Silent Hill 4 - The Best Silent Hill Game Most Never Played
It’s not a secret that the Silent Hill series is one of the most critically acclaimed video game series.
The first entries shaped the horror genre on the same level as Resident Evil or Fatal Frame did and still stand strong as some of the best games ever made. However, before the series rights got sold off to different companies, the original creators came together for one final instalment that sadly often gets overshadowed. Silent Hill 4: The Room.
The game was the first time that Team Silent - the masterminds behind the original entries of the well-renowned horror series - decided to take a different approach. While still relying on typical elements from the series, such as the surreal worldbuilding, terrifying enemy design, and complex overall lore, they included a literal gamechanger by taking on emotional topics like depression and social phobia.
The game starts with protagonist Henry Townshend finding himself unable to leave his apartment with the door heavily chained up while having reoccurring nightmares, after which his apartment changes and becomes a nightmare itself. Even though this is, of course, a part of Silent Hill’s typical mysteries its also a direct reference to the Japanese term “hikikomori” [ひきこもり], people that don’t leave their home at all, either by free choice but also often due to social phobia. Through this, Team Silent managed to create a protagonist with problems many people share and can relate to, doubling down on the horror experience that is Silent Hill 4.
That is not all the game has to offer - there’s some of the finest enemy design, but also some of the most intriguing puzzles and levels in all of Silent Hill. Areas like the Water Prison or the St. Jerome Hospital send shivers down the spine of every player. However, classic themes such as sexuality also make a return in Silent Hill 4: There’s a small hole through which the player can take a peek at the neighbor’s place, which later gets condemned in one of the most horrific scenes of the game.
If you previously shied away from this title, we hope with this post we can change your mind.
