Among all the upcoming games in Konami’s portfolio,Silent Hill fis arguably the most intriguing one. Announced during the Silent Hill Transmission event in 2022, the game is going to be the first new mainline installment in theSilent Hillfranchise since 2012’sSilent Hill: Downpour. It is being developed primarily by Neobards Entertainment, a studio that, up to this point, has mostly done nothing but support work for other AAA games, likeResident Evil 2(2019) andMarvel’s Avengers. The script forSilent Hill fis also, interestingly enough, being written by the famed Japanese writer Ryukishi07, who is best known for his work on theWhen they Cryvisual novel series.
As its reveal trailer suggests,Silent Hill fis not going to be a traditionalSilent Hillgame. Rather than being set in the fictional American town the franchise is named after,Silent Hill fis going to take place in Japan, sometime during the Showa period (1926-1989). SincemainlineSilent Hillentrieshave never taken place in the mid-to-late 1900s before,Silent Hill fcan be considered a prequel of sorts. Because it’s a standalone entry that lacks much of the narrative baggage from the franchise’s other titles, the game will probably serve as a good starting point forSilent Hillnewcomers. However, Konami’s decision to releaseSilent Hill fimmediately afterSilent Hill 2Remakecould risk turning away some new fans.
Silent Hill f May Not Appeal to New Silent Hill 2 Fans
Silent Hill 2 Remake Successfully Revived the Silent Hill Franchise
TheSilent Hill 2 Remake, developed by Bloober Team, was a welcome surprise for the long-sufferingSilent Hillfanbase. After years of disappointing releases, likeSilent Hill: The First MessageandSilent Hill: Book of Memories, many were prepared to write the game off as another failed attempt by Konami to resuscitate the franchise. However, when it came out on PS5 and PC last year,theSilent Hill 2 Remakebecame a runaway success. Much to the surprise of some, the game garnered glowing reviews from both journalists and fans, with many citing it as one of the best horror titles in recent memory.
Bloober Team and Konami’s remake ofSilent Hill 2is very faithful to the original game. Even though it has a much longer runtime and aconsiderably overhauled combat system, the game still maintains the spirit of the 2001 horror classic. Because of this, Konami likely made the right choice by choosingSilent Hill 2 Remaketo revive the franchise with. It not only appeals to long-time fans of the series, but it’s also modernized enough to attract new audiences. Given that theSilent Hill 2 Remakeis one of the fastest-selling installments in theSHfranchise, it’s probably many people’s first-everSilent Hillgame.
Silent Hill f and Silent Hill 2 Remake Are Two Different Types of Games
Silent Hill 2Remake’s success putsSilent Hill fin a difficult position. Since both games seem to be very different from each other, they may not appeal to the same audiences.Silent Hill 2Remake’s approach to the horror genre is very Lynchian and psychological in nature,somewhat likeTwin Peaks.Silent Hill f, on the other hand, appears to be taking a lot of inspiration from Japanese folk horror and East Asian mythology in general. These two types of horror are both great on their own, butSilent Hill fbeing an immediate follow-up toSilent Hill 2Remakemay set weird expectations for the future of theSilent Hillfranchise.
Silent Hill 1 and 3 Remakes May Make Silent Hill f Look Like the Black Sheep of the Family
Konami is reportedly working onremakes ofSilent Hill 1and3with the help of Bloober Team. These two entries in the series are fairly similar in tone toSH2, so if they do get rebuilt for modern platforms in the near future, they may overshadowSilent Hill fand make it stand out even more than it already does. Because of this, many newcomers to theSHfranchise who are expecting aSilent Hill 2- orSilent Hill 3-style experience fromSilent Hill fmay end up being disappointed.
