For nearly 10 years the iconic horror video game series, Silent Hill, has been in a state of silent dormancy. Known for its masterful uses of psychological horror in its adventures through the titular foggy ghost town, the franchise had undergone a long hiatus following the cancellation of the planned sequel, Silent Hills, which would have combined the creative forces of filmmaker Guillermo Del Toro and Metal Gear Solid creator Hideo Kojima. Since this disappointing cancellation, fans of the foggy ghost town have spent years waiting, holding out hope that the franchise would one day make a return.
This hope would come in the form of a trailer in 2023 for a remake of the PlayStation 2 cult classic, Silent Hill 2, which promised a return to the acclaimed story with the latest graphics this generation of gaming has to offer courtesy of the developers at Bloober Team. This announcement would be followed by a period of relative silence. Tentatively set for a 2024 release, details and updates have been few and far between. Because of this, it came as a great surprise when in the State of Play Showcase on January 31st, series producer Motoi Okamoto unveiled not only a new trailer for the remake, but an entirely new project, which would release that very day.
Silent Hill: The Short Message, which is free to play exclusively on PlayStation 5 will whet the appetite of fans with a new Silent Hill experience for a new generation of players, defining the vision and shape of what is to come for the franchise while tackling relevant and all too real themes that will strike a chord with Gen Z players new to the series.
Already surpassing two million downloads, The Short Message places the player in the role of Anita, a depressed and anxious teen with a grim secret who finds herself in an abandoned apartment complex searching for her friend, a popular street artist who she deeply envies. As she wanders the complex, which only becomes increasingly dilapidated as the story progresses, gut wrenching twists, turns, and secrets as the story and Anita’s psyche unravels. All the while she is pursued by “Cherry Blossom,” a hostile and brutal entity that hunts her down through seemingly endless halls of rusted metal corridors.
It was inevitable that comparisons would be made to the acclaimed P.T., the “playable trailer” for Silent Hills, which despite being deleted following the cancellation of the project, still holds a special place in the hearts of fans. Adopting P.T.’s style of gameplay, The Short Message seeks to recapture the hype it generated. While investing and immersive enough, the gameplay of P.T. has grown somewhat stale after a decade of smaller indie games that had also sought to catch that lightning in a bottle to mixed results. Because of this, The Short Message leaves the player wanting more, and only serves to keep the game in its inspiration’s shadow. In spite of this, the controls and gameplay are still effective in helping to immerse the player in the story and setting with claustrophobic first person controls that emphasize exploration of the confined spaces and frantic chases that make the player constantly fearful that the monster could be right behind them.
Through the eyes of its teen protagonist, the game explores a variety of relevant, relatable, and heavy themes. Feeling invisible to friends and peers, Anita sees her world through the follower obsessed lens of social media, internalizing random hate comments and constantly comparing herself to her friend, the street artist Maya. Oblivious to the pain she suffered beneath the veneer of her public persona, the pain they experience twists the game’s world as the plot continues to thicken. Themes of self harm, suicide, abuse and the cultural romanticization of death are also explored in vivid detail and are explored boldly and maybe just a bit too brazenly. While presented with a sense of empathy, the on screen depictions of some of these themes will undoubtedly be seen by some as tasteless and exploitative, and may feel all too real to more sensitive players. Whether or not The Short Message handles its loaded themes well, they still make for a powerful and provocative horror experience and shows the studio’s willingness to evolve the franchise for a new generation.
While Silent Hill: The Short Message falls short of becoming the instant classic Konami intended, with its uninventive gameplay and questionable handling on extremely serious themes, the game still manages to create a worthwhile experience for longtime fans and newcomers alike. With gripping psychological horror, a strong story, and tense chases in a setting that drips with atmosphere, the game stands on its own as a solid horror game. Free to play on the PlayStation store, The Short Message comes recommended and a compelling, if inessential experience for players seeking a brief and bone chilling journey in the foggy and fearsome world of Silent Hill.
