Silent Hill is a series of survival horror video games licensed by Konami. Today we will be talking about how these games took the world by storm, and the legacy they left behind. Konami released a total of 18 Silent Hill games, 8 main-entries, 3 re-releases, and 7 spin-offs. The first 4 of main-entry titles, Silent Hill 1,2,3 and 4,are often revered by fans as the only “true” Silent Hill games, after the fourth title, the independent project would be handed off to western developers and the horrifying beauty of the series would be lost. The last Silent Hill game would be released in 2012, as a broken and flawed re-release of 1 and 2. Despite the series being ruined by Konami’s attempt to milk it for every last penny, the fans remained faithful in hopes that the series would return to its former glory.

On August 12th, 2014 a mysterious demo for an unheard horror game was listed on the Playstation 4 games store, titled only P.T. The game took place in an L-shaped hallway in a seemingly normal home, and upon reaching the end of the hallway, you would appear back where you started, but there were minor differences with each loop. Players were immediately captivated by its unique progression mechanic, difficult and intricate puzzles, and the horrifying atmosphere. When players solved the final puzzle, the loop ended, and a short teaser was shown announcing a new game titled Silent Hills. Fans were blown away, and rejoiced for the long-awaited revival of the classic horror series, and then, something happened.

P.T. was created by the famous horror and fantasy filmmaker Guillermo del Toro, and Hideo Kojima, the man who created the Metal Gear Solid series. Kojima excelled at telling a story, often they’re convoluted and never fully appreciated until they’re put under a microscope and analyzed to see the bigger picture. In October of 2015, Hideo Kojima quit his job at Konami to start his own development studio, Kojima Productions. Since then he has been very successful with his independent projects, mostly with Death Stranding, which coincidentally stars Norman Reedus who was slated to play the main protagonist in Silent Hills. Sadly, in his departure from Konami, he also left behind his massively successful Metal Gear Solid series and the highly anticipated Silent Hills, fans were more than disappointed, and their hopes of a revival were shattered

To this day, fans remain faithful to the series, in hopes that one day it wouldn’t be just a relic of the past. There have been many rumours stating that a new game was in the works for the upcoming PS5, but they have all been blatant lies to toy with what little fanbase the series still has. Maybe we will eventually get a new game, but it’s highly unlikely at this point. For now, all that remains of Silent Hill are the pachinko slot machines that fuel Konami’s greed for even more money.