PSX Horror Style
Crunchy low-poly horror. Affine textures. Fog. Limited palette. Tension over fidelity.
When to Use
- PS1-era horror game looks
- Puppet Combo / retro survival horror vibes
- When
horror-style needs explicit PSX constraints
Core Tenets
- Low poly, high dread — Few tris, strong shapes
- Texture crunch — Low-res, nearest filtering feel
- Vertex / affine warping cues — Subtle wobble optional
- Fog + darkness — Hide draw distance sins
- Analog grit — VHS/CRT via compositing sparingly
Vs Related Styles
| Skill |
Role |
horror-style |
Broad psychological horror direction |
lowpoly-style |
General PS1/PS2 / Lethal Company |
psx-horror-style |
Horror + PSX crunch specifically |
Modeling
- 100–800 tris for many props
- Characters chunky; faces minimal
- Interiors modular, repetitive, oppressive
Materials / Textures
- 64–256px textures common
- Limited palette; indexed feel
- Flat shading or very low smooth
- Emissive screens as narrative props
Lighting & Camera
- Single practical lights; deep shadows
- Low camera, narrow spaces
- Fog/mist mandatory for depth
- Optional handheld noise (
camera-cinematography)
Compositing Extras
- Slight blur / chromatic aberration
- Posterize / crush colors carefully
- Film grain / VHS overlay subtle
Constraints
MUST DO
- Keep poly and texture budgets intentionally low
- Prioritize fog, sound-design-friendly spaces
- Stage sparse narrative props
MUST NOT DO
- Modern PBR microdetail as primary look
- Bright clean global illumination
Reference Guide
| Topic |
Reference |
Load When |
| Psx Horror Budgets |
references/psx-horror-budgets.md |
When needed |
| Psx Horror Palette |
references/psx-horror-palette.md |
When needed |
