There is something in the air- that something is an undying extension of #FucKonami, the movement that coloured the end of the 2010s in regards to the ever controversial company, as they seemingly abandoned everything they had built up in the plane of home video games, pursuing the golden goose of gambling machines.
Obviously, things have changed, but unless your name is Metal Gear, people don't seem to be forgiving. That is especially true for Silent Hill, a series I'm sure very few people here have truly played, but many know of. Many know of the botched HD Collection. Many know of the low quality games made in the afterglow of its glory years. Yet, despite this knowledge, many lack a proper context, a proper grounding to it all, and it results in the pit of thinking any new Silent Hill project must be bad, they almost have to be.
This lacking context rears its head further- people will call this game "western" or made by people who have nothing to do with the IP, yet when the credits roll I see the exact names I expected- Ito Masahiro and Yamaoka Akira. This game bleeds with their clear intent, especially Ito's, yet this goes unnoticed by many who have seemingly played this entry.
The game takes Ito Masahiro's concept of 'sakura horror', one he has talked about in the past, and rides it out for as much mileage as it can get, starting with the rather mundane notes that vaguely resemble the sakura, until eventually you're rushing down a nightmare, the walls peeling away into petals and the sakura monster following close behind. It's very effective imagery, especially amidst all the environments littered with decay, falling apart at the seams.
Its elements like these that mark Short Message as one of the first Silent Hill games in well over a decade to truly get the nightmare. It manages to deftly mix aspects of Alessa's nightmare from 1 and Claudia's from 3, alongside its own flavor- of a world constantly falling apart or in rapid decline, one that loops in on itself where it will only ever change for the worse, where the only escape is to break past the barriers placed on us that prevent us from moving forward. Acknowledgement of the past and remembering who your loved ones truly are, in a deftly Silent Hill move, one adjusted for a modern perspective.
I have to admit, I may be over praising this game at times, though it is satisfying to finally witness the series put out a single cohesive vision, for the first time since Silent Hill 4. It's a jolt to the system and only adds to my current optimism that yes, these new Silent Hill games can be great. They have the potential, and Ito has shown he has not fallen off over the years.
I suppose then I'll end this review on a criticism, and then some light praise. I do believe the main character, Anita, speaks far too often. She constantly comments on every event, and leaves minimal room at times to truly figure out what's going on. This leaves my highlights being the moments of exploration, detail hunting in the background, and of course the school section (which is one massive echo of Silent Hill's first entry). But, as a bit of praise, I quite loved the ending- people are like plants, in that they do need attention. They can't live solely off of themselves, we weren't made for that. So, the ending has the two friends, both wandering the same, lonely path, reach out to one another. With that, the sun destroys the nightmare.
It's a simple scene, but I found myself enjoying it.
Obviously, things have changed, but unless your name is Metal Gear, people don't seem to be forgiving. That is especially true for Silent Hill, a series I'm sure very few people here have truly played, but many know of. Many know of the botched HD Collection. Many know of the low quality games made in the afterglow of its glory years. Yet, despite this knowledge, many lack a proper context, a proper grounding to it all, and it results in the pit of thinking any new Silent Hill project must be bad, they almost have to be.
This lacking context rears its head further- people will call this game "western" or made by people who have nothing to do with the IP, yet when the credits roll I see the exact names I expected- Ito Masahiro and Yamaoka Akira. This game bleeds with their clear intent, especially Ito's, yet this goes unnoticed by many who have seemingly played this entry.
The game takes Ito Masahiro's concept of 'sakura horror', one he has talked about in the past, and rides it out for as much mileage as it can get, starting with the rather mundane notes that vaguely resemble the sakura, until eventually you're rushing down a nightmare, the walls peeling away into petals and the sakura monster following close behind. It's very effective imagery, especially amidst all the environments littered with decay, falling apart at the seams.
Its elements like these that mark Short Message as one of the first Silent Hill games in well over a decade to truly get the nightmare. It manages to deftly mix aspects of Alessa's nightmare from 1 and Claudia's from 3, alongside its own flavor- of a world constantly falling apart or in rapid decline, one that loops in on itself where it will only ever change for the worse, where the only escape is to break past the barriers placed on us that prevent us from moving forward. Acknowledgement of the past and remembering who your loved ones truly are, in a deftly Silent Hill move, one adjusted for a modern perspective.
I have to admit, I may be over praising this game at times, though it is satisfying to finally witness the series put out a single cohesive vision, for the first time since Silent Hill 4. It's a jolt to the system and only adds to my current optimism that yes, these new Silent Hill games can be great. They have the potential, and Ito has shown he has not fallen off over the years.
I suppose then I'll end this review on a criticism, and then some light praise. I do believe the main character, Anita, speaks far too often. She constantly comments on every event, and leaves minimal room at times to truly figure out what's going on. This leaves my highlights being the moments of exploration, detail hunting in the background, and of course the school section (which is one massive echo of Silent Hill's first entry). But, as a bit of praise, I quite loved the ending- people are like plants, in that they do need attention. They can't live solely off of themselves, we weren't made for that. So, the ending has the two friends, both wandering the same, lonely path, reach out to one another. With that, the sun destroys the nightmare.
It's a simple scene, but I found myself enjoying it.
BurningRed
3 months ago
While I wouldn’t wholly agree, this game is noticeably lacking any benefit of the doubt. I imagine this is due to an ‘infection’ derived from twitter, to be top of the heap so to speak- have the wittiest remark in a world of failed stand up comedians. It leads to a culture of innately wanting the worst out of something- hell, many people here have not even looked into the game they’re talking about. Many will claim it is ruining the days of Team Silent, when this is the most “Team Silent” game since the third entry. It’s honestly quite sad.
You don’t have to like this game, but you shouldn’t play something while readying a ‘witty remark’ to post here.