Survival horror title Silent Hill is fast becoming my game of the year. I even wrote about how I can’t stop thinking about its story and creative approach to New Game Plus.
Someone else who might not have been able to stop thinking about Silent Hill is Konatsu Kato, the actor who plays the protagonist Hinako Shimizu in the game.
In an interview with Japanese gaming site Famitsu, Kato talks about her time as Hinako and the mental toll it may have taken on her. Silent Hill development.
“I think the recording went well at first,” Kato told Famitsu. “However, as the recording progressed, the story became more and more diverse. As we recorded various developments, I found myself thinking, ‘It was the same scene just now, but the words and emotions are different… Huh… Where am I, what am I doing now, Hinako?'”
As an example, Kato brought up a scene that occurs late in the game. (oh, spoiler warning for Silent Hill Besides!).
In the scene, Hinako finds herself facing another version of herself. The first time we encounter this scene, in Part 1, we’re not immediately sure if this is a hallucination on Hinako’s part, or perhaps a past version of herself.
“I was Hinako, but the other person was also Hinako,” Kato said in reference to the iconic scene, “and I was confused and lost track of who I was, both in character and in reality. At the time, there were times when I would burst into tears without even thinking about anything. As the time I spent in front of her increased, so did my confusion, and I remember there were days when I felt like I was going crazy.”
Hinako seems to have left quite a deep impact on Kato, who praised the character’s independent nature, while appearing somewhat frightened by her. “I’m impressed that she has such diverse perspectives, even though she’s still a high school student. But I hope she never appears in front of me. Just imagining meeting her makes me lose my mind.”
Kato’s closing comments, however, almost make the recording process seem a bit like a fever dream. “This may sound negative, but oddly enough, I don’t really remember how involved I was in this project from the beginning to the end of planning it, or how I approached it,” she said.
“The only thing I remember very clearly, as I mentioned earlier, was not knowing where I was or who I was. Other than that, I only remember fragmentary parts, like the voice acting. What I talked about today was something I extracted from those fragmented memories…”
In my opinion, Kato’s experience in describing Silent Hill the main character seems more like the series’ many troubled protagonists. His comments in this interview feel like they could just as easily be read in an in-game memo or a note left by a character you’ve never met. It’s almost strange.
However, Kato’s comments sum up very well why I personally rate Silent Hill so strongly. It’s an incredible and unique take on the series’ painful psychological horror. Hinako’s journey is one I wouldn’t wish on anyone, and I was constantly wondering what exactly was real.
Silent Hill is one of the best horror games I’ve played in years, right up there with Alan wakes up 2. And honestly, entrust the story tasks to Umineko creator Ryukishi07 turned out to be an unexpected stroke of genius.
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