Much of the Japanese town of Silent Hill “didn’t exist initially,” the NeoBards director said, but the developer knew it “definitely had to look like a ‘Ryukishi07 work’.”
The city is a crucial aspect of any Silent Hill game, including the latest installment in the Silent Hill f series, which abandons Americana to instead push its tortured protagonists into fictional Ebisugaoka. But developer NeoBards tells me that the haunted mountain peak – based on a real Japanese location – barely existed when he started working on the horror game.
Director Al Yang knew that whatever NeoBards pitched to publisher Konami had to ensure that “the story would definitely feel like a ‘Ryukishi07 work,'” he told GamesRadar+. Screenwriter Ryukishi07, the famous horror writer behind the manga series When They Cry, had already outlined his sympathetic story for Silent Hill f – and the development team had to honor it.
So while “the very essence of the story has never changed,” Chang continues, “we have made a number of adjustments to its presentation.” In fact, “many locations in Silent Hill didn’t exist initially and were carefully selected to enhance not only the storyline, but also the atmosphere and world of the game,” adds Yang. “An example of this is the school, initially proposed by the NeoBards team, then carefully discussed with Konami and Ryukishi07.”
And protagonist Hinako’s house – one of the game’s most important puzzle sections, where family secrets are revealed – “was originally designed simply as a maze with a supernatural atmosphere,” says Chang.
“Later, we introduced the element of ‘memory,’ added multiple timelines, and allowed the space to move depending on the route and ending,” she continues. “Throughout this process, Ryukishi07 continually wrote new text and lore to meet the needs of gameplay. After countless rounds of discussions and improvements, the in-game version you see today finally took shape.”
Then the team ended up with another signature element of the Silent Hill series. cities swaddled in fog – where horror is inevitable, but hope still lives.
The Silent Hill writer knows you don’t really want to see “a happy ending,” and the game’s gruesome portrayal of the young woman makes it my GOTY.
