Content Warning: The following article incorporates mentions of themes some readers could discover distressing, together with these of self-harm and suicide.
Konami’s unannounced however all-but-confirmed Silent Hill sport, The Short Message, has leaked as soon as once more after the Australian rankings board revealed a synopsis.
As reported by Eurogamer, the Australian Classification Board’s annual report reveals a number of the central themes and story particulars of The Short Message regardless of Konami not having revealed it but. The sport was initially leaked by South Korea’s rankings board in September 2022.
The Short Message is “an exploration-based psychological horror sport by which gamers management characters in an condo constructing referred to as The Villa in modern-day Germany,” the report reads. “The participant assumes the position of a younger lady, Anita, who should discover The Villa by first‑particular person gameplay so as to acquire clues and uncover what has occurred to her pal.”
It will embrace “sturdy suicide themes” and “horror violence”, and whereas the rankings board particulars precisely the place and the way these materialise, we cannot disclose these scenes right here for the sake of sensitivity and spoilers.
Despite these themes, Silent Hill: The Short Message consists of a number of messages encouraging gamers to hunt assist or supply assist to these combating psychological well being points, and depictions happen “within the broader context of discourse exploring points revolving round psychological well being”. The rankings board subsequently granted it an MA 15+ score. This means it is legally restricted to individuals over the age of 15 for having a “sturdy influence” however does not obtain the “excessive influence” MA 18+ score.
Konami has introduced Silent Hill again with a vengeance after not releasing a single sport since 2012. It introduced 4 new video games in October 2022 together with the extremely anticipated Silent Hill 2 Remake, a brand new spin-off referred to as Townfall, one other referred to as Silent Hill f, and the neighborhood based mostly choose-your-own journey sport Silent Hill: Ascension.
The Short Message wasn’t introduced right now, however as the 2 leaks arrived each earlier than and after, it is maybe unlikely a reputation change has occurred. The Short Message’s themes additionally call to mind photographs leaked in May 2022 that had been allegedly from a Silent Hill sport. Though they had been rapidly taken down, the photographs confirmed a younger lady and a single home being considered from a first-person perspective.
The Silent Hill resurgence is not off to a very scorching begin, nevertheless, after Ascension was slammed by followers for being laden with microtransactions when it launched on October 31. Silent Hill 2 Remake additionally had a slight wobble when a Best Buy itemizing alluded it could embrace main story modifications, although Konami has since claimed this was only a mistake and developer Bloober Team has in any other case maintained it should honour the unique’s narrative.
Ryan Dinsdale is an IGN freelance reporter. He’ll speak about The Witcher all day.
