During the State of Play showcase on January 31, Konami revealed Silent Hill: The Short Message, a terrifyingly familiar title that sets players on edge with psychological jumpscares and an eerie story. It’s only a few hours long, but it’s free to download, and Silent Hill fans the world over have been soaking up the spooky experience it offers.
It was recently revealed by Konami that in less than a week, Silent Hill: The Short Message has exceeded one million downloads.
Perfect Introduction
There’s a lot of attention on the Silent Hill franchise, especially following the State of Play showcase that revealed an extended gameplay trailer for the Silent Hill 2 Remake and, of course, The Short Message. In the latter title, players assume control of Maya, a troubled and haunted young woman bound to relive her childhood trauma and suffering, brought to life in harrowing chase sequences that will both terrify and confuse the player.
In The Short Message, there are hard-hitting undertones that connect the game to our own world. It’s one of the first games to have a focus on the topic of the COVID-19 pandemic, which is used to explain why much of the game’s setting – a fictional German town named Kettendstadt – is mostly abandoned.
It’s well worth playing – it’ll occupy three hours of your life at the very most, and it serves as a perfect introduction to what’s coming next for Silent Hill.