I was watching a streamer try a new horror game that looked pretty fun but I have to say having a stamina bar that depletes in like 5 seconds brisk jogging for 10 seconds of heavy breathing is such a deal-breaker these days.

I mean just, you know.

Maybe make the default move speed faster than a slow shuffle?

Get rid of sprint! Just make walking not ass!

I mostly agree but I feel like in a horror game that's fine

I really don't.

inverting the numbers would be better, imo, but like. Also maybe make quicker walking or jogging a default, give a button for slower walking if you really want a snail's pace for something, and sprint has a few seconds of recovery to like 10-15 seconds of use if you have to have sprint.

unused face buttons isn't super uncommon in horror, for controller, so it should work out

I could deal with that.

I just feel like we still are stuck on the wrong lessons of Amnesia.

(tbh i also generally agree that sprint should be chucked out as a concept, but I get where the design comes from... I just think it's incredibly dated in its execution)

Where people decided horror means your protagonist is incompetent, can't run for more than a couple seconds, can't fight, often times is bad at hiding even.

oh definitely

if you stuff it in people's faces that your protag is incompetent, the game's threat is lower because why bother becomes the response

so it's just annoying instead

(or, more likely: very frustrating)

I always think of Shattered Memories and how it instantly loses all tension the second you realize that you’re never actually in danger outside of the chase scenes.