It's October again, and aside from the upcoming Halloween festivities worldwide, horror fans have something bigger to celebrate Halloween with this year. Konami's Silent Hill 2 Remake is just around the corner, ten years after the critically acclaimed P.T. horror game came to terrify fans on the PlayStation 4 console.
Now that Konami is taking horror to the current-gen consoles, it's best to look back and see how the franchise evolved throughout the years and replay the old classic Silent Hill games that horrified gamers in the 2000s.
Here are all the mainline Silent Hill games, ranked from worst to best, perfect for your upcoming gaming sessions.
Silent Hill: Downpour
Published in 2012 and available only on the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 consoles, Silent Hill: Downpour tried to deviate from the classic Silent Hill formula by allowing for more exploration while having mediocre combat and story. Silent Hill: Downpour utilized different weathers, such as heavy rain, to emulate the eerie vibe of the titular town but fell short of its narrative and gameplay.
Centered around escaped convict Murphy Pendleton, Silent Hill: Downpour explores the prisoner's psyche. It has six endings but is somewhat dampened by its technical faults.
Silent Hill: Homecoming
Silent Hill: Homecoming started the story away from Silent Hill in a different town named Shepherd's Glen. As the protagonist, Alex Shepherd unravels the mystery of his catatonic mother and lost father and brother, the story slowly brings the characters back to Silent Hill.
Many critics viewed Silent Hill: Homecoming as a mediocre horror game within the Silent Hill franchise. Before its launch, the game suffered from censorship difficulties, a poor narrative, and mellow horror.
Silent Hill: Origins
Silent Hill: Origins was the fifth mainline installment of the franchise and the prequel to the original Silent Hill game. It introduced unarmed combat to the franchise. It added the grapple mechanic, which lets players complete a quick-time event should the protagonist, Travis Grady, become grappled or grabbed by monsters.
Originally released on the PlayStation Portable, Silent Hill: Origins received a positive reception for bringing the franchise's classic horror on the go. Its PlayStation 2 version, however, received a lot less positive reaction from critics and fans, mainly due to the lack of content from the original PSP version.
Silent Hill: Shattered Memories
Released on the Wii in 2009 and eventually ported to PlayStation 2 and PlayStation Portable in 2010, Silent Hill: Shattered Memories follows the story of Harry Mason, the protagonist of several Silent Hill games. It also removed combat altogether and introduced new characters in addition to the classic ones from the older Silent Hill titles.
Silent Hill: Shattered Memories is unique in that its psychotherapy session gameplay modifies some aspects throughout the story, depending on how players answer the questions during the psychotherapy segment of the game. It performed well on the Wii, utilizing the Wiimote as part of the gameplay mechanics and puzzles.
Silent Hill 4: The Room
Popularly known as simply Silent Hill 4, the game moves away from Silent Hill for the first time and instead focuses on the story in the town of Ashfield. The story features the protagonist, Henry Townsend, and the mystery of a series of deaths and murders orchestrated by Walter Sullivan, a recurring character.
Silent Hill 4: The Room had interesting gameplay that transports Henry to the Otherworld via a growing mysterious hole in his apartment. The game shifts to a first-person view whenever Henry is in his apartment. As the story progresses, the room changes its appearance based on how possessed it is and becomes inhospitable for Henry to stay in. On other levels, Henry can be controlled in a third-person view.
Silent Hill 4: The Room received a positive reception upon its release. Praised for innovating and experimenting with the classic Silent Hill formula, Silent Hill 4 garnered many fans due to its darker storytelling.
Silent Hill 3
Silent Hill 3 is the direct sequel to the original Silent Hill game. Featuring Heather, the baby from the ending of Silent Hill, Silent Hill 3 continues the story of the cult tormenting the town. Its gameplay is similar to the previous titles but adds new additions, such as different difficulty settings for both combat and puzzle gameplay.
Silent Hill 3 received generally positive reviews from critics, with most praising the game's story as a proper and satisfying sequel to the first game. Others also lauded the horror aspect of the game, stating that Silent Hill 3 aptly provided the feeling of dread and terror in its story and gameplay.
Silent Hill
Silent Hill is the first title in the series that will eventually change the horror gaming genre forever. Released in 1999 for the PlayStation, Silent Hill evolved the survival-horror genre from zombie and other horror tropes to a much more terrifying psychological horror that captivated fans. Silent Hill is considered one of the best games of all time, revolutionizing the horror genre.
While the hardware and technology limited it during its time, Silent Hill portrays horror using fog and darkness throughout the game. It had five different endings, including a "joke" ending, which increased its replayability.
Silent Hill 2
Considered the greatest Silent Hill game of the franchise, Silent Hill 2 combined the series' psychological horror with terrifying enemies. Pyramid Head, the game's main antagonist, perfectly portrayed the protagonist James Sunderland's psyche and guilt and became an icon in the survival horror genre.
Silent Hill 2 used symbolism and other influences to further improve on the psychological horror formula Konami made for the original game. Enemies manifested from James' fear, guilt, regrets, and frustration around certain characters and stories within the game. Silent Hill 2 elevated the horror genre by relating these common human emotions and translating them into something horrifying and dreadful. The game's horror influences include the famous serial killer Jack the Ripper and other horror films such as Jacob's Ladder and The Net.
Silent Hill 2 Remake will be available on PlayStation 5 and PC on October 8, 2024, and comes in two different editions, Standard and Deluxe. To prepare for the upcoming horror game, check out the Silent Hill 2 Remake's system requirements and follow Gfinity Esports for the latest gaming news and stories.
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