Rely on Horror: Silent Hill Downpour may have just graced us fans three months ago, but that hasn’t stopped me from thinking about the future. Silent Hill Book of Memories is the next game to release in the series and while canon, is not a main title. Book of Memories is a canon game in spinoff territory and while I’m looking forward to seeing what Wayforward can contribute to the series in an experimental Silent Hill title, my mind has lately been thinking about Silent Hill Next. Who should we expect to develop the next main entry in the series? Vatra? Climax? Yet another random studio? Well, let’s speculate on a potential list of developers for the next game.
Keiichiro Toyama—the creator and original director of the 1999 Silent Hill—shared his personal thoughts on the recently announced remake by Konami, reflecting on what the project means to him after more than two decades:
“I felt something similar when the game was adapted into a movie. It deeply moved me to see the names of the characters and locations I had created come to life visually, even though I wasn’t directly involved. That wouldn’t have been possible without the continued support of the fans and the dedication of the developers who’ve kept the series alive.
I’m really looking forward to seeing how the remake evolves this time. With the advanced technology we now have, I’m sure I’ll be surprised by how the game is reimagined. Since the original was built for the first PlayStation, there will naturally be challenges—like the camera and controls—but I’m eager to see bold and creative solutions to those elements.”
Haha Not only is bold and creatively not what the industry wants, it’s not what most people want.
They want to get scammed and pay twice for a thing they already own.
I’m sure many would want bold and creative done well, but that’s easier said than done. I like variety so give me a little bit of everything, done well of course.
Was the SH2 remake even bold? Or was it more or less just a 1 to 1 over the shoulder remake?
it was not. it greatly expanded the areas and puzzles to the point where it felt like an entirely new game. the enemies and boss fights were given a MASSIVE upgrade. the abstract daddy fight in particular was incredible. and the team added two new endings.
In a career spanning interview, I speak to the creator of the Silent Hill, Siren, and Gravity Rush franchises about his 30 year time within the industry, what his thoughts are in making the transition from working for a AAA publisher to essentially becoming an independent, whether he’d be open to working on new iterations of the franchises that he’s renowned for, whether he’d be open to collaborating with any of the horror greats in the games industry, and what his long-term goals are for the next 30 years… Enjoy!
Interesting read, although the questions should have been more focused, and I think Gravity Rush, at least the first one, is fairly dark. Never got into the sequel.
I loved both games. There are pervasive themes of darkness worked in, but they're very vibrant games and Kat (history withstanding) is a very light-hearted character in a world that has its dark moments, but it's very generally upbeat, especially in comparison to Siren and Silent Hill.
Wait, dude made all 3? Wtf? Dude has a knack for cult classics like damn
"So most of the games that I’ve worked on have been new IPs, even though I’ve made different franchises and stuff. But I want to note that every time I make a new IP, my resources are pretty limited, and they’re limited by the company that I’ve worked for. So in that sense, Silent Hill, Siren, and the first Gravity Rush game, I think that we were striving to achieve something new, as opposed to making a big budget videogame. So I feel the need to do that every 3, 4, or 5 years. And I keep making new games, so going individual, like going indie right now, for me, I don’t really feel limited, I feel that it suits me more. So it feels like I’ve got an advantage, because I know how to work with limited resources."
That's encouraging. I really hope Sony would approach Toyama-san for a Gravity Rush sequel.
There are more franchises that cater to particular people than ever in the online melting pot. But there are plenty of sequels and spin-offs that don’t even start, uh, cooking in that melting pot.
We need the japanese knowledge in horror for the new entry not more western onws.
To tell you the truth. For me to feel confident for the new Silent Hill, it would have to be a team like Project Siren behind the helm. The remake for PS3 is an underrated classic that had very few flaws like making encounters mission based instead of having the open world-esque field that other titles normally have.
Another little thing that irked me was the map revealing the locations of the objectives. Haunting Ground did a superb idea of allowing the player to hear the protagonist thoughts that gave players the idea of what's needed while be realistic enough that it requires much more thought to figure the mystery.
Galerians also did a great idea with the "Sense" ability which blatantly showed the solution to an area by analysis with your psychic ability. However it never revealed where you had to go acquire it.....
Clicked for using Turk and JD. (Scrubs)