Silent Hills, Kojima Productions’ terrifying would-be entry in the long-running horror series, was officially canceled in 2015. After gamers had their first taste of what might have been by way of its demo P.T., they were heartbroken that they’d never see the game fully realized. But now, thanks to one insanely creative fan, Silent Hills has been resurrected with the help of PlayStation game creation engine Dreams. Redditor DrJones20 showed off a fully playable recreation of Silent Hills, or at least their version of it, created entirely within the platform.
Fan brings Silent Hills to life with Dream creation tool
DrJones20 has been working on their Silent Hills remake in Dreams since 2019. Their latest progress update showcases some awe-inspiring changes. From impeccably detailed models to meticulously recreated textures, it’s clear these two years have made all the difference for their ambitious project. The Reddit post shows off rudimentary models and imagery from 2019 in a side-by-side comparison, which reveals just how far the game has come in a relatively short time.
Recreating everything already seen in P.T. without the actual assets was understandably a lengthy and painstaking process. It’s clear DrJones20 is a massive fan of what was already in the works before publisher Konami put the kibosh on Silent Hills. This isn’t their first attempt at horror games, however. They’ve also published The Curse of Haruko in Dreams. With all the work they’ve put into bringing a complete game to fruition for Silent Hills fans, this version will likely continue to get better over time.
Silent Hills’ untimely cancellation remains one of the most frustrating cancellations horror fans have endured. The reboot of the popular franchise, which Hideo Kojima would have helmed, was set to include input from names like Japanese horror manga legend Junji Ito, and acclaimed director Guillermo del Toro, and would star The Walking Dead’s Norman Reedus. While Reedus went on to appear in Kojima Productions’ Death Stranding, Silent Hills would have marked his first game working alongside Kojima.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tVylTfkDP5c/embed]
Horror fans had their first brush with Silent Hills through a playable teaser on PlayStation 4 called P.T. The blood-curdling demo is mercifully short for those who can’t handle its surrealistic, horrific content. But for those who had been patiently waiting for a new Silent Hill game for over a decade, it could never be long enough. Unfortunately, once the ink had dried on Kojima’s pink slip, P.T. was removed from the PlayStation Store and made unavailable for download. To this day, if you didn’t have a backup copy, you’d be looking at paying hundreds of dollars on eBay for a PS4 that still had the demo available.
With that in mind, fans have attempted to recreate P.T. in its entirety to get around this frustrating situation. It’s been remixed, remade, and otherwise interpolated dozens of times. From ground-up recreations in Unity to a painstaking HyperCard tribute for Mac users, it’s been reborn over and over again, giving fans a chance to experience the horror in new ways – and keeping them from having to face the harsh reality of Silent Hills’ demise.
Looking for a new way to relive the first time you headed down P.T.’s infamous looping hallway? Want to see how DrJones20 would continue the Silent Hills story? Boot up Dreams on PlayStation 4 or PlayStation 5 and search for “Silent Hills (Full Game)”. Just don’t be surprised if you lose out on some sleep after playing.
In other news, Stray is the newest entry in the PlayStation Editor’s Choice 2022 lineup, and this useful website sorts P.S. Plus tiers’ games with a variety of filters.