Games that pull off the Silent Hill vibe and general atmosphere style the best?

[wafflebrain]

The examples can be both aesthetic based and/or the psychological themes. For aesthetic to me SH is about feeling an overwhelming atmosphere of isolation, desolation, and a general feeling of purgatorial futility. Fog helps but it doesn't need to be about just that ;)

A sense of unreality and dream logic goes a long ways towards making this work too. Indies have been mining these kinda vibes for awhile so here's a few standouts that I think fit the bill:

Organ Quarter:


View: https://youtu.be/qY0G1YVvC8A

Concluse:


View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s0eQiMUZBIE

This is an upcoming game but seems to completely nail the third person SH style presentation down to inventory management and general environment interaction details:


View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d-v8Ro08dks


View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E61eAeYgp6w

Share your own examples!

 

[Risitas]

Sims 2 on DS during some moments of the story.
You get an empty town, weird vibe, scary music, could have been a Silent Hill game.

 

[Uzzy]

Signalis, the thread.


View: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1262350/SIGNALIS/

It's a masterpiece and everyone should play it.

 

[th1nk]

Signalis, the thread.


View: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1262350/SIGNALIS/

It's a masterpiece and everyone should play it.

Click to shrink...

👍

 

[Capricorn]

Wait, Organ Quarter is out for PSVR2??? Are they updating the PC version too?

It's by far my favorite VR game, they absolutely nailed the Silent Hill atmosphere, but it's fairly janky and some mechanics feel very outdated compared to today's VR gaming standards.

And yeah, definitely check out Signalis. Such a special little gem.

EDIT: Looks like it's just a straight up port of the VR version and there are no plans to update the PC build, booo :(

 

[SilenttChill]

RE7 & 8's atmosphere is incredible when you're in a small room for example. Hearing the wind, creaks of the floorboards and sounds in through the walls creeped me out

 

[Sephiroth]

Signalis is a modern masterpiece. Without ruining the big tonal twist from purely sci-fi to [redacted], it eats Silent Hill's lunch imo.


View: https://youtu.be/X6b7Qyw-t3M

 

[wafflebrain]

RE7 & 8's atmosphere is incredible when you're in a small room for example. Hearing the wind, creaks of the floorboards and sounds in through the walls creeped me out

Click to shrink...

The guest house in RE7 alone has such amazing sound design progression. The subtle transition to nightime as you get further in with the rain pattering against the window panes and pitch black outside before the Mia batshit Evil Dead tier encounters is sublime.

 

[Manbig]

Fear and Hunger


View: https://youtu.be/dRIkWHo1SJY

 

[Ahti]

Visage is more like PT than traditional Silent Hill but still quite effective.


View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dY8AVTFbR9o


In Sound Mind, a criminally underrated gem. It's far from being a "Silent Hill-like", but if you're into psychological- and/or modern Survival Horror, this is a must play.


View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EydFQ_q5EIw


Gylt (previously Stadia-exclusive) is coming to Steam and it's a charming love letter to Silent Hill.


View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ORG9fPhGWzI

 

[Oliver James]

Siren series definitely

 

[Dervius]

Hollowbody looks ace. Is it coming to console at any stage?

For my money, after SIGNALIS, it's Darkwood.


View: https://youtu.be/uuv6Zy3FIZM


View: https://youtu.be/3S3tmWfFACQ

 

[Ahti]

Signalis is currently 20% off in the Playstation Store btw.

 

[Deleted member 29691]

Wow everyone is going hard over Signalis. I'm sick, have nothing to do, and just noticed it's on gamepass. I would have never guessed "silent hill vibes" by glancing at it but let's go.

 

[ianpm31]

Closest is Signalis.

 

[Starlatine]

The examples can be both aesthetic based and/or the psychological themes. For aesthetic to me SH is about feeling an overwhelming atmosphere of isolation, desolation, and a general feeling of purgatorial futility. Fog helps but it doesn't need to be about just that ;)

Click to shrink...

Thats not really what silent hill means for me personally but going by your description, definitely Pathologic

 

[Blackbird]

the closest we have ever been within AAA was House Beneviento (Resident Evil Village).

such a masterclass in modern psychological horror.

nothing has surpassed that section yet, i love it so much.


View: https://youtu.be/ohco3PB6eBw

 

[PLASTICA-MAN]

Claire
Lone Survivor
The Darkside Detective.

Best games inspired by Silent Hill

When I search for “games like Silent Hill” on Google, usually I am redirected to random forums where people just mention every possible survival-horror game ever made, from Resident Evi…

surrealandcreepy.wordpress.com

 

[wafflebrain]

I put Signalis down and not even sure why, loved the demo. Really need to get back to it.

A few more:

Lone Survivor:


View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WUwDCn_D6vY

Lost in Vivo:


View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XGxqfLXRYzM

Detention (excellent movie based on the game too):

Detention on Steam

Detention is an atmospheric horror game set in 1960s Taiwan under martial law. Incorporated religious elements based in Taiwanese/Chinese culture and mythology, the game provided players with unique graphics and gaming experience.

store.steampowered.com

 

[hydruxo]

Wow everyone is going hard over Signalis. I'm sick, have nothing to do, and just noticed it's on gamepass. I would have never guessed "silent hill vibes" by glancing at it but let's go.

Click to shrink...

Cannot recommend it enough. One of the best survival horror games in recent memory.

 

[KDC720]

Signalis really felt like it came the closest to nailing that sort of SH vibe. It's hard to explain, but it knows when to simply just be creepy and unnerving and when to go all out.

Visage is probably one of the most genuinely scary games I've played in years. It's more PT than traditional SH but the DNA is there for sure.

 

[wafflebrain]

Here's another forthcoming one I almost forgot about, there's a demo for this one you can get here:

Post Trauma Demo by robertoserrag

Post trauma is a horror game inspired by the old classics with fixed camera angles and today's graphics.

robertoserrag.itch.io

Post Trauma on Steam

Post Trauma is a horror game inspired by genre-defining classics of the past decades. Play as Roman, a middle-aged train conductor trapped in a terrifying twisted reality. Explore the unknown, unravel mysteries, and try to survive the unspeakable horrors that lurk in these threatening surroundings.

store.steampowered.com

Fixed camera angles, SH3 vibes (subway environment), and classic item collecting/puzzle design. Really looking forward to this one based on the demo, and the solo dev making it got a publishing deal with Raw Fury as of December to finish it.

 

[Divine Moleman]

Sanitarium

View: https://store.steampowered.com/app/284050/Sanitarium/

This actually predates Silent Hill, but they draw upon the same influences and end up sharing A LOT in common. I highly recommend watching a video of the first levels or a review or even just playing it if you are a fan of adventure games. There is some highly disturbing stuff, but that might be needless to say in this topic.

 

[Starlatine]

Sanitarium

View: https://store.steampowered.com/app/284050/Sanitarium/

This actually predates Silent Hill, but they draw upon the same influences and end up sharing A LOT in common. I highly recommend watching a video of the first levels or a review or even just playing it if you are a fan of adventure games. There is some highly disturbing stuff, but that might be needless to say in this topic.

Click to shrink...

While i do enjoy Sanitarium and understand the comparison, it really starts veering into way different things
after you leave the village with the kids. the superhero and aztec god parts are totally not SH at all

 

[wafflebrain]

I loved Sanitarium but yeah doesn't really feel SH to me. The village is definitely the most memorable part tho.

 

[Divine Moleman]

While i do enjoy Sanitarium and understand the comparison, it really starts veering into way different things
after you leave the village with the kids. the superhero and aztec god parts are totally not SH at all

Click to shrink...

After the village the similarities get more general but I think they're pretty strong in the ways they use symbolism and uncovering a mystery that ties into the character's past. Obviously Sanitarium wasn't trying to capture "Silent Hill vibes" but they both were trying to capture David Lynch and Jacob's Ladder vibes.

 

[Fat4all]

when it comes to short indie horror games that have the uncanny vibe and psychological horror while not being a jump-scare-fest

i recommend MOTHERED


View: https://youtu.be/BunjS8WR4wc

 

[wafflebrain]

when it comes to short indie horror games that have the uncanny vibe and psychological horror while not being a jump-scare-fest

i recommend MOTHERED


View: https://youtu.be/BunjS8WR4wc

Click to shrink...

MOTHERED is sooo good. Shoutout to sn00zer for cluing me into some of the game's secrets. On the PC version there's things you do in the 'demo' that affect the full version save file, but I assume the dev integrated both into the console release. One of those true ending type deals where when you discover it for the first time its a legit holy shit moment. Great game that more people need to experience.

That same dev has two other games set in the same universe, The Enigma Machine and the forthcoming [ECHOSTASIS], the latter has a demo on Steam:

THE ENIGMA MACHINE on Steam

ENIGMA TECHNOLOGIES invites you to delve into the mind of an AI. Seamlessly blending first-person exploration with point-and-click mechanics, THE ENIGMA MACHINE's completely unique presentation offers an increasingly unnerving atmosphere.

store.steampowered.com

[ECHOSTASIS] on Steam

THE THRILLING CONCLUSION TO THE ENIGMA TRILOGY, [ECHOSTASIS] presents a world where our reality is not only curated by algorithms, but created by them.

store.steampowered.com

 

[sn00zer]

MOTHERED is sooo good. Shoutout to sn00zer for cluing me into some of the game's secrets. On the PC version there's things you do in the 'demo' that affect the full version save file, but I assume the dev integrated both into the console release. One of those true ending type deals where when you discover it for the first time its a legit holy shit moment. Great game that more people need to experience.

That same dev has two other games set in the same universe, The Enigma Machine and the forthcoming [ECHOSTASIS], the latter has a demo on Steam:

THE ENIGMA MACHINE on Steam

ENIGMA TECHNOLOGIES invites you to delve into the mind of an AI. Seamlessly blending first-person exploration with point-and-click mechanics, THE ENIGMA MACHINE's completely unique presentation offers an increasingly unnerving atmosphere.

store.steampowered.com

[ECHOSTASIS] on Steam

THE THRILLING CONCLUSION TO THE ENIGMA TRILOGY, [ECHOSTASIS] presents a world where our reality is not only curated by algorithms, but created by them.

store.steampowered.com

Click to shrink...

Yesssssssss
Love this series.

when it comes to short indie horror games that have the uncanny vibe and psychological horror while not being a jump-scare-fest

i recommend MOTHERED


View: https://youtu.be/BunjS8WR4wc

Click to shrink...

If you haven't already I recommend playing the echostasis demo then playing the Mothered Demo found below (yes that is the correct link). Make sure you've completed Mothered on the same PC before playing the demo.

Demo Disc: Spectral Mall by The Haunted PS1, Cyreides, 靄　Moya Horror, iwilliams, colter

Shop till your HEART STOPS!

hauntedps1.itch.io

 

[TM_]

Signalis, yep.

Not a horror game and maybe a weird recommendation but the town in Pathologic 2 is probably the coolest fictional town since Silent Hill. Once the plague breaks out it all goes to hell in there.

 

[Kurtikeya]

I thought the early goings of both Limbo and Inside felt SH-ish before they became their own things.

Detention is a great one that you already got covered.

Grandmother's Garden from Kittyhorrorshow.