Unveiling the Ultimate Edge: Why Resident Evil Triumphs over Silent Hill

Highlights

Resident Evil and Silent Hill have different gameplay styles, with Resident Evil stretching its genre legs more than Silent Hill.

Silent Hill's continued success rests on its capacity to create innovative storylines, whereas Resident Evil has managed to stay fresh by seamlessly shifting between horror and action genres.

Resident Evil and Silent Hill, despite being different franchises, are often compared to each other. The distinction between survival horror and psychological horror is blurry, but it is what set Resident Evil apart from Silent Hill in their early years. Both franchises have evolved, with Resident Evil exploring different genres more extensively than Silent Hill.

Neither Resident Evil nor Silent Hill have a flawless legacy, which is expected for long-running franchises. Some games are highly acclaimed and considered legendary in the horror genre, while others are deemed as the worst. Silent Hill has received more criticism for its entries compared to Resident Evil, possibly due to changes in developers and Resident Evil briefly shifting towards action rather than horror.

Silent Hill is Currently Locked into Psychological or Survival Horror

Silent Hill has always been known as a psychological-horror franchise, with some games focusing more on survival-horror gameplay. Nevertheless, the essence of Silent Hill is undeniably centered around horror. Even when characters like Harry Mason or Murphy Pendleton combat strange psyche monsters, the atmosphere in Silent Hill games is intended to disturb and unsettle.

The Silent Hill games developed by Team Silent were incredibly successful in achieving this, utilizing subtle environmental scares, horrifying sound design, and disturbing enemy creations. However, every franchise eventually reaches a point where its core genre themes need to be reassessed or reinforced. Silent Hill cleverly adapted into an anthology series, allowing for the introduction of new characters and extending its longevity. However, this approach eventually resulted in recycled ideas and a decline in quality, as the original developer behind the beloved installments was no longer involved.

Resident Evil Can Flip Fluidly Between Survival Horror and Action

That being said, while future games like the Silent Hill 2 remake, Townfall, Ascension, and f have the potential to be great, it's important to acknowledge that the series now has more potential than ever before. However, it is still limited to the horror genre and unless it can consistently deliver compelling storylines based on its iconic tourist town, Silent Hill runs the risk of becoming repetitive and relying too heavily on the same conventions and themes that made its original trilogy so beloved.

The evolution of Resident Evil witnessed a shift from survival horror to action, which was well-received by fans. Resident Evil 4 and Resident Evil 5 played a significant role in making this transition more acceptable. Additionally, Resident Evil 6, despite its lengthier gameplay featuring multiple character campaigns, gained popularity for its co-op action gameplay.

Fans wouldn't fully grasp the extent to which the franchise had evolved from its survival-horror origins until later on. Resident Evil 7 arrived at an opportune moment to rejuvenate the series and steer it towards a direction that fans could once again embrace. At that time, the action genre was proving successful for Resident Evil, and considering the remakes had already reached the fourth installment, the choice between pursuing action or horror was likely to arise again.

While some fans have their own preferences for horror or action, it is certain that Resident Evil's foray into the action-oriented realm brought enough diversity to keep the franchise from becoming stale. This is likely why it has remained relevant. If Silent Hill's new endeavors can also bring creativity and innovation to their respective genres, perhaps both franchises can thrive.