Silent Hill: The Short Message

Even if it's destined to suffer the same incomprehension as many of its predecessors do, Silent Hill: The Short Message is a fairly decent return of one of the most important franchises of the survival horror genre. While it lacks several spine-chilling elements from previous entries that used to make Silent Hill the most horrifying game series out there, it presents many sensitive themes for today's standards. Its teenage story has a daring approach and sets the bar for what we should expect from the psychological factor of the series in the near future.

I was streaming the game, and it wasn’t until someone came in and told me what I needed to do to find the keys to the exit that I could eventually make my way to safety and the end of the game. And honestly? It was worth it. Silent Hill: The Short Message isn’t a game about retribution like Silent Hill 2, and maybe that’s what people wanted or were expecting. Instead, it ends with a tearful conversation between Anita and Amelie that lends itself to the final sentence of the content warning you will see time and time again.

While it can be a little ham-fisted with its messaging, Silent Hill: The Short Message is a suitably dark and disturbing experience that certainly captures the look and feel of Silent Hill. Those who dig into it will find that it offers an interesting take on how these stories can occur outside of the actual town of Silent Hill, too. In any case, for the price of free, it’s hard to complain about a short horror experience that is as good as (or better than) most of its ilk released at a cost.

Silent Hill: The Short Message diverges from traditional Silent Hill experiences, offering a brief, two-hour narrative focused on character Anita's personal struggles and insecurities. Set in the eerie Kettenstadt building, the game attempts to blend psychological depth with the franchise's hallmark uncanny atmosphere. However, it falls short in gameplay depth and environmental interaction, especially when compared to predecessors like PT. The game's simple exploration mechanics, predictable narrative twists, and lack of engaging puzzles lead to a somewhat detached experience. Despite decent graphics and an attempt to tackle complex themes, the game's execution and lack of immersive elements leave it feeling underwhelming. While it represents an experimental approach by the developers and is commendable for its ambition, Silent Hill: The Short Message ultimately fails to deliver the profound impact or memorable gameplay that fans of the series might expect.

This may not suffer the indignity of being delisted, but it's highly unlikely anyone will remember it in a decade's time. [Issue#395, p.122]

Another disappointing Silent Hill revival, that gets some of the visuals and tone right but is let down by a hackneyed script and frustrating chase sequences.

The Short Message is desperate to be understood and devoid of novelty, leaving no room for interpretation, no sense of lingering mystery, and no strong impression for anyone who may be playing a Silent Hill game for the first time. Its unintended short message ends up feeling unfortunately obvious: Do not download.

الشخصيه لطيفه مرره رغم انها غلطانه وكذا بس كانت خايفه على نفسهاا مره ايميلي شخصيتي المفضله

As the title suggests, it is short. It uses pretty serious topics that might be triggering for some people. I liked the game, but it wasn't much. The end of the game is pretty challenging, took me a couple of tries. I guess it was cool. Would recommend.

Honestly, I didn't think this was that bad. Its a fun short horror game with a decent story.

A PSA larping as a Silent Hill game. This is essentially a great-looking walking simulator. It makes me wonder what they could have done if they had put in actual story and gameplay.

A long shot from what Silent hill used to be. Hardly anything worth of the moniker of psychological horror. More of a teen drama. Extremely bad choice for the protagonist, most likely dictated by DEI rather than any narrative reason. Not recommended.