Silent Hill’s modern day resurgence has been one of the best things that happened in gaming today. After what seemed like a decade of silence from Konami, the series has finally returned thanks to titles like Silent Hill 2 Remake and Silent Hill f.
With Silent Hill’s success, Konami would be fumbling a major opportunity if they stop leveraging the momentum of its renewed popularity. The good news is that they are already working alongside Bloober Team again to remake Harry Mason’s journey from the ground up in an upcoming Silent Hill 1 Remake. There are so many things to speculate in this upcoming project, but for now, nothing is set in stone apart from expecting the same kind of quality and gameplay overhaul that made Silent Hill 2 Remake great.
This is all good news and all, but Konami seems to be forgetting that there’s also another Silent Hill entry that deserves a Remake as much as the rest of these entries, and it’s Silent Hill 4.
The Room is often considered as ‘underrated’ and ‘controversial’ among the Silent Hill community. Part of its issue was that there’s a lack of personality and character-work given to its protagonists, mainly Henry. Moreover, combat was also too janky which often frustrates more than it terrifies due to its weird stunlocks. This was a particularly glaring problem during the Eileen escort missions in the second half of the game, which a lot of players have complained about even until now.
As the years go by, though, much of the community has accepted that despite Silent Hill 4’s shortcomings, there’s still praise coming from its atmosphere and direction. The otherworldly feel of the gaping hole in Henry’s room still sent shivers to new and old players, and the claustrophobic vibes of “The Room” is still unmatched even by today’s standards.
Silent Hill 4’s problems are a product of its time. Being a 2004 game, there’s a lot of technical hurdles that clearly contributed to The Room’s barebones gameplay. Which is why this is all the more reason for Konami to remake Silent Hill 4. All they need to do is to take a few pages from what they did with Silent Hill 2 Remake’s expanded systems, and improve its quality of life features including combat responsiveness and navigation. It’s either they scrap the Eileen escort missions, or improve her AI a la Ashley Graham in Capcom’s Resident Evil 4 Remake.
Much of its gameplay issues can also be remedied in the Remake now that technology has improved. Konami and Bloober (if they come back in Silent Hill 4 Remake) will have to iron out the kinks like annoying stunlocks and bad enemy AI, especially in the later half of the game, where things become egregious with its enemy encounters.
The storywork could also use an improvement. While Walter Sullivan’s story stands out, much of Henry’s backstory is pretty much placed in the backburner. This is where Konami should work on should a Remake arrive. Add a few narrative elements that add more layers to his character, make him a well-rounded protagonist that doesn’t feel like a placeholder. Konami can even expand on Harry and Eileen’s relationship, add a few notable scenes that make Henry’s motivations believable similar to what they did with James and Maria in Silent Hill 2 Remake’s additional scenes in Heaven’s Night.
Should Konami work on a Silent Hill 4: The Room remake, they already have the issues needed to be addressed. Things like improving Henry’s personality and fixing the clunky combat are two of the most notorious problems with The Room, but the rest of the game is already strong enough for it to stand on its own.
A Remake of Silent Hill 4 is great. Once Konami has exhausted all their efforts in the upcoming Silent Hill 1 Remake, as well as Annapurna’s Silent Hill Townfall, their next game on their Remake pipeline should be The Room. As for Silent Hill 3 Remake, Heather Mason's story can wait.
For more like this, stick with us here at Gfinityesports.com, the best website for gaming features and opinions.