He is correct, it goes without saying that disturbing is worse than scary, and it's more difficult to achieve.
Horror is ok when something can scare you, but it's far, far better when a setting can create an unnerving desire for the removal of the absence of any tangible threat. We fear that which we imagine might be lurking in the dark more than what is actually out there. In an odd way, actually having something known to be out there is less scary because it's something concrete to face or avoid. Until the unknown reveals something only God knows wtf is out there and that is what really terrifies people because their mind begins to fill it with things worse than reality ever could.
It's why being in the pitch black in an open field or forest makes you seek out some civilization or just illumination even if you live somewhere where you know nothing wild can hurt you. It's why stillness in such situations, or a gently or moderate yet infrequent wind can be scary while being in a severe wind or downpour at least gives you the sense that lively weather is keeping you company. Or while in the calm you hair one breaking twig or crushed leaf and nothing while a bunch is reassuring, because you at least have a location and course on what is out there stepping on them.
It's for this reason that Catastrophizing with depression and anxiety, or the constant threat of imminent death during the long drawn out boredom of war fuck with people. They are filling the future with what they worry is the worst that might befall them.
Gameplay decline is gameplay decline though, and none of you deny it, only justify it with atmosfag and storyfag-biased responses.
Yeah atmosfag and storyfag. This is one of very few games with shit gameplay I can keep replaying for those reasons. I thought it was common knowledge that Silent Hill is to be enjoyed for these things specifically and I didn't even realise that someone could possibly like them for gameplay until you came along. Maybe you'll even become the only person here who thinks SH3 is better than 2? Would be interesting.
I think a game like SH1 would be ruined by better combat. How bad it is produces a sense of desperation that reminds me of the Grizzly Man guys death. All he had within reach to attack the bear with was a frying pan and he bashed it as hard as he could knowing it wasn't doing much but still doing it because it was all he could do as the bear ate him alive.
You improve the combat or remove it and you give the player safe spaces to mentally hide in, which is one thing I didn't like playing Amensia. I couldn't fight back, so I mentally unchecked that from my mind instead of having it fuck with me. "Should I attack now? Will it be good enough? Will I be making a mistake if I do? I'm sick of hiding, I want to fight back!"
This is why recon aircraft aren't armed with weapons. If you give a pilot something to defend himself with they will try to use it. They US Air Forced messed with such shit in WWII and found it actually increased loss rates while removing their armament made them go back down again. Without weapons the only thing in the pilots mind is "RUN!".
