Premium horror video game
Silent Hill: Ascension is a premium role-playing experience based on the long-running Silent Hill franchise. However, unlike most entries in the franchise, this promises to switch up the horror experience. Instead of a single-player horror experience, it promises to be a massive online interactive event that lets the entire internet dictate what the main character will be doing next.
By involving the entire player, Silent Hill: Ascension keeps the entire experience unpredictable, given the involvement of entire communities, making it unique among the new generation of Silent Hill games like the remade Silent Hill 2 and Silent Hill: Townfall.
More of a massive online interactive event
As mentioned, the nature of Silent Hill: Ascension makes it different from anything that’s been done before. Imagine interactive drama like Until Dawn: Rush of Blood, but the hive mind decides at every turn. This makes the experience entirely unpredictable, with online users known to make illogical choices for the sake of fun or curiosity. Even so, it still has a single-player component that gives weight to every voting player.
As an individual, you get to play mini-games to earn Influence Points, which is an in-game currency you will use to bid on the decisions you want the in-game characters to make. In terms of the story, there are a lot of unknowns depending on how the hive mind will behave. If anything, Konami assures the players that it will retain the same signature horror feel that the franchise maintains.
To pull off a concept this unusual, Konami has brought in large tech players to help develop the game. Bad Robot Games, by acclaimed filmmaker J.J Abrams, is in charge of the art and sound. Meanwhile, Genvid Technologies is in charge of the massively interactive live event (MILE) aspect. Together, imagine a Twitch session with the rest of the internet, dictating the fate of a new main character.
Fight for your choice or join the hive
Apart from the completely new gameplay experience that Silent Hill: Ascension offers, expect the signature franchise horror combined with some really interesting elements. Combining the main story dictated by the hive mind plus a single-player aspect that lets you earn the right to vote makes it an interesting online event. Aside from the inherent unpredictability and the niched horror appeal, this is an event worth checking out.
