Fear the Mundane in [Nightmare Files] Clap Clap
When determining where an indie horror game should take place, it can help to choose between two extremes. One extreme would be a terrifying location such as a spaceship, an asylum, or a decrepit mansion to ramp up the scares early based on the chilling atmosphere. The other option is to go with a more mundane location and allow the horror to come from a more realistic place. While there are pros and cons to each of these choices, the mundane allows the developers to have the perk of horror in familiarity. A familiar location becoming a source of horror often creates an exciting subversion of expectations. This subversion is what makes indie developer Raycastly’s game [Nightmare Files] Clap Clap such a frightening experience.
The first game in the dev’s ongoing [Nightmare Files] series, [Nightmare Files] Clap Clap is a first-person horror game about a housesitter. The protagonist is tasked with caring for a house in which a new advanced smart home security system has been installed. However, as they care for the house, the protagonist encounters strange neighbors and a monster lurking in the shadows. Using the security system against itself, they must escape the house before they’re apprehended by the monster.
While the premise is easy to follow, the game’s mechanic of clapping sets it apart from other indie horror games of a similar ilk. When the monster finally appears, the player can clap to turn the lights off and grant them a momentary reprieve while they try to escape its clutches. This mechanic makes for very intense chase scenes and an even more intense build-up to the climactic moments. Dealing with flickering lights is a staple in the horror genre, but when a game gives the player the agency to control said lighting, there’s an added element that makes it that much more frightening. There are even moments where the game strips that power away or gives it to someone else which creates a truly helpless feeling.
Although it builds to an intense and visceral climax, much of the game’s real horror is established early on with the world it creates. Before you even reach the house, you’re greeted by strange neighbors who warn you about disappearances that have been happening around the town. Coupled with the droning music, the PS1-style graphics add to the unsettling atmosphere. The ambient noises are also very effective as even the littlest squeak in the distance can make the player shift in their seat.
When we finally reach the house, we’re already on edge, and the shadows tend to take the form of something more sinister. As a housesitter, the player is tasked with several menial tasks like watering the plants and taking out the garbage. In some games, these could distract from the horror, but in [Nightmare Files] Clap Clap it only adds to it. Leaving the house even for a moment feels like leaving a well-lit sanctuary, and when the house becomes the main source of the horror later in the game, it truly feels like nowhere is safe.
As mentioned previously, the game’s plot is adeptly woven into the gameplay experience. The NPCs are strange and off-putting and much of the mythology behind the monster is left to interpretation, which is a nice touch. There’s even a bit of a mystery element as the player is tasked with trying to put together the clues in the recent disappearance cases. It’s an exciting, albeit minimalistic, narrative that is fun to follow through to each of the game’s two endings.
In the past, smart houses have been seen as a sci-fi spectacle that turns a boring old home into something much more exciting. The reality of the present may be a little underwhelming by comparison, but there are still ways to utilize the trope effectively, as evidenced by [Nightmare Files] Clap Clap. By turning something meant for convenience and security into a monstrous entity, Raycastly has created a short and chilling indie horror experience that brings excitement back to the smart house and terror back to the mundane.