Every Silent Hill Game, Ranked

Before the Silent Hill 2 remake was the PlayStation 5 free download, Silent Hill: The Short Message. The first Silent Hill game in over a decade features young teen Anita, who is receiving text messages from her dead friend Maya, who took her own life. Critics were not kind to the first-person game that featured no combat, frustrating chase sequences, and a ham-fisted story about teen bullying and suicide. The game was unfavorably compared to legendary former Konami developer Hideo Kojima's 2014 PlayStation 4 collaborative demo with director Guillermo del Toro entitled P.T. (or Silent Hills), which has become something of a cult object. 

"Silent Hill: The Short Message is a boring, contrived, borderline offensive experience." —Jordan Biordi, CGMagazine

The last Silent Hill game before a lengthy 12-year hiatus was the handheld PS Vita game, Silent Hill: Book of Memories. A departure from the third-person spooky exploration, combat, and puzzle-solving that is typically associated with the franchise, Book of Memories is a Diablo-esque dungeon-crawler in which you attack monsters, collect loot, and ... well, that's basically it. Critics either thought the gameplay shift was a nice change in pace or that it was a monotonous grind. Helping soften the critical blows was the addition of online multiplayer for up to four players, a first and last for the franchise.

"Silent Hill: Book of Memories falls short as both a dungeon-crawler and a horror game." —Britton Peele, GameSpot

The last full-length, traditional third-person Silent Hill game was Silent Hill: Downpour. You play as a former prisoner, Murphy Pendleton, who ends up in Silent Hill and must face his fears, which are mysteriously connected to his past. Critics were largely mixed about the game and the largest complaint (outside of technical issues that were fixed with a post-launch patch) was that it was just more of the same, with too much time wandering aimlessly—and that the series had not evolved. The silver lining with critics were the sections in which you're trapped inside the Otherworld and must solve puzzles in order to escape while the environment changes precariously around you. 

"Downpour could have been good, but any shot at greatness gets bogged down by a laundry list of problems. A shame, because there are times when the games gets tense and unnerving, a big plus for this genre." —DarkStation

War veteran Alex Shepherd returns to his hometown of Shepherd's Glen (okay) to find his younger brother missing, the town in shambles, and the Order—a cult from Silent Hill—terrorizing what's left of the town. New developer Double Helix added a new combat system and increased the amount of gore (likely inspired by the Silent Hill movie that was released two years prior), but lost some of the eerie charm the franchise had been known for. Critics either embraced the more action-forward gameplay, with creatively designed boss battles, or missed the psychological twists and turns of the Konami-developed games. 

"Silent Hill: Homecoming is a very strange game, as its dual nature and oddly unsatisfying gameplay could likely turn both fans and newcomers away." —Gabe Graziani, GameSpy

Silent Hill 4: The Room was the final game that original developers, Team Silent, worked on, and it centers on protagonist Henry Townshend, who is trapped in his haunted apartment and must escape what becomes an increasingly claustrophobic nightmare. Critics appreciated a new first-person perspective in Henry's apartment, a first for the series. Others lamented the second half of the game in which Henry must escort his neighbor, Eileen, through the same terrain that players already experienced in the first half. Overall, the critics at the time were mostly delighted to have another freaky Silent Hill game to play, even if the main character didn't really have a personality and the combat system was still a bit clunky. 

"Pairs third-person and new first-person gameplay with an emphasis on combat and item management. The resultant hybrid has some flaws, but The Room retains the dark, disturbing soul that is the unsettling center of the Silent Hill experience." —Bethany Massimilla, GameSpot

Originally released as a PlayStation Portable title, Silent Hill: Origins would eventually be ported to the PlayStation 2 a few months later (to less-positive reviews). The first Silent Hill game made without OG developers, Team Silent, Silent Hill: Origins is a prequel about Travis Grady, a truck driver who unfortunately gets stuck in Silent Hill making a delivery, and a terrifying journey unfolds. Critics enjoyed that this game could be played on the go (a survival-horror first for the PSP), but also criticized its shorter length compared to its predecessors. A through line for the Silent Hill series is that it mostly sticks to its formula; for some that's fantastic, and for others, it's a slog. 

"Silent Hills: Origins is a game that smartly packs all of the series' best qualities into a bite-sized, portable portion. With its incredibly short length we only recommend it for purchase for fans. But while it lasts, it's indisputably the best handheld survival horror game available." —Game Trailers

What if the original Silent Hill was set in an alternate universe where Harry Mason is still looking for his missing daughter but essentially everything else has changed? Climax Studios' remix of the original story and the addition of the Wii Remote's motion controls to direct Harry's flashlight were new and novel for a series that had become increasingly formulaic. Another bold choice was to not have combat in the game. If monsters are chasing Harry, you must run away or shake them off. However, most critics, even those that otherwised enjoyed Shattered Memories, weren't thrilled with the game's brief six-hour gameplay length. 

"This reimagining significantly alters the Silent Hill formula, but for those willing to put up with the occasional frustrating chase sequence, Shattered Memories is a masterpiece of atmosphere and storytelling that demands your attention." —Nathaniel Berens, Adventure Gamers

The third game in the franchise picks up after the first Silent Hill and has you playing as Harry Mason's teenage daughter, Heather, who's dealing with the nightmare world of her own that's been haunting her since her experience in the first game. Her road back to Silent Hill is paved with creative puzzles and disgusting Cronenberg-esque creatures. Critics loved the storytelling and direction featuring a well-drawn character in Heather and the psychological dread produced by having to navigate such disturbing environments. They were less keen on the relatively short duration of the game, puzzles that were perhaps too complex, and fairly basic combat. 

"Don't expect to find radical gameplay changes or innovative open-ended mechanics here. Instead, come armed with a belly full of courage and a clean change of underwear, because I can't even remember when a video game has shoved this much grotesque evil down my throat in one serving." —GameSpy

Remake fever eventually had to come to the foggy town of Silent Hill, and Konami selected fan and critical favorite Silent Hill 2 as the game in the series to be remade. Horror game developer Bloober Team (Layers of Fear, The Medium), who are massively influenced by the original game, have the unenviable task of remaking a video game classic for modern audiences using modern technology. But most critics feel that the studio has pulled it off, creating a faithful (though maybe less-than-daring) remake.

"The remake of Silent Hill 2 walks a fine line between honouring a beloved original and innovating for both new and returning audiences. It does so with incredible success, landing clever changes to its puzzles and cleverly expanded environments that enhance the game, rather than detracting from it or over-stuffing it. Ultimately, this remake never loses sight of what makes Silent Hill 2 such a memorable experience in the first place: its ability to get under your skin, and stay there." —Checkpoint Gaming

The game that started it all has main playable character Harry Mason stranded in the town of Silent Hill after his car crashes. He's searching for his daughter Cheryl (later renamed Heather), wandering the foggy streets until he finds buildings that contain puzzles and eventually turn into nightmare versions of themselves, with added gore and viscera to amp up the disturbing vibes. Critics loved how Silent Hill set itself apart from Resident Evil's zombie thrills by instead focusing on getting under your skin by creating an unnerving atmosphere. Points were slightly deducted for controls and puzzles that were either too easy or impossible to solve. 

"One of SH's coolest features is its excellent DualShock support: The controller beats like a heart, thumping harder when you're close to death, and its responsiveness keeps you in command." —GamePro

The most acclaimed Silent Hill release is the second game in the series, in which you play as James Sunderland, a widower who receives a letter from his deceased wife prompting him to visit the town of Silent Hill. (Hint: That's not good.) Developer Team Silent drew from the film Jacob's Ladder to create an uneasy tension, with terrifying images and encounters potentially around every corner. The alchemy achieved by pairing that tension with an emotionally wrenching tale that includes themes of suicide, grief, guilt, mental illness, and abuse make for a bleak blast. The occasional critic at the time found it boring, but its status as one of the best survival horror games has held for over 20 years. 

"Beautifully crafted. The story-driven gameplay is compelling and the atmosphere is a visual and aural masterpiece." —Jimmy Clydesdale, Game Over Online