Unveiling the Captivating Environments of Silent Hill and Resident Evil: A Tale of Two Haunting Realms
Silent Hill and Resident Evil showcase distinct yet chilling town settings, each exploiting horror tropes in their own remarkable ways Silent Hill's elusive towns deliver psychological terror, while Resident Evil's apocalyptic cities create a sense of survival horror
Highlights
Resident Evil and Silent Hill differ significantly in terms of gameplay and settings. While Resident Evil places emphasis on combat and exploration, Silent Hill delves into the protagonist's psyche and features a foggy tourist town as a prominent element.
Silent Hill is renowned for its enigmatic environments, capable of impacting individuals even in the absence of a physical visit to the town. This shift in approach grants the opportunity for distinct additions that break away from monotonous imagery.
Conversely, Resident Evil has departed from its iconic Raccoon City in favor of varied settings, aiming to maintain the franchise's vibrancy. Nonetheless, fans might eagerly embrace the prospect of a forthcoming installment that reverts to a present-day metropolis or suburban setting.
Silent Hill and Resident Evil are both highly influential IPs in the horror genre, but they possess distinct differences that set them apart. While the original games shared similarities in gameplay, Resident Evil focused on empowering players with firearms and combat, whereas Silent Hill delved into the exploration of a character's psyche. Additionally, the settings of the two franchises diverge significantly.
Silent Hill faces a unique challenge in portraying its eponymous town, as it requires careful consideration of its environments. However, the precise location or appearance of the town can vary, depending on the perspective of the protagonist. On the other hand, Resident Evil does not adhere to a fixed setting and has moved on from its iconic Raccoon City, exploring diverse and equally terrifying locations in its subsequent installments. Even without the consistency of setting, the fear and intensity in Resident Evil's second and third games rival those found in Silent Hill's early entries.
Silent Hill’s Psychological Horror is More Terrifying in Elusive Towns
Silent Hill's fog-shrouded tourist town is a pivotal character in the series, and its ability to impact individuals from a distance has become even more intriguing and perplexing. Protagonists no longer need to physically visit Silent Hill for its influence to be felt, leading to a multitude of unanswered questions.
However, this shift opens up possibilities for future installments to break free from repeating the same imagery while still maintaining their uniqueness. It will be fascinating to see how Konami handles this, especially considering that Silent Hill apparently takes place in 1960s rural Japan. Straying from the town itself may have its drawbacks, as it is an iconic element that has contributed to the effectiveness of beloved Silent Hill games.
Resident Evil’s Survival Horror Lets Cities Feel Apocalyptic
: Towns and cities serve as haunting and effective settings in Silent Hill, whether it's the eerie encounters faced by Murphy Pendleton when he unwittingly stumbles into the actual town or the mind-altering experiences endured by Henry Townshend while residing in the South Ashfield Heights Apartments in Ashfield. Profoundly, Silent Hill 4 escalates the horrifying ambiance by confining players within the confines of an apartment suite for a significant portion of the game, intensifying the fright factor with its disconcertingly immersive first-person perspective.
Resident Evil, however, does not have the opportunity to fully enjoy Raccoon City's atmospheric neon lights and rain-soaked streets. The city is quickly wiped out by a nuclear explosion. This decision by the franchise was arguably a beneficial one as it allowed for the exploration of diverse locations that otherwise may not have been possible. From a storytelling standpoint, it also made sense for a linear series to avoid repeatedly featuring the same city teeming with identical enemies.
Resident Evil cannot function like Silent Hill, which allows for new protagonists and unrelated experiences. This meant that Resident Evil would eventually have to abandon the city. However, even in its original installment, Resident Evil did not take place in a city and benefited from its claustrophobic atmosphere.
Nonetheless, Resident Evil found success in Raccoon City when Jill could navigate through streets filled with garbage and explore alleys between destinations. This gave the franchise a post-apocalyptic feel. Although the franchise has moved away from this tone to embrace a rural European fantasy, which has made it distinct, a return to a contemporary city or town in Resident Evil would also be well-received.
