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Silent Hill Ascension: Everything We Know

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9 months ago

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Silent Hill is finally in line to receive a slew of modern remakes and fresh installments, thanks to the guys over at Konami giving the IP some well-overdue tender loving care. What’s more, thanks to the Silent Hill Transmission showcase that aired earlier this year, we now have a clear idea of what sorts of games and experiences will be making their way to platforms over the next several years, one of which will be an online interactive game called Silent Hill Ascension.

So, what more do we actually know about this so-called interactive experience, other than the fact it’s being headed up by Behaviour Interactive and Konami? Will it serve as a continuation of sorts, or will it be a brand-new standalone adventure? Here’s everything we currently know about it, as well as the release window that’s it’s currently working towards.

What Is Silent Hill Ascension?

Let’s get straight to the point. What is Silent Hill Ascension, and how will it look to add fresh paint to an already booming franchise that’s hardly short on colors and coats? Well, to put you in the picture, Ascension is a “live” online multiplayer interactive “experience”—a chapter that’ll reportedly invite “millions” of players around the world to document and shape an all-new tale that’s set in the fog-riddled universe of Silent Hill.

Unfortunately, this is where things get a little confusing, as Konami has yet to really fill in the blanks. And while the Silent Hill Transmission did lift the veil on the general premise of the upcoming title, it did refrain from leaking any major gameplay details and backstories. But more on that shortly.

Of course, what piques our interest is the fact that its developers describe it as being a live experience, which leads us to believe that the game won’t be available to purchase, but rather, take part in as a collective. As for whether it’ll be a standalone one-off adventure or a full-fledged series is still unknown. Either way, it’s safe to say that there probably won’t be any console editions of it, nor any physical copies, for that matter. And if we had to put our money on any platform, then it’d be Twitch, mainly down to the fact that its trailer revealed various user-inputted chat boxes and what have you.

Story

Again, this is where things tend to get a little hazy. There’s a trailer of Silent Hill Ascension, which just so happens to focus on a spire, of some sort, and several characters’ desperate attempts to ascend it while under the watchful gaze of a demonic giant and other unholy creatures. That’s about as much as we’ve caught so far, so really, we won’t be able to speculate until Konami serves up something with a little more, shall we say, meat.

What we do know is that the players who do decide to join in on the adventure will have the chance to change the fate of the Silent Hill canon altogether, and will, through the power of life-changing choices, carve a whole new narrative — a story that’ll play out over several live episodes on its chosen platform. So, if you fancy being a part of the future of the franchise, then be sure to register your interest here.

Gameplay

Judging from the footage and initial impressions of Ascension so far, there won’t be any real gameplay, as such, but more game-changing polls that streamers will need to participate in in order to steer the flow of the narrative. It strikes us as a Silent Hill version of Until Dawn, if anything, where the characters’ lives and futures will rest in the hands of the onlookers. That’s where you, along with millions of other players, will come in, and as a unit, essentially craft the story over a series of live episodes.

It’s unclear whether or not Ascension will be available to experience after the initial episodes reach their conclusions. However, the general consensus is that it’ll be a one-and-done sort of deal, so if you happen to miss out on each episode or poll, then you won’t be able to come back and make any adjustments. Therefore, if you do have your hopes set on being involved with it, then be sure to scratch off a few days in your calendar ahead of its launch.

Development

Silent Hill Ascension first appeared alongside four other projects during the Silent Hill Transmission event: Silent Hill 2 Remake, Silent Hill Townfall, Return to Silent Hill, and Silent Hill f. According to Jacob Navok of Genvid Technologies, “SILENT HILL: Ascension is a new form of entertainment that blends community, live storytelling and interactivity into something that will be deeper and scarier when experienced together.” So, evidently a step away from its traditional single-player entries, basically.

On top of Konami and Behaviour Interactive manning the helm, Silent Hill Ascension will also receive full support from DJ2, Bad Robot Games, and Genvid Technologies. Collectively, the team will be bringing the live event to streaming platforms at some point in 2023.

Trailer

Silent Hill: Ascension - Official Announcement Trailer (2023)

Thanks to the Silent Hill Transmission, we do have some idea of what Ascension will at least look like. And while its gameplay footage was next to non-existent, it did give us an idea of how it’ll work. But don’t let us spoil the surprise; you can check it out for yourself in the video embedded above.

Release Date, Platforms & Editions

Going by what was shown during the Silent Hill Transmission event, Silent Hill Ascension will be targeting a late 2023 release. That doesn’t give us a whole lot of time, given the fact that we’re already pushing towards the fourth quarter. If we had to put a pin on it, though, then we’d say an October launch wouldn’t be out of the question. But who knows? Only time will tell on that one.

Interested in staying up to date with Silent Hill Ascension? If so, then be sure to check in with the Behaviour Interactive team over on its official social handle for all the latest pre-launch updates here. If anything changes ahead of its release, then we’ll be sure to fill you in on all the key details right here on gaming.net.

 

So, what’s your take? Will you be joining the online world in Silent Hill Ascension when it eventually comes to light? Let us know your thoughts over on our socials here.

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Jord is acting Team Leader at gaming.net. If he isn't blabbering on in his daily listicles, then he's probably out writing fantasy novels or scraping Game Pass of all its slept on indies.