Silent Hill

Silent Hill 3 image

Silent Hill is the title of a survival horror video game franchise, produced by Konami. As of 2003 there are four games available (one only available in Japan), all of which were released to strong sales and critical acclaim. The Silent Hill games are distinguished from other games in the same genre, such as Resident Evil, in that the focus is far more on character, story, and atmosphere rather than action and violence. The games' storylines unfold like that of a film, and multiple resolutions are possible depending upon what decisions the player makes during gameplay. Often, the player is left to wonder whether or not a sequence in the game has actually occurred in reality.

What Is Silent Hill?

Silent Hill is the town in which the stories are set. It has become deserted and isolated from reality, shifting between this world and the Otherworld, populated by fearsome monsters and demonic entities. The second game in the series also suggests that the town may be a metaphorical incarnation of a person's troubled psyche, or perhaps a kind of purgatory in which a person is judged for past sins. The protagonist of the game is trapped in the town and can only escape by resolving a personal issue that has been tormenting him (or her). The third game continues the notion of the battles between good and evil forces. Numerous fan forums and message boards have sprung up on the Internet in the years since the games' introduction, where the symbolism and themes in each game are enthusiastically discussed.

The games' visual design has come in for strong praise, depicting dark, fog-enshrouded, decaying environments enhanced by chilling (and very sudden) sound effects. Composer Akira Yamaoka has provided atmospheric and emotional music for the series, which ranges from melancholy piano solos to heavy rock pieces. Many fans and reviewers have referred to the Silent Hill games as among the most frightening ever made.

In 2003 a film based on Silent Hill was announced, with French director Christophe Gans (The Brotherhood of the Wolf) attached.

Synopses

Silent Hill (1999)

Seven years ago Harry Mason and his wife found a baby by the road and adopted her as their own, naming her Cheryl. Though the wife soon passed away from a disease, Harry Mason continued to love Cheryl as his own daughter.

At the start of the game we find Harry Mason and Cheryl going to the town resort of Old Silent Hill for vacation. Strange events occur before they have even entered the town. A cop on a motorbike drives past and only moments later Harry sees the bike lying by the side of the road and the cop is nowhere in sight. Soon afterwards a figure suddenly appears on the road, Harry turns the car and slides off the road. When he regains consciousness Harry discovers that Cheryl is missing and he finds himself in the midst of the evil slowly engulfing Silent Hill, "a world of someone's nightmarish delusions come to life."

Several easter eggs and hidden references can be found throughout the game. As an in-joke for horror fans, most of the town's streets in the first game are named after popular horror and suspense novelists. And if you care to look carefully enough there is 'Redrum' written on a door in a street, honouring the movie The Shining.

Silent Hill Play Novel

Released on Gameboy Advance only in Japan.

Silent Hill 2 (2001)

Three years ago James Sunderland's wife Mary passed away from a terminal disease. James, still grief-stricken from the loss, has received a letter from his late wife telling him to meet her at their "special place" in Silent Hill. James, uncertain whether this is real or a bad hoax, ventures to the old tourist town and finds a mist-shrouded hell full of crawling monsters. While searching the town's decrepit buildings for clues, James encounters other lost souls like himself, including a little girl who seems to know a great deal about James' and Mary's relationship, and a mysterious young woman named Maria who is the spitting image of Mary.

The Xbox version of the game, subtitled Restless Dreams, featured an additional scenario where players controlled Maria. This level was included on the PlayStation 2 version when the "Greatest Hits" edition was released (also known as Platinum Edition). The title of the original scenario with James is called Letter from Silent Heaven. The one featuring Maria as the protagonist is named Born from a Wish.

Silent Hill 2 does not have a direct narrative continuity to the first game, but shares locations with the third game, and a few allusions in Silent Hill 3.

Silent Hill 3 (2003)

Seventeen years have passed since the events of the first game. Heather is a normal teenage girl who loves to shop and has a sharp attitude about almost everything, but one Sunday the past catches up with her. Avoiding a stranger who claims that he is a detective, sent to find her, Heather suddenly finds the environment transformed into a strange decaying landscape. She attempts to escape the horror to her home and her father, yet on the way she faces a mysterious and forgotten secret.

The third game is directly tied to the first Silent Hill.

Silent Hill 4: The Room (due Fall 2004)

Henry Townshend, living in South Ashfield, a town neighbouring Silent Hill, one day finds himself mysteriously locked in his own apartment. After five days of entrapment Henry finds a hole that has opened up in his bathroom. He is about to venture into the madness of Silent Hill.

This installment of the series will feature some revised controls, such as a more easily accessible items menu and map. Also, there will be moments where the game turns to a first-person perspective.