Genuinely terrifying horror games are few and far between, but Silent Hill was one of the first franchises to keep people awake with its psychological terror stemming from the gripping narratives and innovative monster design present in each entry. The early entries are timeless classics still being discovered by legions of new gamers.
The series is currently on hiatus after Konami canceled the promising Silent Hills, a collaboration between famed horror director Guillermo del Toro and Metal Gear creator Hideo Kojima. While a revival isn’t in sight, let’s take the opportunity to look back on the series by ranking all games from worst to best based on their Metacritic score. Some games lack representation because they never got scored on the website, but the mainline entries and the big name spin-offs are all covered.
Updated On January 28th, 2021, By Jason Wojnar: Every day that passes without new information on a new Silent Hill, the more hopeless fans feel. However, it also means one step closer until something is officially announced. Konami or another publisher could very well be working out deals and recruiting a developer behind the scenes to bring back the franchise. Who knows, maybe even Hideo Kojima will get a chance to bring back his Silent Hill project. With the new generation of consoles now on shelves, we cannot even imagine how terrifying a new title in the franchise could be. Until a day comes when the legendary franchise actually continues, we’ll have to sate ourselves on the titles listed below.
12 Silent Hill: Book Of Memories (2012) – 58
If Book of Memories hadn’t been Silent Hill, it may have received slightly better scores. A dungeon crawler for the PS Vita wasn’t what people wanted from the survival horror series. While most appreciated the nods to the franchise’s history, many felt the gameplay lacking when compared to its contemporaries in the genre. It is also by far the longest Silent Hill game, so anybody prepared to make the leap better strap in for a lengthy experience. In terms of popular franchises spanning more than two decades, one could do a lot worse than the weakest game receiving a fifty-eight Metacritic score. Fortunately, it is all uphill from here.
11 Silent Hill: Downpour (2012) – 68
After a couple of entries took the series slightly off track, Downpour tried its best to recapture some of what made the classics so iconic. Most reviewers acknowledged this effort, praising the more open areas encouraging exploration, but lobbied complaints at other facets of its design like combat, enemies, and performance. While it managed to succeed in one area, it failed where the originals also soared above expectations. Silent Hill 2 and 3 were particularly masterful games in terms of technical performance.
10 Silent Hill HD Collection (2012 Xbox 360) (69)
The next entry goes into further detail regarding the collection’s problems, but it is worth noting that the Xbox 360 version never received any post-release patches to address any of the issues. Anyone who played the PS3 version is probably in bewilderment at how much worse this port can actually get.
Konami dropped the bomb twice on significant HD collections. The remaster of Zone of the Enders: The 2nd Runner on the PS3 was so bad, another studio had to fix it.
9 Silent Hill HD Collection (2012) – 70
While a compilation, it deserves mentioning for how wrong porting old games to modern hardware can go. Silent Hill 2 and 3 manage to run significantly worse on the PS3 and Xbox 360 than on their original platforms.
The developers received an incomplete source code, meaning bugs fished out and fixed by the original developers were once again present. With the limited development time available to them, there was no way for them to fix all the flaws, leading to the compromised final release. Even after patches, the HD collection is largely inferior to the original versions.
8 Silent Hill: Homecoming (2008) – 71
Silent Hill: Homecoming was Double Helix Games’ first project and the first mainline entry in the franchise to be tackled by a western developer. The results were mostly positive. Though it didn’t rack up magnificent scores, it did decent enough to prove a non-Japanese developer could handle the property. It was also the first in the series to feature a fully controllable camera. Some violent scenes caused the game’s delay in certain territories due to the offending sequences needing edits.
7 Silent Hill 4: The Room (2004) – 76
The fourth numbered entry in the franchise was a large departure for the series. Though it bears the franchise’s name, it doesn’t actually take place in the titular town. Additionally, the gameplay puts a larger focus on combat rather than puzzle solving.
Don’t mistake it for an action game, however, since the world is still brimming with tension and unease. This change in direction was appreciated by some and loathed by others, giving it an average Metacritic score.
6 Silent Hill: Origins (2007) – 78
The prequel to the first game marked the first time a game directly connected with another’s events. Translating popular franchises to Sony’s first handheld was difficult, considering the PSP’s single analog stick, but Origins did its darnedest to make it work. Most reviewers were pleased with how it handled the property on a portable device, though some pointed out several faults in the combat. The story, on the other hand, was praised as a treat for fans of the series due to its connections to the premier entry.
5 Silent Hill: Shattered Memories (2009) – 79
Shattered Memories’ main draws were the questions and tests taken in a doctor’s office between chapters. The player’s answers and performance in these sections would affect the following chapter.
This was the most praised aspect of its design, along with its utilization of the Nintendo Wii’s motion controls, something which many third party developers never quite got right. The low sales number prompted a PS2 and PSP port, which ultimately removed the motion controls, though kept the rest of the experience intact.
4 Silent Hill 2: Restless Dreams (84)
The Xbox was more powerful on paper than the PS2, yet certain games ran notably worse on Microsoft’s debut console. Silent Hill 2: Restless Dreams looks smoother, but some of the effects take a step down. As explained by John Linneman of Digital Foundry, the Xbox version suffers from worse fog effects, CG cinematics downgraded from 60 frames per second to 30, and lower audio quality. The light from James’ flashlight is more impressive, however. Ultimately, one should stick with the PS2 version. The PC release has similar issues, but at least fan patches remedy some of these.
3 Silent Hill 3 (2003) – 85
The third numbered entry in the franchise had some big shoes to fill. While it does not match Silent Hill 2, Cheryl Mason’s terrifying journey still manages to live up to the franchise’s name. The graphics pushed the limits of what people thought was possible on the PS2 and the story was also compelling, even if it was not as psychological as its predecessor. The only real complaint most had was its lack of gameplay innovation. At the same time, why try something radically different if it already works?
2 Silent Hill (1999) – 86
The one that started it all also stands as the second-highest scoring entry on Metacritic. It is a surprising score, considering its age and the advancements sequels made to the formula. Still, a compelling game is a worthwhile time regardless of age. Outdated graphics can still scare the living daylights out of players if the tension is executed perfectly, and Silent Hill has the ability to haunt gamers more than twenty years after its release.
1 Silent Hill 2 (2001) – 89
Silent Hill 2 not only brought the survival horror genre to a whole new level, it elevated the entire medium to new heights. Its graphics were unlike anything people had seen before and the narrative following James Suderland’s search for his deceased wife is a terrifyingly personal journey about guilt. As far as legendary franchises go, it is surprising to see the highest-rated game only receive an eighty-nine. It makes sense in some ways, though. The game is uncomfortable all the way through, from the implications of its narrative to the disturbing creature design. While it is a phenomenal experience, it could prove too much for some.
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