Summary
Silent Hillis poised to make a comeback after years of silence from the landmark horror franchise. Konami dropped a bombshell when it announced threenew horror video games within the world ofSilent Hillall at once in the latter half of 2022. Very little is known about the gameplay of these titles at the moment, but it definitely seems as though Konami is attempting to cover a lot of new territory with the franchise moving forward.
Such a large number of newSilent Hillgames coming in a short window of time makes sense considering how long fans of the series have been waiting to get anything new. All of the new titles also allow for the franchise to branch out in new and interesting directions, but it does come with some concerns as well. The return ofSilent Hilland its many potential new paths could potentially be a double-edged knife, so hopefully Konami is well aware of the risks of its experiments.
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New Territory Can Be Promising, But Scary for Silent Hill
After such a long waiting period betweenthe last main-seriesSilent Hillgameand now, many fans are probably hoping for something new as much as they’re hoping for something familiar. While little is known about the actual gameplay ofSilent Hill forSilent Hill Townfallat the moment, it seems as though there’s potential for the games to take dramatically different directions than what’s known for the franchise. When it comes toSilent Hill fand its Japanese setting, the franchise seems to be making a fairly large departure. Fan reception towards these announcements is largely warm right now, but some disappointment may arrive when the games actually launch if they don’t feel enough like theSilent Hillmany are hoping for.
Another element of pressure being layered onto these titles is the elevated expectations raised afterthe cancellation of Hideo Kojima’sSilent Hills. ThePTdemo was such a large moment in horror gaming, both for the quality of the demo and the drama that followed Konami and Hideo Kojima’s falling out, that it seems almost impossible for fans to not compare anything new to what could have been. After all,PTwas also boundary-pushing for the franchise, and it seemed rich with potential for the IP.
The Future of Silent Hill Looks Bright and Bleak
It seems like Konami is fairly aware of the potential risks involved with the future of the franchise, however, which is what makes the announcement of both new titles along with theSilent Hill 2remake smart. It gives the diehard fans something familiar, and frankly, a game that’s been in need of some modern updates thanks to the wear and tear of time. That remake can also potentially usher in a new era. Theinteractive experienceSilent Hill Ascension, which promises to forever alter the lore of the series, certainly makes it seem as though a new era is almost here.
If this new series ofSilent Hilltitles winds up being successful, it seems likely that Konami may wind uptaking aResident Evil-like approachtoward its flagship horror franchise in the future, with a similar release pattern that alternates between remakes of older titles and the addition of new main series titles. It definitely feels as though the future of the franchise could be bleak, which is a good thing inSilent Hillterms. If Konami plays its cards right, that bleakness can lead into a happySilent Hillcommunity.
