Konamihas announced thatSilent Hill 2sold over a million copiesin just three days, which makes Bloober Team’s remake an undeniable success. It is the best-selling title in series history by quite a margin because, despite its cult status, Silent Hill hasn’t enjoyed financial success throughout much of its life. At the time of writing, Silent Hill has amassed less than ten million sales across all of its games. Yet it’s a name that stands alongsideResident Evilas a titan of the genre.
After the original quartet of titles wrapped up on thePlayStation 2, Team Silent was suddenly disbanded and the majority of future titles were developed by Western studios. We had a few worthwhile entries in the coming years like Origins and Shattered Memories, but stinkers like Downpour and Homecoming fundamentally misunderstand its signature psychological horror with characters and settings that just aren’t very interesting. Combine that with the mediocre HD Collection, and it was only a matter of time until Silent Hill faded into obscurity.
After Silent Hill 2, We’re Probably Going To Get More Remakes
I began to believe that the series was never going to make a comeback, and then felt sick with worry when it was revealed thatBloober Teamwas going to remake the stellar second entry. Things only got worse with The Short Message, a laughable online social experiment in Ascension, as it seems like Konami is throwing everything at the wall to see what sticks. But with Silent Hill 2 all but blowing the doors off, maybe Konami is looking at the future now with very different ideas.
It’s refreshing to see one million copies sold as a sign of success, rather than falling short of expectations because it didn’t sell five times the amount.
The first thing that comes to mind is a remake of Silent Hill 3. It’s held in similarly high regard with its focus on survival horror and a slew of iconic characters, and would massively benefit from the same remake treatment. I can close my eyes and picture it, and it’d be fascinating if one of Team Silent’s more underappreciated entries got a second chance.
Speaking of, The Room is a spectacularly disturbing experience that could be expanded beautifully in this new era, not to mention hardly anyone played it back on the PS2. But after that, I worry about the possibility of Silent Hill focusing too much on resurfacing old victories instead of conjuring up new stories, because for so long the series has relied on the imagery, enemies, and motifs it introduced in Silent Hill 2 without thinking about how to expand those ideas.
Millions of people who never even played the original game are aware of Pyramid Head, fog, and characters like James Sunderland and Heather Mason. They’ve eclipsed both games for good reason, and I’m unsure if Konami is right or wrong to recognise that allure.
Do I want to see new games in the series, or would they merely be pale imitators of what came before or feel an obligation to recreate the same enemies, imagery, and themes, knowing that fans will be outraged if they didn’t? Bloober Team has said it is open to new remakes and is ready and willing to prove itself, but I’d rather that attitude be applied to new games instead of remakes of older ones.
Yes, you would be offering these stories to a new audience for the first time, but wouldn’t that time be better spent completely reinterpreting that experience, or better yet, a new story? We will eventually run out of road, and for Silent Hill to continue in some form, it’ll be left with no choice but to evolve and leave the past behind. Drag them across the coals however you like, but at least Ascension and Short Message tried something new. We’ve also got the likes of Silent Hill f and Townfall to look forward to, but who knows if plans for those will end up altered now Silent Hill 2 has proven to be a success.
But We Could End Up Getting More Than Games, Too
Silent Hill has received two feature films over the years, neither of which are very good. The first launched in 2006 and was a relatively faithful adaptation of the first game with more than a few visual elements taken from Silent Hill 2. It also went harder on the lore and twisted the town’s background into one formed around specific historical figures and an obsession with witchcraft instead of reflecting the mental psyche of its characters.
It walked and talked just like Silent Hill, but it didn’t reallyfeellike Silent Hill. I remember being obsessed with it as a kid and immediately disappointed the second I saw it for myself. But compared to the movie we got over half a decade later, it’s a masterpiece.
Revelations is a disastrous movie starring a baby-faced Kit Harington that is more of a silly and schlocky monster movie than a serious attempt at horror. The Pyramid Head is viewed as a good guy much like the Predator in Alien vs Predator, while the action is more of a slow motion rollercoaster ride - literally in some places - that is frankly hilarious to watch. It came out when the series was on its last breath, representing a final kick in the teeth for fans in a sea of pachinko machines. So, what would future adaptations look like if Konami decides to go down this route after Silent Hill 2? Probably a lot better. Well, hopefully…
After the success of shows likeArcane,The Last of Us,Fallout, and plenty of others, it feels like the tie-in curse has long been broken. If Silent Hill was ever going to step up for another shot, it would likely be taken more seriously. Horror has moved on as a genre, and we live in a world where there is room for serious psychological thrillers and schlocky nonsense. We’ve come to expect more, while creators have greater respect for a source material we once only ever viewed as hokey. With that in mind, if Silent Hill’s future sits in adaptation, I reckon it will be just fine.
Whatever We End Up Getting, Silent Hill Is Back
Even a few months ago, I was convinced that Silent Hill would continue to struggle in the modern era. That the Bloober Team remake would fundamentally misunderstand all the original does so well and flounder for purpose in a landscape with no desire for it. I couldn’t have been more wrong, and with this masterful revival set in stone, Konami has a chance to take some serious creative risks with Silent Hill, and I hope it does. It does horror like almost no other games do, and it would be foolish not to capitalise on that fact.
Silent Hill 2
WHERE TO PLAY
THE SILENCE IS BROKEN…James Sutherland’s life is shattered when his young wife Mary suffers a tragic death. Three years later, a mysterious letter arrives from Mary, beckoning him to return to their sanctuary of memories, the dark realm of Silent Hill.Now James must go back to that special place to uncover the truth, unaware that the answers he seeks require the ultimate sacrifice.• Return to Silent Hill in an entirely new adventure with all-new characters and monsters.• Battle horrifying creatures with a new arsenal of weapons and items.• Riveting storyline, stunning graphics and true-to-life CG movies leave you on the edge of your seat.• Atmospheric lighting and ambient 3D surround sound shift and change at each terrifying turn.• Dynamic camera angles, beautifully rendered environments, and real-time weather effects deliver a cinematic horror experience.
