Konami Insists It's Not to Blame for Silent Hill Composer's Interview Removal

I saw this on Nintendo Life a little earlier. It certainly does sound promising, although it is still admittedly not much to go on. Whatever the project turns out to be, certainly many will lament the fact that it is not Silent Hills.

Perhaps a full-on proper remake of the original game would be a good to see? If Konami decided to go down the Resident Evil remake route, there would probably be many fans happy to play updated versions of the earlier entries.

Given how poorly received both Homecoming and Downpour were, it’s actually a little difficult to get too enthusiastic about a new entry with so little information to go on. The only recent Silent Hill game that is any good is the excellent Shattered Memories (they should really let Sam Barlow do something with this franchise again). That game did a superb job of reinventing the first game and presenting it in a new way with some unique mechanics (the no-combat angle seemed like a risky choice, but just seems to work - the chase sequences have an anxiety inducing intensity to them that fits well with the series atmosphere).

It might be interesting if a new game found some way to reimagine multiple stories from the earlier games and somehow combine the character’s narratives into one.

I'm not going to hold my breath waiting for a new Silent Hill game. If they actually are making one, great- fantastic. But if this is a rumor like all the other ones that have been going around.... why speculate until there is more of an official news?

"I think it's the one you're hoping to hear about". Must be silent hill vinyl soundtrack

I believe there WILL be a new Silent Hill, and I applaud the developers for remaining silent and mysterious about it. It's a good brand of semi-hype, and gives me hope that maybe they'll finish it before hyping it to the moon.

Here we go again...

What Yamaoka added to this series cannot be overstated. His absence in Downpour was hard to ignore. Rumour or not, if he’s involved, I couldn’t ask for a more promising first step in breathing life back into this franchise.

@Jimmer-jammer

I couldn't agree more. The first Silent Hill has to be my favourite videogame - its soundtrack is a sublime masterpiece of discordant disturbance.

@wiiware I already own the first two on vinyl!

Cross dem fingers, Silent Hill cometh

The new Silent Hill pachinko game is going to have a killer soundtrack!

@Vacuumator Silent Hill is truly an incredible artistic achievement. From turning the limitations of the hardware into a strength to telling a truly absurd and surrealist yet emotionally affecting story, it really does stand tall. I would argue the same for 2 and 3.

Yamaoka’s ability to blend incoherent, industrial and percussive elements with motifs of melodic, almost pop-ish piano and guitar medley’s both supported the Jekyll and Hyde environmental unsureness and ultimately created a unique, unsettling yet not completely unfamiliar musical landscape that bled into the audio soundscape as a whole.

It stands to this day as a powerful, inspired testament to the importance of sound design, particularly in horror, and how music can extend beyond merely a companion piece and contribute to the core design, philosophy and identity of a greater whole.

2 is the most depressing thing ever and I absolutely love it. That sounds so sick but it’s true. I also love the 1st one for different reasons but man these are some great scary, perhaps scariest, games. If something gets announced I’ll buy it day -1. I guess that’s technically a preorder. So yeah, that.

"I think it's the one you're hoping to hear about"

Silent hill is the only thing that fits the Bill with this quote

@Jimmer-jammer Very nicely put indeed.

Looking back now the game clearly looks dated, but there is something about its aesthetic that hasn't aged at all. The fog was certainly a masterstroke and the HD Collection really ruined that core aspect in the unpatched SH2 and it is no surprise that version was frowned upon on its release.

The way the game uses the unheimlich in its depiction of the alternate Silent Hill works perfectly to create a sense of unease. To have a macabre mirror world that feels somewhat familar yet can still instill fear and confusion has, and always will be, one of the series' main selling point.

The first is the one I've played the most, I used to play it over and over when it released. 1, 2 and Shattered Memories are the only games in the series I've actually completed, so there is still a lot more for me to explore in this world.

However, it's the first game that stands out for me - it just felt completely unique in its depiction of what we perceive as "horror". Its "reimagining", Shattered Memories succeeded because it introduced new mechanics (the torch handling is very effective on the Wii version, adding a physical mechanic to the exploration of the darkness within the town which further added to the sense of trepidation) and tried to do something new, without breaking away from the core formula of the series. It also had a superb ending which utilised the first-person psychologcal profiling framing sequences. I loved how creepy those analysis sequences were. There was something very unsettling about the questioning and you were constantly left wondering what the point of it was and what it would lead up to. The fact that the game world and its characters changed depending on your answers - making each playthrough unique - was such an inspired concept and it's surprising this idea isn't utilised more in games (although I recall Until Dawn had a similar interview framing device).

To end:

"Huh? Radio? What's going on with that radio?"

I WANT TO BELIEVE.

@Mpquikster Are you talking about the "Grey Child" monster? It wasn't so much a penguin as a faceless little kid/sloth-lookin' thing with a knife. Supposed to be a manifestation of one of the character's fears (that's all I'll say, to avoid spoilers...not that it's all up for interpretation anyway).

@Mpquikster Ah, those squeaky little harmless guys, the "Larval Stalker"! Check a Silent Hill wiki to read up on them...like other enemies, it's pretty interesting what they're supposed to represent (in terms of the overall story).

.....................................!!!!!!!!!!!!
(More to say, more to say)

Would love too see silent hill 2 get a remake think im dreaming though.

@stinkyx

The squeak they make is quite scary, especially when coming across the semi- invisible incarnation.

EDIT: I just checked the wiki on these creatures and it reminded me that it’s just the Larval Stalker that squeaked.

The school level is probably the best part of the whole game (although many sections from the opening to this point are also superb). The soundtrack as you descend the ladder in the corner of the courtyard is truly terrifying. I recall the ominous wailing siren sounding at this point too. This section was the first foray for Harry - and the series - into its alternate world and could not have been realised in a more effective or spine-tingling manner.

Hi there fellow gamers.
Please, let it be true.
Sillent Hill 2 and 3 are truly spectacular.
Especialy SH2. That game haunted me for ages. Never had I experienced such an adult, sad and weird story in a game.
The atmosphere is surreal and haunting.
And then there´s the soundtrack......
Absolutely PHENOMENAL. Akira Yamaoka is a music Genius.
I still listen to "True" every now and then.
Such a powerful piece of music in a powerful scene.
Konami should just give the rights to their famous franchises to developers who can and want to make more experiences in those fantastic worlds.
Fingers crossed.
Cheers, stay safe and happy gaming to us all

@Vacuumator beautifully said! I have yet to play Shattered Memories. The only one I haven’t. I need to look into a way to play it.

@Jimmer-jammer

I played it first on Wii, which is arguably the best version due to the aforementioned control method. The PS2 port is hard to come by, so commands a high price these days. The only version I now own is the PSP one, which is a good place to play it. I also need to finish off Origins on the PSP too.

I would definitely recommend Shattered Memories, although the fact that it eschews combat may not be to everyone’s taste.

Thankfully nobody has mentioned Book of Memories thus far in the comments...

And nobody is ever going to mention those obscure mobile games from years back... hopefully.

just announce silent hill already worst kept secret

I was already chuffed that Yamaoka scored The Medium as it's been a while since I've heard any new material by him and it didn't disappoint. To get even more of his music accompanying one of my favourite game series wasn't really something I'd see happening anytime soon. Fingers crossed.

Silent Hill deserve to have a game that give the franchise all the praise and sales it deserve, why it taking so long for this to happen?

And here it is again.speaking of again.didnt sony supposed to purchase bluepoint in February that was the rumor.word up son

The Resident Evil and Silent Hill franchises launched around the same time, yet the latter has been left to pasture so to speak. It’s arguably the more inventive of the two series, the psychological horror aspect makes for vastly superior storylines compared to Resident Evil. Every aspect of its design - from the industrial noise of a soundtrack to the use of camera angles and framing - are designed to confuse and disturb the player and add further to the sense of disorientation and dread. The games (for the most part) are incredibly successful at what they set out to achieve and it’s hard to see why the series has been left dormant for so long.

The Silent Hill series still proves hugely popular with its fans. I remember buying a rare promo “Toluca Lake” t-shirt”, but ended up selling it to someone who had the most ridiculously expansive collection of SH memorabilia I have seen - it went to a better home.

I see that a number of games in the series are also proving increasingly rare - Shattered Memories on the PS2 of course, but also the PS2 version of SH4. The series would really benefit from some remasters at the very least. We have had so many uncalled for and unwarranted remasters over the past few years and it’s a tragedy that this series lies in the hands of a publisher that currently does not seem to care about its fate.

Let’s wait and see what emerges, but hopefully something SH related is on its way sooner rather than later.

If there's a new Silent Hill in the making I hope Konami has little to do with it besides getting some money, because F*** KONAMI.

With konami insisting the interview was not removed because of them I'll stick to the idea that Yamaoka was talking about The Medium 2. He gave this interview just little after bloober team announce that development and marketing costs for the medium had been covered, so it is possible.

They did not ask, they demanded!

It means Sony did.

@ShaiHulud I’d really like to give The Medium a try. Hope it comes to PlayStation.

@Jimmer-jammer The soundtrack is available on Spotify so you can give that a listen if you're interested.

@eduscxbox A sequel to the Medium would be just disappointing... and not something many are "hoping to hear about” to be quite honest.

Give. Me. Silent. Hill. Right. Now.

@eduscxbox Uhhhh I don't think you're making a lot of sense.

@Nepp67 why?

@eduscxbox Im sure you can figure it out.

Konami are the worst. Many great IPs completely wasted and gathering dust. Unless you like Soccer (or pachinko).

Konami could say it’s Sunny outside and I’d still carry an umbrella. The way they fired Kojima was crazy. Their pachinko machines infuriate me. I want to travel to their headquarters and piss all over their pachinko, run into the meeting room and scream, “ Kagemasa Kozuki!! How do you like this!!???!?” And then jump onto the table right in front of him and start throwing discs with Silent Hills printed on it at him just like the final boss in Astro on PS5.