The Silent Hill franchise established its place among greats in the psychological horror genre with several of their earlier and most popular titles. Silent Hill is known for its ability to combine jumpscares with tension to draw you in then force you into immersion, but consistency has not been the franchise’s strong suit. Hoping to hear a release date for the anticipated Silent Hill 2 remake, many fans tuned into Sony’s State of Play showcase in January 2024. Instead, they were surprised by the trailer and shock drop of Silent Hill: The Short Message. Although it wasn’t the information many were hoping for, it was immediately available in the PlayStation Store, giving fans something to hold them over. Better yet? It was free. So what can you expect from an unannounced game that’s free to play? Keep reading and I’ll tell you just that!

Adhering to the franchise’s successful formula, Silent Hill: The Short Message has a story that may be a little different from what returning players would expect. Aiming to try something new, The Short Message examines life from the contemporary teenager’s perspective. Set in post-Covid Germany, the story follows Anita, a struggling high-schooler whose problems land her in that familiar Silent Hill fog. As she explores an abandoned apartment complex, Anita’s memories slowly return as she unpacks the trauma that led her there in the first place. Ripe with consideration for those who are struggling with similar issues, The Short Message contains heavy subject matter and a storyline that will not appeal to everybody. Regardless of age, this game can be enjoyed by many, even if you’re far removed from your old bullies. However, if you struggle with games for which you feel like you aren’t the target audience, The Short Message won’t be your fave. Similarly, younger gamers will need to stay away from this one. With an ESRB rating of “M” for mature, this game tackles issues like child abuse, bullying, suicide, self-harm, and the pressures of social media. In addition to a pre-game trigger warning about the included content, the image below pops up between each of the three chapters. 

There is a lot that this game gets right, but there is equally as much that it gets wrong. Beautiful live-action cutscenes make it easy to feel what the characters feel. In the same scenes, video which was clearly shot in another language and then later dubbed over is completely unsynced, making it difficult to focus. Somewhere in the middle of the road is that informational image that pops up during the game- this is going to be a source of mixed feelings for everybody who plays the game, and opinions will undoubtedly be on opposite ends of the spectrum. The timing of the image is something the devs clearly put a lot of thought into. The image follows several of the more intense scenes, reiterating one of the game’s primary ideas: don’t be afraid to ask for help. Many will be very appreciative of the image, finding it thoughtful and considerate, especially those who might be triggered. For others, the image could be enough to snap you back to reality, thus taking you out of immersion. Whether you feel disrupted by the image or find it unnoticeable, it appears fewer than a handful of times throughout the game. You might be thinking this shouldn’t take up too much of the game’s time. Did I mention the game only took me two hours to beat? You read that right. The free and unannounced game takes less than two hours to complete. Given how often you see the image in such a short amount of time, it should be expected that some will find the second or third pop-up a little repetitive. How you feel will probably be determined by your thoughts on the rest of the game.

One of the reasons Silent Hill has been successful as a franchise is its ability to convey the characters’ emotions. With detailed graphics and an amazing soundtrack, The Short Message perfectly builds tension and makes you feel for the characters. From the cockroaches on the walls to the classmates staring and pointing, everything about this game is meant to force you out of your comfort zone. Moving back and forth between the school and abandoned apartments, you search for clues about your unknown task armed with only your phone’s flashlight. The good news is that the game remains creepy and the clues are easy to spot. The bad news is that the majority of the game consists only of walking around, reading clues, and watching those live-action cutscenes. Unlike other Silent Hill releases, The Short Message includes no combat or monsters to beat up. This makes it nearly impossible to get lost as you move through the game, but it doesn’t mean you can’t get stuck. Having taken me more attempts than I’m willing to admit, the final chase scene is much harder than those before it, but they all get your heart pumping. That said, these chases really only require you to pay attention to the monster’s patterns and take note of your surroundings. If you have the patience to learn from your losses, the final chase is just hard enough to be a challenge, but not so tough that it feels out of place with the rest of the game.

Silent Hill: The Short Message is a wonderful game for its price tag, but its lack of nuance makes several portions seem like a waste of potential. It would be an understatement to say the game falls short of what it could have been, but grading on a curve for cost, it’s still a great way to spend a dark evening. If you don’t go into it expecting it to contend with the franchise’s best-sellers, it’ll easily be worth the short time it requires, especially if you play with a headset to guarantee you are creeped out.

Rating: 7 out of 10

Reviewed on PlayStation 5