After numerous cryptic Tweets and rumours, Konami has indeed rolled out the red carpet for the long dormant franchise, announcing five upcoming projects, with with four distinct games and a feature-length film. The four Silent Hill games on display look to take the franchise in various directions and even back in time. Without further ado, let’s unpack the announcements.
Silent Hill 2 is Receiving a Full Remake
You may have noticed multiple rumours over the past few days regarding a Silent Hill 2 remake. And yeah, it looks like they were indeed real. That being said, developer Bloober Team, the same developers of The Medium, are taking this one on board. The fresh visuals and gameplay aren’t necessarily an immense departure from the original, even if gameplay will now take place from a more modern over-the-shoulder view. Regardless of the changes, we’re confident that many will flock to a modernised retelling of one of the greatest horror games ever made. With no official release date on the cards as of yet, the Silent Hill 2 remake will remain a PlayStation 5 and PC exclusive for the first 12 months.
Silent Hill: Townfall Revealed as a New Story Focused Entry
Annapurna Interactive and No Code, the team behind Observation and Stories Untold are working on a new Silent Hill game focused on storytelling and narrative. While nothing was shown in the way of gameplay or premise, the trailer does show a small handheld portable television, as we catch various glimpses of a creepy alienlike creature and empty hallway of a house. P.T. perhaps? We think not, but we are indeed excited to see more.
Return to Silent Hill Will Serve as a Brand New Film, Coming From the Director of the Original
Director Christophe Gans returns for another feature-length film set in the Silent Hill universe. He had helmed the original 2006 Silent Hill, a film that has gained a cult following of sorts in recent years. Return to Silent Hill will seemingly serve as a sequel to 2006 film, bypassing the events of the 2012 sequel Silent hill: Revelations. The lengthy teaser trailer dives into developmental ideas behind this project, while showing off some conceptual story boards of scenes to come.
Silent Hill: Ascension Will Provide Real-Time Interactive Streaming
From the mind of Genvid, Bad Robot Games and Behaviour Interactive, comes a new type of interactive series that rolls with the punches as you make the decisions. It’s also been touted that the decisions made here will serve as canon; for better or worse. It will begin streaming sometime in 2023.
The Sweet Factory Will Serve as the New Home of Official Silent Hill Merchandise
With new Silent Hill merchandise on the way including a fresh line-up of statues and figurines, you’ll be able to collect all the GECCOI sculpted goods at the Sweet Factory Store online.
Silent Hill f takes the Franchise Back in Time
Set in 1960’s Japan, Silent Hill f will follow in the footsteps of writer Ryūkishi07’s previous works, based around murder mysteries and psychological, supernatural horror. The trailer shows a young girl running from an unknown parasite as it latches onto her. We are then taken to another environment, where that same girl has seemingly come to terms with the fact that the parasite has caused a range of flora to sprout from her kin. As the camera pans over to her smiling face, it simply falls off; there’s really no other way top describe it, her face just falls off. Fair warning to anyone with Trypophobia, as the latter half of this trailer is sure to set some people off.
It’s still largely unknown what this will be, and if it will serve as the next big AAA game for the franchise, but it sure looks scary.
While we’re a little bummed about the lack of any Norman Reedus and Hideo Kojima projects and the lack of a spiritual P.T. successor, it’s hard to argue with the sheer amount of Silent Hill goodness in the works.
