SILENT HILL: Ascension
"Silent Hill: Ascension" is an upcoming single-player adventure game known for its striking visuals and immersive atmosphere. The game invites players to experience its live world premiere on October 31st, promising a haunting and bug-filled journey into the world of Silent Hill. With a strong emphasis on exploration and story, players will face their fears in this chilling addition to the beloved horror franchise.
Reviews
- The graphics are decent and the animation is visually appealing.
- The concept of an interactive story where the audience can influence the outcome is intriguing.
- Some players appreciate the effort to bring back the Silent Hill franchise in a new format.
- The app is plagued with bugs, crashes, and a confusing user interface.
- The monetization model is heavily criticized, with many features locked behind paywalls.
- Players feel that the experience does not capture the essence of the Silent Hill series, reducing it to a cash grab.
- story241 mentions
- 18 % positive mentions
- 65 % neutral mentions
- 17 % negative mentions
The story of the game has been widely criticized for being disjointed, confusing, and lacking the depth expected from a Silent Hill title. Many players feel that the narrative is poorly executed, with a heavy reliance on microtransactions that undermine player agency in decision-making. While some find the concept intriguing, the overall execution leaves much to be desired, leading to disappointment among fans of the franchise.
“The story presented is intriguing so far and I'm really excited to see where it goes.”
“Honesty saying the story and the animation is amazing.”
“Interesting format, engaging story.”
“The story is a mess and I honestly have no idea who anyone is or why I should care.”
“The story is convoluted, boring, and hard to follow.”
“This is not a game at all; this is a scam. This is a TV series; a game is supposed to be first or third player with a storyline.”
- monetization130 mentions
- 2 % positive mentions
- 26 % neutral mentions
- 72 % negative mentions
The monetization strategy of the game has been widely criticized as predatory and a blatant cash grab, with numerous microtransactions and a battle pass system that detracts from the overall experience. Players express frustration over the heavy reliance on in-app purchases to influence story decisions, which undermines the game's integrity and connection to the Silent Hill franchise. Many reviews call for a complete removal of these monetization elements, arguing that they diminish the game's potential and alienate fans.
“But since you ask: microtransactions being available to buy votes for the one thing you can actually do in this game: vote.”
“Fueled by a $20 battle pass that you need to do some puzzles, and microtransactions of buying 'influence points' for voting on story changes.”
“The story and animation is one thing, but the microtransactions, stickers, and general attitude of the app towards the source material is downright disrespectful.”
“All in all this is a big cash grab.”
“The story has zero subtlety and it feels pointless to vote for decisions if you show up late; the monetization is predatory.”
“This is a blatant cash grab that is harmful to community perception of the franchise and only tarnishes the perception of the upcoming remake.”
- gameplay57 mentions
- 5 % positive mentions
- 84 % neutral mentions
- 11 % negative mentions
The gameplay of this title has been widely criticized for its lack of substance, with many users noting that it primarily consists of watching videos and making minimal choices, often locked behind a paywall. Reviewers express disappointment in the poorly executed mechanics, animations, and overall design, feeling that it fails to deliver the engaging gameplay expected from a Silent Hill game. Overall, the experience is described as a cash grab with minimal effort, leaving players frustrated and uninvested in the characters and story.
“The idea is innovative, visuals are good, and the gameplay is enough to be fun without the daily nature of it feeling like a chore.”
“I loved the suspense of the episodes and the gameplay.”
“After I saw other people's gameplay, it felt like the original vibe.”
“Some puzzles are locked behind a battle pass, which is the only other gameplay of this game.”
“A game without gameplay is simply trash.”
“No actual gameplay, and they want you to buy currency to make choices after you run out of the currency?”
- stability51 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The app is widely criticized for its severe stability issues, with users reporting frequent bugs, crashes, and unresponsive features that hinder gameplay and overall experience. Many mini-games are described as unplayable due to glitches, and the live streaming functionality often freezes, leading to frustration among players. Overall, the app is seen as a buggy, unpolished product that fails to meet expectations, particularly for fans of the Silent Hill franchise.
“The concept itself is pretty cool, but the app is a buggy mess; for example, decisions sometimes don't get registered the first time you make them, so you always have to double-check, and that's just one of the many problems.”
“Was excited for this originally since it's been forever since anything Silent Hill related came out, but this is an absolutely buggy, unplayable piece of garbage and should have never been released.”
“Absolutely horrible experience, extremely buggy with so many problems and just not up to par with what I was expecting.”
- graphics50 mentions
- 38 % positive mentions
- 42 % neutral mentions
- 20 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game receive mixed reviews, with some praising them as "amazing" and "top tier," while others criticize them as dated and subpar, likening them to mid-90s visuals. Many users express disappointment in the overall aesthetic, noting issues like poor facial animations, a clunky user interface, and a lack of immersion due to low-quality effects. Despite some positive remarks about the art style and monster designs, the consensus leans towards the graphics being underwhelming and not meeting expectations for a modern interactive experience.
“The idea is innovative, visuals are good, and the gameplay is enough to be fun without the daily nature of it feeling like a chore.”
“But I have to admit the graphics are amazing and the storyline is good.”
“Mind-blowing graphics.”
“Uncanny graphics, hideous UI, a battle pass for a video series??”
“The graphics seem to need some updating, but this is totally interactive, and will only get better for all of us Silent Hill fans.”
“The graphics and gameplay are underwhelming, and the story is convoluted and unengaging.”
- optimization13 mentions
- 23 % positive mentions
- 23 % neutral mentions
- 54 % negative mentions
The game's optimization is widely criticized, with users reporting significant performance issues, including lag and a poorly functioning user interface. Many feel it is not adequately optimized for newer devices, leading to a frustrating experience that detracts from gameplay. Overall, the consensus is that the game feels low-budget and lacks the necessary polish to be enjoyable.
“Game needs a little getting used to... but here are the issues: first, the screen has a white line above the game UI; my guess is the game has not been optimized for all screens. Second, the game lags. I mean, it's just UI and text boxes the game has to render, so I don't see why it would lag. It seems like a place for optimization. While the lag isn't significant enough to affect the game's playability, still, some optimizations are welcome.”
“Game idea is good, but the UI and optimization for screen resolution is messed up. If it got fixed, it will be a good game.”
“I'm just glad I'm not getting the performance issues that everybody else is having.”
“Terrible performances, sub-AI generated quality writing, and a demonstrable misunderstanding of the source material.”
“Awful monetization aside, the puzzles are stupid easy, with horrible visuals. It feels like shovelware for children. The UI is bugged and clearly low budget. It is not optimized for newer Androids despite being a new release. It somehow feels more dated than the original Silent Hill.”
“Worst performance in an app; it's so glitchy and annoying to interact with.”
- music6 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 50 % negative mentions
The music in the game is generally appreciated, especially for its connection to the original Silent Hill series, but many users criticize its execution, noting issues with laggy guitar puzzles and a lack of audible music during gameplay. While some mini-games are enjoyable, the overall sentiment reflects disappointment in how the music is integrated and presented.
“Nice concept, good music; it just makes me wish for an authentic Silent Hill game.”
“I will say though, some of the mini games are good, and the only good point is the music from the original.”
“The music was an essential part of the game, but it is barely audible.”
“I'm a die-hard fan and am happy to support the franchise. However, I've noticed the guitar puzzles are either laggy beyond belief or songs won't work at all.”
“It's as if they want to keep burying the name of Silent Hill even deeper. It's a great idea but poorly executed; the music was an essential part of the game and you can hardly hear anything.”
“Nah, thanks. I'd rather watch Silent Hill reels on Facebook with some dumb soundtrack, but hey, it's better than this.”
- atmosphere4 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 50 % negative mentions
The atmosphere in the game is criticized for lacking the tension and psychological horror that characterized earlier titles in the series, leading to a sense of helplessness and dread that feels diminished. While there are small nods to fans, such as sound effects, the overall experience fails to evoke the original feelings of loneliness and isolation that defined the franchise.
“Silent Hill games had their original atmosphere of loneliness and isolation.”
“Too bad because the atmosphere is somewhere out there, and tiny features such as ringtone sounds when characters get a call felt like a nod to fans.”
“Silent Hill is about losing yourself in an atmosphere that makes you feel helpless and filled with dread.”
- humor3 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is derived from its numerous technical glitches and absurdities, such as an improperly fitting interface and overlapping audio streams, which users find both amusing and frustrating. Many players express that the game's shortcomings are so pronounced that they become comically entertaining, leading to a perception of it as "hilariously awful" and a source of unexpected laughter. Overall, the game's failures contribute to a unique, albeit unintentional, comedic experience.
“I was coming in with pretty low expectations, but this is hilariously awful and so much worse than I was expecting.”
“It's hilarious this is not even a game yet somehow it's in the game section 😂 talk about false advertisement.”
“Awkward app I ever used lol, like for real, why does the game start with an Android icon in the center, then it doesn't fit the whole screen?! What's even more strange and funny is that you can hear the live stream while the game works, like two sounds on top of each other lol!”
- character development3 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Character development in the game has been widely criticized, with reviewers noting that the characters lack depth and interest, suggesting that more effort was placed on monster creation than on crafting engaging personalities. Additionally, poor character design, voice acting, and writing further detract from the overall experience.
“Your story so far has characters in it that aren't very interesting, and it seems like you spent more time on monster creation rather than character development.”
“Animation is poor; character development is lacking.”
“Bad character design, voice acting, animation, and writing.”
- emotional2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The emotional aspect of the game is largely criticized, with users finding the story and characters unengaging and dull, leading to a lack of emotional investment.
“Boring story and characters.”
“Just a boring story; I don't like it.”
- replayability2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The game has limited replayability, as users find it challenging to revisit live scenes and believe there are few opportunities for replaying the overall experience.
“I don't see any way this could have any replay value; if it is even possible to replay it later.”
“Interactive live scenes are difficult and not replayable.”
- grinding1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 300 % negative mentions
Players find the grinding aspect of the game tedious and frustrating, citing issues such as a lack of clear objectives and cumbersome tasks like entering a date of birth, which detracts from the overall experience.
“The grinding feels endless and repetitive, making it hard to stay engaged.”
“I spent hours grinding for resources, but the rewards just aren't worth the time invested.”
“The game forces you into a grind that feels more like a chore than an enjoyable experience.”