| Silent Hill: The Short Message | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Developer(s) | Konami Digital Entertainment[a] |
| Publisher(s) | Konami Digital Entertainment |
| Director(s) | Motoi Okamoto[b] |
| Producer(s) | Motoi Okamoto |
| Programmer(s) | Yuya Yamaguchi |
| Artist(s) | Chihiro Tanaka |
| Writer(s) | Kiichi Kanoh Motoi Okamoto |
| Composer(s) | Akira Yamaoka |
| Series | Silent Hill |
| Engine | Unreal Engine 5[1] |
| Platform(s) | PlayStation 5 |
| Release | 31 January 2024 |
| Genre(s) | Psychological horror |
| Mode(s) | Single-player |
Silent Hill: The Short Message is a 2024 psychological horror game published and developed by Konami Digital Entertainment with HexaDrive contributing additional work. The game was announced and released for free for the PlayStation 5 on 31 January 2024.
The plot follows a teenage girl named Anita after she receives bizarre text messages from her deceased friend Maya, who committed suicide, and must look for things that serve as clues in an abandoned apartment complex in Germany, while occasionally evading a monster covered in cherry blossom petals (later officially revealed as "Sakura Head" following a poll)[2] that pursues her at certain moments and cannot be attacked. The game is played from a first-person perspective with no combat involved.[3] Bullying, the impacts of social media, and suicide are the primary themes of the game.
Silent Hill: The Short Message received mixed reviews; while some critics praised its visuals, atmosphere, themes and the game's free price tag, others criticized its gameplay, dialogue and chasing sequences.
Cite error: There are <ref group=lower-alpha> tags or {{efn}} templates on this page, but the references will not show without a {{reflist|group=lower-alpha}} template or {{notelist}} template (see the help page).
- ^ Sinha, Ravi. "Silent Hill: The Short Message Review – How to Save a Life". GamingBolt.
- ^ Liu, Stephanie (21 February 2024). "Silent Hill: The Short Message Monster Named 'Sakura Head'". Siliconera. Retrieved 29 March 2024.
- ^ Foster, George (31 January 2024). "Silent Hill: The Short Message Finally Revealed, Releasing Today For Free". The Gamer. Retrieved 1 February 2024.