It’s a shame that, at the current time of writing, it seems like Konami has shelved theSilent Hillseries. Each game in the franchise explored different elements of the human psyche and, while some definitely vary in quality, the series as a whole had a major impact on the entire horror game genre. The impact was so great that when the highly anticipated ninth entry in the series,Silent Hills, was canceled and its playable teaser,P.T., taken off the PlayStation store,fans clung to their downloaded copies ofP.T.like nothing seen in the industry before.
Thanks to the series' influence, however, fans of the horror franchise looking for new games to scratch theSilent Hillitch don’t have to look very hard, as just about any horror game released past 2002 can cite the series as an influence. What’s great about the influence of the series is that some of it comes in the form of the more subtle horror that stems from the original three titles, and more action-focused horror influence comes from the later entries. For those looking for games highly reminiscent of the long-dormant franchise, here are five titles to play that will offer new takes on theSilent Hillformat.
RELATED:Bloober Team Reportedly Working on Three Other Games Besides Silent Hill
Alan Wake
Alan Wake’s plot seems like it comes directly from theSilent Hillseries. Famed author Alan Wake goes on vacation with his loving wife, Alice, to the small Washington town of Bright Falls when she’s kidnapped by the mysterious “darkness.” The town then gets infected by the darkness and haunts Alan as he tries to rescue his wife and uncover the mystery of what’s happened to Bright Falls. Take the game’s well-written script and replace all instances of “Bright Falls” with “Silent Hill,” and fans may not be able to tell much of a difference. The game is perfect for anySilent Hillfan who liked the haunted town aspect of the games.Alan Wakeexplores that element to the fullest while also providing a gripping story thatties into Remedy Entertainment’s most recent game, the critically acclaimedControl.
Alan Wakeis available on PC and Xbox 360.
While fans ofSilent Hillwould probably like the entireDead Spaceseries,Dead Space 2is the most “Silent Hill” of them all as it focuses primarily on the character of Isaac Clarke and how he deals with the psychological trauma he’s experiencing after the events of the first game. In a similar fashion toSilent Hill 2, Isaac is haunted by the memories of his dead girlfriend, Nicole and he has to come to terms with her death over the course of the game. Although its horror is far less subtle than some of the earlier entries in theSilent Hillseries,Dead Space’s combat and more “in-your-face” approach to horror might appeal to fans of the laterSilent Hilltitles. Additionally, asaDead SpaceReboot is in the works by EA Motive, there’s no better time than now to get invested in the franchise.
Dead Space 2is available on PC, PS3, and Xbox 360.
RELATED:Abandoned: What’s Going On With the Mysterious PS5 Horror Game
SOMA
Frictional Games established itself as a top-tier studio when it comes to indie-horror with the breakout hitAmnesia: The Dark Descent. One of the studio’s most recent titles,SOMA, is much more in line with theSilent Hillformula, however, as it takes a more thoughtful approach to its horror by really basing it in the game’s gripping narrative. Each horrific monster is born out of the terrifying PATHOS-II underwater station and the intense isolation that it forced its crew into. Similar to theSilent Hillseries,SOMAfocuses heavily on how its setting can inform a narrative, being just as scary as the monsters themselves when done right.
SOMAis available on PC, PS4, and Xbox One.
The Medium
When doing a side-by-side comparison ofThe Mediumand the original threeSilent Hillgames, it’s pretty clear just how much inspirationThe Mediumis taking from the classic horror series. Just about every staple of the franchise is included inThe Medium, ranging from the fixed camera angles to the story revolving around discovering the protagonist’s potentially dark past. Setting itself apart fromSilent Hill,The Mediumhas a mechanic where main characterMarianne can see into the Spirit World, resulting in a split-screen view of the game: half in the real world and the other half in the Spirit World. It’s an interesting mechanic that makesThe Mediumstand out in a sea ofSilent Hill-inspired titles, along with its top-notch voice acting and winding plot.
The Mediumis available on PC and Xbox Series X|S.
Resident Evil 7: Biohazard
It would be hard tothink of a better horror game thanResident Evil 7: Biohazardwhen it comes to recent releases. While it has plenty of its own merits, the game seems to have taken a lot of inspiration from theSilent Hillseries, namelySilent Hill 2andSilent Hills' playable teaser,P.T.The initial incident that kicks off the game’s plot is straight out ofSilent Hill 2: a man receives a message from his seemingly dead partner, heading to the location detailed in their message so the terror can ensue. AsRE7’s plot really gets going, it starts to distance itself from anySilent Hillcomparisons, though it does serve as an example of what different game makers can do with similar premises. While the two series are staples of the horror genre and often borrow ideas from one another, the games couldn’t be any more different in terms of where their stories end up going.Resident Evil 7is an excellent game for anySilent Hillfan looking to branch out, as it offers similar ideas met with drastically differing outcomes.
Resident Evil 7: Biohazardis available on PC, PS4, and Xbox One.
