Silent Hill Ascension: A New Experiment in Interactive Streaming
Ahead of the upcoming Silent Hill revival, with new games and a remake announced, the iconic survival Horror franchise is taking a rather unexpected and experimental turn. Silent Hill is venturing into the world of interactive streaming, with a new format that’s more like Until Dawn and The Dark Pictures Anthology than classic Silent Hill games. This new form of ‘gameplay’ is an experiment that could potentially revolutionize how we consume media, but it also raises concerns about whether it’ll deliver satisfying Silent Hill experiences.
Announced during The Game Awards, Silent Hills: Ascension is an interactive streaming series that will stream episodes, with player decisions shaping the narrative. This experimental format aims to blend the properties of video games, TV shows, and films into one seamless experience.
“Ascension is a new type of entertainment,” Konami says. “It’s a game that’s not a game, that’s streamed as episodes, and influenced by millions of players simultaneously.”
The footage shown during the Silent Hills panel is, frankly, underwhelming. It looks like typical horror game action, with protagonists being pursued by monsters as they run and hide. The comments under the YouTube video also mention that the gameplay seems to focus more on gory spectacle rather than the atmospheric horror that’s often the best part of the Silent Hill games.
While there are some who are skeptical about this departure from the series’ roots, there’s also newfound optimism for the future of Silent Hill, after two new games were announced, alongside a full-blown remake of the original Silent Hill. Many longtime fans, however, would say that a ‘traditional’ Silent Hill experience is precisely what they’re hoping to get.
I’d argue that the series’ roots aren’t quite what people often think they are. The early Silent Hill games certainly emphasize the psychological horror and the claustrophobic nature of the titular town, where everything is just a bit off. But perhaps not quite as much as many fans remember.
Games like Until Dawn and The Dark Pictures Anthology are described as easily digestible popcorn horror, best enjoyed with friends and easily enjoyed on a casual level. Silent Hill has often tried to avoid the clichés associated with the genre’s low-brow efforts. Yet Ascension seems to lean into these clichés, prioritizing gory spectacle over the psychological aspects that have distinguished the series.
The game’s visual aesthetic and mechanical ideas also seem more focused on appealing to a mainstream audience. The design decisions and character designs rely on iconic designs from previous games rather than introducing something completely new.
We haven’t seen enough to know if Ascension has a strong story and interesting characters, but if the gameplay remains superficial, it may not live up to the expectations set by the early Silent Hill games.
