuka to my friends.

 

[Blackbird]

Obligatory RE7 post.

REmake still is the king, but i can't remember any game even coming close to that sense of dread, with oppressive yet beautiful environments and atmospheric atention to detail like Resi 7:

 

[Alexander DeLarge]

I think it's the biggest thing missing from a lot of open world games.

 

[the lizard]

I mean...you already covered Bloodborne in the OP. And that's the best example I can think of.

More recently, though, Cuphead is pretty darn atmospheric. The thing just oozes atmosphere.

 

[GamingEnthusiast]

Very important.
REmake, Silent HIll 1 + 2, and Alan Wake wouldn't be the same games.

Click to shrink...

I second this. Silent Hill depends on atmosphere more than any other game that I can think of.

 

[Palculator]

I'd say it's the most important thing. I've certainly overlooked some severe flaws in games because I liked soaking in their atmosphere — see the S.T.A.L.K.E.R. series mentioned above. It's just such a broad and hard-to-define term that it's difficult to pinpoint exactly how it contributes to the overall experience.

 

[Aerogamer]

Very, very important. Great atmosphere really enhances a game. Bioshock was crazy good at this.

 

[signal]

It seems like when people talk about atmosphere in games they are talking about the overall mood the game gives off when one takes into account literally everything about the game, so I don't think any answer besides "vital" fits.