Resident Evil dominated the survival horror market on the PSOne. Irrespective of what number of tried to surpass the campy horror of Shinji Mikami’s creation, none might attain the surprisingly excessive bar he set. Not Parasite Eve (1998). Not Overblood (1996). Not even the extremely revered Clock Tower (1997). All of them threw distinctive terrors at gamers, hoping to achieve the identical stage of iconic as Capcom’s sequence. Nonetheless, there was one space the place lots of the console’s horror video games stumbled, and that was creating an emotionally gripping, considerably relatable, tortured solid of characters.
Whereas many video games have tried to emulate the genius of Resident Evil since its 1996 premiere, Konami’s Group Silent knew the right way to efficiently sidestep what made Capcom’s sequence so beloved to search out its footing. Buying and selling in blatant camp horror shlock and B-movie dialogue for profound and disturbing themes, Silent Hill took gamers abruptly with a rogue’s gallery of symbolic monsters immediately related to the protagonists and tertiary characters discovered inside the confines of the haunted city.
Whereas many survival horror characters are mere fodder for fanged beasts and viral monstrosities, the solid of Silent Hill and its many sequels and spin-offs is brimming with inventive brilliance. With Konamoi lately reinvigorating the sequence by interactive mediums, a confirmed remake, and mysterious future choices, revisiting our favourite denizens of Silent Hill and the tormented souls trapped by its malevolence appeared applicable.
1. Harry Mason
Harry effortlessly slipped into the position of an everyday man in method over his head completely within the unique Silent Hill sport and received gamers over straight away. The thriller surrounding Harry, his daughter Cheryl, and the city of Silent Hill. All of the whereas, his overwhelming want to search out his daughter surfaces as a relatable plight.
As Harry unravels the connections between the haunted city and his daughter, his personal complexities additionally floor. By way of the manifestations of the city’s monsters and occasions within the story, Harry units the stage for the unimaginable occasions of the unique sport and the sequence going ahead. This makes Harry probably the most compelling character within the sequence.
2. Cheryl Mason
Cheryl Mason goes from the middle of Harry’s world to the middle of your complete debacle of Silent Hill on the whole. As the unique sport unfurls and Cheryl’s true origin comes into focus, her unusual position within the occasions of the city make her attention-grabbing and horrifying .
Serving as a logo of trauma, disgrace, and vengeance, she steals the stage from Harry on a number of events regardless of solely occupying a fraction of the sport. Cheryl resurfaces later within the sequence as an integral a part of Heather Mason’s story, however her position within the unique stands by itself in dramatic vogue.
3. James Sunderland
As maybe probably the most tragic and nuanced of all Silent Hill characters, James Sunderland brings a harrowing journey of introspection and turmoil to participant’s screens. Regardless of missing preparedness for the monsters that await him, James appears considerably extra acquainted with them. Whereas every of the city’s manifestations serves as a mirrored image of James to some extent, he virtually appears to acknowledge them at instances with curiosity and disgrace.
As Silent Hill 2’s story deepens, so too does the participant’s understanding of James and his morally questionable conduct. The literal and figurative depths James explores all through the journey to his personal reckoning make him difficult and compelling.
4. Heather Mason
Regardless of doing her finest to keep away from the deranged cult “The Order,” Heather, as a younger grownup, should revisit the city that bore her within the unique sport to confront her previous life as Cheryl and the tormented Alessa Gillespie. Heather’s vulnerability makes her appear extra fragile than Harry or James at first, however her tenacity and resourcefulness make up for that.
In an effort to guard her getting old father and stand as much as the cultists as soon as and for all, Heather’s journey into the depths of Silent Hill stays one of many franchise’s most memorable. Whereas she begins the story in a state of confusion — unable to distinguish actuality from nightmares — Heather completes the journey as a formidable presence that gamers discover not possible to dislike.
5. Angela Orosco
Much like James, Angela emerges in Silent Hill 2’s story at her worst. Like a ship misplaced at sea, Angela wades by her psychosis and agony with an aimless disposition. As she slips deeper into dissociation — her trauma laid naked — she turns into a somewhat tragic character to get to know.
Although Angela and James have some issues in frequent, Angela’s story exists independently, and has its personal arc that gamers see unfold by James’ eyes. Her tragic state solely intensifies with every look, and ends with one of the vital memorable scenes in your complete Silent Hill sequence.
6. Maria
As a consultant of James’ impulsivity, Maria drifts forwards and backwards from serving to James to deceptive him. This makes Maria unpredictable and mysterious from the second she reveals as much as her final breath. Maria bares a hanging resemblance to James’ late spouse too, making her all of the extra mysterious.
As her character prods James into reevaluating his views, she additionally retains the participant on their toes along with her inconsistent conduct. This makes her a fantastic narrative machine for the story and a somewhat entertaining character for the participant to see work together with James.
7. Eddie Dombrowski
Eddie serves an identical position to Angela in Silent Hill 2 in that he exists independently of James but intersects with him on just a few events. Not like Angela, although, Eddie turns into a menace to James, resulting in an intense boss encounter. Earlier than that second, Eddie clearly has struggled to face up for himself after years of torment from others. This creates a pressure-cooker state of affairs for him, as James finally ends up bearing the brunt of a lifetime of hatred that has constructed up in Eddie.
As Silent Hill characters go, Eddie feels relatable in that he struggled to slot in as a teen, and now, as an grownup, struggles with emotional regulation to the purpose of posing a hazard to these round him.
8. Dahlia Gillespie
Dahlia drives the plot of the unique Silent Hill sport as probably the most devoted worshiper of the deity of the cult on the middle of the city’s horror. Dahlia’s devotion to the cult is aware of no bounds, as she sacrifices her personal daughter to result in their darkish deity. On high of that, her unsettling look to the disturbing supply of her voice solidify Dahlia’s position as the sport’s most important antagonist and a memorable determine within the sequence.
9. Mary Shepherd-Sunderland
Although Mary has been lengthy gone earlier than the occasions of Silent Hill 2 even start, her presence emerges in virtually each nook of the story. As the first motivation for James, Mary’s ill-timed letter to him places the story in movement, inflicting James to go in search of her. As James recollects spending time with Mary in numerous areas, he dives deeper into his grief and disgrace.
Provided that, Mary can really feel like the principle character in a roundabout method. Relying on the ending the participant unlocks, Mary’s voice wraps up the story, making her really feel like much more of a central determine. With out Mary, Silent Hill 2 wouldn’t exist.
10. Cybil Bennett
Cybil Bennett looks like a rarity within the Silent Hill world. Not like the overwhelming majority of different characters, she doesn’t have a lot to do with the city. She has her personal concept on why the city fell into such disarray, and differs with Harry about it is supernatural nature till the top.
Relying on the participant’s capability to search out the correct gadgets, Cybil could or could not survive the occasions of the sport, however both method she’s a useful counterweight to Harry’s extra frantic disposition. This distinction makes her memorable, and guaranteeing her survival greater than justifies a number of playthroughs till the participant can get it proper.
11. Lisa Garland
Form of like Angela in Silent Hill 2, the unique’s Lisa Garland stays one of the vital tragic figures within the sequence. Whereas her conflicts intertwine with the cult of Silent Hill, her story unfolds independently of Harry’s. As Alessa Gillespie’s nurse, Lisa endured many horrors whereas caring for her disturbing burn injury.
Although Lisa has no recollection of why the city finds itself in such unhealthy form, she succumbs to its evil because the otherworld swallows her complete. What occurs to her after this stays up for debate, however for the needs of the unique sport, her story ends in tragedy. Lisa additionally seems within the prequel Silent Hill Origins and the dungeon crawler spin-off E-book of Reminiscences, which makes her one of many only a few Silent Hill characters that reveals up in a number of video games.
12. Pyramid Head
Pyramid Head stays one in all horror’s most iconic villains and synonymous with the Silent Hill franchise. His distinctive and surprising look strikes concern in all who witness him for the primary time. From the large triangular helmet to the imposing “nice knife,” Pyramid Head oozes iconic design.
He emerged as a manifestation of James’ self-loathing in Silent Hill 2 however as of late Pyramid Head means far more to the city’s lore. Some die-hard Silent Hill 2 followers could lament this synthetic extension of his position, however the reality stays: Pyramid Head stays the de facto mascot of the franchise as of late.
13. Henry Townshend
Henry Townshend, the protagonist of Silent Hill 4, helped drive the sequence into a brand new route with probably the most distinctive sport within the franchise on the level of its launch. Not like in earlier video games, gamers keep confined to a wierd condo in Silent Hill 4 and solely periodically escape in managed, linear ranges.
Including to the distinctive nature of the fourth sport, Henry doesn’t communicate up all that a lot. Whereas his deeper parts finally floor within the story, he looks like a thriller for a lot of the sport. Henry’s useful, empathetic persona outshines his mystique although, making him an endearing addition to the Silent Hill mythology.
14. Laura
A lot of Laura’s previous stays a thriller all through Silent Hill 2. Nonetheless, her relationship with James evolves as Mary turns into a much bigger a part of the story. Laura and Mary have a considerably shut relationship, and thus, the three of them develop into properly acquainted. Regardless of Mary’s intention to undertake the younger woman previous to her loss of life, Laura nonetheless by no means fairly warms to James, as she suspects he by no means actually cherished her within the first place. She retains James on his toes about as a lot as any of the monsters do, and for this, she stands out properly.
15. Martin Fitch
As one of many few notable characters within the ill-fated Silent Hill: Homecoming, Martin Fitch has been by the worst of the worst. After killing his daughter to appease the cult of Silent Hill, he goes by an enormous psychological breakdown leading to isolation and self-harm. Whereas he doesn’t have a complete lot of display time in Silent Hill: Homecoming, his unsettling presence stays one of the vital memorable elements of that sport.
16. Murphy Pendleton
Many Silent Hill followers contemplate Murphy one of many sequence’ most underrated characters. Not like most Silent Hill characters, Murphy is aware of his method round fight, and it reveals within the gameplay of Silent Hill: Downpour. Gamers meet Murphy as a grizzled convict, but he usually reveals an curiosity in serving to others and normal trustworthiness. This offers him an attention-grabbing depth and duality.
Although the participant finally ends up deciding lots of Murphy’s main elements, which could take a few of the weight of his outcomes away, he stays a compelling protagonist general.
17. Michael Kaufmann
A drug lord, a tortured soul, and a useful gizmo of the cult, Michael Kaufmann wreaks havoc within the unique Silent Hill. It might probably appear laborious to inform at instances if Michael acts out of self-interest or if Dahlia manipulates him, however it usually looks like a mixture of the 2. Kaufmann acts in unpredictable methods and his interactions with Harry and Lisa stay a few of the sport’s most memorable scenes. He may not look like a crowd favourite, however Michael Kaufmann brings a darkish edge to the solid of the unique sport.