Silent Hill: Ascension Already Considered Worst Game In Franchise

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Abiyan

At Tech4gamers, I cover all sorts of gaming news. Whether it’s a leak of any upcoming game or an update, an announcement, or a rumour, I like to write about it all. Over the weekend, I sit and write features where I talk about games that I miss or want to see return.

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Silent Hill: Ascension is breaking the decade-long slumber of Konami’s popular horror franchise. Unveiled through a trailer in May, this iteration of the series is based on an interactive episodic format, allowing players to influence the game’s narrative.

The game or series comprises multiple episodes, with the first part making its debut on 31 October through the Ascension website or the app. However, the game’s in-game currency and microtransactions have already become controversial.

Why it matters: Microtransactions have never been too well received by gamers. Recently, popular games like Dying Light 2 and Diablo 4 also received plenty of pushback for outrageous monetization.

Ascension will go down in history as the most hated Silent Hill experience, after the HD collection, or Homecoming…
byu/IlgnerJuan insilenthill

Silent Hill: Ascension provided players 24 hours of time to solve a puzzle shown in the typically 15-minute-long episode, allowing them to earn influence points and in-game currency.

While the influence points are essential in the game as they add to the impact of each decision, they can be earned through a battle pass in addition to solving puzzles.

The game offers a $20 Founder’s Pack, which gives players over 100 tiers of rewards and influence points, among other perks. While $20 might not seem like a big ask upfront, fans believe the experience Silent Hill: Ascension provides isn’t worth any additional cost.

This has led to many fans being upset. Others have pointed to the low-effort animations and production values. While the game is not much more than a TV show, its animation and acting leave a lot to be desired.

Watching the stream has also been difficult for many. Fans have reported that switching tabs has led to them being kicked from the stream on various occasions, resulting in having to watch the video from the beginning.

Furthermore, the lack of a proper chat filter has become a point of contention. Major slurs are allowed in the chat, but Konami has seemingly blocked the name of Hideo Kojima.

you cannot type "scam" or "hideo kojima" into the silent hill ascension chat but you can drop a hard R.

just in case you were wondering how things are going with that

— Punchy (@Succinct_Punchy) November 1, 2023

As the turning point for Silent Hill, we find it odd and disappointing that Konami didn’t put more effort into this episodic TV show/game hybrid.

The numerous issues point to a lack of planning from the studio, perhaps hinting that Silent Hill: Ascension was rushed out to make a quick buck before major releases like Silent Hill 2 Remake.

Interestingly, another recently revived franchise from Konami, Metal Gear Solid, has received similar feedback. The Metal Gear Solid Master Collection has been bombarded with negative reviews on Steam, with users pointing to a half-hearted effort from the studio.

Abiyan

[News Reporter]

Abiyan is on track to complete his Computer Science bachelor’s degree. His enthusiasm for writing and gaming motivates him to keep readers and gamers updated with the latest information from the industry. In his free time, Abiyan enjoys playing Dota 2 and Rocket League. Abiyan has also been cited in reputed websites such as Kitguru, Comicbook, GamingBible, Eurogamer and Gamingbolt.