Tension and suspense are powerful emotions that can hook players and keep them engaged in your mobile game. But how can you create them effectively in a small screen and a short session? Here are some tips and examples of how you can incorporate tension and suspense in mobile game design.
Sound and music can set the mood, build anticipation, and heighten the impact of your game events. You can use sound effects to create surprise, suspense, or relief, such as a door creaking, a heartbeat, or a sigh. You can also use music to create tension, such as a rising tempo, a dissonant chord, or a sudden silence. For example, in the horror game Five Nights at Freddy's, the sound of the animatronics moving, breathing, and attacking creates a constant sense of dread and panic.
Sound and music is one of my favorite ways to transmit mood of any kind in a game. I especially love it when the sounds and music slowly creep up on you, so initially it is just beyond your attention floor, and slowly builds as you approach the new challenge. As players, we remember moments that have significant emotional impact, and sounds and music are an incredible way to make those magic moments stick with the player long after the challenge passed.
Making dynamic music is another way of effectively utilizing audio in horror games. This can be done through having multiple versions of a single music piece, with each version getting more intense. You would switch between those versions depending on the level of intensity in the game. This could depend on the distance from the player to the enemy, how low the player is in health, or many other values.
Since we are talking here about mobile games you should keep in mind that many players play these games without sound ON. And we should tell them explicitly we recommend using earphones.
Limiting the resources that players have access to can create tension and suspense, as they have to make difficult choices and manage their risks. You can limit the resources such as time, health, ammo, or money, and make them scarce, variable, or unpredictable. For example, in the zombie survival game Dead Ahead, players have to balance their fuel, ammo, and health, while avoiding or fighting hordes of zombies.
Resource management is one of those systems that seems simple at its surface. but it has so, much, utility. Imagine a boss battle with as much ammo as you want. You can come up with your own strategies, and beat the boss your way. Not only is difficulty lower, but your player is more relaxed, and they have actually had a satisfying moment of self expression. But now imagine a boss battle with very little ammunition, and all of it for your starter weapon. The boss is suddenly so much harder, player anxiety spikes, and suddenly the game feels like a much darker place. Experiment with giving and taking away resources at different points of the game to tell a compelling story, and to keep the player teetering between anxiety and boredom.
Neil Gaiman once said his job was to take his readers by the hand, lead them down a dark alley and then let go. He's not wrong. There is very little more powerful than subverting the systems your players use. Short term it will feel disempowering but when they realize? They'll be empowered and invested in the story. Our Halloween special played with this. The primary player interaction in Dustland Runner is audio so we had a distress call lead the player to a new location. They never meet the new character but slowly explore and learn who they were, and what happened to them. This led to a beautiful, pseudo-supernatural payoff that also tied a bow on the story and got us back to the top of the loop. Let the player's hand go, it's fun:)
Randomness and uncertainty can create tension and suspense, as players have to deal with unexpected outcomes and unknown factors. You can add randomness and uncertainty to your game elements, such as enemies, items, levels, or events, and make them varied, hidden, or dynamic. For example, in the roguelike game Downwell, players have to descend into a randomly generated well, where they encounter different enemies, weapons, and upgrades.
Although randomness was proven to be effective in creating unexpected moments in horror games, too much uncertainty could lead to issues in balancing the game. Downwell may be a good example of using randomness, but it is not a horror game. The first and sixth Five Nights at Freddy's games would be better examples as they also make use of randomness in the AIs of the animatronics.
Dilemmas and trade-offs can create tension and suspense, as players have to face tough decisions and consequences. You can create dilemmas and trade-offs in your game mechanics, such as rewards, penalties, or moral choices, and make them conflicting, irreversible, or impactful. For example, in the stealth game Hitman GO, players have to plan their moves carefully, as they can either kill or avoid their targets, but each option has its pros and cons.
Feedback and cues can create tension and suspense, as they inform players about their status, progress, and challenges. You can use feedback and cues in your game interface, such as indicators, meters, or messages, and make them clear, consistent, or suggestive. For example, in the puzzle game Monument Valley, players have to manipulate the perspective and geometry of the levels, and the game uses visual and audio cues to guide them and hint at the solutions.
Experimenting and testing are essential steps to create tension and suspense in your mobile game design. You can experiment with different combinations of sound, resources, randomness, dilemmas, and feedback, and see how they affect the player's emotions and behavior. You can also test your game with real players, and observe their reactions, feedback, and retention. For example, in the adventure game The Room, the developers experimented with different levels of difficulty, complexity, and interactivity, and tested them with beta testers, to create a balance between tension and satisfaction.
When you're developing your game, consider developing your challenge curve so that players experience a higher difficulty as they learn a new skill or mechanic, then ease up a little so they can enjoy what they've learned. Then, ramp up the difficulty so they have to demonstrate a mastery (or learn a new way to use a learned skill) to get through a particular challenge. By combining this with the other techniques in this article (sound and music, resource scarcity, etc), you'll be able to inject the tension that you're looking for in your game!