A psychological horror series published by Konami and released on PlayStation, Silent Hill has gripped fans’ hearts with terror since 1999. The original game has inspired comics, novels, movie adaptations, and various sequels and spin-offs. In 2012, Konami sought to develop another mysterious game to attach to the series.
Silent Hills would have been the ninth game in the Silent Hill franchise. Konami later cancelled the game due to “power struggles” between themselves and the creative production team. Fortunately, some of the older plans for it are available to the public through a short teaser titled only as P.T. (Playable Teaser).
10 Hideo Kojima As Director
Hideo Kojima is a prolific Japanese video game designer and director. His most famous work includes Metal Gear Solid, Snatcher, Castlevania: Lords of Shadow, and most recently, Death Stranding.
Previously having worked with Konami on the Metal Gear series, the company approached Kojima in 2012 about heading the next installment of the Silent Hill games. Despite admitting that he doesn’t usually have the stomach for horror, he agreed to challenge himself and develop the game.
9 First Person Vs. Third Person
Sony released P.T. in the PlayStation Store in August of 2014. Though many successful horror games are third person style gameplay, Kojima’s P.T. is from the first-person perspective.
The most obvious reason for this is that first-person severely limits a player’s range of view. Rather than a full screen that may show an entire room, P.T. is dimly lit. The player is only able to see what is directly in front of them. This lack of control slowly builds anxiety, as anything could take a player by surprise at any given moment.
8 Guillermo Del Toro
Guillermo del Toro is an Academy Award winning director, best known for his work on Pans Labyrinth, Pacific Rim, and Hellboy. He also has a passion for video game development. Guillermo del Toro was set to co-direct the Silent Hills horror sequel with Hideo Kojima.
Some time after its cancellation, he later collaborated with him on Death Stranding. Though he allowed his likeness to be used in the game, he did not participate in the actual voice acting.
7 Norman Reedus Was Cast As The Lead
The actor that would helm the game as the main character was initially kept quiet. Eventually, it was revealed that Norman Reedus had been cast to voice the main protagonist.
Though he was excited about the project and enjoyed the teaser, the actor claims that he is glad that the project was cancelled because it meant that Kojima was able to dream up Death Stranding. “I was like, thank god that didn’t work, because this is way better.”
6 The Haunted House Location
Little is known about what would become of the rest of the game, but P.T. takes place in a spooky house full of long hallways. Combined with the first-person point of view, the tight spaces, the repetition of the gameplay, and the inability to see what might pop out from the various rooms, the teaser is extremely effective in building tension.
There’s no telling how stressful and scary the rest of the game could have been!
5 Other Famous Silent Hill Names Were Attached
Along with an amazing creative team that includes Kojima, del Toro, and Reedus, Silent Hills also welcomed back familiar faces. A Japanese video game composer named Akira Yamaoka composed the scores for most of the other Silent Hill games. He was eager to continue his work for Silent Hills.
Masahiro Ito agreed to be involved in the development of the game. His previous work involved roles as an illustrator and designer for the first three games of the franchise.
4 The Trailing Ghost
The teaser is nerve-wracking on its own, but a game modder and YouTuber named Lance McDonald discovered something even more terrifying hidden in the brief peek at the Silent Hill sequel.
Though the ghostly figure, Lisa, is usually out of the player’s line of sight, McDonald reveals what she does when the player can’t see her. This includes contorting awkwardly, staring down at the player from a balcony, and constantly following behind the player.
3 Kojima Wanted It To Be Terrifying
A self-proclaimed “scaredy cat” when it comes to horror, Kojima took on the project with relish. His plan was to make it as terrifying as possible. “There’s a certain type of horror that only people who are scared of can create, so maybe it’s something I can do.” He planned to capture the atmosphere of Silent Hill and amplify it. “We originally wanted you to pee your pants […] Now we want you to s**t your pants.”
2 Gameplay Relied On Repetition And Solving Puzzles
The gameplay of P.T. was fairly simple. The player repeatedly circled a creaking, haunted house, and waited for something terrible to happen in the long, mysterious corridors. Instructions occasionally appeared on screen for the player to make a certain choice or solve a puzzle. Once the player followed the instructions, new things would happen in the next circle, and new options became available.
1 P.T. Was Designed For PlayStation 4 (But Might Release For PlayStation 5?)
Many fans wonder if Konami will go back to work on Silent Hills after the release of the PlayStation 5. Not only have there been reports about a potential reunion between Kojima and Konami, but fans got fired up over a Silent Hill themed tweet from the company.
They later backpedaled, claiming it had nothing to do with the cancelled sequel, but Konami did suspiciously direct all fans to a brand new Twitter made in July of 2020 specifically for Silent Hill news. Fans will just have to wait and see if the game is ever more than just a really creepy Playable Teaser.
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