Franchise protagonists are often thrown into hardships beyond most people’s wildest dreams. Whether it be a zombie apocalypse or a race against time to save the world, video game’s central characters have been through unimaginable predicaments since they were first pixelized. And perhaps no gaming franchise has seen more characters go through heavier hardship, anguish, and literal nightmare conditions than Silent Hill.
Silent Hill is an apex of the psychological horror genre and has spanned across several generations of gaming, first hitting the original PlayStation in 1999. Since then, the series has expanded across several media platforms, including two films. Each character in the series seems to find themselves strangely drawn to the sleepy town where their worst nightmares come to life.
17 Andy
The Japanese GBA exclusive visual novel, Play Novel: Silent Hill, is often forgotten by fans but is essentially a reimagining of the first game through interactive text-based gameplay that revolves around the player’s choices. A downloadable story involving Harry Mason’s young neighbor, Andy, was released in 2001 and features the adolescent boy sneaking into Harry’s car and hitching a ride to Silent Hill.
16 Joseph Schreiber
At the beginning of Silent Hill 4: The Room, the player briefly controls Joseph Schreiber, the previous tenant of the dreaded room 302. Although it is brief, Joseph’s first-person gameplay acts as a preface for the rest of the game’s events and his character appears later to assist the true protagonist, Henry Townshend.
15 Cybil Bennett
Cybil Bennett is one of the most recognizable characters in the franchise, appearing in the first game, its subsequent retellings, and even appearing in the film adaption. Despite being synonymous with the series, she is only playable in Play Novel: Silent Hill which further explores her timeline from the first game while also delving a bit more into her backstory and personality.
14 The Protagonist
With the release of Silent Hill: Book of Memories in 2012, Konami switched things up with the series by shifting the gameplay into dungeon crawling action, allowing for co-op multiplayer, and having the protagonist be entirely customizable. Players choose a class build and then adjust their protagonist’s appearance to their liking.
13 The Orphans
Another overlooked game in the franchise is Silent Hill: Orphan and its sequels, Silent Hill: Mobile 2 and 3. These games were released for mobile phone devices and swapped the gameplay from third person survival horror to a point-and-click first person style. For the most part, the player controls a series of adults (Ben, Moon, Lucas, Karen, Emilie, and Vincent) who are all tied to the mysterious Sheppard’s Orphanage.
12 Eric And Tina
Silent Hill joins the ranks of many other game series with a rail-shooter arcade cabinet game titled Silent Hill: The Arcade. The gameplay is a shooting gallery in which two college students, Eric and Tina, visit a certain charming lake front community and are thrust into terror and mayhem when their friends go missing.
The game revisits many enemies and areas from previous games with a fresh perspective and adds a few new characters into the series, but it is still a relatively niche game in the franchise’s history.
11 The Bogeyman
It is rare in any horror game to be able to play as one of the monsters, let alone one of the main baddies. Towards the end of Silent Hill: Downpour, the player actually takes control of the hulking hooded being who has been chasing them throughout the game in a sequence that is downright haunting. Without giving away too many spoilers, the frightening gas-mask wearing beast is perhaps more symbolic than Downpour would originally have players believe.
10 Maria
Perhaps the most enigmatic and confusing character in the series is Silent Hill 2’s Maria. A doppelganger of the protagonist James Sunderland’s deceased wife, Maria randomly appears and disappears in an eerie and almost dream-like manner. She is playable in Silent Hill 2’s prequel, Born From A Wish, where she wanders a creepy mansion and assists a strange man with his quest to resurrect his deceased daughter.
9 Mira
For all the pure terror, agony, and gut-wrenching torment the Silent Hill series puts players through, it only seems right the developers have some fun and subvert fan’s expectations. Mira is the perfect character for this. She is a shiba inu dog that is typically shown in gag endings, sometimes controlling the game’s events or working with aliens. She has become something of an icon in the series and finally as a playable character in iOS game, Silent Hill: The Escape.
8 Travis Grady
Silent Hill is the destination of countless lonely souls, whether they realize it or not. Travis Grady is a simple trucker at first glance, making his first appearance in Silent Hill: Origins as a working man who stumbles into the diabolical plot that sets forth the game’s central events. Like many other characters, Travis is haunted by tragic family trauma that manifests itself through terrifying creatures he must overcome. He also makes a fun cameo in the film, Silent Hill: Revelation.
7 Murphy Pendleton
Revenge is a dish best served cold. Murphy is one of the more complex characters in Silent Hill. He is an escaped prisoner filled with rage at those who wronged him and led him to violence, while also being a quiet and mild-mannered family man who seeks self-forgiveness for his sins.
Murphy is the perfect candidate for the town and sure enough, he is drawn into the sleepy community through the events of Silent Hill: Downpour. His quest for vengeance is perhaps a more dangerous monster than anything creeping in the fog.
6 Cheryl Heather Mason
The Silent Hill series loves to reimagine its titles, especially the first game which has been redesigned several times. Silent Hill: Shattered Memories is one such remake. The game is fragmented between the memories of Harry Mason and his daughter, Cheryl. Their shared bond is explored through different flashbacks as the world around them descends into madness and despair.
5 Alex Shepherd
Keeping with the tradition of lost family members and foggy pasts, Alex Shepherd in Silent Hill: Homecoming is a returning soldier searching for his missing family. A rather stern and dedicated man, Alex is intent on finding solace in a nightmare world. The truth of his and his town’s history creeps through the game’s events and reveals a shocking ending.
4 Henry Townshend
Henry Townshend is perhaps the black sheep of Silent Hill protagonists as he does not have a terrible backstory or tie to the occult. He is just a regular guy thrown into the macabre events of Silent Hill 4: The Room by the circumstance of living in the haunted apartment 302.
Henry works well as an outsider character, not directly tied to any previous events or even the town itself, he is truly a mere observer who becomes embroiled in a devilish scheme.
3 Heather Mason
Silent Hill 3 is a frightening descent into madness that is filled with terrifying monsters and mind games. Heather is the perfect catalyst for this gruesome entry in the series. She’s sharp, well-read, and for all intents and purposes, care-free. Of course, her sense of normalcy depletes as the plot thickens, but she is still a wickedly smart protagonist who is wise beyond her years and quick on her toes.
2 James Sunderland
Silent Hill 2 is considered a staple of the survival horror genre and of the PS2’s extensive game library. The central character, James, is tormented by his wife’s death, until one day he receives a strange letter from her beckoning him to meet her in Silent Hill. The proceeding events are outright disturbing as James plummets into the dark recesses of his own mind.
1 Harry Mason
Fans first got a taste of the town of Silent Hill through Harry’s eyes and that taste has never truly left. Harry is the archetype of the Silent Hill protagonist, a concerned father in search of a loved one who is driven by past grief. His dedication to his family and his willingness to fight for what is right makes him a model for countless survival horror characters.
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