A psychological horror series published by Konami and released on PlayStation,Silent Hillhas 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.
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Silent Hillswould have been the ninth game in theSilent Hillfranchise. 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 througha short teasertitled only as P.T. (Playable Teaser).
10Hideo Kojima As Director
Hideo Kojima is a prolific Japanese video game designer and director. Hismost famous workincludesMetal Gear Solid,Snatcher,Castlevania: Lords of Shadow, and most recently,Death Stranding.
Previously having worked with Konami on theMetal Gear series, the company approached Kojima in 2012 about heading the next installment of theSilent Hillgames. Despite admitting that he doesn’t usually have the stomach for horror, he agreed to challenge himself and develop the game.
9First Person Vs. Third Person
SonyreleasedP.T.in the PlayStation Store in August of 2014. Though many successful horror games are third person style gameplay, Kojima’sP.T.is from the first-person perspective.
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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.
8Guillermo Del Toro
Guillermo del Toro is an Academy Award winning director, best known for his work onPans Labyrinth,Pacific Rim, andHellboy. He also has a passion for video game development. Guillermo del Toro was set to co-direct theSilent Hillshorror sequel with Hideo Kojima.
Some time after its cancellation, he later collaborated with him onDeath Stranding.Though he allowed his likeness to be used in the game, hedid not participatein the actual voice acting.
7Norman 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.
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Though he was excited about the project and enjoyed the teaser,the actor claimsthat he is glad that the project was cancelled because it meant that Kojima was able to dream upDeath Stranding. “I was like, thank god that didn’t work, because this is way better."
6The 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 isextremely effective in building tension.
There’s no telling how stressful and scary the rest of the game could have been!
5Other Famous Silent Hill Names Were Attached
Along with an amazing creative team that includes Kojima, del Toro, and Reedus,Silent Hillsalso welcomed back familiar faces. A Japanese video game composer named Akira Yamaoka composed the scores for most of the otherSilent Hillgames. He was eager to continue his work forSilent Hills.
Masahiro Ito agreed to be involved in the development of the game. His previous work involved rolesas an illustrator and designerfor the first three games of the franchise.
4The Trailing Ghost
The teaser is nerve-wracking on its own, but a game modder and YouTuber namedLance McDonald discoveredsomething even more terrifying hidden in the brief peek at theSilent Hillsequel.
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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.
3Kojima 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 asterrifying 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 ofSilent Hilland amplify it. “We originally wanted you to pee your pants […] Now we want you to s**t your pants.”
2Gameplay Relied On Repetition And Solving Puzzles
The gameplay ofP.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.
1P.T. Was Designed For PlayStation 4 (But Might Release For PlayStation 5?)
Many fans wonder if Konami will go back to work onSilent Hillsafter 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 aSilent Hillthemed tweetfrom 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 forSilent Hill news. Fans will just have to wait and see if the game is ever more than just a really creepyPlayable Teaser.
