By taking Silent Hill outdoors of its namesake city, Konami has basically opened up the whole world for the franchise to probably set its tales in. At first look, Nineteen Sixties Ebisugaoka is as far-off from the modern Silent Hill, Maine as a setting might get. The tonal components are nonetheless prominently obvious, however Silent Hill f has fully rethought what is feasible from a Silent Hill proper right down to its surrounding surroundings and time interval.
The Psychology of Silent Hill
In fact, the change in setting doesn’t imply that the psychological facet that Silent Hill is thought for has been discarded. As a substitute, this factor has additionally been expanded upon and revised, profiting from the change in surroundings to reformat the context of those themes. Hinako actually has her personal traumas and psychological hang-ups that she endures and carries all through the story, however as seen within the trailers and sneak peeks on the recreation, she isn’t as completely outlined by them like James Sunderland from Silent Hill 2 or Murphy Pendleton from Silent Hill: Downpour.
Extra than simply being a story theme, the psychological factor has unfold straight into the gameplay mechanics for Silent Hill f, notably with a sanity meter. Whereas this implies similarities to the 2002 GameCube recreation Everlasting Darkness: Sanity’s Requiem, which had its personal sanity meter inflicting characters to hallucinate when depleted, the sanity meter is relegated to the fight gameplay in Silent Hill f. Moderately than being consumed when going through the fixed horrors of the sport, this sanity meter is used up each time gamers use it to achieve an edge in fight, with the meter restored at shrines.
The way it’s included into the sport apart, a tormented psyche does play a distinguished function all through Silent Hill f and greater than the omnipresent unsettling ambiance permeating within the recreation. Hinako is taunted by monsters resembling her classmates and different folks that she is aware of, blaming her for his or her present state as they stalk her in and round Ebisugaoka. As the sport progresses, Hinako feels more and more overwhelmed and exhausted from her experiences, one thing that her buddies discover. The sport checks Hinako’s thoughts and physique like by no means earlier than, retaining that franchise hallmark for emotional tragedy and depth.
That is extra subtly been within the case in previous video games however Silent Hill f makes this abundantly clear: Silent Hill just isn’t a lot a bodily place however a troubled frame of mind.
A New Future for Silent Hill
As cliche because it sounds, now greater than ever is a superb time to be a Silent Hill fan, even wanting past Silent Hill f. For franchise purists, Konami launched the broadly acclaimed Silent Hill 2 remake final yr, with its developer Bloober Group confirmed to be engaged on a contemporary remake of the unique 1999 recreation. In 2022, Annapurna Interactive, who has produced a various line of acclaimed video games for years, introduced its engaged on their very own installment within the franchise, Silent Hill: Townfall.
