Should we really be excited about a Silent Hill revival?

On Sunday, Konami did the penultimate thing we expected from the publisher and revealed that Silent Hill is making a comeback. The only way it could have surprised fans more is to announce that Metal Gear Solid is actually getting a remaster.

In any case, the excitement of the fans was immediate, as expected. Silent Hill fans are incredibly passionate about the franchise, though many of us are primarily passionate about seeing those original games on modern consoles. Right now it’s a battle to play Silent Hill and Silent Hill 2 on modern devices and honestly they may be old and gaunt at the moment but there’s still something very special about them.

It’s been ten years since we last got a mainline Silent Hill game, Silent Hill: Downpour, and nearly two decades since we last got a good Silent Hill game (excluding PT, if you consider it a Silent Hill game). Hill, since he never had a chance to really be one). Personally, I’m a huge Silent Hill fan, though I only defend the first three games, excluding a date I had with Silent Hill: Shattered Memories.

My enthusiasm for Silent Hill’s return from the dead faded quickly; Mainly, this was because the likes of both friends and ResetEra reminded me that we’re talking about Konami, and not Capcom. Konami who, between 2006 and 2013, managed to release multiple games with Silent Hill in the title; none of which were really treated as Silent Hill games, or received the same acclaim as the original trilogy.

Silent Hill almost feels like a negative attachment to these games. I can only speak for Shattered Memories, which wasn’t a bad game by any means. It wasn’t great either, but it was still a nice experience. If anything, what brought the game down in this case was having Silent Hill attached and managing the expectations of Silent Hill fans. That said, can Konami even recreate the feel that the original Silent Hill gave fans? I am not convinced.

You see, a successful comeback isn’t just about throwing players into a foggy city with horrible monsters and lifelong trauma to unpack through the Otherworld. If it were that simple, The Evil Within would have checked those boxes. Silent Hill was an almost overwhelming feeling; a sense of vulnerability and the unknown, and a general shock at how Silent Hill told a story filled with trauma, something many of us identified as very real horror.

Once Silent Hill and Silent Hill 2 laid the groundwork they did, I can see why the games that followed suffered. It’s not just Konami trashing Team Silent, but the fact that Silent Hill wasn’t set up to be a great franchise. In Silent Hill, we start out as Harry Mason searching for his adopted daughter, Cheryl, after a car accident. Then, in Silent Hill 2, we step into the shoes of James Sunderland as he searches for his late wife, who has somehow sent him a letter from beyond the grave, inviting him to the city of the same name.

Now, Silent Hill 2 doesn’t focus on the characters or plot of Silent Hill, instead it all takes place within the same town, and players discover a fascinating (yet perplexing) story within both games. In Silent Hill 3, we follow Harry Mason’s daughter, Heather Mason; It wasn’t a bad time either, even if a large part of the game wasn’t spent in Silent Hill town. This is where the series began to suffer.

After this, most people lose interest in Silent Hill. Sure, we see Alessa and Pyramid Head rock out in later games, but more like Easter eggs for fans of the series, rather than actual development from previous games. There are no more plot lines or characters that people can invest in, and I think this is the main reason why Silent Hill flopped in later years.

With all of that in mind, we must manage our expectations for whatever is to come. Don’t get me wrong, I’m pretty relieved to hear that Silent Hill isn’t over. After all, PT showed us some promise that the series might, one day, bring back the long-sought Silent Hill sentiment in fans. Also, after a decade away from Silent Hill, there’s hope that Konami has finally realized that this series is in need of some undivided love and attention.

But given Konami’s track record with Silent Hill, I have my doubts that this is the case. With rumors that the Bloober Team is also working on a Silent Hill 2 remake, I’m afraid what comes next may just be as normal as previous installments. Or in the middle of The Medium: Silent Hill deserves better.

Honestly, as someone who has advocated for the return of Silent Hill for a long time, I’m now thinking and hoping that Konami will just one day simply port Silent Hill 1 to 3 to modern consoles without sacrificing them (looking at you, Silent Hill HD Collection), and let Silent Hill rest in peace.