Is AAA Horror Getting Too Comfortable? | Summer Game Fest 2025
Horror is in the midst of a renaissance. From celebrated returns to form for heavy-hitting franchises to innovations in the indie scene, we’ve seen killer experiences that keep horror alluring. Whether it’s inspiration from the nuanced films we’ve seen in the genre, or simply a reflection of the state of the world, horror continues to draw intrigue and push the boundaries of how gameplay and storytelling can intertwine. Why? Well, horror doesn’t have rules.
Summer Game Fest offered an interesting dichotomy between the established pillar franchises and the newer, scrappier indie kids on the block. The bigger studios, while delivering beloved entires in staple franchises, seems to be sticking to the safer side. Meanwhile, indies are taking the ball and running with it. It begged the question, are we at a point where the pillar franchises are now being creatively surpassed by the games they’ve inspired?
Capcom was kind enough to invite Six One Indie into a behind-closed-doors presentation for Resident Evil: Requiem. Resident Evil, for all its highs and lows, has always been one of my favorite franchises in games. So I was genuinely excited to not only be in the room for the reveal, but to learn more about what Capcom is cooking for the big 30th anniversary. What we saw was pretty damn promising, but familiarity of it all only fed into the aforementioned question.
Stepping into the shoes of Grace Ashcroft as she crept around the eerie-yet-familiar hotel (despite the reports, I’m still convinced it’s R.C.P.D) sent chills down my spine. The dread-inducing quiver in her breath, the dimly lit walls illuminated only by the faintest flicker of a lighter, the classic missing fuse with its solution surely deeper in the abyss. It all of it screamed classic Resident Evil. The experience culminated in a roaring climax, a Mr. X-like chase from a tall, deformed creature with giant hands and even bigger teeth. The moment left the room in shock and awe.
Leaving the presentation, Kyle and I locked eyes. I simply said, “We’re so back.” That feeling has stayed with me nearly a week later, and I’m still intrigued by the theme of addictive fear and how Grace will overcome it throughout her journey. But there’s a gnawing thought in the back of my mind: compared to what’s happening in the indie scene… is it enough?
I think about 2024 alone. Mouthwashing redefined how narrative and horror interact. Crow Country was an unabashed love letter to retro Resident Evil, but with an elevated grunge-horror take that injected authenticity with modern sensibilities. Fear The Spotlight was another tribute to the beloved franchise, but it swung for the fences with a unique twist to both gameplay and story that left a lasting impression.
“Swinging for the fences” seems to be a running theme with the studios that publisher Blumhouse Games has partnered with. That trend held strong in what I played a mere 24 hours before the Resident Evil: Requiem presentation.
Blumhouse brought two completely unique takes on horror to Play Days: Grave Seasons, a totally normal farming sim where absolutely nothing bad or scary happens at all, and Crisol: Theater of Idols. I was already familiar with Crisol before its Blumhouse partnership, but I wasn’t entirely sure of its direction in those early glimpses. It had been pitched to me as a survival horror take on BioShock, and to my surprise, it’s so much more than that.
The demo drops you into the dark, yet lush Hispania, a twisted version of Spain. What immediately stands out is the set dressing. The architecture, the puppet enemies spewed about, the shops; all of it oozes with Spanish roots, teleporting you into a gnarly, beautiful nightmare. There’s a vibrancy here, a proud cultural authenticity that only enhances immersion.
The BioShock vibes are apparent from the start. Each step carries weight. Raising my pistol and firing at the first decrepit puppet only reinforced the feeling. But then the direct comparison changed as I encountered a morbid mechanic I’ve never seen in a first-person shooter: there are no bullets. Your ammunition is your blood. You sacrifice health to fight and live another day. It’s a mechanic that not only reinforces the weight of combat and movement, making every moment matter, but also enhances the world design. It demands exploration. Players are asked to methodically soak in Hispania, looking for corpses to drain or mermaid syringes to collect as a last resort.
I settled into the satisfying rhythm of methodical exploration and gunning down monstrous puppets in search of escape… until I met Dolores.
Dolores is the Mr. X of Crisol: Theater of Idols. She’s a tall, horrifying amalgamation of metal, with long, weighty strides and a voice reminiscent of our current Secretary of Health and Human Services. This is where Crisol takes a hard, but welcome left turn from a somewhat straightforward FPS with a unique mechanic to a dreadful, panic-fueled game of cat and mouse. Stealth is your friend, but Hispania is not. The goal is to sneak, evade, and trigger gates to escape, but enemies lurk around every corner. Every quick step and blood sacrifice draws Dolores closer. It’s another fantastic reason to take in the sights is to remember your landmarks, as Dolores will not wait for you to find a safe window to climb into.
This is when the dichotomy between inspiration and new blood really hit me. Dolores chasing me down felt like the first time I was hunted by Mr. X all over again. It was both refreshing and dreadful, even if the mechanic feels overused in 2025. The blend of weighty exploration, stealth, and blood-based mechanics creates a recipe that truly reignites a sense of panic where the big bad monster is nipping at your heels. Watching the Resident Evil: Requiem presentation didn’t hit that same note. Granted, it’s a hands-off presentation versus hands-on demo, but I can’t help but feel like Requiem is running the same ol’ playbook.
So, back to the original question: is it enough?
Honestly? It probably is; at least for now. Resident Evil fans know what we want: more Resident Evil. And I’m all for it! It is my most anticipated AAA games coming next year and I cannot wait to learn more about post-nuke Raccoon City all these years later. That said, at least for the moment, it seems like we know what I’m getting into in terms of the core gameplay and mechanics. Does the aforementioned “swing” come with the rumored open world? Maybe! Regardless, even as the heavy hitters tend to lean toward the safer side, experiences like Crisol: Theater of Idols give me hope that the major horror studios are paying attention to the indie scene and maybe taking a few notes for future pillar entries. I’m looking at you, Silent Hill f.
Blumhouse as a whole, of course, isn’t exactly traditional indie. There is an alternate timeline where Blumhouse Games is annualized Purge first-person shooters and M3GAN battle royales, but they continue to surprise with thoughtful investments into the indie scene. They understand what the future of horror looks like, by partnering with indie studios that intrinsically understand the roots of the genre and have what it takes to push it into the future.