History VideoGame / AfraidOfMonsters

** If you miss a single letter containing the code to the fourth ending, the happy end is completely out of reach, until you find that paper by replaying the mod again. Painful enough by itself, but are you willing to put yourself through all that fear ''again?!'

* UnwinnableByMistake: To get in the bottom floor of the hospital, that could be described as another basement, David has to jump down a broken elevator. Then he can press the button in a room a few meters away that unlocks the other door that leads out, and the door to the next button across the building. The thing is that the door out of the bottom floor closes after him when he walks out, with no way of opening it again. So if the player jumps down the elevator again after pressing the button, he is stuck. He cannot get out because the door is locked, and he cannot get out the way he came.
** This was fixed in Director's Cut, when the whole hospital was redesigned.

* CreativeClosingCredits: In Director´s Cut, the credits are on many TV monitors, spread around in a dark room, and shown as the camera dramatically pans into them one by one while Aphex Twins's "Heart of it All" plays in the background.

* ScareChord: Every time a part of the code required to get the true ending is found. Also, the end track, Aphex Twin's NIN remix of "At the Heart of it All", counts.

-> '''David attempting to open another door''': Another '''[[PrecisionFStrike FUCKING]]''' locked door!

* EnemyChatter: Mostly verted, unlike Half-Life and its other mods. Most enemies do make noises when discovering and attacking you, but none of it is intelligible speech.

* DontGoInTheWoods

* FanNickname: The Zombies. Did you know, only a few people call them by their official name, Twitchers? The developers find this annoying.
** The names of the enemies on the Wiki page are fan-made as well. Yes, they call them Zombies too.
** Thanks to LetsPlay/SpikeAndBarleyPlay, people can't help but call the Wheelchair Zombies Charles.
** As well as Ruben for the Handcrabs, courtesy of PewDiePie.
*** Or White Castle Burgers from the let's play done by Cyrus106. "Let's play White Castle: The game where the burgers eat you!"
** Mr. Sunabozou's own Let's Play of the game tried to invoke this for the Bleeding Specters, since he was unaware of what they're officially called, but apparently nothing came of it.

''AfraidOfMonsters'' is a Horror Mod for ''VideoGame/{{Half-Life}}''.

When he awakes, the hospital's shrouded in complete blackness. The only signs of life are ''things'' that twitch and lurk in the dark, out to kill him. He has to find a way out...

One of the more notable VideoGame/{{Half-Life}} Mods, mostly because it's quite frightening. Received a SpiritualSuccessor in the form of ''CryOfFear''.

* AwesomeButImpractical: The Automatic Rifles are all cool but mostly not used. The [[AKA47 AK47]] in the original, with very little ammunition that could be used for it, is this somewhat, since you could keep it along with the shotgun. Director´s Cut plays this much more straight however, with the [[MoreDakka Submachine Gun and the Uzi.]] Both have very little ammunition to be found, they burst away a whole magazine worth of bullets [[RealityEnsues in less than a few seconds,]] and it is easy to overkill a enemy if the player gets startled, getting rid of even more ammo. But worst of all: unlike the original version, weapons have to be swapped because of the weight. Which means that you have to get rid of the [[BoringButPractical very useful shotgun]] for the Submachine Gun, and the Revolver or Desert Eagle for the Uzi. Powerful guns and tempting, but not useful in the long run.

* BottomlessPits: If you do not follow the red dots in the nightmares, you arguably fall and die in a black void.

* DownerEnding: [[spoiler:Only the first three endings in Director's Cut, wherein David finds that he went on a psychotic mass murder spree, is questioned, and hangs himself out of guilt in his prison cell.]]
* DeusExMachina: When the Boss battle with [[spoiler:David's doppelgänger]] begins, the only weapon capable of killing him, [[spoiler:a spear]], lies at the end of the room on a bench, waiting to be picked up. He thankfully averts becoming an [[AnticlimaxBoss Anticlimax Boss]], because even with the weapon, he is challenging.

* DummiedOut: Director's Cut had the Grenades, the monster fish, and the BodyArmor removed, which the original version had. One can also find many unused [[AphexTwin Aphex Twin]] tracks in the files that were apparently supposed to play while the mod loaded the next area.

* EnemyChatter: Averted, unlike Half-life and its other mods. All enemies are quiet until they attack you.

* [[EverybodysDeadDave Everybody's Dead David]]

* ExcusePlot: [[WordOfGod Word of God]] stated in an interview he was very well aware of it.
** ''"I didn't decide the story yet and I wanted monsters in the mod. So I added drugs in the story so he could hallucinate his enemies."''
-->--'''Andreas Rönnberg'''

* FauxShadowing: Several of the scares act like this. No, the woman with the pie for a head that you saw in the painting is not going to reappear.

** Also, if you go into one of the hospital's bathrooms(I don't remember which,) she does in fact flicker in front of you.

** ... In contrast to our [[HeroicMime Heroic Mime]], and all human characters, whose dialogues are in text only without voicework.

* HyperspaceArsenal: Averted in Director´s Cut. There are four weapon slots that can only take one weapon each; A melee weapon, a pistol, a handcannon, and a rifle. When David finds a new pistol, for instance, he has to replace the older weapon if he wants to pick it up.

* InfinityPlusOneSword: A weapon only obtained [[spoiler:after beating all 4 endings]] is found in the hospital with the bathroom with letters. It's a L85A2 with [[BottomlessMagazines infinite ammo]], [[{{MoreDakka}} high rate of fire]], devastating stopping power, and a scope. Ladies and Gentlemen, meet the GM_General.

* PointOfNoReturn: Escaping the Hospital via the air ducts makes it impossible to go back in. There are several more of these in Director´s Cut. After going through one of the branching paths after escaping the hospital, the other paths become locked out. Depending on the path chosen, it is possible for David to take a car and drive away from the city, without being able to return [[spoiler:because he crashes into a tree.]] The final time this trope kicks in is during the final dream, when David must either type the code to 4heaven, or continue in the opposite direction to face a [[DownerEnding Downer ending]]. All of it, depending on what directions you go.

* RoarBeforeBeating: Every enemy. In fact, you have no idea it is a Zombie you are up against the first time, because of the messed up noises they make.

* ShotgunsAreJustBetter: Played straight in both the original and Director´s Cut. It is the first two-handed weapon found, and usually most enemies run straight at David, making easy targets for the Shotgun's spread. Ammo's also plentiful.

* SpiritualSuccessor: [[http://www.Cry-of-fear.com/ Cry Of Fear.]] Another VideoGame/{{Half-Life}} Mod being developed by Andreas Ronnberg featuring gameplay similar to [=AoM:DC=], new weapons, new Storyline, a new Inventory System, a new Save System, and Full Cutscenes. To Learn more visit the official website or its [=ModDB=] Page.

* UpdatedRerelease: After Afraid of Monsters's release, Director´s Cut was made, and added a ludicrous amount of content. New weapons, better graphics, new monsters, new levels, old levels redesigned, new scares, new music, new twists, a boss fight, four different endings, new flashlight, redesigned models, more types of zombies, more nightmare sequenses. The fandom was pleased.

* AwesomeButImpractical: The Automatic Rifles are all cool but mostly not used. The AK47 in the original, with very little ammunition that could be used for it, is this somewhat, since you could keep it along with the shotgun. Director´s Cut plays this much more straight however, with the [[MoreDakka Submachine Gun and the Uzi.]] Both have very little ammunition to be found, they burst away a whole magazine worth of bullets [[RealityEnsues in less than a few seconds,]] and it is easy to overkill a enemy if the player gets startled, getting rid of even more ammo. But worst of all: unlike the original version, weapons have to be swapped because of the weight. Which means that you have to get rid of the [[BoringButPractical very useful shotgun]] for the Submachine Gun, and the Revolver or Desert Eagle for the Uzi. Powerful guns and tempting, but not useful in the long run.

Eventually, fed up, he checks himself into a hospital into rehab. When he goes into the bathroom, he finds the same damned pills there, and against his better judgment, pops some and blacks out in a nearby stall.

He wakes up, the hospital empty and full of abominations...

** Especially the "Noodle'd" ones.

* HumanoidAbomination: The Twitchers and the tangled up monsters made of several limbs (Abominations).
** The Abomination enemy actually came out as an experimental foe when Minuit (the DC Co-Creator) began experimenting with the different enemy models (in this case, a variant of the Alien Slave Model).

* CoonvenientColorChange: An early puzzle/back-track quest went as such: If the button is surrounded by green light, it opens the green door. If the button shines red, it opens the red door, and same for blue.

* ColourCodedForYourConvenience: An early puzzle/back-track quest went as such: If the button is surrounded by green light, it opens the green door. If the button shines red, it opens the red door, and same for blue.

** Another good example: David has to enter a subway, but to get ther,e he needs to open up the door, which is locked away inside a room only accessible by blowing up a pack of dynamite, which can only safely be detonated by entering a room which can only be entered by climbing through a small vent.

** Which itself justifies why they run out so fast. The batteries David keeps finding are [[WordOfGod old and leaking]]

* AxCrazy: [[spoiler:David in the bad ending(s), it's revealed he went on a psychotic rampage during his hallucination, and all those monsters he killed were people.]]

** In case you wonder what some of them are used for, it's ambience [[spoiler: and some of the jumpscares.]]

** Another good example: David has to enter a subway but to get there he needs to open up the door it, which is locked away inside a room only accessible by blowing up a pack of dynamite which can only safely be detonated by entering a room which can only be entered by climbing through a small vent.

** In Cocyx The Skeleton's Sven Coop server there's "Armor Pills" which only decide how much damage you reacive overall until it's depleted. That and you'll need it, since the server is HarderThanHard.

* ChaosArchitecture: Anytime David drops into his psyche - ''especially'' the last levels.

* DamnYouMuscleMemory: Or lack of thereof. Directors Cut forces the player to press the Use key to pick up weapons and items, whereas in the original the player just had to walk over the items to collect them. The mechanic was most likely implemented so that players would not replace and re-replace their weapons every time they happened to walk over them (see Hyperspace Arsenal.)

* DieChairDie: trashcans/rubbishbins since they usually contain pills and ammo.

* DownerEnding: [[spoiler:Only the first three endings in Director's Cut, wherein David finds that he went on a psychotic mass murder, is questioned, and hangs himself out of guilt in his prison cell.]]

** [[FridgeBrilliance It makes sense, though]], when you consider that David is basically thinking [[spoiler:"I am taking control of ''my own'' fate"]], and promptly [[spoiler:created the only thing ''capable'' of stopping himself, this was at the point he tried to be in control of his thoughts]].

* DistractedByTheSexy: A specific door leads to a changing room for men, that has posters on the wall featuring suggestively clad women. They can be seen after opening the door. But enter the room for a closer look however, and [[SchmuckBait three Zombies will smash out of the lockers next to David.]]
** Justified in the Let's Play Developer Commentaries made by ruMpel, where he states that it was suppose to be a changing room for workers there and the like.

* DummiedOut: Director's Cut had the Grenades, the monster fish, and the BodyArmor removed, which the original version had. One can also find many unused [[AphexTwin Aphex Twin]] tracks in the files, that were apparently supposed to play while the mod loaded the next area.

* FacelessGoons: You might encounter a Zombie wearing a plastic bag over his head. Literall examples are more frequent however.

** The names of the enemies on the Wiki page are fan made as well. Yes, they call them Zombies too.

* GetOnTheBoat: There is an boat David has to use to cross a lake in the forest. You might or might not find it in Director´s Cut.

* HearingVoices: More or less through the whole game, random voices start whispering. Sometimes one can understand what they say, but more often than not it is gibberish. Also, they were made using Microsoft Sam...

** The Abomination enemy actually came out as an experimental foe when Minuit (the DC Co-Creator) began experimenting with the different enemy models (in this case, a variant of the Alien Slave Model)
* HyperspaceArsenal: Averted in Director´s Cut. There are four weapon slots that can only take one weapon each; An melee weapon, a pistol, a handcannon, and a rifle. When David finds a new pistol, for instance, he has to replace the older weapon if he wants to pick it up.

* ImprobableAge: The creator of the Mod, Andres "ruMpel" Rönnberg was 12 years old when he began work on it and 14 when it was finished.

* InfinityPlusOneSword: A weapon only obtained [[spoiler:after beating all 4 endings]] is found in the hospital with the bathroom with letters. It's an L85A2 with [[BottomlessMagazines infinite ammo]], [[{{MoreDakka}} high rate of fire]], devastating stopping power, and a scope. Ladies and Gentlemen, meet the GM_General

* InsurmountableWaistHeightFence: You cannot climb over or crawl under the barrier that prevents you from going up from the hospitals Parking garage.

* InvisibleMonsters: The Bleeding Specters. Their faces flash yellow when they are laughing and attacking from range. [[spoiler: At one point, even the Zombies become invisible]]
* InterfaceScrew: Being it by an Abomination turns the screen red and only white noise is heard for a few seconds.

* MookChivalry: accidently occur any time you come across a bunch of Twitchers in a tight hallway. In wide-open areas they all attack at once.
* MooksButNoBosses: the original version had no endgame enemy, unlike Directors Cut.

* MultipleEndings: Four, but the first three are actually a sequence, [[spoiler:they're showing David's discovery of what he's done (i.e., go on a psychotic rampage that killed a bunch of people and not monsters, his interrogation, and, ultimately, his suicide]]. The fourth, however, [[spoiler:shows hope, where instead, he's suffered from an OD and doctors are working to save him, and he survives]].

** OurZombiesAreDifferent: Twitchy, Franchise/SilentHill things that get worse as David falls deeper into the hallucination (they later show up with hammerheads, claws, or tools for arms, as well as completely disfigured or injured faces if their head isn't some sort of hideous black shape). They can break through walls and burst through lockers when David walks close enough. A few of the Zombies hide behind doors and staircases. If possible, they will only show up when it is dark. Their running speed varies for each one of them, so fighting them with melee weapons can be very difficult - even when it's outright encouraged. Some of them walk on their hands and spit at you, as if they were scorpions. They even learn to duck, to avoid bullets while they attack. If this showcase of unique behaviour was not enough, [[spoiler:Some of them are invisible too.]]

* PurpleProse: ''"Don't let the Devil torture the God. Kill the Devil, and let the God show you the way."''. This is a hint given in order to progress in the game, so what does it mean? [[spoiler:Destroy the columns holding up the ball-shaped statue. It will fall and break through the closed well under it, which you will climb down.]]
* RespawningEnemies: In Director´s Cut. Where and when they spawn however, is random.

** The bathroom only holds importance once you have acquired all 4 endings, as there is where you pick up the [[InfinityPlusOneSword GM]][[MuzzleFlashlight _]][[MoreDakka General]]

* SniperPistol: All the handguns have very good accuracy. You do not get to take advantage of it often though.

* SpiritualSuccessor: [[http://www.Cry-of-fear.com/ Cry Of Fear.]] Another VideoGame/{{Half-Life}} Mod being developed by Andreas Ronnberg featuring gameplay similar to [=AoM:DC=], new weapons, New Storyline, A new Inventory System, A new Save System, And Full Cutscenes. To Learn more visit the official website or its [=ModDB=] Page.

* SurrealHorror: Take a read through this whole article. The Mod would be summarised up as this combined with PsychologicalHorror.

* TheManBehindTheMonsters: [[spoiler: Leatherhoff himself.]]

** Subverted later on as David goes from the familiar areas to the more weird and unfamiliar ones like the Markland Forest and it's Mansion.

* UnwinnableByMistake: To get in the bottom floor of the hospital, that could be described as another basement, David has to jump down a broken elevator. Then he can press the button in a room a few meters away that unlocks the other door that leads out, and the door to the next button across the building. The thing is, that the door out of the bottom floor closes after him when he walks out, with no way of opening it again. So if the player jumps down the elevator again after pressing the button, he is stuck. He cannot get out because the door is locked, and he cannot get out the way he came.

* WhereItAllBegan: Depending on the choices, David returns to the hospital in his final nightmare. A very twisted version of it, that is.
* YourMindMakesItReal: All the nightmares can cause death, and even after them there are still breathing walking hallucinations that break down the environment in one way or the other. Truly some effective painkillers David found himself.
* ZergRush: One in the subway area, and Directors Cut added a second one in the forest.

** OurZombiesAreDifferent: Twitchy, SilentHill things that get worse as David falls deeper into the hallucination (they later show up with hammerheads, claws, or tools for arms, as well as completely disfigured or injured faces if their head isn't some sort of hideous black shape). They can break through walls and burst through lockers when David walks close enough. A few of the Zombies hide behind doors and staircases. If possible, they will only show up when it is dark. Their running speed varies for each one of them, so fighting them with melee weapons can be very difficult - even when it's outright encouraged. Some of them walk on their hands and spit at you, as if they were scorpions. They even learn to duck, to avoid bullets while they attack. If this showcase of unique behaviour was not enough, [[spoiler:Some of them are invisible too.]]

* DieChairDie

** Before that, there's the Glock David finds in the cafeteria. More ammo capacity, but less stopping power. Pick it up, waste its magazine, then go back for your P228.

** Most of the zombies. In the Director's Cut, the dogs and ghosts, too.

* BodyArmorAsHitPoints: Unless you play Director's Cut, because then armor is completely removed.

** The woman with the pie for a head is actually a ShoutOut to the cover for the Music/NeutralMilkHotel album "In the Aeroplane Over the Sea". Also, it isn't a pie, it's a tambourine.

** The corridor is not odd at first (aside from the obvious electric and highly dangerous cables). There is a message written on a Notebook nearby, however, asking David to turn off the electricity in the basement so the problem can be fixed. If David exits the corridor but returns without turning of the electricity, the picture on the wall has been put down to the ground, and there is a bloodprint on the wall. After finally causing the blackout and returning, the walls are scribbled with ''THANK YOU'' written all over them.
** Actually, the bathroom holds importance once you have acquired all 4 endings. Or to be more specific, it is the room where you acquire the [[InfinityPlusOneSword GM]][[MuzzleFlashlight _]][[MoreDakka General]]

->''"I can't stop taking these pills..."''