There's nothing in the gaming industry that really comes close to capturing the legacy of Hideo Kojima's PT (playable teaser) for a new Silent Hills game. Despite being nothing but a preview for a game that ultimately never happened, PT left a mark on the gaming world in more ways than one. After the full game was canceled by Konami, Hideo Kojima took his imagination elsewhere and announced his new title, Death Stranding, shortly after.
Fans are still hoping that Hideo Kojima will be able to make his Silent Hills game, and rumors have been circulating for months that something new is in the works. Though nothing is confirmed, it could be true. If not, however, Kojima is making sure that PT's legacy lives on. In the recently released Death Stranding: Director's Cut, players discovered a ton of new content and Easter Eggs. One of the most exciting Easter Eggs is a PT-style ghost lurking in Sam's shower, a frightening and obvious reference to the Silent Hills game that never came to be.
The History of Hideo Kojima's Silent Hills PT
The Silent Hills playable teaser went down in history after PT was revealed at Gamescom in 2014. Upon completing the teaser, fans were rewarded with a trailer for the upcoming Silent Hills game. Some big names were involved in the project, including The Walking Dead actor Norman Reedus and visionary director Guillermo del Toro. Of course, Kojima was at the helm. Apart from the trailer, PT is a genuinely good horror game all on its own. It's scarier than most horror games out there and seemed like it would be a genre-defining title.
However, it was not to be. Kojima and Konami had a falling out and Silent Hills was canceled. Shortly after, PT was removed from the PlayStation Store. Now, the only way to play PT is by obtaining a PS4 that still has the original installed or watching through someone else's eyes on YouTube. PT is just as elusive and mysterious as the ghosts that haunt its halls.
A PT Ghost Appears in Death Stranding's Director's Cut
The gaming world, however, never forgot about PT as exemplified through the Death Stranding Easter Egg. The reference is found in the shower of Sam's room, where a shadowy figure lurks behind the glass. Interacting with the shower causes the ghost to lunge out and attack the player. Sam wakes up again moments later and the ghost is not there, but it was a startling moment that feels like something straight out of PT.
PT is somewhat legendary in the video game industry, so it makes sense why Kojima would include little nods to it. Death Stranding itself is almost a nod to the canceled Silent Hills game, with Norman Reedus appearing in the lead role. Horror game fans hope that one day the Silent Hills game might be made a reality, but for now, players will have to settle for Easter Eggs referencing what might have been. While some are hoping it could be a hint that a Hideo Kojima horror game is actually in the works, only time will tell.
Death Stranding Ghost Could Be a Reference to PT's Lisa
While the ghost in the Death Stranding: Director's Cut doesn't look exactly like anything or anyone from PT, some have speculated that it could be a reference to Lisa, the creepy ghost that haunts the player in PT. The figure in the shower shakes in a strange way, looks like a woman, and the way it lunges at the player is reminiscent of one of Lisa's attacks when she breaks the protagonist's neck.
Lisa is a standout in PT because of her terrifying appearance and decidedly disturbing behavior. She sometimes twitches violently in a way that can't be unseen, and she can possess the player character - at which point the protagonist's two footsteps become three. Lisa is an incredibly unsettling character, and versions of her have been seen in many horror games since Silent Hills was canceled. The Death Stranding Easter Egg could be a direct reference to Lisa, or it could just reference the game as a whole, but it certainly accomplishes its goal of reminding fans of PT - as if anyone could ever forget.
Death Stranding: Director's Cut is now available on PS5.
