Silent Hill: The Short Message

Overview

Silent Hill: The Short Message is a free first-person survival horror game developed and digitally released by Konami (along with Hexadrive) for the PlayStation 5 on January 31, 2024.

Part of the Silent Hill series of supernatural horror games, as well as the first released entry in the series in 12 years (after Silent Hill: Downpour, Silent Hill HD Collection, and Silent Hill: Book of Memories), The Short Message puts players in the role of Anita, a young woman in the German town of Kettenstadt who is summoned to an abandoned apartment complex from a text message from Maya, her friend and popular graffiti artist. When she becomes trapped inside, she must discover the truth between Maya's wheareabouts and her own personal trauma and find a way to escape.

Similar to the playable teaser of the cancelled game Silent Hills, The Short Message is played in a first-person perspective and has no combat mechanics, with players exploring the unsettling environment and solving puzzles while being stalked by a mysterious entity. Unlike previous games in the series, it does not take place in the titular town of Silent Hill, with it only being referenced in some reading materials.

The game is known for including themes of social media, cyberbullying, and teen suicide, the latter of which is emphasized in multiple content warnings shown throughout the game.