PLAYSTATION wowed fans last night by not only giving them a sneak peek at some upcoming games but shadow dropping a previously unannounced game.
Fans were all expecting to see more footage from Silent Hill 2 at the State of Play, which we got, but there was another Silent Hill game that was released following the showcase.
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Silent Hill: The Short Message is, as the title mentions, short.
It will likely take you less than three hours even if you read all the notes, but what do you expect from a free game?
Released by Konami, the trailer made The Short Message look very much like P.T. Hideo Kojima and Guillermo Del Toro’s wildly popular playable teaser.
However, the actual game is very different. P.T. was short and atmospheric, the most terrifying aspects came from the unknown, the subtle changes in the environments, the things you could easily miss.
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The Short Message doesn’t do this. Instead, it tries to cram in a plot with a cast of characters that you interact with through text messages and short FMV clips.
While the visual effects of each scene are striking and the soft burbles of the sound direction set the mood, this is too often distracted by character input.
Being shown antidepressants and saying “I don’t need those” bashes me over the head with Anita’s depression.
Likewise showing scenes of self-harm, having the voice of her mother screaming at her and saying she doesn’t deserve food is completely heavy-handed in its execution.
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There are frequent scenes that depict bullying where students throw shoes and scream names, but this is rarely how bullying goes down.
It is more nuanced and silent. This is why it’s so terrifying, because it can go on for so long unnoticed.
These story sections are punctuated by long chase sequences where if you get caught you are sent way back in what feels like a never-ending loop of frustration.
The monster is not on a set path, rather there are trigger points that you have to set off in order to find the path forward.
It’s trial and error where you have to play each overly long sequence multiple times, unless by some miracle you stumble on the right solution.
The most important part of The Short Message is that it’s not scary. Not even a little.
When I saw a poster of popular creepypasta Jeff the Killer on a wall I laughed out loud. When I was getting bullied and someone shouted “Your art is f**king s**t” I had a similar response.
It is written the way that bullying, suicide, self-harm, and teen girls are often written in media, and the depiction comes off as clichéd.
You might not know why you are trapped in the villa, or why you are being chased, but you know all the minute details about Anita and her friends’ personal lives, and that doesn’t give me the shivers.
If you’ve ever played a game by David Cage, you get the level of nuance I am talking about.
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There is nothing here beyond the surface level, no deeper meaning. I suppose all truly horrifying aspects are lost somewhere in the fog.
If you want to read more gaming reviews, check out our Persona 3 Reload review.
Written by Georgina Young on behalf of GLHF.
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