A new indie game entitled The Night of the Scissors has just been released, and it looks to channel early Silent Hill titles and classic VHS horror B-movies. Silent Hill was influenced by horror films and has since gone on to develop many of its own tropes and conventions. To say that Silent Hill has made an impact on the world of horror video games would be a massive understatement.
Alongside franchises like Resident Evil, Silent Hill was instrumental in establishing video games as a medium for presenting carefully crafted aesthetics, thick atmosphere, and dramatic storytelling. Despite its simple, rudimentary graphics, the original Silent Hill‘s unsettling presence, iconic soundtrack, and fixed-camera perspective made it an experience that stuck with players, many of whom would go on to work on their own horror games. Modern AAA video games such as Outlast and indie titles like Mirror Forge wear their Silent Hill influence on their sleeves, as the seminal franchise’s approach to world-building and gameplay comes through strongly in projects developed decades after its first release.
Indie dev Tomás Esconjaureguy recently tweeted about the release of The Night of the Scissors, which is currently available to download from itch.io. According to the game’s itch.io description and Esconjaureguy’s own tweet, The Night of the Scissors looks to take heavy inspiration from cheesy, semi-self-aware 80s horror movies and “classic PSX titles“. The gameplay consists of running away from a frightful killer known as the “Snipper“, using the environment to hide and fight back against this cardboard-wearing murderer in creative and indirect ways.
While Esconjaureguy never directly mentions Silent Hill, it’s clear that Konami’s iconic horror franchise had a major influence on The Night of the Scissors. The game appears to have a fixed camera angle and puzzle-focused gameplay, along with a general tone reminiscent of the first two Silent Hill releases. While fans await the next official Silent Hill release, The Night of the Scissors might be worth checking out.
Games like The Night of the Scissors are proof of just how important the Silent Hill franchise, particularly its earlier outings, has been in the world of gaming. Countless franchises and stand-alone video games that were popular upon release have been lost to time, but Silent Hill has lived on through homages, fan theories, and more, despite not releasing a full entry in over a decade. While charming, passionately made games like The Night of the Scissors will always be welcomed by Silent Hill fans, hopefully, something official is in the pipeline for this series.
