During the latest State of Play, Konami decided to go all in with some more Silent Hill news, and as my colleague Nathan already reported, Silent Hill: The Short Message, is a free to play episode for the PS5. Please, do NOT walk into this thinking it is P.T. It is not. It's nowhere near that. Yes, it has elements of Silent Hill, but this seems to be a standalone title, as the ending of it points to no other game.
I will also say that the story and elements in this game are VERY heavy. So heavy, in fact, that at the beginning of the game, and many times throughout, this disclaimer pops up:
"This title contains depictions of suicide, self-harm, abuse, trauma and bullying that may be distressing to some users. If you notice someone around you who appears to be struggling, try talking to them. One Brave Step can save lives."
The game kicks you in, opening with you at what seems to be a memorial site for an artist named Maya. Suddenly, you wake up in some building as Anita. And you have no idea what's going on. Maya, yes THAT Maya, sends you a text message, and tells you to meet you in her studio. As you progress through the game, reading different things on the wall, and getting the story through publications, the game switches between Silent Hill horror, and real time flashbacks of conversations with Maya.
You can forget about any weapons here. You can bank on a bunch of weird sounds like babies crying, and doors creaking open. You also receive texts from your friend Amelie, who is a very important part of this story. This plot goes more ways than you could ever imagine. Come to conclusions about what is going on. Or try to come up with what it means when you see a drawing of you with branches coming out of you. You'll do that, while getting your mind blown at one part, and be proved wrong. This is Silent Hill, and once you get past chapter one, it's all downhill from there. There is only one antagonist, and could be one of the creepiest antagonists in a while. Don't worry. It is enough.
No spoilers here. The game starts messing with your whole brain about 10 minutes in, and takes you on a ride from there. It's about 80-90 minutes if you're good, but if you're like me, and is scared of immersive, first person games like this, it would take you TWO HOURS AND THIRTY MINUTES! This is free to download, but if you want to spoil it all, the full playthrough is down below.
I even had to cleanse myself with a full 30 life playthrough of Contra immediately after. I also probably broke a record for cursing. Sorry Konami. All that to say, yeah...enjoy.
