In the town ofSilent Hill, the rumor mill churns endlessly. With no new releases since 2014’sP.T., fans have been speculating for years thata newSilent Hilltitle is in the works, with a resurgence of recent gossip suggesting everything from Konami partnering with Hideo Kojima to an outright sale of the iconic horror IP to Sony Interactive Entertainment.
After making quite a splash in the blood-red pool of video game horror in recent years,Bloober Team has also been linked with the allegedSilent Hillreboot. However, the lukewarm reception to its most recent release,The Medium, has led some fans to question whether the Polish developer is up to the task of revitalizing such a beloved franchise. Other recent Bloober Team titles likeLayers Of Fear, while popular, have also been criticized for an over-reliance on jump scares as opposed to the slow-burn psychological horror thatSilent Hillfans demand. However, cyberpunk horror gemObserverproves that the developer is more than capable of rising to the challenge of making a newSilent Hillgame.
RELATED:Why the Later Silent Hill Games are Better Than You Think
How Observer’s Approach to Horror Would Work Perfectly in Silent Hill
A crucial factor that is sometimes lost in the noise and hype surroundingSilent Hillis the fact that, even in its heyday, the series was never a major commercial success. Bloober Team have managed to generate returns from a number of releases despite horror games still being relatively niche compared to more popular genres like action adventures or RPGs. It’s important to remember that profits will ultimately drive Konami to either resurrect or neglect its legendary series, so this is a good sign for the potential revival.Observercontinued Bloober Team’s recent strong sales performance, performing well enough to enable a graphically enhanced re-release entitledObserver: System Redux.
Fans, meanwhile, care much less about profits than they do about getting their hands on a newSilent Hillgame after such a long, barren period - though they also care about the games being true to the franchise’s roots.Observerwas described by reviewersas a combination ofSilent HillandBlade Runner, demonstrating that the title is as much a psychological horror game as a science fiction experience. The involvement of celebratedSilent Hillcomposer Akira Yamaoka in soundtrackingThe Mediumis further evidence of Bloober Team’s ties to the franchise’s glory days.
Observeralso showcased Bloober Team’s ability to craft an oppressive, horrifying world, featuring hallucinatory sequences where its main character hacks the brains of suspects and dying murder victims. The dread-infused, surreal atmosphere ofSilent Hillwas pivotal to the series, andObserver’s frightening setting and content provides reassurance to fans anxious that any future installments are able to maintain this sense of foreboding and unnerving weirdness.
Observerwas praised not only for its environment and nightmarish tone, but also for its strong narrative and voice acting, including thetalents of the late Rutger Hauerin one of the actor’s final performances. This should be further good news for fans ofSilent Hill, who have particularly high standards for these elements of any upcoming releases. Konami’s attempts at re-recording the voice performances of the classic games for its ill-fatedSilent Hill HD Collectionwere met with so much criticism that it was forced to negotiate with the original voice actors to include their audio in the final product.
AlthoughBloober Team has denied that it is working on aSilent Hilltitle, fans of the franchise should check outObserverbefore they dismiss the Polish developer’s psychological horror credentials. However, whileObserver’s strong story, vocals, atmosphere, and commercial performance provide comfort that a newSilent Hillgame would be safe in its hands, fans will surely reserve judgement until a new game worthy of the illustrious series is delivered.
Observer: System Reduxis available now for the PC, PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One and Xbox X/S.
MORE:The Medium and Observer: System Redux Physical Releases Coming Soon
