PlayStation 5 Critic Reviews

For a free game that shows the first glimpse of what Konami is truly going to do with the franchise, Silent Hill: The Short Message is absolutely worth experiencing.

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.

A free adventure that tries to recover the narrative essence of Silent Hill, with the collaboration of two veterans of the saga: Masahiro Ito and Akira Yamaoka. It has some great moments and ideas, but also some flaws in its design and execution, and it will inevitably be compared to the unforgettable P.T.

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 isn't going to set the horror genre ablaze, but it doesn't have to. As a free offering, it's a solid showcase with a heavy atmosphere and heavier subjects, even if its narrative could have been more subtle.

We were convinced by the proposition of this Silent Hill The Short Message, which takes up the concept of the P.T. by integrating it into a modern story, a mirror of our society. Everything is not perfect, far from it and we would have liked to have more gameplay mechanics, puzzles, some more concrete moments of freak out, but as a party game, it does the job well. And let's not forget that it's free.

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.

It’s a bit weird that a game called “Silent Hill” doesn’t feature the eponymous town. On the other hand, Silent Hill has long since grown into something bigger than just a place; it’s something that germinates within a person – and HexaDrive studio captured that feeing quite well. [Issue#263, p.56]

Silent Hill: The Short Message is an interesting, if not amazing rebirth for the series that proves it can be reanimated for a modern audience. Atmospheric and full of potential it bodes well for future instalments.

Silent Hill: The Short Message shows glimmers of the classic horror series at its best - despite the very heavy-handed metaphor, a frustrating chase sequence, and the long shadow of P.T.