All the Signs Pointed to a Silent Hill Reboot
We’ve written numerous articles here at COGConnected going over the various hints and rumors about the reboot, but The Game Awards came and went without a whisper, let alone a foghorn. Was it a possibility? Sure, but the fact that the game wasn’t announced felt like news as big as some of the reveals.
One of the big things going against news of a reboot was that Silent Hill’s original creator, Keiichiro Toyama, leaving Sony to form his own studio, Bokeh Game Studio. Many of the rumors pointed to Toyama helming the reboot – apart from one statistically unlikely rumor that Hideo Kojima would be sitting in the director-s chair – so his leaving Sony was, I hindsight, a big blow to the theories – even if he had been working on the reboot, him leaving Sony would mean that the game is once again in limbo.
Now, we know a little bit about what comes next, as Toyama has confirmed he’s working on a multi-platform (although only the PC has been confirmed yet) horror action-adventure in line for a 2023 release, but one he hopes will have wide appeal. “If anything, this will be more of a horror-oriented game. But we will focus on making this a broader entertainment experience, rather than a hardcore horror game.”
Toyama states that the new game will appeal to fans of his previous work. If we narrow this down to his previous work within the horror genre that leaves the obvious Silent Hill as well as his lesser-known series, Siren. Siren puts the players in the shoes of various characters locked in a small area (A village in the original game and its remake, an island in the second) as they’re sucked into a dark reality where the inhabitants become shibito – intelligent, religious, and immortal “zombies”. Arguably the first survival horror game with significant stealth mechanics, the Siren series drew praise for its unique concept (your characters have the ability to “sightjack”, or see through the eyes of others to gather clues or plan their route) and complex storyline, but was criticized for its gameplay mechanics and… well. Complex storyline. Given that he wants the new game to be accessible regardless of genre loyalty, so leaning too close on a game where one of the trailers was banned for being too disturbing is a long shot.
Will the new game take inspiration from either series? We don’t know. What we do know is that development is in its early stages, and has a large team behind it.
What are your hopes for the new project? Let us know down in the comments.