Silent Hill is really back, baby, warts and all

There’s basically one sign that we’re not currently living in the worst possible timeline, and it’s that in the year of our lord 2026 we’re getting good Silent Hill games. Bloober Team’s Silent Hill 2 remake was near universally praised, Silent Hill f was an absolutely horrifying exploration of feminine trauma in 1960’s Japan, and Silent Hill: Townfall is coming out this week. I’ve heard good things about this game, and I have high expectations based off Screen Burn’s previous titles, Stories Untold and Observation. Everything is terrible, but new Silent Hill games are good — and what’s more, they’re good in an experimental, strange way that fits the original legacy of the franchise.

Silent Hill was conceived as a competitor to Capcom’s Resident Evil, but instead of leaning into the action elements of the survival horror genre, Team Silent chose a more psychological approach. The monsters in Silent Hill are a reflection of trauma, either from the residents or the protagonist. A dark cult lurks beneath the surface of the city, and there are references to ancient gods. Team Silent released four games between 1999 and 2004, and they’re experimental and uneven.