Silent Hill is undeniably up there with the most controversial franchises in gaming. There have been perennial rumors that it would reappear under the guise of a new IP or with a remake of some sort. Kojima Productions’ P.T. demo and the subsequent cancelation of Silent Hills are perhaps where these rumors began, as it would seem the franchise was dead in the water thereafter.
Fans reminisce about how influential Silent Hill is as a psychological survival-horror game, and while it is possible that more Silent Hill games could be made, it is questionable whether it should be given that opportunity. Games such as Silent Hill: Downpour, Silent Hill: Shattered Memories, and Silent Hill: Homecoming are considered to be among the worst in the franchise, and many fans would agree that another installment could reflect those titles rather than the ones that made it such a special IP to begin with.
Silent Hill Has an Impressionable and Timeless Premise
Following the original trilogy, Silent Hill’s games have had mixed receptions. But the original Silent Hill trilogy and Silent Hill 4: The Room demonstrate how malleable the franchise’s premise is with different protagonists occupying each installment. Silent Hill introduces players to characters whose grief or guilt is manifested and confronted in a hellish, unpredictable landscape. That is what makes James Sunderland’s traumatic and intimate tale so engaging in Silent Hill 2, for example, and this is what later games would lack as they attempted a drastic exploration of new gameplay mechanics.
If a new Silent Hill installment or remake is truly in development, it would be a disappointment for fans if it was unable to meet expectations. The next Silent Hill endeavor needs to be astonishing and take the franchise back to its roots if it has any hopes of winning purists back to its side, and that may be too tall an order. Instead, fans may be prepared to let Silent Hill pass into memory if other titles are given the opportunity to stand in its wake.
Other IPs May Be Able to Iterate on Silent Hill's Premise
Because of fans’ concerns that the franchise would only continue with more lackluster installments, it may be for the best if Silent Hill is shelved while other developers iterate with their own original horror properties. Remakes have swept the industry en masse, and it would not be surprising to many fans if Silent Hill did receive its own, for whichever original installment.
That said, psychological horror is perhaps better left in the hands of developers who do not need to contend with the enormity of Silent Hill’s legacy. Future games could explicitly demonstrate their Silent Hill inspiration in terms of a narrative-driven character drama, or through similar motifs and imagery that Silent Hill was able to produce.
With any new psychological horror game announced in the near future, there will always be comparison to the beloved franchises that came before it. Whether Silent Hill is revived or not, the general horror genre in gaming has never had a more optimistic-looking future, and it is exciting to see what will come in the future.