Summary
TheSilent Hillseries owes most of its popularity to its first four strong entries, with later titles viewed as hollow shells of the work done by Team Silent. The fictional nightmare city teems with monsters that all seem to manifest something personal to the current protagonist, such as Pyramid Head, a symbol for James’s buried guilt.
Apart from the suspenseful terror and unmatched monster design, the human characters are also a key ingredient in makingSilent Hillthe phenomenal series it is. The characters prop up existing stories, or even bring their own beats into the mix, leaving indelible marks in the memories of all the players.
10Mira the Dog
An Adorable Character From a Much-Loved Comedic Ending
Silent Hillgames often featuremore than one ending, with most being grounded in reality or tragedy, such as the Leave and in Water endings fromSilent Hill 2. This title also houses the infamous dog ending, which players need to collect certain items to unlock it.
The effort might just be worth the pay-off though, as it reveals all the events of the game were at the hands of the adorable Mira, a Shiba Inu sat at the controls of the simulation. It is peculiar, strange, and a very drastic tonal shift from the gritty and bitterly coldSilent Hill 2. As man’s best friend, it would be remiss not to mention this mischievous and lovable pup, who is also a playable character in a long-forgotten mobile spin-off,Silent Hill: the Escape.
One of theSilent Hillgames to be handled outside Konami by a western studio, there were many fans who balked at the very thought ofHomecoming, in part due to Team Silent not being behind the production, and also the peculiar choice toinclude Pyramid Head, who should not exist outside of James’s story. Still, there were fans eager to venture back into that familiar town, this time in the shoes of Alex Shepherd.
Returning from active military duty, Alex is one of the few protagonists who has an actual excuse of being able to effectively wield weaponry against the monsters he comes across. Beyond this action hero portion of his character, he is also very grounded and complex, suffering from trauma and PTSD. To an extent, his personality can be determined by the player and their choices, but these remain as core parts of what makes Alex a compelling protagonist.
The hospital is always one of the more infamousSilent Hilllocations, featuring the feared bobble-headed nurses and the fact that it forces the player to explore such a creepy place. In the firstSilent Hillgame, it is also where Harry meets Lisa, a much-loved character among fans.
The wannabe starlet abandoned her dreams of becoming an actress to follow in the footsteps of her mother and grandmother, becoming a nurse at Alchemilla Hospital, and one of the ones who took care of the heavily burned Alessa Gillespie. She was seen to be a kind and compassionate person, as inferred inSilent Hill: Originsand by Heather inSilent Hill 3, calling her heavenly but weird. Sadly, Lisa has already met an unfortunate fate by the time players meet her inSilent Hill, as she is just a manifested ghost with no memories of her death or treating Alessa.
The finalSilent Hillgame to be handled by Team Silent,Silent Hill 4: The Roomis often held in high esteem by fans of the classic games in the franchise which tells the story of Henry Townshend and the mysteries of his apartment that he is now locked inside, unable to contact the outside world. He passes through a hole that appeared in his bathroom into a nightmarish other world.
He occasionally spies Eileen through his door’s peephole, or a small hole in the wall connecting their apartments, witnessing her comings and goings and her real concern for Henry. Eileen might be one of the most compassionate characters inSilent Hillas a whole, even when she is inches away from death. She is probably the only person who has shown Walter Sullivan any compassion in his entire life, giving him a doll as a small child to show that her kindness is part of her nature.
6Cybil Bennett (Silent Hill)
The Cool and Capable Cop From The First Game
One of the most memorable characters from the firstSilent Hillgame, Cybil isa cool-headed copwho quickly makes the acquaintance of main character Harry and resolves to help him find his missing daughter. She seems to show genuine empathy for Harry’s predicament and concern for his daughter.
She definitely is one of the bravestSilent Hillcharacters, and her popularity as an NPC leads to her being a deuteragonist in the movie adaptation, a legendary skin for Cheryl in Dead by Daylight, and as a playable character in the Japanese-exclusive title Play Novel: Silent Hill, given a significant number of chapters that players will assume her character. All of this is a testament to the quality of Cybil’s character, who fans are hoping to see soon in a remake or GOG release ofSilent Hill.
Angela is the first character players meet on their way to the town, finding her examining gravestones in a cemetery they must pass through. She seems startled by James’s presence and tries to warn him away from going to Silent Hill. She reveals during their conversation that she is also looking for someone, her mother. The pair continues to run into each other throughout the game, and it becomes quite apparent that Angela is deeply troubled, dealing with heavy trauma.
James soon meets and confronts the source of her trauma in the form of the boss, Abstract Daddy, an amalgamated monster of the two worst people in her life, one of whom was herabusive father. Their death does nothing to ease Angela’s trouble, leaving her as a troubled and tragic figure players would want to help. But not everybody can be saved, and Angela is a stark reminder of this. Her story had to end this way, but it doesn’t ease the pain of it.
4Harry Mason
A Loving and Devoted Father
In the player’s firstSilent Hillouting, the player steps into the shoes of the protagonist, Harry Mason, a father who awakens in the mysterious ash-swept town ofSilent Hillto find his daughter Cheryl has ran off, and now he must chase her through this eerily decrepit town, which sounds like any parent’s worst nightmare. It goes from bad to catastrophic when the town reveals its true rust-rotten nature, the monsters awakening eager to kill Harry.
Unlike combat-ready characters like Alex, Harry is just an ordinary man and father, but he finds the courage to grab the nearest weapon and rein merry hell down on his enemies before he can do the same to him, as he is determined to find and save Cheryl even if it means dying in his attempts. It’s a testament to the strength of his character and makes him one of the best characters in the entire franchise. He also displays unwavering compassion as he takes in the reborn baby without question, loving and raising her all the same.
Widower James Sunderland returns to the city of Silent Hill after receiving a letter which appears to have been sent by his late wife. Still, he holds onto his hope as he sets out searching their favorite vacation spot for any sign she is still alive there, encountering monsters and other people: Laura, Eddie, Angela, and Maria. He immediately proves himself capable of dealing with monsters and expresses care for other characters because of all the dangers.
All the while, players are led to believe Mary passed away due to her disease, and it is not until the game’s climax that players realize James smothered her to death with a pillow. It’s a powerful bit of storytelling, and one of themost tragic twistsin all gaming, highlighting James as a complex character with realistic flaws. There are many debates over the morality of his actions, but if a character can spark such discussions, it is a sign they are well-written.
2Maria (Silent Hill 2)
This Mysterious Femme Fatale is a Grim Reminder of James’s Late Wife
While exploring around the park by the lake, the player encounters a figure partially obscured by the fog. Upon getting closer, James is surprised to see the woman who looks exactly like his wife, Mary, but she introduces herself as Maria, teasing James with a mischievous smirk as she does.
Through this brief interaction, fans already see her personality peeking through, but there is much more to Maria than a shameless flirt. She has a concern for other characters, namely Laura, and drops hints that she isn’t fully real, especially after her return following her death, escaping from the labyrinth. At that point, players have to question if she is even real, or another manifestation of James’s psyche. She is the latter, but feels drawn to James, as shown in the Born From a Wish DLC. Despite not being real,Maria had such a massive impactonSilent Hill 2. The game just wouldn’t be the same without her.
Silent Hill 3reintroduced players to Heather, who might remember her as the baby at the end of the firstSilent Hillgame. Now she isan adolescent, full of sassand snark, but also love for her dear old man. Waking up in a mall, Heather makes her way back home, ignoring Douglas as he tries to catch her attention by promising information about her birth. She shrugs him off with plenty of attitude, which instantly endears a lot of fans to her character.
Heather continues to prove herself a spitfire throughout the game, vowing to avenge her father, and even killing a reborn god at the very end of the game. Even after such an ordeal, she can’t help but make a joke at Douglas’s expense, proving that indeed, blondes do have more fun.
