Silent Hill: The Short Message

fuck this piece of shit and fuck Konami

Rating: 6.5⭐
The amazing visuals and the fact that it's free saved this from even a lower rating. If you can handle (a lot of) cringe, give it a try, you got nothing to lose, but this isn't the horror i want from silent hill.
Played on: PS5🎮
Finishing date: 2 feb 2024🗓️

Whether you compare this to the original series, or to the other free Silent Hill experience PT; neither bode particularly well for The Short Message. The biggest problem here is the writing. I'm totally fine with this being a "walking simulator" that lacks any combat or real puzzles—but that means that the narrative has to do some real heavy lifting...and it super doesn't. The main character talks way too much, and ruins any chance of implicit storytelling or any meaningful subtext. The way it attempts to tackle social issues is...inelegant to say the least. I'm not really looking for a story about the effects of social media on teens in a Silent Hill game. Also, the canonization of the COVID-19 pandemic in the Silent Hill lore felt super weird and unnecessary—and THREE SEPARATE TRIGGER WARNINGS throughout the game after every suicide felt completely excessive. The performances are super shaky, and the dialogue is borderline cringeworthy. The whole thing just lacks any subtlety or nuance in its execution. It honestly feels more like a Bloober Team game than anything Team Silent would ever make. BUT, there are some silver linings. The graffiti-laden Kettenstadt is a super cool location, and dense with detail. The game looks amazing, and they completely nailed the Otherworld—and most importantly, the fog! Also, the cherry blossom monster was actually pretty neat! And I'm very impressed that there's essentially no jumpscares throughout the entire experience, which takes a lot of reserve to pull off in this genre! Still kinda sucked, though.

Here's hoping the new Silent Game lives up to expectations.

This short standalone demo has some cool atmosphere but there's not much else here.

It’s been nine years. Silent Hill aside. I’m gonna critique. This horror style just isn’t for me. There doesn’t seem to be much mystery when all the voice overs just kind of explaining it anyway.

Giving points for being free and good graphics. The story is dark, but far from enjoyable. Feels more like a walking simulator with a bit of running here and there. Final part was frustrating, but it was the only challenge in the game. This is far from what you should expect from a silent hill game.