The developers of Silent Hill have had some fun when creating secret endings for their games. One running joke for the Silent Hill franchise has led to many of the games featuring a style of UFO ending. In fact, when it comes to secret endings in Silent Hill, the majority of them are on the humorous side. This can be a welcome relief for players who have been working their way through the stress of a monster-filled world of nightmares.
Warning: This article contains spoilers for the Silent Hill series.
Silent Hill is a franchise of survival-horror games developed by Konami that helped define the genre alongside Resident Evil. In comparison, Silent Hill includes many more psychological horror elements than Resident Evil, giving itself a unique feeling. The original games that follow the classic characters like Harry, Heather, and James offer a lot of nostalgia for players, but Konami’s rumored new Silent Hill games will need more than that to convince players the series is in safe hands.
Aside from nostalgia, there’s some humor to be found in revisiting the secret endings of Silent Hill, most of which revolve around the UFO running joke. Another fun feature of the secret endings is that several of them will reference the secret endings of previous Silent Hill games. Many of these endings require players to beat the game and get a normal ending first, and the methods to unlock the secret endings can make them sound like rumors rather than real parts of Silent Hill.
#7 Silent Hill 2 UFO Ending
Silent Hill 2 has two secret endings, one of which is a UFO ending that acts as a continuation of the first Silent Hill’s UFO ending. This ending is only available in certain release versions of the game, and if the rumored Silent Hill 2 remake includes new endings, it should include this one as well, even if it’s at the bottom of the ranking, because it’s still fun to see. In it, Harry Mason is with the aliens from his UFO ending and works with them to shoot James with a Hyper Blaster and drag him away before the credits roll.
#6 Silent Hill UFO Ending
The original Silent Hill also has a fairly short secret ending, but its existence seemed like a myth when the game was released due to how the UFO ending doesn’t fit the tone of the game and the steps required to obtain the ending. Using the Channeling Stone at specific locations and then at the lighthouse will summon UFOs. The aliens don’t stay for long. After Harry asks if they’ve seen his daughter, he’s abducted and the credits roll.
#5 Silent Hill: Homecoming UFO Ending
Given the rumors of Silent Hill revivals in development, Silent Hill: Homecoming might not be the style players hope the revivals will follow. Silent Hill: Homecoming has a prodigal son type of story, with Alex returning to his hometown. This leads him to investigate the mystery of why people are disappearing.
The UFO ending for Silent Hill: Homecoming depends on the choices players make in the game instead of requiring them to use an item at certain location. While similar to the regular good ending, the UFO ending diverges when Alex and Elle are about to embrace as they are abducted at that moment. There’s a bit of closure in this ending because Deputy Wheeler sees the abduction and claims that aliens are the reason people in the town are going missing, solving the mystery.
#4 Silent Hill: Origins UFO Ending
Silent Hill: Origins includes one of the worst video game homes: the Gillespie house. This ending sees Travis make a choice that’s perfectly acceptable after experiencing the horrors of Silent Hill. When the aliens show up, they tell Travis that his truck is on their planet, and invites him to travel with them. Travis accepts and asks if he can drive the ship. This allows Travis to get far away from Silent Hill, and gives him a happy ending by reuniting him with his truck. This ending also receives bonus points for including the dog, Mira.
#3 Silent Hill 3 UFO Ending
The UFO Ending might be the best ending for Silent Hill 3 in terms of happiness. Heather finds her father is alive and waiting for her at home with an alien and James from Silent Hill 2. When Heather explains what she’s been through, Harry is angry and wants to go to Silent Hill for vengeance. An ending suitable for one of the best Silent Hill games, it’s hard to have a better outcome for Heather than her dad being alive and Silent Hill being destroyed by aliens.
#2 Silent Hill: Shattered Memories UFO Ending
Silent Hill: Shattered Memories is a hidden gem in the franchise, and its secret ending is no different. This ending packs in references from the secret endings of previous games. Cheryl is having an appointment with Dr. Kaufmann and tells him that she thinks her dad was abducted by aliens, and the doctor thinks this is more believable than her stories about cults. The ending then includes appearances from James, Mira, Mary’s boss form, and an alien as if it’s combining the elements of past UFO endings together.
#1 Silent Hill 2 Dog Ending
Rather than being a rare, hidden gem like Silent Hill: Shattered Memories, Silent Hill 2 is a fan favorite game with one of the most beloved and well-known secret endings. In this ending, James enters a control room with a dog named Mira in it using the controls. James falls to his hands and knees in despair as he realizes that the painful journey he’s just been on has all been orchestrated by a dog. The only consolation for James is that he gets face licks from Mira.
The Silent Hill series is full of heavy content, so it’s refreshing that the developers bring some levity with their secret endings being a running joke about UFOs. The series is currently in an uncertain position with plenty of rumors about both revivals and new games, but no official announcements. Fans are still hoping for a Silent Hill game from Hideo Kojima, but that, too, seems uncertain. Regardless of who develops it, the next Silent Hill needs to continue the tradition of including a secret UFO ending.
