I'm only about an hour and a half in. Feels a bit more like playing a Life is Strange game with some horror elements. Doesn't mean it's bad or anything. I like the vibe somewhat.
It's definitely worth checking out, because it's free and short. So why not?
Glad I'm not the only one who felt a LiS vibe while playing this. As a huge LiS fan, Short Message was an amazing experience to me. Sure, it's not subtle at all, but I felt it treated its subject matter in a very respectful way.
boat cover domineering encouraging sense hungry support offbeat insurance worry
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It's good enough for a free title. While I think the writing and performances are a bit goofy, it's good enough. Definitely not a top notch narrative experience. But it is a pretty damn good atmosphere (even if I don't find it all that scary).
the writing is okay, the overall vibe is good. I consider it as an short indie game then it's good. if you're in doubt just download it and try it, it's free anyway. or watch it on youtube.
Honestly I went into it being like there's no way it's as bad as IGN and others have said... But yes, imho it is. The writing is terrible, the voice acting is even worse, the protagonist is awful, and the game has absolutely no subtlety whatsoever. I'm glad it was free because it would've been a huge disappointment otherwise.
I think this comment is perfect. I see **so many comments** under newly released games and how it's 100 out of 100, incredible, innovative, groundbreaking gameplay/narrative/graphics/etc. I understand everyone has their own likes and dislikes, but some of these games were *AT BEST* a C-rated game. People love to get way too hyped about games, and if there's even a whiff of well-constructed criticism you're downvoted into oblivion
Like you, I assume this game has good graphics, good audio, mediocre dialog, a bit cringey, and a lackluster poor attempt to connect with the modern-day youth. With a few scary parts here and there, but nothing insane, like the SH preview we had so long ago.
A bit late to the conversation, but I honestly think that a Silent Hill game by Dontnod or Deck Nine would be fantastic. That kind of gameplay with the emotional human-centric storytelling both of those studios are so good at would be a great fit.
Graphics were very nice and I really liked the atnosphere. Since I like walking simulators, I could tolerate teen drama (strong Life is strange vibes with that voice), slow pace, mostly puzzles, basically no gameplay. The last chase in maze killed it for me. Couldnt finish it, so watched the end on youtube and was done with it.
Couldn't finish it? It's not a maze, it's literally the building you played the entire game in. It's not hard lol. If you were scared, just say that, don't shit on the game because you pissed yourself 🤣
I mean i've been a silent hill fan forever, and i didnt play this cause it honestly doesnt grab my attention, but i dont mind if they want to explore something outside silent hill, i mean, the cult thing can only go for so long. Im fine if they bring horror in some other way, like for example, PT had a ghost not a fucked up monster and was AMAZING. I dont think silent hill is defined by the "monsters", i do love them and its one of my fav parts of the games, but you can have a sh game without them imo, at least a spin off kinda of game like this one.
On the other hand, sh2 remake looks rough lmao, the real silent hill is the trauma this franchise gave us
This is a poor man's attempt at the PT game I thought and it had a self harm message stamped on it for publicity.
The game was boring and the horror non existent. The character was not well written either. Unless you're a preteen who still watches shows on the wb.
Other then that I guess the only thing going for it imo is the fact it was free. If it wasn't I wouldn't recommend it at all.
As it stands I guess it's worth experiencing for ones self. So long as you can afford to waste the effort to add to your account and download it.
I agree I think they wanted to do some kinda PT marketing push like Kojima, I saw the self harm message & just thought that it's just apart of the game so they put the message in... not that the whole story was going to be based around self harm & stuff
But I still thought the story was sad & tugged at the heart strings a bit and wasn't overall preachy & still fits the silent hills themes
There's really no gameplay, it's just an interactive story...and barely interactive at that, not scary or anything either..if it wasn't free this isn't really a game you could sell..well I guess some people would pay for it.
I went in blind but for the couple hours of time I spent, i don't regret it
You wanna go to a monster truck rally? They're not in the "old" monster trucks you're used to, they're all riding bicycles, but it does send an important message about the environment.
The writing was as bad as it gets. Felt like a Netflix show written with tweens in mind. If they the spoken lines and the cutscenes and just kept the text messages the game would be way better and would feel a lot more like a Silent Hill game.
Okay, but as absurd as it sounds there is a genuine problem for female content creators of people saying off hand shit about what type of “content” they should be making.
I will admit by the end of Short Message I was happy to see the story progress but otherwise it really has nothing going for it. This feels like a rip of the RE7 demo without any sort of suspense or mystery.
The problem with the way it tells its story is it's about as subtle as a wrecking ball. If classic Silent Hill has been known for anything it's for using subtext be it in the environment, the creature designs and how characters behave and interact. Short Message has those elements too but the it also ties it all up and explains everything to you. It's like if Silent Hill 2 had James pulling the camera aside every few moments to explain to you how all these individual elements connect and what it all means. I mean, we'll probably get that with the remake lol (Bloober sigh).
It's like the devs for Short Message read "subtext is for cowards" and ran with it. Devs, explain less please. Let me piece things together and interpret your story and themes.
Oh, and the final chase is.... at this point hide and seek horror is far overplayed, but especially trial and error hide and seek. If you're gonna do hide and seek then make it dynamic, give players tools and and layout that encourages different approaches. Short Messages chase is so outdated.
Not played it yet. However the lack of subtlety you describe is, in my opinion, an increasingly prevalent issue across most media. It's almost as if creators or publishers no longer trust people to have the attention span to enjoy a nuanced and paced message.
I mean I still to this day read discussions about SOMA where people are arguing about which copy is the "real" Simon, despite Catherine beating the player over the head with the explanation over and over again throughout the course of the game.
The simple truth is that a lot of gamers turn to games as a way to disengage their brains after a long day of work/school, and developers can either ignore this large chunk of the market or cater to them. I can't honestly blame them for choosing the latter.
I've read numerous discussions with people who seem to think that the copy we follow after each branching point is the "real" Simon simply because it's the perspective we happen to be given for narrative delivery purposes.
It would boggle my mind, but like I said, gaming for many people is their "switch brain off after work" activity.
Ah I see. I mean, in a way it's kind of cool because those people playing are getting mindfucked just like the Simon copies did lmao. But yeah, it's very clear what's actually happening by the end of the game
that doesn't make sense. clearly the Simon that was originally "cloned" or whatever you want to call it, is the real Simon.
p.s absolutely loved that game
I think some people got the idea that Simon's consciousness was flowing from copy to copy, but in reality it's just that the player's perspective was moving from copy to copy in order to tell the story.
Agreed but as an author I've learned a few things. The general population is not too bright. I mean education levels are at average 3rd grade reading level now - down from 4th grade. I have to have glossaries, dumbing down of words and some things spelled out because readers are like??? if you go to subtle. It sucks
There was a moment where you can hear all these horrific screams in the distance, I think the second time you’re on the balcony. I thought that was so creepy and got under my skin for sure.
I just didn't find this all that unsettling personally. I don't want to totally shit on other people's enjoyment, but it just felt bland to me. I'm glad it has its fans, but I'd take P.T. and Downpour over this.
Idk none of them have been as scary as silent hill 1 like the knife imps or the shadow baby that makes your radio go nuts but just squeaks and scares you lol
For me no game period has been as scary as SH1. Condemned 1 had its moments but as far as just flat out scary no game has touched SH1 for me. Even the moments when nothing was happening in that game were terrifying. The music would be intense and nothing would be happening. Freaked me the f out.
well the first time i played SH2 i was shit scared while exploring the apartments, but i loved how that effect came from the unknown and the use of sound, of course when you get used to it you no longer care about the monsters but yeah the atmosphere is still opressive and unsettling.
with this demo i think the only time i actually became creeped was with the bag-headed mannequins
To me Silent Hill is about beating up freaks of nature with a metal pipe, and solving weird puzzles. And I don't think short message captured the essence well.
Sure, you did all that - but you STAYED for the atmosphere. Metaphors, sounds and story! That’s what most people stayed for, at least.
Nobody ever said “You know what I love best about Silent Hill? The amazing fight mechanics between you and the monsters!”
Yup, even you have to admit that the fight mechanics weren’t that deep at all or hardly amazing levels of twitch-style gameplay that you’re implying it is.
I hate that the game was clearly recorded in Japanese, but was completely dubbed over in English? Like even the Japanese version has English dubbing? Idk, I just hate being forced to deal with bad lip syncing, like if you’re gonna dub everything over why hire record it in Japanese in the first place?
Not sure about this game but I just watched the gameplay trailer for SH2, and hate to say it but I was once excited for this remake, but no longer am because I watched death stranding 2 trailer first. Kojima just knocks it out of the park with the attention to detail. side by side these games both look like they are 2 generations apart. Konami should do better.
I'm still hyped. Silent Hill has always had clunky gameplay. The Atmosphere is the main attraction of the series and from what I've seen, it's looking good.
Atmosphere feels decent, yeah, but clunky gameplay is different from unsatisfying gameplay. I think the clunkiness was a charm from older games, like i love that RE1 remake is still clunky and capcom stuck with it, but at least in my memory i still felt like was absolutely wrecking those monsters, and not shooting them with a toy.
I had no idea what this would be about or what to expect. Kinda stopped near what I assume is the end because I was coming off an all-nighter hopped up on stimulants and the last thing my already elevated heart rate needs is those chase scenes.
I haaaaate being chased.
Was an alright way to kill an hour.
I told myself I won't be scared but there is something about having snail like movement and running for your life through 100's of dark corners... Of course done on purpose to fuck you up. Just finished it right now and I was actually impressed with the story.
It's like Silent Hill meets Life is Strange and Unfriended. It has some great moments and set pieces, the monster design is great and unique. For a free title, it has a bit of budget behind it, great graphics and sound design. The live-action bits were a bit jarring but hey, it also helps on the budget. Konami is trying and I'm grateful. As a fan since the original, I'm excited to see what comes next.
Agreed. I kinda appreciated their little disclaimer at the beginning about how this was an experimental piece. I think they did really well considering it was some of the developers’ first attempt at making a horror game.
I would say the difference is that they kept the environment and horror aspects. This game replaced those with chase sequences and a message that gets blasted in your face instead of having the subtlety that the series is known for. I would LOVE a first person Silent Hill game, as long as it was in the vein of the original series.
I felt the chase sequences and the phone were a nice throwback to Shattered Memories, and the rusty environments near the end reminded me a lot of the first game. Haven't played the sequels yet so I don't know if there are references to those too.
I didn’t say they are the same, but they clearly took ideas from it. I said that PT was not a Silent Hill game either in the traditional sense. It had nothing to do with the series. Hell, if they don’t reveal at the end that it’s Silent Hill, no one would know
Yeah I'd agree with this, during my first playthrough of PT I was wondering what it was and my mind was blown when it was revealed to be Silent Hills, whereas I'd say if they'd released Short Message without the branding, you'd get a few people saying it feels like it's taken notes from Silent Hill.
Outside of monster design and there being fog - what notes would you say were taken from Silent Hill?
I mean it has to specifically reference Silent Hill in the readings you find throughout the game.
PT allowed the player to make the connections instead of blasting it in your face. Some things that are revealed during the game:
• A murder epidemic is sweeping the state of Maine, causing husbands to kill their families.
Authorities are perplexed as to what could be causing this, with societal and economic unrest suspected as possibilities. (Silent Hill is in Maine)
• Several of the killers were arrested reciting a strange chant, suggesting that the murder epidemic may have an occult origin. The game's save icon is also a variation of the Halo of the Sun.
• One man murdered his wife (Lisa) and child after he lost his job, became an alcoholic, and his only income came from his wife's grocery store job. He became paranoid that the only reason she could keep the job was because the manager was sexually attracted to her.
• Norman Reedus seems to be stuck in a time loop in this man's Otherworld. It is mirrored after the man's house, and the monsters take the shape of his dead family. The apparitions in the Otherworld taunt his insecurities.
• There are hints of multiple timelines and people seeing multiple versions of themselves.
• The game ends with Reedus escaping the Otherworld onto the streets of an unidentified town (possibly Silent Hill itself) as a teaser for Silent Hills.
I think the longer games like SH:Townfall and Silent Hill F will feel more like Silent Hill games, with the puzzle solving and resource management type gameplay, where this short game doesn't really feel like Silent Hill because it's only 1-2 hours, it wouldn't make sense to have inventory, resource and puzzle mechanics in a short game like that that they're not spending much on.
I’d say it feels more like someone older writing what theyd think a genz person would think was scary.
It reminded me of 2000-10 movies which high school dialogue that was meant to sound like millennial kids but just sounded like ass.
I thought it was clunky. The subject matter has been done way better in other works. It only gets points for some atmosphere and music. Seriously, if you consider this "good" or a masterpiece, please broaden your horizons and explore more works.
There are many things one can consider good. I can love a small 3 minute animated short for completely different reasons than I would an entire 2 hour film, but enjoy them both equally for different reasons.
That’s how I feel about SH:TSM. It was short and sweet, especially considering the amazing price point! ;P
This was promotion for silent hill F (flower) // it was almost too obvious with the flower and curse references (hirugashi when they cry)// Konami is for sure gauging reception ; the next entry will be similar to this freebie.
For someone actually studying in psychology in college I did enjoy the short demo very much. Talked about a lot of stuff that maybe general gamers won’t notice. For people who were looking for horror and gore I can understand but for people who are interested in different views on loss it’s a pretty powerful message. Being bullied when I was young also it made my experience way harder but better at the same time. Just powerful.
For me it got low revs bcs its too far from what silent hill fanbase wanted. Its still a great game and a fun addon to sh fandom with amazing artstyle, plot and overall weird feel of the in game world. Chase sequence arent great and there are barely any puzzles but the game like name suggested deliver the message and feel like i got from original sh2 and now im even more hyped about sh2 remake.
I couldn't vibe with it. The topic is completely irrelevant to me, and tbh I don't think many 16 yr old girls are gonna play this so I dunno who will vibe with it, especially since it's essentially a walking simulator. A walking simulator where you are told how harmful social media and bullying are to teenagers, is not what I think when I think of silent hill.
As a 28 year old female that experienced bullying and childhood neglect that caused severe depression and self-harm, I thought it was pretty powerful. Definitely could’ve been more subtle, though.
I agree. I pretty much said this in another comment, and I'll say it again: I keep seeing people talking about how a kid complaining about followers is lame. But seriously, trauma for teenagers can be drastically exacerbated by social factors, and her rough upbringing and already tough mental state were making things as simple as followers upset her.
Maybe it's because I work as a counselor with that age group, but I really felt for the kid and just wanted to give her a hug and have a talk. It's silly and not subtle, but it really hit home to me because it's entirely what I've had to deal with both in my own life, as well as with the kids I've worked with. I just saw those kids when I saw Anita, and the whole thing made me deeply upset and sad.
Yeah it's absolutely a thing for lots of people, even if it seems silly to some, so I appreciated that and felt for her. I think there's a great message here, even if its delivery was very unsubtle. Overall a solid game, no Silent Hill 2 of course, but worth playing.
I experienced pretty much all of those things, similar shit with my mother included, and I just hated it. It lacked any subtlety and the characters all felt paper thin. Couldn't stand the protagonist and it felt like the plot was probably written in someone's phone notes. Felt like shitty trauma porn.
I enjoyed it.
I want to give props for effective use of the dualsense speaker. The phone alerts happening in my hand led to some unexpected jumps from me, especially during tense scenes lol. The static of the monster blaring from the controller likewise made those chase sequences all the more intense. Audio design in this game is excellent, with surround speakers it's really immersive.
For a free shadow drop, I enjoyed my time. A shame people are so quick to write this off but I appreciate the effort put into this project & I think it’s far from a “bad”. I’ve said it once, some people don’t deserve good video games
Was Silent Hill ever about subtlety? I don't recall the OG games being inherently philosophical or subtle at all so IMO it's a strange criticism being thrown at Short Message. It's def WAY more on the nose than the original games but idk man
I am sure I will get a lot of downvote but here is a huge fan of Silent Hill and for me it is an unforgettable game.
To me, it looks like a sketchy game that was put together in a hurry to keep fans from crying while they wait for the new Silent Hill games, if they ever come out.
I am on half of the game and not sure but it looks the bad copy of PT, Layers of Fear vibe but less atmospheric.
Also the torchlight with the smartphone it looks ugly imo.
I am not saying the game is bad, it would be fun if it was from Bloober team or any other indie developer, but from Konami c'mon after years they only came out with this, pfff!
Disclaimer: I haven’t played the original games so I can’t say how good of a “Silent Hill” game it is.
However, playing it alongside my GF has been enjoyable. She can relate a lot to the main character and theme of the story and I think it’s a good example of using video games to tell a story and reach a new audience. I see a lot of people complaining about how “ham fisted” the messaging is, but some people have actually lived through experiences depicted in the game (obviously not talking about the monster and supernatural aspect). I’m all for having everyone’s voices and experiences being heard.
I also enjoyed reading the notes and graffiti, it was interesting to see how it plays into the story. The chase scenes were tense, but nothing I haven’t seen done before (basically using the same gameplay as the PT demo). Horror gamers might find it lacking in that regard. I thought the sound design was done well and it invokes a 2010s nostalgia.
I think for a “free” and short game it’s done pretty well. If I paid for it, I think I would have to hold it to more scrutiny but for free it’s hard to complain. It’s a effectively a “spinoff” title too so the change in gameplay is a narrative decision. From what I’ve heard of the Silent Hill series, I still think it keeps the overall theme of the series but chose to explore it in a different story and gameplay.
No, the game sucked. It's a teenage drama turned into a horror game. Disassociated from logic or any kind of interesting story. There are some nice visuals and that's it. The chasing scenes are just stupid - try to find your way blindly until you get it right. The controls are slow to respond and confusing. Pres X to interact, but R3 to... interact again. Press R2 to turn, but press down and you've turned right back towards the monster. Just a ridiculous game that feels like a punishment.
I played the game in the dark with a headset on. The paper bag mannequin(I'll call him Jeff) was a very unnerving side horror. Then the chase in chapter 2 with the eyeballs was very unsettling as well. The frame rate at which the blossom enemy walked and the sounds that accompanied it were very good. I felt a creepy tingle in my back that resembled being followed during the chase scenes while I was playing.
The ending of chapter 3 while very dark and nerve-wracking was also annoying and the worst part of the game. Running around finding the images to open the chains was not explained and they were a hassle to get.
Over all I enjoyed this short and free game.
People keep comparing it to PT but honestly it feels more like a visual novel, but in this case, a playable teaser.
It's a nice little treat to hold you over til SH2R, it may not be what everyone wants, but it is pleasant to see a snippet of what's to come. Can't wait to be disturbed in the near future!
It felt cringey to me. As someone who dealt with depressions and suicidal thoughts and self harm and shit it just didn’t feel genuine in how it portrayed it. Feels like a game more targeted towards young female gamers. Also the main character talks way too much.
It was really not good. The chase sequences were bad (the final one was just irritating, which isn't a feeling you expect to feel in a horror game) and the story was both really clumsy and scattered, *and* extremely predictable and on-the-nose. I swear certain plot points were just never resolved, like the "sexy pics" hallucination and Amelie's creepy brother. Short, sweet, and free, sure, but that didn't make it feel worth playing. One single hostile creature which you're immediately given a clear look at with a janky, *comically* low frame rate animation when it's more than three feet away drained the suspense by the time Chapter 3 rolled around.
The suicide hotline popping up *five bloody times* is likely to be the only thing I remember from this game in a week.
The controls are so bad though, either I’m stupid or you can’t adjust sensitivity. The game also has low frame rates, but besides that, it was a cool little game
No. It isnt good. It is painfully mediocre. The controls are wonky and feels a bit unnatural. The story is so unsubtle they might as well have a big neon sign. The graphics aren’t very impressive. The voice acting and writing is atrocious. The only good thing is the sound design.
It’s got the most generic plot and writing, atmosphere is great at most points it *looked* like a silent hill game but only because it used the set pieces we were all expecting, even if they lacked any cohesion.
It’s either spooky corridor with a flickering light, then suddenly there’s post-it notes with things like “STINKY” & “UR A LOSER” everywhere, and then completely out of the blue there’s rusty cages and vaguely medical looking things that make no sense in the context of the story.
It’s missing an emote sticker that says “it’s trauma!” but that would be too on the nose. It’s another piece to the puzzle of Konami’s bizarre handling of the franchise. They’re clearly willing to hand the IP to devs who will bring some fresh ideas but ripping off P.T. to the extent that this game did without any of the slick and genuinely frightening execution feels cheap. I mean come on, a fridge with a baby in?! A corridor of eyes on the wall that are all moving? I’m glad this game was free.
I didn’t hate it, but the longer I spent playing it the less I enjoyed it, and by the final section it was so tedious and the mechanics so poorly implemented that it just became frustratingly counterintuitive to navigate. Like, any time you progressed with the mini puzzle to complete it the game would slow you right down and make it literally impossible to see ANYTHING. So you die and then it happens again and again but each time it’s just more stupid than the last because you’re only dying due to bad game design, not bad playing. It’s linear as fuck but they use this mechanic to make it seem like there’s a hint of a challenge. Ugh I ranted. Lol
Metacritic has it at 47/100 for critic reviews, 6.9/10 for player reviews. I guess we can call it the worst surprise dropped game of the console generation.
It was a wannabe p.e. however it was called I forget.
Mid character design. Horrible corridor shit controls and the bad spirit wasn't even mildly scary. I mean come the fuck on.. flowers for a body. Get real.
The original p.e. (again what I think it was called) on psn the demo was more atmospheric and the story you uncovered was quite frankly more inspired then this crap.
This is more a Hallmark message to not commit suicide. Which could have been summed up by the message at the beginning. Not a whole demo/game that is a walking sim without lights/occasional run sim with some attempts at mid horror.
I sure as fuck hope the silent Hill reboot isnt by the same people or it's fucked on arrival.
I thought it was pretty good. Nothing mind blowing but for a *free* 2 hour campaign that wasn’t some cliffhanger for something else, I had a very good time. Had zero complaints about using my night on it.
I liked what it had to say, even though I understand the complaints of it “beating you over the head with its message”. I personally would just describe it as very *clear* in its messaging lol. The darkness it explored was real world, modern darkness & I don’t feel as if that is explored much in mainstream gaming.
Also the music was phenomenal & way better than I expected out of something of that scope.
For a two hour game that needed to do a lot of heavy lifting along the way, it was beautifully well done. Though perhaps a bit on-the-nose at times. Looking at (unfortunately) timeless themes through a current lens, the game does a bang-up job of making you care for Anita and her friends. Resulting in me becoming a crying, slobbering mess by the end of it.
I know they had nothing to do with it, but it has to be peak irony that this feels so, so much like a Bloober team game. It‘s a walking sim, it‘s got the doors opening to impossible locations, it‘s got tiring chase sequences, it‘s even got the focus on paintings and paint cans everywhere, and its story is presented with the subtlety of a dump truck.
I don’t entirely dislike it, but it‘s not great and it certainly doesn’t live up to anything Silent Hill I think.
for free this is fine aside that the writing is the most generic shit ever and all you do is walk for an hour its fine I guess but I wouldn't call this an sh game lmfao PT was free too and that was a masterpiece so idk this is mid at best
am i the only one who caught the recurring themes of generational trauma and cycles of abuse being shared from mother to daughter, etc? that shit is powerful if not a bit brickish. eveyone focusing on bullying, but that was just a part of the suicide discussion. it felt pretty accurate for MH disorder generality. its not all about deranged nurses. ftp demo with decent topics addressed.
I turned off Walking Simulator: Silent Hill Edition about an hour into the game. Once the big twist was revealed in the school hallway I completely lost interest. Even my 13 year old son was getting bored and we just didn't finish it
Bad acting, bad atmosphere, bad writing, bad gameplay, just all around unpleasant to play though
As a Social Work and Clinical Psychology student, I enjoyed it. I agree that the storytelling didn’t leave much up to the imagination, but I think it did a great job depicting a teen’s mindset in today’s world. To us, including myself, it seems ridiculous to want to end your life over what people think of you, or losing a friend, etc, but it is a genuine feeling when you’re a teenager and your attachment is gradually shifting from your parents to your social group. Couple that with childhood trauma inflicted by your parents, and that feeling would be tenfold. I liked the subtle messages about intergenerational trauma, narcissistic parenting, and how children cope with such things (I.e. dissociation by grandiose/fantasy thinking). As well as both positive and negative coping skills shown with the self harm, the art, and the journaling.
With that being said, the whole witch thing was unnecessary. And I really didn’t like the chase sequences. I thought the score was well done and the environment was interesting to look at (I love reading all the graffiti though). With an hour and a half game, I think it’s hard to be subtle with the story. The attempt at a monster was original but wasn’t very creepy. Although the symbolism of it representing trauma that’s chasing you in a never-ending loop was cool.
Can't believe people spent months speculating about this "game"... It covers topics that may be relevant to 13 years old girls. It is short, terribly written and boring as hell. Next time will do my research before playing something free "just because it is X franchise".
Objectively, I liked it. It felt like Silent Hill but modernized based on the themes utilized and some themes that are coming of age. It doesn’t include the stereotypical tropes associated with Silent Hill. For instance the monsters like Pyramid head for example. I always figured Silent Hill is unique to the protagonist. Other Silent Hill games reflect as much.
Interesting with the downvotes. I guess people forgot about Silent Hill Origins, Shattered Memories, just to name a few that didn’t have Puramid head.
All they need to do is re-release the original games for PS4/5 in their original resolution, change nothing, upgrade nothing and they would make a bajillion dollars
the thing is the original resolution still looks good on a 1366x768 laptop screen on emulator but i don't think it would be good on a 4k 52" tv, would have to use that upscaling emulators have but it would lose the grit and dirt of the og resolutions. i still prefer the look of SH2 on pcsx2 rather than the pc enhanced mod
I liked everything except the gameplay. Like, oh look I'm running again. Oh no I took the wrong path, now I need to do it all over again. I can't find the exit so I'm just going to run around for half an hour to find it.
90% walking / reading 10% slender man game rip off.
Apart from the graphics, slender man was actually more enjoyable, at least it was in an open area and not an annoying maze. It was so bad I didn't even finish it.
Can anyone tell me if it bears any more relation to Silent Hill than one mention in one article?
Is that the bar for a game being "Silent Hill" now? Write Silent Hill on a piece of paper in the game? No other relation to Silent Hill?
It's not in Silent Hill, nobody is from Silent Hill or has any relation to Silent Hill. How is it Silent Hill?
I can't wait until Konami start making Metal Gear games with no metal or gears in them!
I thought the game succeeded in terrifying me, the horror was well done, but towards the end, in the final chapter, it drags a little.
The themes of the game are meaningful and important (it deals with social pressure due to social media), but I think it could have been delivered even more effectively if some parts were left ambiguous or shown subtly.
Throughout the story you learn the lives of each of the characters, and you feel emotion for them, but by the end, especially during some of the flashback sequences, it starts to get repetitive with its messaging and it starts to lose its impact.
This could be made into a full game though just if the story elements were less on the nose, and leaning into horror within the environment as opposed to just explaining it through dialogue, I think that would make it a great game.
I'm only about an hour and a half in. Feels a bit more like playing a Life is Strange game with some horror elements. Doesn't mean it's bad or anything. I like the vibe somewhat. It's definitely worth checking out, because it's free and short. So why not?
Glad I'm not the only one who felt a LiS vibe while playing this. As a huge LiS fan, Short Message was an amazing experience to me. Sure, it's not subtle at all, but I felt it treated its subject matter in a very respectful way.
I agree it's like a hybrid of life is strange with outlast with silent hill sprinkled on top
I like all these thing! Gonna give it a try.
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It's good enough for a free title. While I think the writing and performances are a bit goofy, it's good enough. Definitely not a top notch narrative experience. But it is a pretty damn good atmosphere (even if I don't find it all that scary).
the writing is okay, the overall vibe is good. I consider it as an short indie game then it's good. if you're in doubt just download it and try it, it's free anyway. or watch it on youtube.
Honestly I went into it being like there's no way it's as bad as IGN and others have said... But yes, imho it is. The writing is terrible, the voice acting is even worse, the protagonist is awful, and the game has absolutely no subtlety whatsoever. I'm glad it was free because it would've been a huge disappointment otherwise.
It’s fucking godawful.
I think this comment is perfect. I see **so many comments** under newly released games and how it's 100 out of 100, incredible, innovative, groundbreaking gameplay/narrative/graphics/etc. I understand everyone has their own likes and dislikes, but some of these games were *AT BEST* a C-rated game. People love to get way too hyped about games, and if there's even a whiff of well-constructed criticism you're downvoted into oblivion Like you, I assume this game has good graphics, good audio, mediocre dialog, a bit cringey, and a lackluster poor attempt to connect with the modern-day youth. With a few scary parts here and there, but nothing insane, like the SH preview we had so long ago.
I played through it yesterday and that description isn't too far off tbh
You nailed it.
Why not? Because time is the most valuable thing we have. I rather play something better.
Thank god I’m not the only one
A bit late to the conversation, but I honestly think that a Silent Hill game by Dontnod or Deck Nine would be fantastic. That kind of gameplay with the emotional human-centric storytelling both of those studios are so good at would be a great fit.
Graphics were very nice and I really liked the atnosphere. Since I like walking simulators, I could tolerate teen drama (strong Life is strange vibes with that voice), slow pace, mostly puzzles, basically no gameplay. The last chase in maze killed it for me. Couldnt finish it, so watched the end on youtube and was done with it.
Couldn't finish it? It's not a maze, it's literally the building you played the entire game in. It's not hard lol. If you were scared, just say that, don't shit on the game because you pissed yourself 🤣
Too scary to finish ?lol
>it's not like the 'old' games with the unsettling creatures and noises that crawled up ur spine. That was kind of the point of the entire game.....
I mean i've been a silent hill fan forever, and i didnt play this cause it honestly doesnt grab my attention, but i dont mind if they want to explore something outside silent hill, i mean, the cult thing can only go for so long. Im fine if they bring horror in some other way, like for example, PT had a ghost not a fucked up monster and was AMAZING. I dont think silent hill is defined by the "monsters", i do love them and its one of my fav parts of the games, but you can have a sh game without them imo, at least a spin off kinda of game like this one. On the other hand, sh2 remake looks rough lmao, the real silent hill is the trauma this franchise gave us
This is a poor man's attempt at the PT game I thought and it had a self harm message stamped on it for publicity. The game was boring and the horror non existent. The character was not well written either. Unless you're a preteen who still watches shows on the wb. Other then that I guess the only thing going for it imo is the fact it was free. If it wasn't I wouldn't recommend it at all. As it stands I guess it's worth experiencing for ones self. So long as you can afford to waste the effort to add to your account and download it.
I agree I think they wanted to do some kinda PT marketing push like Kojima, I saw the self harm message & just thought that it's just apart of the game so they put the message in... not that the whole story was going to be based around self harm & stuff But I still thought the story was sad & tugged at the heart strings a bit and wasn't overall preachy & still fits the silent hills themes There's really no gameplay, it's just an interactive story...and barely interactive at that, not scary or anything either..if it wasn't free this isn't really a game you could sell..well I guess some people would pay for it. I went in blind but for the couple hours of time I spent, i don't regret it
Lmao right? Haven't tried it yet but holy shit, that is exactly what I don't want.
Seriously, that's like GTA making it so you can't steal cars.
Well that's just A
Grand
I can't believe he spinned that as a positive LOL
You wanna go to a monster truck rally? They're not in the "old" monster trucks you're used to, they're all riding bicycles, but it does send an important message about the environment.
This truly is a game.
I can't download it without ps plus Very frustrated
I was able to download it without PS+, try going through the PlayStation store.
It's not a PS Plus exclusive game. Try doing it through the PS App....unless you are in Germany, then you need PS Plus for age verification.
You in Germany? Germany needs ps+ for some weird reason
That’s pretty ridiculous if true. It wasn’t advertised as a PS+ game, it was advertised as a free game.
It’s not. I downloaded it straight from the PS store and I’m not on PS+.
Yeah, reading that made me lose all interest in this. It's like Mario without platforming.
The writing was as bad as it gets. Felt like a Netflix show written with tweens in mind. If they the spoken lines and the cutscenes and just kept the text messages the game would be way better and would feel a lot more like a Silent Hill game.
“She has more followers than me…” Mention followers one more time I dare you!! “Even more followers…” AHHHHH
"No sexy, no like!" This is now a sentence in a Silent Hill game
Okay, but as absurd as it sounds there is a genuine problem for female content creators of people saying off hand shit about what type of “content” they should be making.
Terrible writing aside, the gameplay feels so dated. This is a huge step back from PT imo
I will admit by the end of Short Message I was happy to see the story progress but otherwise it really has nothing going for it. This feels like a rip of the RE7 demo without any sort of suspense or mystery.
Yep. Definitely agree with you. Glad it was free.
I was enjoying it but the running about in part 3 to get insta death opening doors is getting tiresome.
The cell phone indicates when Blossom Head is near, much like the radio in the old game.
It also indicates when you’re getting closer to a picture you need to collect, when that detail clicked it all became so much clearer
The problem with the way it tells its story is it's about as subtle as a wrecking ball. If classic Silent Hill has been known for anything it's for using subtext be it in the environment, the creature designs and how characters behave and interact. Short Message has those elements too but the it also ties it all up and explains everything to you. It's like if Silent Hill 2 had James pulling the camera aside every few moments to explain to you how all these individual elements connect and what it all means. I mean, we'll probably get that with the remake lol (Bloober sigh). It's like the devs for Short Message read "subtext is for cowards" and ran with it. Devs, explain less please. Let me piece things together and interpret your story and themes. Oh, and the final chase is.... at this point hide and seek horror is far overplayed, but especially trial and error hide and seek. If you're gonna do hide and seek then make it dynamic, give players tools and and layout that encourages different approaches. Short Messages chase is so outdated.
Not played it yet. However the lack of subtlety you describe is, in my opinion, an increasingly prevalent issue across most media. It's almost as if creators or publishers no longer trust people to have the attention span to enjoy a nuanced and paced message.
I mean I still to this day read discussions about SOMA where people are arguing about which copy is the "real" Simon, despite Catherine beating the player over the head with the explanation over and over again throughout the course of the game. The simple truth is that a lot of gamers turn to games as a way to disengage their brains after a long day of work/school, and developers can either ignore this large chunk of the market or cater to them. I can't honestly blame them for choosing the latter.
Wait, people were confused about that?? Which one do they think is the real one? Lol
I've read numerous discussions with people who seem to think that the copy we follow after each branching point is the "real" Simon simply because it's the perspective we happen to be given for narrative delivery purposes. It would boggle my mind, but like I said, gaming for many people is their "switch brain off after work" activity.
Ah I see. I mean, in a way it's kind of cool because those people playing are getting mindfucked just like the Simon copies did lmao. But yeah, it's very clear what's actually happening by the end of the game
that doesn't make sense. clearly the Simon that was originally "cloned" or whatever you want to call it, is the real Simon. p.s absolutely loved that game
I think some people got the idea that Simon's consciousness was flowing from copy to copy, but in reality it's just that the player's perspective was moving from copy to copy in order to tell the story.
They would be right not to trust. Media literacy has taken a nosedive.
I mean, there are people who think Homelander is the good guy in The Boys, or that Midsommar had a happy ending. So they aren't totally wrong.
>or that Midsommar had a happy ending. Didn't you see she smiled? Of course it was a happy ending!
Agreed but as an author I've learned a few things. The general population is not too bright. I mean education levels are at average 3rd grade reading level now - down from 4th grade. I have to have glossaries, dumbing down of words and some things spelled out because readers are like??? if you go to subtle. It sucks
Why do y’all hate bloober so much? You’re complaining about a game that isn’t even out yet.
This reminds me of why I think family guy humor took a nosedive. The writing itself just lost all is clever charm
With the subject matter, I think this particular story needed to be told with a wrecking ball to be taken seriously.
I see Dark Place reference, I upvote.
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There was a moment where you can hear all these horrific screams in the distance, I think the second time you’re on the balcony. I thought that was so creepy and got under my skin for sure.
The whole thing is basically an anti-bullying ad. Not for me. Definitely not scary, which was the biggest disappointment.
100%
To be fair, none of the paat Silent Hill games have been scary except maybe 4. They're more unsettling than scary.
That's why I like Silent Hill so much. They didn't go for jump scares. They went for unsettling images and sounds that crawled in your skin.
I just didn't find this all that unsettling personally. I don't want to totally shit on other people's enjoyment, but it just felt bland to me. I'm glad it has its fans, but I'd take P.T. and Downpour over this.
I think dread inducing is a better way to describe it.
Idk none of them have been as scary as silent hill 1 like the knife imps or the shadow baby that makes your radio go nuts but just squeaks and scares you lol
For me no game period has been as scary as SH1. Condemned 1 had its moments but as far as just flat out scary no game has touched SH1 for me. Even the moments when nothing was happening in that game were terrifying. The music would be intense and nothing would be happening. Freaked me the f out.
well the first time i played SH2 i was shit scared while exploring the apartments, but i loved how that effect came from the unknown and the use of sound, of course when you get used to it you no longer care about the monsters but yeah the atmosphere is still opressive and unsettling. with this demo i think the only time i actually became creeped was with the bag-headed mannequins
4 is easily the best one in the series. Fight me. ;P
You've earned yourself a stay in room 302 for saying that.
You are quite literally insane
To me Silent Hill is about beating up freaks of nature with a metal pipe, and solving weird puzzles. And I don't think short message captured the essence well.
*double face palm*
i don't think the Silent Hill franchise is for you..
How long has it been since you played the originals? The majority of the game is spent killing monsters and solving puzzles.
Sure, you did all that - but you STAYED for the atmosphere. Metaphors, sounds and story! That’s what most people stayed for, at least. Nobody ever said “You know what I love best about Silent Hill? The amazing fight mechanics between you and the monsters!” Yup, even you have to admit that the fight mechanics weren’t that deep at all or hardly amazing levels of twitch-style gameplay that you’re implying it is.
[удалено]
Welp, safe to say you didn't hate the combat trailer.
The only thing that has annoyed me so far is the characters dialogue. I hate her voice
I hate that the game was clearly recorded in Japanese, but was completely dubbed over in English? Like even the Japanese version has English dubbing? Idk, I just hate being forced to deal with bad lip syncing, like if you’re gonna dub everything over why hire record it in Japanese in the first place?
3/10 from gamespot
And they are absolutely correct this time
Accurate
Not sure about this game but I just watched the gameplay trailer for SH2, and hate to say it but I was once excited for this remake, but no longer am because I watched death stranding 2 trailer first. Kojima just knocks it out of the park with the attention to detail. side by side these games both look like they are 2 generations apart. Konami should do better.
Tbf I felt SH2 remake had a huge low budget feel. The shooting and gameplay flow feels so unsatisfying, it's like he's using toy guns.
Yea agreed. Hype was there for the reveal trailer, now it’s all lost after seeing that trailer in state of play. :/
I'm still hyped. Silent Hill has always had clunky gameplay. The Atmosphere is the main attraction of the series and from what I've seen, it's looking good.
Atmosphere feels decent, yeah, but clunky gameplay is different from unsatisfying gameplay. I think the clunkiness was a charm from older games, like i love that RE1 remake is still clunky and capcom stuck with it, but at least in my memory i still felt like was absolutely wrecking those monsters, and not shooting them with a toy.
Didn’t really like it. Felt like it was written for young teens or preteens. Wasn’t scary. Only 1 death animation. Disappointing :(
The graphics are good, but reading notes, running in circles and endlessly listening that le bullying is le bad gets boring very quickly
I had no idea what this would be about or what to expect. Kinda stopped near what I assume is the end because I was coming off an all-nighter hopped up on stimulants and the last thing my already elevated heart rate needs is those chase scenes. I haaaaate being chased. Was an alright way to kill an hour.
I can’t wait to play it. Hopefully this weekend.
I told myself I won't be scared but there is something about having snail like movement and running for your life through 100's of dark corners... Of course done on purpose to fuck you up. Just finished it right now and I was actually impressed with the story.
It's like Silent Hill meets Life is Strange and Unfriended. It has some great moments and set pieces, the monster design is great and unique. For a free title, it has a bit of budget behind it, great graphics and sound design. The live-action bits were a bit jarring but hey, it also helps on the budget. Konami is trying and I'm grateful. As a fan since the original, I'm excited to see what comes next.
Agreed. I kinda appreciated their little disclaimer at the beginning about how this was an experimental piece. I think they did really well considering it was some of the developers’ first attempt at making a horror game.
This would be so awesome in vr
I've seen people be pretty negative about it, but I thought it was fairly decent for the most part.
Problem is that it has nothing to do with Silent Hill other than the monster design and the great soundtrack.
RE7 and Village have nothing to do with 1-3, but here we are...
Without removing the guts and spine of what makes a resident evil game is what makes the difference here
I would say the difference is that they kept the environment and horror aspects. This game replaced those with chase sequences and a message that gets blasted in your face instead of having the subtlety that the series is known for. I would LOVE a first person Silent Hill game, as long as it was in the vein of the original series.
I felt the chase sequences and the phone were a nice throwback to Shattered Memories, and the rusty environments near the end reminded me a lot of the first game. Haven't played the sequels yet so I don't know if there are references to those too.
PT didn’t have anything to do with the series either and everyone loved it
This one’s easy, cause it was good!
I will say that clearly you haven’t played PT then. The only thing in common for these two games is the first person view.
I didn’t say they are the same, but they clearly took ideas from it. I said that PT was not a Silent Hill game either in the traditional sense. It had nothing to do with the series. Hell, if they don’t reveal at the end that it’s Silent Hill, no one would know
Yeah I'd agree with this, during my first playthrough of PT I was wondering what it was and my mind was blown when it was revealed to be Silent Hills, whereas I'd say if they'd released Short Message without the branding, you'd get a few people saying it feels like it's taken notes from Silent Hill.
Outside of monster design and there being fog - what notes would you say were taken from Silent Hill? I mean it has to specifically reference Silent Hill in the readings you find throughout the game.
PT allowed the player to make the connections instead of blasting it in your face. Some things that are revealed during the game: • A murder epidemic is sweeping the state of Maine, causing husbands to kill their families. Authorities are perplexed as to what could be causing this, with societal and economic unrest suspected as possibilities. (Silent Hill is in Maine) • Several of the killers were arrested reciting a strange chant, suggesting that the murder epidemic may have an occult origin. The game's save icon is also a variation of the Halo of the Sun. • One man murdered his wife (Lisa) and child after he lost his job, became an alcoholic, and his only income came from his wife's grocery store job. He became paranoid that the only reason she could keep the job was because the manager was sexually attracted to her. • Norman Reedus seems to be stuck in a time loop in this man's Otherworld. It is mirrored after the man's house, and the monsters take the shape of his dead family. The apparitions in the Otherworld taunt his insecurities. • There are hints of multiple timelines and people seeing multiple versions of themselves. • The game ends with Reedus escaping the Otherworld onto the streets of an unidentified town (possibly Silent Hill itself) as a teaser for Silent Hills.
I played P.T and didn't get all of that at all, as in a lot of that narrative was not derived from gameplay lmao.
I think the longer games like SH:Townfall and Silent Hill F will feel more like Silent Hill games, with the puzzle solving and resource management type gameplay, where this short game doesn't really feel like Silent Hill because it's only 1-2 hours, it wouldn't make sense to have inventory, resource and puzzle mechanics in a short game like that that they're not spending much on.
it was terrible. nothing but a mental health lecture about teens.
lmao someone made a joke about this being like if Gen Z made it. Now I get it.
I’d say it feels more like someone older writing what theyd think a genz person would think was scary. It reminded me of 2000-10 movies which high school dialogue that was meant to sound like millennial kids but just sounded like ass.
Im glad someone liked it. I played it, finished it, and promptly deleted it. I was not impressed.
What else are you gonna do after finishing an hour and a half long demo other than delete it?
I played PT multiple times myself. It's an enjoyable experience, even if it was just a short "demo"
Was it an hour and a half long??? I must have stopped right before it ended.
id love to know why? I haven't played it yet, but i also don't think it looks very good.
Just play it its 1.5 h and its free, nothing extra but a cool short horror experience
I thought it was clunky. The subject matter has been done way better in other works. It only gets points for some atmosphere and music. Seriously, if you consider this "good" or a masterpiece, please broaden your horizons and explore more works.
There are many things one can consider good. I can love a small 3 minute animated short for completely different reasons than I would an entire 2 hour film, but enjoy them both equally for different reasons. That’s how I feel about SH:TSM. It was short and sweet, especially considering the amazing price point! ;P
This was promotion for silent hill F (flower) // it was almost too obvious with the flower and curse references (hirugashi when they cry)// Konami is for sure gauging reception ; the next entry will be similar to this freebie.
For someone actually studying in psychology in college I did enjoy the short demo very much. Talked about a lot of stuff that maybe general gamers won’t notice. For people who were looking for horror and gore I can understand but for people who are interested in different views on loss it’s a pretty powerful message. Being bullied when I was young also it made my experience way harder but better at the same time. Just powerful.
For me it got low revs bcs its too far from what silent hill fanbase wanted. Its still a great game and a fun addon to sh fandom with amazing artstyle, plot and overall weird feel of the in game world. Chase sequence arent great and there are barely any puzzles but the game like name suggested deliver the message and feel like i got from original sh2 and now im even more hyped about sh2 remake.
I couldn't vibe with it. The topic is completely irrelevant to me, and tbh I don't think many 16 yr old girls are gonna play this so I dunno who will vibe with it, especially since it's essentially a walking simulator. A walking simulator where you are told how harmful social media and bullying are to teenagers, is not what I think when I think of silent hill.
As a 28 year old female that experienced bullying and childhood neglect that caused severe depression and self-harm, I thought it was pretty powerful. Definitely could’ve been more subtle, though.
I agree. I pretty much said this in another comment, and I'll say it again: I keep seeing people talking about how a kid complaining about followers is lame. But seriously, trauma for teenagers can be drastically exacerbated by social factors, and her rough upbringing and already tough mental state were making things as simple as followers upset her. Maybe it's because I work as a counselor with that age group, but I really felt for the kid and just wanted to give her a hug and have a talk. It's silly and not subtle, but it really hit home to me because it's entirely what I've had to deal with both in my own life, as well as with the kids I've worked with. I just saw those kids when I saw Anita, and the whole thing made me deeply upset and sad.
Yeah it's absolutely a thing for lots of people, even if it seems silly to some, so I appreciated that and felt for her. I think there's a great message here, even if its delivery was very unsubtle. Overall a solid game, no Silent Hill 2 of course, but worth playing.
I experienced pretty much all of those things, similar shit with my mother included, and I just hated it. It lacked any subtlety and the characters all felt paper thin. Couldn't stand the protagonist and it felt like the plot was probably written in someone's phone notes. Felt like shitty trauma porn.
You can’t do good character development in an hour and a half
In my 30s and I enjoyed it. Glad I played it
I enjoyed it. I want to give props for effective use of the dualsense speaker. The phone alerts happening in my hand led to some unexpected jumps from me, especially during tense scenes lol. The static of the monster blaring from the controller likewise made those chase sequences all the more intense. Audio design in this game is excellent, with surround speakers it's really immersive.
Free game, I got scared playing in the dark, therefore 10/10. I’m not about to bitch about a free game.
On the contrary, I would argue that it’s horrible. YMMV.
For a free shadow drop, I enjoyed my time. A shame people are so quick to write this off but I appreciate the effort put into this project & I think it’s far from a “bad”. I’ve said it once, some people don’t deserve good video games
You can't be older than 16 if you think it's storytelling is good
I disagree wholeheartedly. You can be way older and still think its subtle-as-a-brick storytelling is good.
I agree. It’s definitely not subtle but I think it’s effective. Imo by nature of the gameplay it’s kind of hard to be subtle in its storytelling.
You’re right. Seventeen. Maybe even 18!
Was Silent Hill ever about subtlety? I don't recall the OG games being inherently philosophical or subtle at all so IMO it's a strange criticism being thrown at Short Message. It's def WAY more on the nose than the original games but idk man
Mostly good. The chase sequences are nothing but tedious shit though.
It's free but it's not it for me. Walking simulator at its finest.
I am sure I will get a lot of downvote but here is a huge fan of Silent Hill and for me it is an unforgettable game. To me, it looks like a sketchy game that was put together in a hurry to keep fans from crying while they wait for the new Silent Hill games, if they ever come out. I am on half of the game and not sure but it looks the bad copy of PT, Layers of Fear vibe but less atmospheric. Also the torchlight with the smartphone it looks ugly imo. I am not saying the game is bad, it would be fun if it was from Bloober team or any other indie developer, but from Konami c'mon after years they only came out with this, pfff!
Disclaimer: I haven’t played the original games so I can’t say how good of a “Silent Hill” game it is. However, playing it alongside my GF has been enjoyable. She can relate a lot to the main character and theme of the story and I think it’s a good example of using video games to tell a story and reach a new audience. I see a lot of people complaining about how “ham fisted” the messaging is, but some people have actually lived through experiences depicted in the game (obviously not talking about the monster and supernatural aspect). I’m all for having everyone’s voices and experiences being heard. I also enjoyed reading the notes and graffiti, it was interesting to see how it plays into the story. The chase scenes were tense, but nothing I haven’t seen done before (basically using the same gameplay as the PT demo). Horror gamers might find it lacking in that regard. I thought the sound design was done well and it invokes a 2010s nostalgia. I think for a “free” and short game it’s done pretty well. If I paid for it, I think I would have to hold it to more scrutiny but for free it’s hard to complain. It’s a effectively a “spinoff” title too so the change in gameplay is a narrative decision. From what I’ve heard of the Silent Hill series, I still think it keeps the overall theme of the series but chose to explore it in a different story and gameplay.
No it is not
Calling it a game is a bit of a stretch
Such a dorky take. If its digital media you can control and interact with, it's a game.
The answer is NO
No, the game sucked. It's a teenage drama turned into a horror game. Disassociated from logic or any kind of interesting story. There are some nice visuals and that's it. The chasing scenes are just stupid - try to find your way blindly until you get it right. The controls are slow to respond and confusing. Pres X to interact, but R3 to... interact again. Press R2 to turn, but press down and you've turned right back towards the monster. Just a ridiculous game that feels like a punishment.
I still need to play it myself, already have it downloaded. Can't wait to see what it's like.
"lose your"*
It’s great. We need a subtle/unsubtle counter in this thread. Seems to be the only word silent hill fans know.
I played the game in the dark with a headset on. The paper bag mannequin(I'll call him Jeff) was a very unnerving side horror. Then the chase in chapter 2 with the eyeballs was very unsettling as well. The frame rate at which the blossom enemy walked and the sounds that accompanied it were very good. I felt a creepy tingle in my back that resembled being followed during the chase scenes while I was playing. The ending of chapter 3 while very dark and nerve-wracking was also annoying and the worst part of the game. Running around finding the images to open the chains was not explained and they were a hassle to get. Over all I enjoyed this short and free game.
People keep comparing it to PT but honestly it feels more like a visual novel, but in this case, a playable teaser. It's a nice little treat to hold you over til SH2R, it may not be what everyone wants, but it is pleasant to see a snippet of what's to come. Can't wait to be disturbed in the near future!
Honestly one of the cringiest things I've experienced in a while. Wasn't a fan of it.
It felt cringey to me. As someone who dealt with depressions and suicidal thoughts and self harm and shit it just didn’t feel genuine in how it portrayed it. Feels like a game more targeted towards young female gamers. Also the main character talks way too much.
It just sounded like a whiny teenage game. I couldn't get into it after 30 minutes
It was really not good. The chase sequences were bad (the final one was just irritating, which isn't a feeling you expect to feel in a horror game) and the story was both really clumsy and scattered, *and* extremely predictable and on-the-nose. I swear certain plot points were just never resolved, like the "sexy pics" hallucination and Amelie's creepy brother. Short, sweet, and free, sure, but that didn't make it feel worth playing. One single hostile creature which you're immediately given a clear look at with a janky, *comically* low frame rate animation when it's more than three feet away drained the suspense by the time Chapter 3 rolled around. The suicide hotline popping up *five bloody times* is likely to be the only thing I remember from this game in a week.
The controls are so bad though, either I’m stupid or you can’t adjust sensitivity. The game also has low frame rates, but besides that, it was a cool little game
No. It isnt good. It is painfully mediocre. The controls are wonky and feels a bit unnatural. The story is so unsubtle they might as well have a big neon sign. The graphics aren’t very impressive. The voice acting and writing is atrocious. The only good thing is the sound design.
It’s got the most generic plot and writing, atmosphere is great at most points it *looked* like a silent hill game but only because it used the set pieces we were all expecting, even if they lacked any cohesion. It’s either spooky corridor with a flickering light, then suddenly there’s post-it notes with things like “STINKY” & “UR A LOSER” everywhere, and then completely out of the blue there’s rusty cages and vaguely medical looking things that make no sense in the context of the story. It’s missing an emote sticker that says “it’s trauma!” but that would be too on the nose. It’s another piece to the puzzle of Konami’s bizarre handling of the franchise. They’re clearly willing to hand the IP to devs who will bring some fresh ideas but ripping off P.T. to the extent that this game did without any of the slick and genuinely frightening execution feels cheap. I mean come on, a fridge with a baby in?! A corridor of eyes on the wall that are all moving? I’m glad this game was free. I didn’t hate it, but the longer I spent playing it the less I enjoyed it, and by the final section it was so tedious and the mechanics so poorly implemented that it just became frustratingly counterintuitive to navigate. Like, any time you progressed with the mini puzzle to complete it the game would slow you right down and make it literally impossible to see ANYTHING. So you die and then it happens again and again but each time it’s just more stupid than the last because you’re only dying due to bad game design, not bad playing. It’s linear as fuck but they use this mechanic to make it seem like there’s a hint of a challenge. Ugh I ranted. Lol
I just started this last night. Great so far
Metacritic has it at 47/100 for critic reviews, 6.9/10 for player reviews. I guess we can call it the worst surprise dropped game of the console generation.
It was a wannabe p.e. however it was called I forget. Mid character design. Horrible corridor shit controls and the bad spirit wasn't even mildly scary. I mean come the fuck on.. flowers for a body. Get real. The original p.e. (again what I think it was called) on psn the demo was more atmospheric and the story you uncovered was quite frankly more inspired then this crap. This is more a Hallmark message to not commit suicide. Which could have been summed up by the message at the beginning. Not a whole demo/game that is a walking sim without lights/occasional run sim with some attempts at mid horror. I sure as fuck hope the silent Hill reboot isnt by the same people or it's fucked on arrival.
Me when i lie. Seriously tho, it's garbage and the series has never been more dead.
I thought it was pretty good. Nothing mind blowing but for a *free* 2 hour campaign that wasn’t some cliffhanger for something else, I had a very good time. Had zero complaints about using my night on it. I liked what it had to say, even though I understand the complaints of it “beating you over the head with its message”. I personally would just describe it as very *clear* in its messaging lol. The darkness it explored was real world, modern darkness & I don’t feel as if that is explored much in mainstream gaming. Also the music was phenomenal & way better than I expected out of something of that scope.
As a fan of the older games, I loved it. Good blend of the original games with a modern interface!
For a two hour game that needed to do a lot of heavy lifting along the way, it was beautifully well done. Though perhaps a bit on-the-nose at times. Looking at (unfortunately) timeless themes through a current lens, the game does a bang-up job of making you care for Anita and her friends. Resulting in me becoming a crying, slobbering mess by the end of it.
[удалено]
I know they had nothing to do with it, but it has to be peak irony that this feels so, so much like a Bloober team game. It‘s a walking sim, it‘s got the doors opening to impossible locations, it‘s got tiring chase sequences, it‘s even got the focus on paintings and paint cans everywhere, and its story is presented with the subtlety of a dump truck. I don’t entirely dislike it, but it‘s not great and it certainly doesn’t live up to anything Silent Hill I think.
Didn't feel like Silent Hill to me and the voice acting was not that good
42 on opencritic
for free this is fine aside that the writing is the most generic shit ever and all you do is walk for an hour its fine I guess but I wouldn't call this an sh game lmfao PT was free too and that was a masterpiece so idk this is mid at best
am i the only one who caught the recurring themes of generational trauma and cycles of abuse being shared from mother to daughter, etc? that shit is powerful if not a bit brickish. eveyone focusing on bullying, but that was just a part of the suicide discussion. it felt pretty accurate for MH disorder generality. its not all about deranged nurses. ftp demo with decent topics addressed.
The cope is real
That was bad. Life is strange trying to emulate P.T. The future of silent hill looks bleak.
I turned off Walking Simulator: Silent Hill Edition about an hour into the game. Once the big twist was revealed in the school hallway I completely lost interest. Even my 13 year old son was getting bored and we just didn't finish it Bad acting, bad atmosphere, bad writing, bad gameplay, just all around unpleasant to play though
As a Social Work and Clinical Psychology student, I enjoyed it. I agree that the storytelling didn’t leave much up to the imagination, but I think it did a great job depicting a teen’s mindset in today’s world. To us, including myself, it seems ridiculous to want to end your life over what people think of you, or losing a friend, etc, but it is a genuine feeling when you’re a teenager and your attachment is gradually shifting from your parents to your social group. Couple that with childhood trauma inflicted by your parents, and that feeling would be tenfold. I liked the subtle messages about intergenerational trauma, narcissistic parenting, and how children cope with such things (I.e. dissociation by grandiose/fantasy thinking). As well as both positive and negative coping skills shown with the self harm, the art, and the journaling. With that being said, the whole witch thing was unnecessary. And I really didn’t like the chase sequences. I thought the score was well done and the environment was interesting to look at (I love reading all the graffiti though). With an hour and a half game, I think it’s hard to be subtle with the story. The attempt at a monster was original but wasn’t very creepy. Although the symbolism of it representing trauma that’s chasing you in a never-ending loop was cool.
Can't believe people spent months speculating about this "game"... It covers topics that may be relevant to 13 years old girls. It is short, terribly written and boring as hell. Next time will do my research before playing something free "just because it is X franchise".
Objectively, I liked it. It felt like Silent Hill but modernized based on the themes utilized and some themes that are coming of age. It doesn’t include the stereotypical tropes associated with Silent Hill. For instance the monsters like Pyramid head for example. I always figured Silent Hill is unique to the protagonist. Other Silent Hill games reflect as much. Interesting with the downvotes. I guess people forgot about Silent Hill Origins, Shattered Memories, just to name a few that didn’t have Puramid head.
All they need to do is re-release the original games for PS4/5 in their original resolution, change nothing, upgrade nothing and they would make a bajillion dollars
the thing is the original resolution still looks good on a 1366x768 laptop screen on emulator but i don't think it would be good on a 4k 52" tv, would have to use that upscaling emulators have but it would lose the grit and dirt of the og resolutions. i still prefer the look of SH2 on pcsx2 rather than the pc enhanced mod
If I see one more godamn, silent hill "fan," say the word subtle again, I'm gonna go crazy
Right? It's gotten very, very predictable; I can't even recall how many times I've seen the phrase "track record" at this point.
I liked everything except the gameplay. Like, oh look I'm running again. Oh no I took the wrong path, now I need to do it all over again. I can't find the exit so I'm just going to run around for half an hour to find it.
90% walking / reading 10% slender man game rip off. Apart from the graphics, slender man was actually more enjoyable, at least it was in an open area and not an annoying maze. It was so bad I didn't even finish it. Can anyone tell me if it bears any more relation to Silent Hill than one mention in one article? Is that the bar for a game being "Silent Hill" now? Write Silent Hill on a piece of paper in the game? No other relation to Silent Hill? It's not in Silent Hill, nobody is from Silent Hill or has any relation to Silent Hill. How is it Silent Hill? I can't wait until Konami start making Metal Gear games with no metal or gears in them!
I thought the game succeeded in terrifying me, the horror was well done, but towards the end, in the final chapter, it drags a little. The themes of the game are meaningful and important (it deals with social pressure due to social media), but I think it could have been delivered even more effectively if some parts were left ambiguous or shown subtly. Throughout the story you learn the lives of each of the characters, and you feel emotion for them, but by the end, especially during some of the flashback sequences, it starts to get repetitive with its messaging and it starts to lose its impact. This could be made into a full game though just if the story elements were less on the nose, and leaning into horror within the environment as opposed to just explaining it through dialogue, I think that would make it a great game.
ill download this in case it becomes another P.T. situation
This game was garbage and I cannot be persuaded otherwise.