Silent Hill: Where Did It All Go Wrong?

The Return That Never Will Be...

All was quiet, presumed dead, until eagle-eyed gamers noticed a demo on the PlayStation 4's store in 2014 under the name "P.T".

As it turns out, this pant-sh*tting yet beautiful demo was Konami's way of announcing the next game in the disgraced franchise, the as-yet-unannounced Silent Hills. Anticipation was stoked even further when it was announced Mr. Metal Gear Solid himself, Hideo Kojima, and director Guillermo del Toro were on board, with The Walking Dead's Norman Reedus having a starring role.

Now, it's been five years. You don't need another recap of the bitter "divorce" between Konami and Kojima. Suffice to say, it was messy. Metal Gear got turned into pachinko machines and whatever Survive pretended to be, and as for Silent Hill?

Dead in the water.

Five years on, and despite the many petitions and fan outcries, Silent Hill(s) is dead and the franchise hasn't resurfaced in any other shape or form. Well, besides pachinko machines because... Konami, but aren't not counting those.

The legacy that Silent Hill leaves behind is vast, but it comes with a caveat. If anyone was looking to jumping in on Silent Hill, the first four games are a must, but with the "play the original versions" addendum to them. Technical limitations and corniness are what added to the charm, not the pseudo-seriousness of the later generation's efforts that Western developers missed the mark with.

From the days of Akira Yamaoka's haunting scores and unseen cult influences, to action-based sequels, one surprisingly ok and one terrible movie adaptations and cancellations, Silent Hill may never see that level of success again.

We'll always have our adventures with Harry Mason and James Sunderland, but other than that, there's no real reason to go to Silent Hill anymore.