Strange Fellow
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- Jun 21, 2018
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Apparently a new Silent Hill game came out unannounced two days ago, for free, for the PS5, called The Short Message. What is it? A first-person walking sim with what are by the looks of things the most insufferable characters the franchise has ever seen, which is saying something. But don't take my word for it, here are the producer's thoughts:
It was always obvious that nothing worthwhile would result from this fresh batch of Silent Hill games (although I anticipate some butthurt when the "enhanced" SH2 comes out), but I honestly didn't expect things to get this terrible. Anyway, instead of being disappointed, let us laugh at the garbage together.
We wanted to make a new, modern Silent Hill. As part of that we explored how we could incorporate contemporary problems. We ended up looking at how modern youth communicate online and through phones, and the role that could play in a psychological horror story. For instance, a frightening thing about social media is how even insignificant individual comments can, en masse, build and build until they become this overwhelming wave of hate crashing down on you.
Life under that shadow is only becoming more and more complex and challenging, and it leads to more and more people struggling in their lives. Especially for anyone growing up with that hanging over them – people who are feeling isolated in society, being hammered with insults and abuse online, dealing with bullying and ostracization in school. These are young people who are finding themselves up against a whole tide of serious issues.
We chose to set our story around young characters like this. Characters who are genuinely suffering and lost, where even one more minor setback can wind up pushing them even deeper into a spiral of anguish. But, in the same way, even the smallest kindness can be the thing that pulls them back from the brink. And that’s what also makes this game a message, from us to everyone living with that ever-present conflict and pressure.
It was always obvious that nothing worthwhile would result from this fresh batch of Silent Hill games (although I anticipate some butthurt when the "enhanced" SH2 comes out), but I honestly didn't expect things to get this terrible. Anyway, instead of being disappointed, let us laugh at the garbage together.