One of the most infamous game cancelations centers on Hideo Kojima's Silent Hill game. It was revealed under the guise of some mystery horror game from an unknown developer, but once fans solved its many obtuse puzzles, the truth was revealed. The Metal Gear Solid developer was tasked with reviving a once-beloved horror series that had been on a decline for the last few entries. Hideo Kojima was going to put a new spin on Silent Hill with Norman Reedus as the lead protagonist, but the game never materialized.
Now, with Konami attempting to remove all playable traces of Silent Hills, fans can only look to the internet for what could've been. For those that weren't around for this moment in 2014, they may be wondering what exactly was so special about this project. People are still clinging on to hope that Hideo Kojima and Konami will work out their differences for the sake of this game - all over a brief demo and some concept footage. However, those two things stoked a fire in the hearts of many horror fans.
At the time, Silent Hills, also known as P.T. for its playable demo, was one of the scariest games out there. Hideo Kojima and acclaimed director Guillermo del Toro pieced together something truly terrifying, which is why many are very interested in Hideo Kojima's rumored horror game for Xbox. Despite being in a seemingly normal house at the start, there was something very off about it that was hard to describe. A weird time loop, an unnerving radio broadcast, rain beating down on the windows of the house, and this unshakable feeling of being watched all made it incredibly eerie.
Why Hideo Kojima's Silent Hill Game Could've Been Great
Hideo Kojima had tapped into that feeling that many had as kids when they were home alone, as the house was filled with silence. There may be something in there with them and that's enough to create a body-wide feeling of discomfort. Even with all of the lights in the house on, it wasn't enough to dispel the feeling of something sinister lurking around, and that's because Silent Hills literally had its ghost tracking players at all times. The feeling of being watched wasn't really in the player's head, it was actually happening.
Silent Hill had been having an identity crisis for years up until this point, and Hideo Kojima had a vision to bring it back. Sadly, fans never got to see the nightmare fuel he was cooking up. Many games such as Resident Evil and indies like Visage have tried to tap into the void left by Silent Hills, but there's not a lot that can match the potential that was teased. Given the themes of grief often found in the series, maybe this is ironically very fitting and unintentionally brilliant, but fans are still holding out for a Hideo Kojima Silent Hill game.
Hideo Kojima helped set the tone for the last seven years of horror games, so obviously, people want to see what his version would've looked like. There's a chance fans will still get to see pieces of his version of Silent Hill come to life via the rumored cloud-based horror game he's making for Xbox, but it will likely be a while before fans will know for certain.