Bullying, the impacts of social media, and suicide are the primary themes of the game. Silent Hill: The Short Message received mixed reviews; while some critics praised its visuals, atmosphere, themes and the game's free price tag, others criticized its gameplay, dialogue and chasing sequences. Silent...
Bullying, the impacts of social media, and suicide are the primary themes of the game. Silent Hill: The Short Message received mixed reviews; while some critics praised its visuals, atmosphere, themes and the game's free price tag, others criticized its gameplay, dialogue and chasing sequences. Silent Hill: The Short Message is set in the fictional economically depressed town of Kettenstadt, Germany, rather than the eponymous town of Silent Hill. The game takes place within an abandoned apartment complex called the "Villa", a popular graffiti hot spot and infamous suicide spot among teenage girls. A young woman named Anita receives a message from her friend and Internet-famous graffiti artist Maya, known online as C.B. , to meet in the Villa, and upon entering, she follows a trail of Maya's artworks throughout the building. Over the course of the game, she is chased by a monster which is covered by blooming cherry blossoms. Despite attempting to contact Maya over text, she receives no response. She receives a call from her friend Amelie, who reminds Anita that Maya is already dead, having jumped off the roof of the Villa some time ago. Jealous of the number of followers Maya has, Anita decides to leap off the roof in an attempt to emulate her. However, instead of dying, she awakens back inside the Villa where she started. Continuing on, Anita is in her school library where she learns about how Kettenstadt was supposedly cursed by a Japanese witch after her death. Anita finds a letter written by Maya begging Amelie for help, and recalls that she purposely withheld the letter from Amelie due to her jealousy over Maya's close friendship with her, which she believes led to Maya's suicide. Her journey leads her back to the roof, where she admits her guilt regarding Maya's death to Amelie over the phone, before jumping off the roof a second time. Anita awakens back in the Villa. Exploring the building once again, Anita is in her old family home, and recalls how her mother both neglected and abused her and her younger brother by locking them in the closet. This culminated in Anita's brother dying while locked up, and her mother attempting to hide his body in the refrigerator before Anita escaped and reported her to the police. The monster chases Anita for a final time again before she finds herself back on the roof and again apologizes to Amelie for not realizing how much both she and Maya valued their friendship with her.