Out of loyalty to his friend and their unbreakable bond, Zack fought through his fear and continued playing the game. He wanted to see the indescribable look of surprise on his friend's face when he presented this heartfelt gift on his birthday.
But for most players who joined out of curiosity, hoping for one of the 10,000 spots or a participation prize, they were in for a harsh lesson.
Is this even a game for humans?
The game started in a stained toilet stall, with dim lighting that made it feel a bit dirty.
After leaving, the scenery, while not as breathtaking as in games like Uncharted, was still picturesque and serene.
But what the heck was happening after they came down from the mountain?
There was a white fog everywhere, reducing visibility to only two or three meters. And what was this scene?
A graveyard, a deserted, dead silent town, and then having to enter a dark apartment building.
Combined with the eerie background music in the game, it was enough to make you wet yourself!
Countless players, who had indeed wet themselves, flooded the community forums.
"Holy crap, I seriously overestimated myself. I thought I could beat it, but I bailed out in less than half an hour!"
"Half an hour? You're pretty brave. I just wandered around the town entrance for a bit and then quit."
"Damn it, there weren't even any jump scares, but my heart was pounding like crazy, and I was breaking out in a cold sweat!"
"+1. The monsters were pathetically weak, and the beginning wasn't even that dark, but I was still so scared."
"Exactly. The atmosphere in the game is absolutely the most terrifying I've ever played. I still feel a bit creeped out."
"Failed to get it for free. I don't even want the money anymore; my life is more important!"
Of course, there were also players who, after being scared, deliberately said the opposite.
"Silent Hill is so much fun! It's the best game I've ever played in my life. Everyone should play it!"
"Actually, Silent Hill isn't that big of a deal; you just walk around the town. It's not scary at all."
"+1. Anyone saying this game is too scary must be a total coward! I'm disappointed in the boss, Lucas. He wasn't scary at all!"
This situation caused the discussion about Silent Hill to surge in popularity.
Many players who hadn't dared to play it immediately felt a tiny bit curious.
They knew that players saying it wasn't scary were likely bluffing.
After all, this kind of player was common in past horror games and Souls-like games.
But the key thing was that what the players who claimed to have wet themselves described didn't sound that scary.
There were no jump scares like opening doors or turning around suddenly, and the monsters were pathetically weak. The town map was set during the day, not at night.
And as for the fog, what's the big deal?
Which city doesn't have fog at some point during the year?
Players, especially those from mountainous cities in China or London in the UK, wore expressions of disdain.
Who hasn't seen heavy fog?
With such thoughts, many players who hadn't planned on stepping into Silent Hill ended up paying for their "tickets" to the eerie town.
However, these players who entered Silent Hill soon had a change of heart.
Because Silent Hill's horror was completely different from other games.
Other horror games, to some extent, had a clear concept.
For example, Resident Evil had its gory zombies, Outlast featured mental patients and dark settings, and the initial paper figures and Chinese funeral culture in "Firework" were unsettling.
But in Silent Hill?
The monsters were indeed grotesque and strange, but for an ordinary person, putting aside Ethan, the God of War who could kick through doors.
James's combat ability was definitely among the top protagonists in horror games.
As for the setting, upon entering the game, there was just fog and daylight.
At first glance, there was only one feeling: "That's it?"
But in reality, Silent Hill's greatest horror lay in its atmosphere.
As everyone knows, the unknown is the most terrifying.
Resident Evil, you could say, had a scientific basis. But Silent Hill was different.
Here, everything was unknown. Especially the various monsters that appeared, which seemed easy to defeat but were incredibly strange.
Grotesque, bizarre – this was the common understanding among all players.
All the monsters in Silent Hill were inspired by the expressionist art style of Francis Bacon.
Each monster was a metaphor. If you understood the entire game's plot, looking at these monsters again would reveal another layer of meaning.
The fear in your heart would lessen considerably.
But the crucial problem was that all players were just seeing them for the first time.
In such a situation, facing the unknown and the grotesque and bizarre monsters was an absolute torment for players.
Not only that, but in the game's first scene, there was a dead silent, foggy town, with only a strange humanoid monster wandering the streets and alleys.
But after entering the second scene, the game began to gradually become insane.
There were basically no jump scares like opening doors, turning off lights, or looking back suddenly, which are common in other horror games.
But the gameplay itself, especially in the apartment building scene, was outrageous.
Because it involved puzzles.
Puzzles are a very common element in horror games.
But the puzzles in Silent Hill were a step up in difficulty compared to "Firework," where you could solve them by following instructions step-by-step.
In Silent Hill, players needed to search for various items and then find clues on them to solve the puzzles.
The difficulty was actually a bit easier than in games like Uncharted, which also had puzzle elements.
But the key point was, this was a horror game!
......
Fueled by his sincere friendship with Ben, Zack struggled in the dark apartment.
"So the path is blocked now. I need to find clues, push open this grandfather clock, and then find a way to the third floor?"
Zack shone his flashlight, exploring the apartment rooms bit by bit.
Heaven knows what he went through.
Earlier, a strange little girl who kicked away the protagonist's key in the game almost became the last straw that would have made him quit. Luckily, he and Ben had known each other for so many years, and their unbreakable friendship kept him going.
After finally recovering, he had just seen a strange monster with a large cleaver in its hand in the apartment hallway.
It was a humanoid monster over two meters tall, comparable to the security captain "Uncle Pig" from Outlast.
But in terms of appearance, this monster was even more brutal than Uncle Pig.
It was bare-chested, its skin a very unnatural gray, and it held a giant cleaver in its hand.
What was even more striking was its head. It wasn't a human or monster head, but a huge, dark red iron triangular restraint.
The only thing that gave Zack some relief was that this monster was blocked by an iron fence.
And it didn't seem to want to attack; it just stood there motionless.
But remember, this was a horror game!
Zack didn't even need to think about it; this big monster, like "The Mistress" in the castle from Resident Evil or "Uncle Pig" from Outlast, would surely be chasing him later. The thought made him shiver a little.
Of course, that was something for later. The more pressing issue he faced now was this.
After exploring the rooms on the second floor, he finally saw a prominent hole in the wall in one of the rooms.
"So now I have to reach in there to find clues?"
Looking at the dark opening in VR's immersive mode, with green water flowing and large black moths fluttering around, Zack's skin crawled.
There was a similar scene in Uncharted: Thief's End where you had to reach into a hole.
But the key was that Uncharted was an action-adventure game.
And this was a horror game.
After much hesitation, Zack gritted his teeth, closed his eyes, and controlled his character to reach into the hole.
He heard a rustling sound in his ears, and the hand sensor vibrator in the game's capsule provided feedback, making his skin crawl.
After about four or five seconds, the vibration stopped. Zack cautiously opened his eyes little by little.
It wasn't a jump scare as he expected. James pulled out an object resembling a pocket watch from the hole.
Combining the information gathered from the apartment rooms he could enter.
Zack returned to the grandfather clock and opened the cover.
He set the hour, minute, and second hands to the correct positions, successfully unlocking the clock's mechanism.
Behind the clock, a hidden passage led to where the little girl had appeared on the third floor. He also found the key she had kicked away on the ground.
Picking up the key, Zack didn't have time to relax before he heard several horrifying screams from monsters ahead.
Despite wanting to leave immediately, he knew that only by continuing to explore could he trigger the next part of the story.
On his back and in his hands, Zack felt sweat pouring down.
Slowly moving James's feet in the game, Zack entered a room around a corner and witnessed a bizarre scene.
The triangular-headed monster he had seen earlier in the hallway was violently rubbing two mannequin monsters, made of legs, against a sink.
Afterward, as if he was finished, the triangular-headed monster dragged one of the mannequins to the ground, smashed it, and repeatedly chopped at it with its cleaver.
The monster on the ground thrashed its legs and let out horrific screams, but under the triangular head's strength, it was powerless to resist.
"What… what the hell is this?"
"This is way too graphic!"
Watching the scene, Zack was completely stunned.
This is too insane!
Monsters inflicting violence on each other, followed by the triangular head's cleaver-chopping spectacle.
Combined with the monsters' screams, the intensely immersive VR, and the eerie ambient sound effects.
Zack was directly stunned by what he saw.
Fortunately, this was a cutscene in the game.
Seeing this, James quickly hid in a nearby wardrobe and turned off his flashlight.
In the dim kitchen, the triangular head continued to swing its cleaver tirelessly.
The monster on the ground had already been reduced to a pile of bloody mess.
Dragging the other mannequin, the triangular head slowly moved towards Zack's location.
Listening to the heavy footsteps of the triangular head on the floor, Zack's heart pounded uncontrollably.
He was afraid the monster would find him.
Zack observed through a gap in the wardrobe. It was dark outside, with only a faint light.
Judging by the figure through the gap, it was slowly approaching the wardrobe.
Suddenly, the triangular head's footsteps stopped.
Looking at the blurry figure of the triangular head outside through the wardrobe's gap, Zack didn't dare to move.
Although there was an ammunition clip and a key next to the wardrobe, finally giving him bullets for the handgun he found earlier.
But the triangular head's oppressive presence was too strong; Zack didn't even consider shooting.
After a few seconds, the triangular head turned and left. The heavy footsteps and the sound of metal scraping the ground faded into the distance and finally disappeared.
He didn't immediately come out of the wardrobe, fearing that the triangular head might pull a surprise move.
He waited in the closet for over a minute before cautiously emerging.
Looking at the bloodstains on the ground, Zack was petrified and made a decision: he needed to go out and take a breather.
And Ben?
Friendship is friendship, but he wasn't going to risk his life for it!
(End of Chapter)
---
Read +100 advanced chapters on my patre*n
patr eon.com/GustinaKamiya
---