I remember when I wrote a similar banter pitting The Legend of Zelda Franchise with Final Fantasy. Given that Halloween is right around the corner and the recent release of Silent Hill 2 remake, why not ask which horror titan did horror better, Capcom’s Resident Evil or Konami’s Silent Hill?
This debate could be novel length if I had a couple of friends and all the free time in the world, for both Resident Evil and Silent Hill are paramount foundations in the horror genre. Both released around the same time in the late 1990s for the PlayStation.
Resident Evil put the term survival horror on the map with an eerie set piece at the Spencer Mansion with flesh-eating zombies. Resources were scarce, puzzles were plenty, and fixed camera angles with tank controls took away a lot of control for the player.
Conversely, Silent Hill took a more psychological horror approach to their scares. Yes, there were blood, gore, and horrific monsters, but Konami preyed on our minds with radio static, industrial soundscape, and infamous fog. Their level designs consisted more of a series of long halls and plenty of locked doors; however, they also utilized fixed camera angles and tank controls.
As each series evolved, their developers branched paths. Resident Evil leaned on campy horror and the idea of infectious disease, ranging from the T-virus to Las Plagas–and most recently…mold. Some titles even folded in more action in their horror. Capcom evolved in their gameplay and perspective to attempt to keep things fresh in an otherwise stale and saturated zombie market these days. Unfortunately, Konami hasn’t had the renaissance that Capcom has had lately until their work with Bloober Team to create Silent Hill 2 remake.
All of this is to say this is almost impossible for me to render a confident opinion as both franchises were invaluable to all the horror video games we enjoy today. And horror, as you know, comes in many forms. Ultimately, despite Resident Evil‘s overall larger “success” in terms of capturing a wide audience, I may lean slightly in favor of Silent Hill.
Yes, I love my Leon Kennedy. And more seriously, I appreciate Resident Evil‘s level designs and combat; however, Silent Hill goes beyond the zombie trope and instead creates stories that can hit a little closer to home. Real-life issues such as abuse, bullying, and neglect are mere examples of themes this franchise touches upon, and nothing is quite scarier than things that can happen in real-life. The Silent Hill monsters like Pyramid Head and Flesh Lips, for example, are mere personifications (or “monster-ifications”) of what we as humans are capable of creating. Now, that’s scary.
Which horror titan did it better in your opinion? Please share your thoughts with us on our Boss Rush Facebook Group or our Boss Rush Discord.
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