BSA 3: Horror aspect brainstorming

I want to explore both sides of horror psychological and physical in order to try and figure out what element will likely be more suitable for my potential game. Currently I think steering my direction towards to a more fictional spectrum where you as the player and my character grapple with more than just normal people and soldiers.

So far I've been looking more of the happenings of that time to see what I can put in there and under those extreme (slightly exaggerated) scenarios and get away with it.

Mutated enemies and their origins?

During my studies, I have actually come across something incredibly disturbing yet attention grabbing. During the 1930s Japan has been dabbling with chemical warfare and it seems although they never got as far as the use on terms of destructive capabilities it was the matter of their test subjects that was disturbing. I read from several sites that apparently Imperial Japan used many P.O.W and civilians inside occupied zones as test subjects as the Nazis did.

Moving away from the more grueling and gory side as I don't wish to show that in my assignment. it kind of hit me. Why don't I make a fictional bio weapon project that gives birth to new horrors in my game that involves the mutation or a development of anomaly on victims that twist them and turn them into something dangerous.

Last Of Us actually has done something like what I have in my head already and they draw from a natural fungus/ virus called 'Ophiocordyceps unilateralis' which latches onto insects, drastically affecting their behavior which leads to their eventual deaths in an ideal area for the fungus to sprout and grow. And their main statement behind this thought was "what if this insect-based parasite moved to humans". And I found this whole concept incredibly gripping and this decided to explore through this idea more as well except its origin is not from a nature based fungus but made in a lab engineered to affect humans.

Creatures of myth and legend?

Another idea I've been tackling with is whether if I should move away from that whole side as it will be tricky to not dive into sensitive territory if I should venture more into the fantasy alternative which was the monsters and creatures of Korean myth and legend. It has a lot of potential just that it will be hard to see another artists' interpretation of those creatures as I haven't seen many popular examples.

If I don't base the examples off Korean culture one decent example of a semi-realistic but fantasy based world would be the CD Projekt red's 'Witcher' franchise where throughout the three games, you can repeatedly have run-ins and witness the Nordic mythical creatures.