New Dead by Daylight killer leans into the game’s terrifying strength

techradar.com:

There’s something thrilling about being scared. Psychology tells us that it's because of the rush of adrenaline and endorphins that are released when our body senses danger. The biochemical reaction results in a sense of euphoria, particularly when we realize we’re safe after all. It’s that rush that spurs thrill-seekers to bungee jump, motorheads to race and, people such as me, to play horror games like Dead by Daylight.

While Dead By Daylight is inherently a survival horror game, it’s not exactly scary. Sure, the setup is undeniably frightening on paper, with killers that include the iconic Michael Myers from Halloween and Ghost Face from Scream hunting down skittish survivors desperately trying to repair broken generators in order to escape the Entity, to which they may be sacrificed. But once you (as a survivor) get over the initial fear of the uncertain — and become a regular player — that terror lessens considerably.

Better the devil you know, they say, and when you know the devil is a chainsaw-wielding cannibal then you kind of know what to expect from your match. But it’s when Dead by Daylight is unpredictable that it is at its most frightening. It’s the tense minutes you wander around a silent map before you work out who the killer is, unexpectedly being snapped up off a generator by Michael Myers or (my least favorite) spotting a Pighead from Saw silently lurking in the long grass behind you.

In other words, it’s Dead by Daylight’s unpredictable jump scares that are where its horror truly lies. Because what’s more terrifying than the unexpected. And with the upcoming Ringu-inspired Sadako Rising chapter, developer Behaviour Interactive looks like it will tap into that unnerving strength more than ever.

Jump scares