Being a lifelong horror fan and a long-time horror critic, I found myself unexpectedly reviewing a free Silent Hill game that was released in a PT-style fashion just minutes after its revelation. However, the experience turned out to be disappointingly forgettable.
After more than a decade away from consoles, Silent Hill: The Short Message marks the series’ return as the first of several games planned for the upcoming years. While I hope for future installments to recapture the long-absent magic, The Short Message falls short in achieving that. In many aspects, it fails to be the playable teaser Silent Hill fans were hoping for.
Silent Hill: The Short Message is a first-person horror game centered around the concept of a time loop trapping its tormented main character. If this sounds familiar, it’s because the game is overtly inspired by PT, Hideo Kojima’s unreleased Silent Hill demo.
However, The Short Message is not a mere rehash of PT; it’s a fresh addition to the series designed as an entry point for new players. It doesn’t have ties to previous entries or serve as a teaser for future installments.
With a runtime of approximately 90 minutes and no financial commitment required, I still find it hard to recommend. The game ends up feeling like a caricature of itself, potentially tarnishing the memories of what was once the genre’s best series.
The Short Message unfolds outside of Silent Hill but attempts to explain why while incorporating familiar elements like an unreliable narrator, supernatural horrors, and a plot-twisting recontextualization.
Unfortunately, these once-effective elements now feel played out in The Short Message. The attempt to expand the lore with the concept of “The Silent Hill Phenomenon” feels unnecessary and diminishes the enigmatic nature of the original setting.
The lack of subtext and subtlety in the script further hampers the experience. Characters express themselves with precision, leaving no room for interpretation or contemplation. The attempt to explore dark themes like self-harm and bullying feels forced, lacking the deftness required for such sensitive subjects.
Technically, the game faces issues with frequent frame-rate drops despite its linear design and limited environments. It not only falls short visually but also fails to provide a fresh take on the horror genre, resembling countless PT-inspired games flooding platforms. The Short Message lacks the disorienting depth found in titles like Layers of Fear and resorts to swapping hallways without much impact.
The use of disembodied voices to recall memories, while a common video game trope, often becomes unintentionally comical due to the game’s mediocre writing and acting. The game fails to capture the dizzying terror of PT, offering only broad strokes without the same level of intensity.
In its attempt to incorporate monster chases, The Short Message falls short of creating effective tension and becomes repetitive, relying on trial-and-error gameplay.
The once iconic Otherworld is reduced to a linear path with constant chasing, deviating from the series’ earlier successful approach. Despite featuring a compelling soundtrack and a visually striking monster, these elements can’t compensate for the overall lackluster experience.
For a new Silent Hill game, The Short Message doesn’t deliver more than a soundtrack and a cool monster. The series’ hallmark mystifying dream logic is absent, leaving no room for interpretation or lasting mystery. In the end, the unintended message is clear: Do not download.
