IMO jumpscares should enforce the terror of the horror game.
A good example is : say in a horror game, player is being hunted by large monster and player must escape through abandoned house or building. Good jumpscare could be in form of the monster breaking into the building surprising player but fail to find player then left. This jumpscare informs player that the monster is actively seeking player and strong enough to break walls.
That’s a good way of putting it ngl
Since my game is more FNAF 1 style with the player stuck in a projector room, I’ve been trying to translate that into pressure, like audio cues getting closer, the film distorting, power cutting out, etc… before the scare happens.
I’m curious if that comes across the same way in practice, if you end up checking it out, I’d love to know whether it feels like the anomalies are actively hunting you or not. And if you have ideas I end up using, I’ll credit you for sure
