Konami’s psychological horror series debuted in 1999. The survival horror franchise was defunct, but Konami is reviving the franchise with four upcoming games.
These titles are a Silent Hill 2 remake, Silent Hill: Downfall, Silent Hill: Ascension (an interactive experience), and Silent Hill: f (set in 1960s Japan). There’re teaser trailers for all of these, and if any piques your interest, you may want to check the saga’s timeline.
Every Silent Hill Game in Chronological Order
- Silent Hill – 1999
- Play Novel: Silent Hill – 2001
- Silent Hill 2 – 2001
- Silent Hill 3 – 2003
- Silent Hill 4: The Room – 2004
- Silent Hill Mobile – 2006
- Silent Hill: The Arcade – 2007
- Silent Hill: Origins – 2007
- Silent Hill: Orphan – 2007
- Silent Hill: The Escape – 2007
- Silent Hill: Orphan 2 – 2008
- Silent Hill: Homecoming – 2008
- Silent Hill: Shattered Memories – 2009
- Silent Hill: Orphan 3 – 2010
- Silent Hill: Downpour – 2012
- Silent Hill HD Collection – 2012
- Silent Hill: Book of Memories – 2012
There’re eight main Silent Hill games, plus one HD bundle and eight spin-offs. The total is 17 Silent Hill entries.
Following the story from beginning to end would be nearly impossible, as not every game is available for modern consoles. However, the story does follow the release date order.
So, let’s see what has happened in Silent Hill, Maine, over the last three decades.
Silent Hill – 1999 (Main Series)
The first entry debuted in 1999 for PlayStation. In 2001, it debuted for Game Boy Advance as well. It introduces the saga’s genre: first-person survival/horror shooter with psychological elements and lots of puzzles.
Silent Hill follows Harry Mason. Unlike the veteran protagonists in most Resident Evil games, Mason is an average man. He’s searching for his missing daughter in the eponymous town. There, he stumbles upon an evil cult amidst a ritual to revive a deity.
The game has five endings, and these depend on player choices. However, one of these endings is a spoof. The goal is to find Cheryl in Silent Hill.
However, the town is full of monsters, and Harry can face them with firearms and melee weapons. He can’t sustain many blows, and he runs out of breath quickly when sprinting. Likewise, Mason’s aim is unsteady, although he has a radio that picks up static if monsters are nearby.
Play Novel: Silent Hill – 2001 (Spin-off)
n 2001, Konami released a gamebook visual novel for Game Boy Advance. It retells the original story via text-based gameplay. The player confronts situations, questions, and puzzles, and he must choose options to move forward.
After completing the game, players can unlock Cybil as a protagonist for a second playthrough. Notably, the game had no soundtrack, a massive distraction from the horror atmosphere.
Silent Hill 2 – 2001 (Main Series)
Silent Hill 2 debuted in 2001 for PlayStation 2. A year later, it debuted for Windows. Despite its success, it’s not available on modern platforms
The new story focuses on James Sunderland. He’s a widow traveling to Silent Hill after receiving a letter from his dead wife. The plot takes its cue from the novel “Crime and Punishment” (1866) by Russian author Fyodor Dostoevsky.
Moreover, the atmosphere and design style takes inspiration from film directors like David Lynch and David Fincher. Needless to say, the game brims with style and a clear sense of direction. That’s why the second entry was more successful than the first. It’s also known as one of the best games in the genre.
Lastly, Silent Hill 2 is a psychological thriller. You guide Sunderland through Silent Hill, across monsters and puzzles in search of his dead wife. The gameplay is similar to before, but the character can update a tourist map he finds with points of interest you’ve visited.
Silent Hill 3 – 2003 (Main Series)
Silent Hill 3 debuted in 2003 for PlayStation 2 and Windows. It retains a similar third-person perspective, combat, exploration, and puzzles. Likewise, the new protagonist has a radio that picks up static when monsters are nearby and a flashlight.
The title follows Heather Mason, a teenager who becomes a part of the town’s evil cult. Like the first game, the group is trying to revive an ancient deity. Heather first appeared as a baby in the original title; her father rescued her from the cult.
You control Heather after awakening from a nightmare. Her playtime oscillates between reality and the Otherworld, a supernatural version of reality.
Silent Hill 4: The Room – 2004 (Main Series)
Team Silent developed the third and the fourth entry back-to-back. So, The Room debuted in 2004 for Xbox, PlayStation 2, and Windows. It’s currently available at the GoG store since Konami re-released the game in 2020.
The Room happens in another fictional city, Ashfield. The new protagonist is Henry Townshend. He’s trying to escape from his locked-down home apartment.
As the game goes on, he explores various supernatural worlds and finds himself in conflict with serial killer Walter Sullivan.
This setting altered the gameplay slightly. It has both third-person and first-person segments, limited exploration, and a single save point. Lastly, there’re fewer weapons, melee weapons can break, and some items can grant a bonus to the character.
Silent Hill Mobile – 2006 (Spin-off)
Silent Hill Mobile debuted in 2006, but only in Japan. It was a companion app for 2006’s Silent Hill Film.
This was also a gamebook experience. The game follows Harry Mason across the original story and the four original endings. Players could navigate the world of the original title, interact, and make text-based choices.
Silent Hill: The Arcade – 2007 (Spin-off)
The Arcade debuted in 2007 as a title for arcade machines. It’s similar to the House of the Dead titles, where players use plastic guns to shoot at enemies and have to fire outside of the screen to reload.
This is a “rail shooter” title. That means players can’t move the characters. Instead, the gameplay is only about aiming and shooting.
The environment is still 3D, and you play in Silent Hill. The characters are Eric and Tina. They are fighting against the town monsters to uncover the mystery behind Eric’s nightmares.
Silent Hill: Origins – 2007 (Main Series)
Origins is a 2007 survival horror game, and it’s a prequel to the first game. Climax Action is the new developer, and they launched the title worldwide for PlayStation 2.
Its story follows Travis Grady researching information about a girl he rescued from a fire pit. Once again, the setting is Silent Hill, so the events deal with the town’s cult and supernatural mysteries.
The gameplay is similar to the original trilogy. However, there’s less focus on exploration and extra emphasis on combat and puzzles. Lastly, Travis also carries a radio and a flashlight -the radio can alert him of nearby enemies.
Silent Hill: Orphan – 2007 (Spin-off)
Orphan is another mobile title. It debuted in 2007 for smartphones. It had point-and-click first-person gameplay.
The game’s setting is an abandoned orphanage. It focused on puzzles and clues in a story revolving around Silent Hill mysteries.
Silent Hill: The Escape – 2007 (Spin-off)
The Escape is the next mobile entry in the survivor horror franchise. It also debuted in 2007 for smartphones.
Playtime was about finding keys to move on to the next room with point-and-click mechanics. Notably, you could play with four characters, one of which is an alien.
Silent Hill: Orphan 2 – 2008 (Spin-off)
Orphan 2 or Mobile 2 is an Orphan sequel. As such, it features a similar first-person point-and-click gameplay.
The setting is a Silent Hill Clinic. Lucas is the playable protagonist, and he’s a man who can’t remember his own identity. So, playtime is about finding clues to learn about himself and why he lost his memory.
Silent Hill: Homecoming – 2008 (Main Series)
Homecoming debuted in 2008. Double Helix Games was the developer of the sixth main entry in the series. They launched the title for PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, and Windows. You can play it on PC or Xbox Series via retro-compatible features.
The plot follows Alex Shepherd, a soldier returning from war to his hometown, Shepherd’s Glen. There, he finds the town is in turmoil and discovers his brother is missing.
The new protagonist begins a journey to find his lost brother. The journey takes him to Silent Hill, where he’ll learn about the Order, the town’s cult. Moreover, he’ll uncover the town’s history, as well as his own past.
The gameplay is similar to past entries. However, the protagonist is not an average man, so he can aim, fight, and run better than previous characters. Moreover, Alex has a journal where he stores the clues he finds, and you can check the journal to solve puzzles and move forward.
Silent Hill: Shattered Memories – 2009 (Main Series)
Shattered Memories debuted in 2009 for PlayStation 2, Nintendo Wii, and PlayStation Portable. The developer behind the title is Climax Studios.
The title re-imagines the first game. It keeps Harry Mason, as well as the original quest in Silent Hill. However, the story happens in a different “timeline” or “universe.” Therefore, characters are different, events vary, and the five endings are new.
The gameplay has first-person psychotherapy segments, over-the-shoulder exploration parts, and narrative segments. That said, there’s no combat in the game.
Silent Hill: Orphan 3 – 2010 (Spin-off)
Orphan 3 debuted in 2010 for smartphones and tablets. It’s the sequel to Orphan 2, and so it features point-and-click gameplay.
Vincent is the new playable character. He’s exploring a mystery inside a dreaded mansion.
Silent Hill: Downpour – 2012 (Main Series)
The latest main entry in the series debuted in 2012. It’s a Vatra Games title, and it’s available for Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. Notably, it features a weather system that alternates fog and rainfall. Monsters appear more frequently during heavy rain.
Murphy Pendleton is the new protagonist. He’s a prisoner, stranded in Silent Hill after his prison transport vehicle had an accident. The game is about uncovering the protagonist’s story and a new mystery in the titular town. Often, he’ll enter the Otherworld to unlock repressed memories.
The game offers a semi-open-world design. Players are free to explore multiple paths on foot, as well as abandoned subway tunnels. Moreover, he can interact with the environment, like fire escapes, to move forward. Finally, he finds various opportunities to help or abandon NPCs.
There’s combat in the game as well, and it’s similar to previous titles. Murphy is an average man, so he has trouble aiming, running, and fighting in melee.
Silent Hill HD Collection – 2012 (Bundle)
The HD Collection debuted in 2012. It packs remastered versions of Silent Hill 2 and Silent Hill 3. The two games had new voice-acting and updated graphics.
This bundle debuted for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. You may find it on the Xbox ecosystem currently.
Silent Hill: Book of Memories – 2012 (Spin-off)
Memories is a 2012 dungeon-crawler by WayForward Technologies. The spin-off debuted for PlayStation Vita.
The gameplay is like a hack&slash action RPG. The player travels through multiple dungeons, defeats monsters, gains experience, and improves abilities.
Each level has various puzzle pieces. Collecting all the parts opens up the next level. However, some choices lead to six different endings, although one of these is a spoof.
The plot follows a playable avatar after receiving the Book of Memories on his birthday. The book contains information about his entire life, which leads to unforeseen dreams inside locations in the book.
