Summary
Silent Hillis a name many recognize and immediately think of as one of the staple franchises in the survival horror genre. Through the years,Silent Hillhas become an iconic series, but the games have been in a bit of a lull for a while. The first three games are revered for their bone-chilling atmosphere, and although there was initial excitement aboutSilent Hill 2getting a remake, there are now some worries about the approach the new developers seem to be taking.
When it was revealed that Bloober Team was remakingSilent Hill 2, it seemed like a great pairing. The studio proved to audiences withBlair WitchandLayers of Fearthat it had the ability to create atmospheric environments that relied more on psychological horror than actual combat. Naturally, this made Bloober Team seem like an ideal fit. However, after the first in-game footage revealed a lot more action and combat than many were expecting, there are now worries that theSilent Hill 2remake has strayed too far from the path.
An Upcoming Horror Game May Become a Spiritual Successor to Silent Hill
Despite this initial worry aboutSilent Hill 2’s remake not living up to expectations, there is one upcoming horror game that may scratch the itch for moreSilent Hill-like games.Slitterheadis the upcoming horror titleby Bokeh Game Studio, and it looks horrifying. When first watching the trailer,Slitterheadmay not obviously feel likeSilent Hill, but Bokeh Games Studio was founded by Keiichiro Toyama, the creator of the franchise.
The first trailer forSlitterheadwas revealed at the 2021 Game Awards, and it takes disgusting body horror to a new extreme. Although there is still very little known about the game’s overall story, it’s at least known that it takes place in a Japanese city where parasites have taken over the bodies of citizens, leaving truly grotesque results.
There is still more action featured inSlitterheadthan whatSilent Hillis known for, but with Keiichiro Toyama behind the wheel, the overall essence of the game could feel very close to his iconic horror franchise. The game seems to be a strangeblend ofSilent HillandDevil May Cry, which could prove to be a great combination if balanced well enough.Slitterheadis also bringing backSilent Hill’s composer, Akira Yamaoka, which will bring even more familiarity to the project.
The Silent Hill Franchise Remains in a Tough Spot
It’s been a while since theSilent Hillfranchise has felt like its original trilogy. There was a promising take withSilent Hills, the now-canceled Kojima Productions game, but that was unfortunately scrapped before it got to become reality.Silent Hillsreceived its own playable trailerin the form ofPT, which took the internet by storm, and it now lives in infamy as what could have been. Since then, the most recent game in theSilent Hillfranchise has been the free-to-play game,The Short Message, which didn’t quite succeed in bringing back the trueSilent Hillenergy.
Slitterheadmay be heavier on the action for those who are in search of an atmospheric, psychological horror experience, but the team behind the game gives it a lot of promise that will hopefully fill theSilent Hill-sized hole that has been in the horror genre. The game may promise heavy action, but it’s also promising some heavy horror-filled energy that is reminiscent ofSilent Hill.Bloober Team’s version ofSilent Hill 2will hopefully be a worthy remake, but only time will tell how it holds up against a rival title headed by the creator of the franchise.
