Summary
It seems likeSilent Hillcould be making a comeback, with Konami pouring resources into both remakes and all-new entries in the franchise. While these upcomingSilent Hillgames have yet to be released, the games are granted unique opportunities when it comes to characterization and character development - opportunities that aren’t shared by rival survivor horror franchiseResident Evil.
BothSilent HillandResident Evildraw inspirationfrom each other in a number of ways.Silent Hillwas initially created as a response to the firstResident Evil, which proved to be a breakout success for Capcom and helped invent the survival horror genre. Despite being clearly inspired byResident Evil,Silent Hillwound up being significantly different in a number of ways, especially when it came to the tone and themes of its story. These differences would only continue to grow as both franchises matured, withResident Evilslowly moving away from slow-paced horror elements and embracing action staples, andSilent Hillleaning more into psychological horror. Assuming both franchises stick to their respective frameworks moving forward,Silent Hill’s main characters have a chance to be far deeper thanResident Evil’s.
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The Town of Silent Hill Allows for Better Characters
WhileResident Evilstraddles the line between horrorand action,Silent Hillis firmly in the horror camp. The frights of the franchise can come from tense scenarios or disturbing creature designs, but this is all underscored by the psychological exploration of the games' protagonists. Some games in the series may do this better than others, but the basic premise of the town of Silent Hill is that it digs deep into the psyches of those who visit it, and the terror they see is a manifestation of their mental state. Perhaps the best example of this isSilent Hill2, where the entire story of the game, essentially, is built around the protagonist’s deep guilt, shame, and trauma, which the town exploits in numerous ways.
Whatevernew paths futureSilent Hillgamestake, they will likely still heavily feature these psychological explorations, as they are a staple of the franchise and a crucial part of its identity. The same can’t exactly be said forResident Evilwhich, even in its most horror-focused entries, often has more in common with action movies that with psychological horror. Iconic series protagonists like Leon Kennedy and Chris Redfield aren’t average everymen likeSilent Hill’s James Sunderland or Heather Mason, but are instead elite members of special forces teams with a wealth of experience, combat training, and tactical gear.
Thesettings ofSilent HillandResident Evilare both great in their own right, but they offer vastly different storytelling opportunities.Resident Evil’s locations are overrun by a formidable yet comprehendible force that the heroes of the story need to either stop or escape from. This makes for fun gameplay and storytelling, but the conflict of the setting is not personally tied to the protagonists. By contrast,Silent Hillisn’t a town that needs to be saved, but rather an elusive location that torments the protagonists, bringing their greatest fears and demons into the light.
Resident Evilgames follow their protagonists across multiple entries, whileSilent Hillfeatures a new protagonist in each entry.Silent Hill’s anthology formulaallows for each character to be deeply explored in a contained, dramatic, personal story, whereasResident Evil’s heroes (with some exceptions) have to stay intact, both physically and mentally, for future entries. BecauseSilent Hillfeatures more self-contained stories, the titular town can deeply explore the psychology of each character without worrying about ramifications in later games. As long as both franchises stick to their respective approaches,Silent Hillwill continue to have more complex and interesting characters.
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