Silent Hill: The Arcade may suffer something of an identity crisis, but that doesn't mean the game itself isn't any good. What it actually does is make it feel more like SEGA's B-movie inspired The House of the Dead than the psychological horror of Silent Hill. The arcade game didn't care so much for the acting or dialogue, perhaps believing that it's expected of games of this type. At a time when truly bad acting in FMV games were a thing, this made it stand out, elevating it to one of the scariest interactive experiences even to this day. Resident Evil may be known for its Jill sandwiches, the master of unlocking and other vocal gems that are just a cheesy, but Konami's misty town had far more thought and talent put behind it's acting and script.

These games are meant to be filled with frenetic quick-play action which leaves room for very little else.Īnother step backwards is in the voice acting. There's no limit on the ammunition, there's no room for exploration with such linear paths and those hideous encounters are so frequent and unmenacing they will no longer haunt your dreams. Because of this Silent Hill: The Arcade has a very different feeling. You also juggle a lot of keys.Īdd a gun and a loud, busy arcade and this slow pace won't fly. You spend more time fearing the fight that actually fighting it. All the while you're worrying if you have enough elusive ammo to survive such an encounter. When playing Silent Hill, you are constantly on edge, waiting for that inevitable ghoul to jump out. Light guns shooters come with their own tropes and design staples which are the antithesis of what a survival horror aims to be. In 2007, they brought the series to the arcades with this light gun shooter. It is also one of the most successful, despite what Konami's woeful cancellation of the highly promising Silent Hills may tell you (did you get the Playable Teaser on PS4 before they took it down?).

For 15 years, Silent Hill has proudly remained on the creepier end of the survival horror spectrum.

Silent hill arcade