Psychological horror Short horror Silent Hill

SILENT HILL: The Short Message

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A message from a friend leads into a building no one should enter.

Platforms: PlayStation
Price: Free
Rated: 3.98 of 5 from 50,460 ratings on the US PlayStation Store; critics' reviews were mixed
Length: about 2 hours (Rely on Horror review)
Players: 1
Made by: Konami Digital Entertainment and HexaDrive
Released: 2024

What frightens Following messages from her friend Maya, Anita goes into a crumbling apartment block known for rumours of suicides. Lit only by her phone, she walks halls papered with graffiti and cruel notes as the building turns into otherworldly spaces, and a twisted monster chases her through them, with no way to fight back.
Content: suicide, self-harm, bullying, child abuse, blood, violence, strong language, chase sequences.

SILENT HILL: The Short Message is a free first-person Silent Hill story for PlayStation 5. Teenager Anita follows messages from her friend Maya into a crumbling apartment block, where reality breaks apart and a monster chases her. There is no combat: you explore, read and run.

About SILENT HILL: The Short Message

SILENT HILL: The Short Message is a first-person psychological horror game from Konami, co-developed with HexaDrive and released free on PlayStation 5 on 31 January 2024. It is a short, self-contained story rather than a full survival horror game. Akira Yamaoka, the series' long-time composer, made the music, and Masahiro Ito designed the creature and the Otherworld.

You play Anita, a teenage girl who follows messages from her friend Maya to a crumbling apartment block, infamous for rumours of suicides. Maya's message is clear: she cannot leave until she finds it. Inside, with her phone as a torch, Anita searches graffiti-covered rooms and corridors and finds her sense of reality shattering as the building opens onto bizarre, otherworldly spaces.

There is no combat. A twisted monster haunts the Otherworld, and when it appears the game becomes a chase through tight, maze-like spaces where the only answer is to run. Between chases you explore, read notes and messages, and watch the story unfold, partly in live-action scenes.

Its subject is heavy. The story is about bullying, the pressure of social media, abuse and suicide, and reviewers describe it as dealing directly with self-harm. Critics were split: they praised its look and atmosphere and criticised its chases and dialogue. Players on the PlayStation Store rate it close to four stars from over 50,000 ratings.

It suits players who want a short taste of modern Silent Hill at no cost, and who are ready for its themes. Those after the fog-bound town, puzzles and combat of Silent Hill 2 or Silent Hill f will find a smaller, more linear story here.

How to play SILENT HILL: The Short Message

Download it free from the PlayStation Store on a PlayStation 5.
Explore the apartment block in first person, using Anita's phone as a light.
Read the messages, notes and graffiti you find to follow the story and find the way on.
When the monster appears, run: find the way through the maze before it catches you.
Between chases, look around each room; the way on is often hidden in what you read.

Screenshots

Anita standing in a narrow room whose walls are covered with paper notes reading LOSER and UGLY

A long dark corridor in the apartment block with a lone figure under a light at the far end

A grimy corridor in the abandoned building, its walls covered in graffiti under a single ceiling light

A door wrapped in barbed wire at the end of a tiled corridor plastered with notes

Tips

Know before you start that the story deals directly with suicide, self-harm and bullying.
In chases, keep moving and watch for the open path ahead rather than looking back.
Play with headphones; the sound design and Akira Yamaoka's music carry much of the mood.
Take your time between chases; the notes on the walls tell much of the story.