This post may contain affiliate links, which means I may receive a commission for purchases made through links. I will only recommend products that I have personally used or thoroughly reviewed! Learn more on my Privacy Policy page.
Making RPGs blends storytelling, atmosphere, gameplay
Key Takeaways:
- Learn the Basics – Start with game design fundamentals like storytelling, level creation, and player experience to build a strong foundation for your horror RPG.
- Choose the Right Tools – Pick a game engine like Unity, RPG Maker, or Blender that fits your skills and project goals for an efficient workflow.
- Master Atmosphere – Combine eerie visuals, sound design, and immersive mechanics to craft a haunting player experience.
- Prototype Wisely – Focus on core gameplay and mechanics in your prototype to test ideas and refine the game before diving into detailed features.

Ever wonder how indie horror RPGs are made? As a kid, setting up and loading an RPG was always a moment of eager anticipation. Watching the title screen appear as the music score plays in the background was like opening a gift someone gave you, eager to tear it open to see what it was.
This is why indie horror RPG development has always been unique. The fusion of storytelling, atmosphere, and interactive gameplay experience builds a sense of childlike curiosity in the gamer. Creators do this well, especially in horror, by designing deeply personal and terrifying experiences.
Indie developers, not bound by the constraints of big studios, have the freedom of making RPGs that push the boundaries of horror gaming. If you want to see some of these games, check out my 10 Great Indie Horror RPGs for 2024.
So, this post will delve into the components of indie horror RPG development, offering overview insights into concept creation, visual and audio design, game mechanics, and the selection of game engines. Lets dive into “Making RPGs: How to Make an RPG Horror” and see what we can find.
Learning the Basics of Game Development

Starting with game development can be intimidating but breaking it into steps helps. First, when making RPGs, you should learn the fundamentals like level design, storytelling, and player experience. There are free resources I found like GameDev.net or YouTube tutorials like the following.
Shesez (Behind the scenes of games)

User1 Productions (game development)

Jimmy Vegas (Unity)

Gorka Games (Unreal Engine)

Learning the basics of making RPGs will help springboard you into understanding the ins and outs of game development.
How to Make an RPG Game for Free: Select the Right Game Engine?

Next, you want to choose an appropriate game engine for making RPGs. This helps bring your horror RPG to life. The engine determines the game’s capabilities, performance, and the ease with which developers can implement their vision.
Several game engines are well-suited for indie horror RPG development:
- RPG Maker (Free trial periods):
- Ideal for 2D, top-down RPGs, RPG Maker is known for its user-friendly interface and a wealth of pre-built assets (RPG Maker). It allows developers to focus on storytelling and game design without extensive programming knowledge.
- Many acclaimed horror games, such as The Witch’s House and Ib, were created using RPG Maker, showcasing its potential for crafting engaging horror experiences.
- Unity (Free under certain conditions):
- A versatile engine capable of handling both 2D and 3D games, Unity offers a comprehensive suite of tools and a robust asset store (Unity Game Engine).
- Its flexibility makes it a popular choice among indie developers. Games like Darkwood utilized Unity to create immersive, atmospheric worlds that captivate players.
- Godot (Free and beginner friendly):
- An open-source engine that supports 2D and 3D development, Godot is praised for its intuitive design and active community (Godot Engine).
- Its lightweight structure and ease of use make it an attractive option for indie developers embarking on horror RPG projects.
- GameMaker (Free):
- Known for its user-friendly interface and accessibility, GameMaker Studio caters to developers of all skill levels (GameMaker).
- It offers a visual drag-and-drop system for beginners and a built-in scripting language called GameMaker Language (GML) for more advanced development.
- This flexibility has led to the creation of successful indie titles like Undertale (Indie Game Corner).
- Unreal Engine (Free, but under certain terms):
- Renowned for its high-fidelity graphics and robust toolset, Unreal Engine is a powerful choice for developers aiming to create visually stunning horror RPGs (Unreal Engine).
- Its Blueprint visual scripting system allows for rapid prototyping, while C++ support offers deep customization. However, its complexity may present a steeper learning curve for beginners (Kodrick).
- Blender (Free):
- stands out as a versatile, open-source 3D creation suite. It offers a lot of tools like modeling, texturing, rigging, and animating. Being able to use it alongside other engines makes it an invaluable asset for your game development.
- Notably, studios like Embark have integrated Blender into their workflows, leveraging its capabilities for 3D and environment art (Blender).
- Frostbite Engine:
- Developed by EA DICE, Frostbite is known for delivering high-quality visuals and physics (Frostbite Engine).
- While it’s primarily used in AAA titles and may not be as accessible to indie developers, those with access can leverage its capabilities to create immersive horror environments.
Selecting the right engine for making RPGs depends on the project’s specific needs, the team’s familiarity with the tool, and the desired gameplay experience.
Dev Tools: What is a Good Mouse for Gaming and Game Design?
Beyond software, having reliable hardware is vital for a smooth development process when making RPGs. Tools like the TECKNET, a wireless mouse that’s a rechargeable, 2.4G USB-A silent mouse can enhance productivity. Check out this mouse here!
Its silent clicks are great for late-night development sessions, and with six adjustable DPI settings up to 4800, it offers the precision needed for tasks ranging from coding and design to beta testing.
I use it myself when editing my sketches on the laptop in art programs. It also comes in handy for playing video games, as it helped me complete Wack-a-Wuggy, before the reduced difficulty update, in Poppy Playtime chapter 2. So, not only is it great for design but testing out your games.
The Blueprint of Fear: Concept and Storytelling

So, you got the fundamentals, know your engine, and got your developer tools set, what next? Well, now comes the blueprint for making RPGs (I.e., the story and game concept).
As you may know, the core of most horror RPG lies in a chilling theme and a story that lingers with gamers long after the game ends.
Indie developers have more freedom to explore unconventional topics and complex storylines that may be overlooked by mainstream studios. This autonomy lets them go deeper into making RPGs like psychological horror, existential dread, and the human condition.
For example, Darkest Dungeon by Red Hook Studios integrates psychological stress as a gameplay element, compelling gamers to manage their characters’ mental states alongside physical challenges. Stress works like a health bar but the opposite (i.e., the lower the number the better).
While dungeon crawling, this stress builds on your characters, and when a character reaches around 200, they get a lethal blow. This innovation adds depth to the story and gameplay, immersing us in a world where fear and stress are palpable.
So, integrating gameplay mechanics into the narrative when making RPGs gives you a good element for game design. It doesn’t have to be innovative or groundbreaking, but it should make narrative sense and help make the universe of your RPG more convincing and engrossing.
Art that Haunts: Visuals and Atmosphere

Visual design in horror RPGs descend beyond mere aesthetics. It is vital in making RPG’s atmosphere, saturating it with tension and unease. Indie developers often employ distinctive or diverse art styles to evoke specific emotions.
Games like Darkwood utilize a top-down perspective with a grim, desaturated color palette to create a sense of isolation and dread.
In fact, from a visual style, Artur Kordas mentioned how the first Dark Souls games and Fallout series inspired the feeling of the unknown as well as the grotesque elements and dark humor (culture.pl). He went on to say,
“I was always fascinated with the way From Software used game mechanics and technically simple audio-visuals to build an immensely suggestive atmosphere of desolation, sadness, mystery and ever-lurking danger.”
The works of David Lynch and Slavic folklore also contributed to the game’s haunting atmosphere.
Similarly, Dread Delusion employs a retro-inspired visual style reminiscent of early 3D games, which, combined with its surreal environments, fosters a dreamlike yet unsettling experience (Gamer Escape).
These visual choices are not merely for nostalgia but serve to enhance the game’s eerie ambiance.
Based on these examples, we see that making RPGs visual styles and graphics come from various places, inspiring designs and worlds that capture gamer’s attention. So don’t feel shy about mixing it up or combining ideas when creating your own horror RPG.
Sounds from the Deep: Audio Design

Think audio design contributes little to horror, well think again. When making RPG horror, audio design can bring your horror from a 5 to 10. Sounds often serve as the bridge between the game and the gamer’s subconscious.
Effective use of it can manipulate emotions, build tension, and deliver scares. Indie developers frequently experiment with minimalist soundtracks, ambient noises, and strategic silence to evoke isolation, danger, or the unknown while making RPGs.
In Call of Cthulhu: Dark Corners of the Earth, an oldy but goody, the absence of a traditional health bar or heads-up display (HUD) is compensated by eerie sound design.
Gamers needed to rely on auditory cues to sense danger and navigate the environment. This design choice heightens dread and keeps you on edge.
Coding the Creeps: Game Mechanics

Game mechanics are the backbone of any RPG, dictating how players interact with the game world.
In horror RPGs, mechanics are designed to maintain suspense and challenge. Resource management, permadeath, and sanity meters are common features in making RPG horror that compel us to make strategic decisions under pressure.
A prime example is Haunting Ground, a classic survival horror game that introduces a unique “Panic Meter” system. In this game, the protagonist, Fiona Belli, navigates a mysterious castle while managing her fear levels.
When Fiona encounters threats, her panic increases, leading to disorienting effects like blurred vision and impaired movement, which heighten the sense of vulnerability and tension (GameRant).
This mechanic not only deepens our immersion but also emphasizes the psychological aspects of horror, making each encounter more intense and personal. By integrating such systems, indie developers can create horror RPGs that resonate with gamers on a deeper emotional level by eliciting apprehension.
Make the Prototype

Now, it’s time to bring your ideas to life with a prototype. This version of your game focuses on core mechanics and gameplay, setting the foundation for your project in making RPG horror.
Start up your selected game engine and create a functional model that allows you to test and refine your game’s aspects.
Keep your prototype simple and flexible. Avoid spending too much time on detailed graphics or complex features at this stage. Instead, focus on experimenting with big ideas early in the process to determine their feasibility (Game Design Skills).
This method lets you spot and fix potential issues before they jump up. Remember, this stage is for testing your game’s concept and mechanics, ensuring they are engaging and enjoyable, kind of like a draft.
If you need a useful guide, I found this article on game prototyping to help get you started.
Closing Thoughts

Developing an indie horror RPG is a multifaceted endeavor that blends creative storytelling, atmospheric design, and gameplay mechanics. By mixing these elements and selecting appropriate tools and engines, you can craft haunting experiences that resonate with gamers and passive viewers.
The indie landscape continues to thrive with innovative horror RPGs, so if you’re hesitant, I encourage you to try it out.

Nero lives in the United States, delving into indie horror to mainstream games. Armed with a psych degree and a passion for storytelling, he wrote stories and essays published online and in museum catalogs. Besides writing, he also likes sketching and tuning into rock music. Catch his latest posts or follow him across social media.