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On this page
  • Characteristics
  • Game Loops
  • Variations of Horror
  • Learn to Create It
  • Make it More Interesting
  • Useful Logic
  • Template & Tutorial Videos
  • How to Make Walls Appear & Disappear
  • Light Up Areas with a Torch
  • Roaming Entity Mechanic
  • Slowly Die in Toxic Cloud
  • Pick Up and Read Documents
  • Combination Lock
  • Custom Death Scene

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Horror / Backrooms

PreviousTower DefenseNextSolo Platforming

Last updated 6 months ago

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Copyright Β©The Sandbox. All Rights Reserved.

Horror games revolve around a tense, creepy, and/or horrifying atmosphere. Prepare for jump scares!

Backrooms games are a type of horror game that come from the creepypasta story which consists of an infinite maze of a windowless office painted in yellow in which unseen creatures can be found.

Characteristics

Escape!

Find a way to get out... if you can survive.

HIGH ALERT TENSION

🎨 Immersive art & light

✨ Camera, VFX & sound

EXPLORE & SURVIVE

πŸ₯ͺ Find simple resources

  • health

  • hunger Rules preset

πŸ›‘οΈ Evade enemies hunting

PROBLEM SOLVE

πŸ” Find clues to unfold a mysterious narrative

🧩 Solve puzzles to escape

Keys of Success

  • Everyone Can Play - Explore the space, solve puzzles

  • Immersive - Revolves around generating fear and tension

  • Play for Long - Endless replay value through random mazes, monster AI, cooperative play, etc.

NEED TO HAVE

  • Mood: sound, light, VFX, scenery, and enemies to put players on edge

  • Narrative mystery/puzzle to unfold

  • Survival equipment & consumables

NICE TO HAVE

  • Jump scares timed when players feel relatively safe or distracted

  • Finding physical evidence that unravels the narrative (audio, documents, etc)

Game Loops

Below is a general game loop diagram for this genre. Your game's loops may vary.

Variations of Horror

Survival Horror: Emphasis on survival, limited resources, and atmospheric tension.

Psychological Horror: Focuses on psychological fear and mind-bending scenarios (e.g, Backrooms)

Action Horror: Blends horror elements with fast-paced action and combat.

Learn to Create It

GAME MAKER TEMPLATE

LOGIC TO EXPLORE

  • Hunger

  • Consumables/effects

  • Life meter on HUD

  • Object interactions

Make it More Interesting

Consider ways to add to or change the core structure of this game type to challenge and motivate players differently.

MAIN OBJECTIVE

⚰️ Kill count

🐣 Find easter eggs

RAMP OF DIFFICULTY

🧠 Sanity metric

⏳ Time limited actions 🍏 Resource scarcity

CORE DECISIONS

🚫 Using a resource may block branching options

🧩 Simple ciphers, codes

PRACTICE: Modify The Backrooms template to increase the fun:

  • Intuitive health (e.g., camera changes instead of a life meter)

  • Enemy sound: proximity

  • Dynamic audio

  • Random events

Useful Logic

  • Weather Switcher

  • Visual FX

  • Play Sound

Template & Tutorial Videos

Open the Game Maker Backrooms Template for logic included in the tutorials below.

View Backrooms Game Jam entries in the Game Maker Gallery for examples of this genre.

How to Make Walls Appear & Disappear

Light Up Areas with a Torch

Roaming Entity Mechanic

Slowly Die in Toxic Cloud

Pick Up and Read Documents

Combination Lock

Custom Death Scene

s

Post Process Camera Effects and

Backrooms game genre
Horror/Backrooms
Camera perspective settings
Ambient music