Fans of the Silent Hill franchise were eagerly looking forward to the October 31 debut of the Silent Hill: Ascension interactive experience, but many are now expressing disappointment. In recent years, there’s been a general sentiment that Konami is too focused on the money its IPs can earn, and the recent launch of Silent Hill: Ascension has seemed to confirm that for a lot of gamers.

Silent Hill: Ascension is an interactive show, somewhat like a community-driven Until Dawn. Every day, a new scene will air and viewers make decisions on pivotal story beats, and the results of these choices will become Silent Hill canon. At the end of the week, all of the scenes will be compiled into a single bingeable episode. But even those who can’t join the live Silent Hill: Ascension experience can participate later because all the scenes will be available to watch as a VOD, and decisions will be available to vote on at least 24 hours in advance.

Related

Konami Details Metal Gear Solid Master Collection Vol. 1 Launch Issues

Konami shares an exhaustive list of known launch issues that will be found in the first volume of the Metal Gear Solid Master Collection.

A central premise of Silent Hill: Ascension are Influence Points, also known as IP, which are used to vote on decisions. The more Influence a person has, the more impact their vote will have on the final decision, and people can even sway other viewers to vote a certain way. There is also a cameo contest, which will allow winning audience members to appear in the show and therefore become part of the official canon of Silent Hill. But joining the contest requires even more Influence Points.

The main problem for many people is the Silent Hill: Ascension season pass, which costs $19.99. Most notably, the pass includes over 60,000 IP, giving purchasers an upper hand in making story decisions and a greater chance of becoming the viewer cameo. The season pass also includes exclusive cosmetics and profile customization options, as well as access to all the daily puzzles that grant even more IP. Though developer Genvid has emphasized that viewers can interact with the show for free, that’s akin to pointing out that a free-to-play game is “free.”

From comments on social media, many viewers seem to agree that the general execution of the Silent Hill: Ascension live experience was confusing and not well implemented. The interface, particularly on mobile where most people will be watching, feels incredibly cluttered. According to some, actually watching the show, which should be the centerpiece of the experience, is difficult because chat messages, stickers, and other elements constantly pop up onscreen. And there seems to be little to no moderation, resulting in a steady flow of vulgar or offensive usernames and messages.

Despite this, while some gamers have proclaimed that they’ve now deleted the Silent Hill: Ascension app, others have announced that they’re eagerly awaiting the next scene. Ultimately, this is just the first step in the next chapter of the franchise, which will soon be followed by other Silent Hill projects, and it may turn out better than first impressions imply.

Silent Hill

Silent Hill is a series of survival horror games best known for its original trilogy. The first three games stood out with how atmospheric they were, along with their engrossing storylines that were often told through symbolism and metaphors.

Silent Hill 2 is set to be remade by Bloober Team, a game that could reignite the franchise.