I used to be a fan of the Silent Hill series back in its heydey. I've played and beaten most of them, so I'm very well-versed in the franchise. But I've also seen what's happened to Konami, the company's slide away from video games and towards gambling and microtransaction-based mobile stuff, as well as what they've done to other franchises such as Metal Gear, with Metal Gear Survive, a generic survival crafting game with microtransactions. So if Silent Hill were to suddenly die, I wouldn't care. To me, the indie scene has done a great job of filling the hole left behind by big companies that turned away from what made their franchises great. I've already enjoyed horror games such as Tormented Souls (which takes massive cues from the original Silent Hill games) and Gylt.
When Silent Hill: The Short Message was suddenly dropped out of nowhere, I was caught off guard, but I checked it out just the same. And I really enjoyed it. I also saw the reception it got, which was super divisive. And from what I've seen, Both Sides Have a Point.
The Short Message is a walking simulator. But the interesting thing is, it took me a while to see it as such. Because my favorite aspects of previous Silent Hill games was actually walking around and taking in the environment. Take Silent Hill 3 for instance, which had a huge number of things to examine and read the protagonist's thoughts on. There were puzzles and there were enemies, but if those gameplay elements were removed, what we would have is an atmospheric exploration game with a lot of environmental narrative and a few cutscenes - as well as a lot less fear due to the lack of enemies.
The Short Message does what Silent Hill: Shattered Memories does, separating the gameplay into "walk around and look at stuff" mode and "chase" mode. The chase sequences are intense at first, with the game's only enemy, a fast moving twitching creature that kills quickly, showing up anywhere, chasing you from behind or even suddenly showing up in front. At least, until you realize that certain situations trigger its sudden appearance in front of you, and recognize how scripted those moments are. Late in the game, though, the grand finale has one big chase where you need to find items to unlock a door, all while being pursued by this nasty one-hit kill monster that can show up unexpectedly around a corner or in front. Your phone provides hints on how close you are to the needed items by flashing pictures of the people they relate to. Every time you die, Anita is fully aware that she was killed, and plaintively cries out about the situation, even having new things to say depending on where in the story you are.
I only wish the chase sequences would trigger more at random to scare the player. Instead, they occur inbetween the exploration and story sequences. These sequences basically are the walking simulator aspect of the game. You read things about the story, experience flashbacks in symbolic and exaggerated form, and see things that are clearly symbolic of the protagonist's upsetting past as the environment changes and connects locations together such as a school, an apartment, and other places. Messages pop up on your phone showing more details of Anita's past. There is also only one puzzle to solve in the entire game.
Players are divided on the story themes and how well they were handled. Did the game portray Gen Z's way of life accurately, or too unrealistically? Was the handling of suicide, bullying and abuse done tactfully, accurately, exaggerated too much, or what exactly? Opinions vary heavily on these. Some people have mixed feelings on the game, enjoying it while acknowledging its slip-ups.
Ultimately, I like it for what it is. I do feel like it's a Silent Hill game, and it definitely includes elements from previous games in the series, both visually and gameplay-wise, and even thematically (Silent Hill 2 handled abuse, while Silent Hill 3 handled death of a family member). I feel that, as clumsy as some of its portrayals of modern issues and its use of symbolism are, it still did a decent job of trying to modernize an old franchise by trying new things while keeping its connection to its past. Bringing back any old franchise is a tricky balancing act of dealing with the nostalgic audience and the modern audience, and I like the results in this case.
VideoGame Understandably divisive, but I liked this modernized take on Silent Hill
I used to be a fan of the Silent Hill series back in its heydey. I've played and beaten most of them, so I'm very well-versed in the franchise. But I've also seen what's happened to Konami, the company's slide away from video games and towards gambling and microtransaction-based mobile stuff, as well as what they've done to other franchises such as Metal Gear, with Metal Gear Survive, a generic survival crafting game with microtransactions. So if Silent Hill were to suddenly die, I wouldn't care. To me, the indie scene has done a great job of filling the hole left behind by big companies that turned away from what made their franchises great. I've already enjoyed horror games such as Tormented Souls (which takes massive cues from the original Silent Hill games) and Gylt.
When Silent Hill: The Short Message was suddenly dropped out of nowhere, I was caught off guard, but I checked it out just the same. And I really enjoyed it. I also saw the reception it got, which was super divisive. And from what I've seen, Both Sides Have a Point.
The Short Message is a walking simulator. But the interesting thing is, it took me a while to see it as such. Because my favorite aspects of previous Silent Hill games was actually walking around and taking in the environment. Take Silent Hill 3 for instance, which had a huge number of things to examine and read the protagonist's thoughts on. There were puzzles and there were enemies, but if those gameplay elements were removed, what we would have is an atmospheric exploration game with a lot of environmental narrative and a few cutscenes - as well as a lot less fear due to the lack of enemies.
The Short Message does what Silent Hill: Shattered Memories does, separating the gameplay into "walk around and look at stuff" mode and "chase" mode. The chase sequences are intense at first, with the game's only enemy, a fast moving twitching creature that kills quickly, showing up anywhere, chasing you from behind or even suddenly showing up in front. At least, until you realize that certain situations trigger its sudden appearance in front of you, and recognize how scripted those moments are. Late in the game, though, the grand finale has one big chase where you need to find items to unlock a door, all while being pursued by this nasty one-hit kill monster that can show up unexpectedly around a corner or in front. Your phone provides hints on how close you are to the needed items by flashing pictures of the people they relate to. Every time you die, Anita is fully aware that she was killed, and plaintively cries out about the situation, even having new things to say depending on where in the story you are.
I only wish the chase sequences would trigger more at random to scare the player. Instead, they occur inbetween the exploration and story sequences. These sequences basically are the walking simulator aspect of the game. You read things about the story, experience flashbacks in symbolic and exaggerated form, and see things that are clearly symbolic of the protagonist's upsetting past as the environment changes and connects locations together such as a school, an apartment, and other places. Messages pop up on your phone showing more details of Anita's past. There is also only one puzzle to solve in the entire game.
Players are divided on the story themes and how well they were handled. Did the game portray Gen Z's way of life accurately, or too unrealistically? Was the handling of suicide, bullying and abuse done tactfully, accurately, exaggerated too much, or what exactly? Opinions vary heavily on these. Some people have mixed feelings on the game, enjoying it while acknowledging its slip-ups.
Ultimately, I like it for what it is. I do feel like it's a Silent Hill game, and it definitely includes elements from previous games in the series, both visually and gameplay-wise, and even thematically (Silent Hill 2 handled abuse, while Silent Hill 3 handled death of a family member). I feel that, as clumsy as some of its portrayals of modern issues and its use of symbolism are, it still did a decent job of trying to modernize an old franchise by trying new things while keeping its connection to its past. Bringing back any old franchise is a tricky balancing act of dealing with the nostalgic audience and the modern audience, and I like the results in this case.