It is widely acknowledged that the three most capable individual combat units in the world are roughly: American vagrants， Chinese transmigration protagonists， and Japanese high school students.
Among Japanese high school students， it is particularly the JK (female high school students) who are renowned. They appear to lead mundane lives， yet in secret， they moonlight as magical girls， scientists， mecha pilots， and Pretty Soldiers， capable of flawlessly resolving zombie crises， terrorist attacks， world wars， and alien invasions.
Versatile enough to bring peace to the realm with literature and capable of withstanding nuclear explosions with their might， Japanese JK students are truly a fascinating phenomenon.
Why are we discussing JK students? Because a recently released game， “Silent Hill: Ascension，” features a seemingly fragile female protagonist， Hikari Shirokami (hereinafter referred to as Hikari)， who has reignited my teenage fascination with the aforementioned stereotypical image of Japanese JK students.
Younger audiences might be unfamiliar with the horror game IP， Silent Hill. We previously discussed it when the remake of “Silent Hill 2” was announced.
In essence， this IP focuses on psychological horror. Typically， protagonists exude a sense of powerlessness， often sporting a sullen expression and appearing in dire need of a therapist upon first introduction. They must confront their inner demons and resolve their core issues to overcome the relentless onslaught of monsters.
However， “Silent Hill: Ascension” diverges from this norm. Its protagonist， Hikari， is a resilient Showa-era JK whose combat prowess defies conventional understanding.
The game opens with a theatrical sequence steeped in Showa-era aesthetics， revealing Hikari’s dysfunctional family: an overbearing， alcoholic father， a submissive mother， and a beloved older sister who has already married and left home.
One day， unable to bear her father’s reprimands any longer， Hikari flees her home and finds herself in a quiet， deserted town， where she converses with her childhood friend and classmates. Up to this point， everything seems normal; at most， one might perceive the protagonist’s interpersonal relationships as somewhat strained， with each classmate harboring their own secrets.
Suddenly， a cluster of red spider lilies sprouts from their classmate Sakiko， plunging the story into the supernatural. A bizarre entity begins pursuing the group， leading to an extended escape sequence. At this juncture， the protagonist still presents as an ordinary girl; she struggles to climb a wall and flees from monsters like a startled rabbit. This is， until she picks up a metal pipe.
Hikari wields the pipe with apparent effort， but the monstrous foe perceives it differently， likely wondering why it was taken down by a high school girl after just a few blows. In a subsequent group encounter， the protagonist manages to achieve an “one-against-three” victory with the pipe alone. This is not the end; she then proceeds to dispatch remaining enemies with fluid， precise strikes， her movements as practiced as her mother chopping scallions for dumplings， making one wonder if she were preparing hand-made meatballs.
Now you might understand why I spent so much time on the initial preamble. Hikari truly embodies a god of war. This is not merely a metaphor， as I was immediately reminded of Kratos’s brutal takedown of Poseidon in “God of War 3.” Both scenes feature a second-person perspective and a torrent of blood.
The comparison to “God of War 3” is apt， as the game’s combat sequences， particularly the second-person perspective and visceral depictions of violence， mirror the intensity of that acclaimed title.
Furthermore， players have discovered that the protagonist’s combat capabilities extend far beyond basic melee. With a simple scythe， she executes attack animations followed by cancels， reminiscent of a skilled player in Dark Souls PvP. She also adeptly wields a katana， parrying attacks， predicting monster movements， and unleashing precision strikes that evoke the image of a Showa-era sword saint.
In later stages， she self-amputates her arm and replaces it with a beast’s appendage， seemingly unfazed， exhibiting more resilience than some of the game’s bosses. Compared to Guan Yu’s legendary act of having his bone scraped while still fighting， Hikari’s fortitude operates on an entirely different level.
While most Silent Hill protagonists are depicted as fleeing for their lives， Hikari possesses the power to decimate entire villages and eradicate monsters. This stark contrast in protagonist agency fundamentally alters the player’s perception of the Silent Hill experience， moving it from survival horror to something akin to an action-oriented spectacle.
However， whether this “valkyrie-level” combat ability is a positive or negative development remains debatable. Player reception for this IP-breaking combat focus is polarized. Enthusiasts praise its originality and satisfying action， while detractors lament its departure from the traditional Silent Hill atmosphere， asserting it feels more like an action game than a horror experience.
Compared to the combat system， the puzzle-solving elements are where the game truly falters， and arguably， deserve more critique.
The developers seem to have fallen short of the Silent Hill IP’s standards in their puzzle design. To put it bluntly， the responsible individuals should issue a public apology.
The initial puzzle experienced by players involves the shrine and its ema (votive tablets). The objective is to locate specific tablets indicated by clues， and the core mechanic itself is not inherently difficult. However， the puzzle’s guidance is convoluted， requiring players to invest considerable time simply to understand what needs to be done.
That initial challenge is merely an appetizer; players are then subjected to a series of tedious and protracted puzzle-solving segments. For instance， in the farmland area， players must decipher clues from special scarecrows to identify a non-hostile scarecrow amidst a field of aggressive ones and trigger a mechanism. A wrong trigger results in the hostile scarecrows attacking. Even though the protagonist is a powerful warrior， her weapons have durability.
This means that if a player uses up all their weapon durability， they might find themselves relentlessly pursued by enemies in the farmland， eventually resorting to a brute-force trial-and-error approach to find the correct scarecrow. Players who haven’t reached this point might question my comprehension. Trust me， upon encountering the game’s puzzle design， you’ll likely find yourself bewildered， wondering what the cryptic instructions are trying to convey， perhaps wishing for a return to elementary school for remedial language lessons.
Faced with numerous similarly shaped and awkwardly posed scarecrows， without consulting a guide， players are highly likely to deplete their weapon durability and all their healing items during exploration. Players who can refrain from berating the puzzle designers are truly blessed with exceptional patience.
The overall narrative of “Silent Hill: Ascension，” based solely on the preceding descriptions， might lead one to believe it’s a story about a JK student who awakens forgotten combat memories andSingle-handedly conquers Silent Hill. However， the game’s plot is surprisingly profound and well-executed， fundamentally exploring themes of self-discovery and remaining true to the core essence of the Silent Hill IP.
To avoid spoilers， detailed plot points will not be elaborated. In essence， the narrative delves into the protagonist’s resistance against the feudal constraints of Japan’s Showa era and critiques the oppression inflicted by traditional moral codes. It is worth noting that the screenwriter for “Silent Hill: Ascension” is Ryukishi07， the creator of “Higurashi: When They Cry” and “Umineko: When They Cry.”
His involvement， along with the storyline of “Silent Hill: Ascension，” has generated some controversy. As you might surmise， narratives centered around gender often invite scrutiny. Numerous debates surrounding the plot of “Silent Hill: Ascension” are currently unfolding online， with players aligning themselves into camps. However， the story itself is not inherently flawed， as it attempts to reflect historical realities.
Upon completing the game for the first time， players will likely grasp the general outline of the plot. After approximately 30 hours of gameplay and multiple playthroughs， with the unveiling of various endings， previously obscure dialogue will become clear， and lingering questions will gradually be answered. The gore， violence， and horror will all find their justifiable explanations.
Simultaneously， players may find themselves impressed by certain design choices， such as the red capsules that break the fourth wall， actively involving the player’s actions in the narrative’s unfolding. For those who have not yet experienced the game， I strongly recommend doing so. Information conveyed solely through others is susceptible to distortion during transmission.
Other aspects of the game are more straightforward to evaluate.
Let’s begin with the game’s optimization. The system requirements listed on the Steam store page are not excessively demanding. Recommended settings include an RTX 2080 or AMD Radeon RX 6800XT graphics card， and either an Intel Core i7-9700 or AMD Ryzen 5 5500 processor.
Despite these relatively accessible requirements， some players have reported suboptimal performance even on higher-end systems， with instances of unexpected crashes occurring.
My own setup， consisting of a 9070XT and a 7500F， initially suffered from missing character body models upon game launch， with only the head and limbs appearing， requiring a brief loading period to fully render. Other issues were manageable. Curiously， the game’s high frame rates， which I typically do not find problematic， induced a sense of nausea. Consequently， I resorted to capping the frame rate at 60 FPS.
Another point of contention is the significant discrepancy between the promotional artwork and the in-game character models. One might assume that only certain types of Japanese video content are prone to “cover fraud” with deceptive imagery， until playing “Silent Hill: Ascension.” The most common promotional poster for the game depicts Hikari with what can only be described as a quintessential Japanese anime-style beautiful girl face.
However， Hikari appears quite different in-game:
Oh no! The unwelcome touch of realism.
The character model is actually based on 26-year-old Japanese actress Konatsu Kato， who has appeared in works like “Tales of the Unusual.” Her appearance is not unattractive， and while the in-game rendition is not perfectly accurate， it’s still recognizable. The discomfort arises more from the mature facial features being transposed onto a high school student’s physique， creating a jarring effect. However， upon completing the game and understanding the narrative， one might perceive Hikari’s mature visage as a deliberate and fitting choice by the development team.
If all the preceding points are acceptable， you must brace yourself for the final hurdle: the exorbitant pricing typical of Japanese game releases. The standard edition retails for 391 Chinese Yuan.
Generally， a game priced above 300 Chinese Yuan can deter a significant portion of the Chinese player base. This pricing strategy of 391 Yuan can only be attributed to the publisher’s arrogance and a high-stakes gamble on the game’s prospects. It’s a bet on the IP’s reputation， the game’s quality， and the players’ willingness to pay.
This is not Konami’s first dalliance with such pricing. “Metal Gear Solid Δ: Snake Eater” and the “Silent Hill 2” remake last year also fetched prices around 400 Yuan， with similarly predictable outcomes. None of these three titles， including “Silent Hill: Ascension，” have managed to achieve over 30，000 concurrent players on Steam. The excessively high entry barrier has filtered out a majority of players， making the dismal data entirely understandable.
Adding insult to injury， on top of the already outrageous price， “Silent Hill: Ascension” committed another egregious error: it distributed the wrong player rewards for the deluxe and standard editions. In previous instances， such as the distribution of incorrect rewards for “Mystery Chronicle: I Am Setsuna，” we suspected issues with the publisher 505. For “Borderlands 4，” we pointed fingers at publisher 2K. Now， with “Silent Hill: Ascension” experiencing the same problem， one genuinely begins to question if the platform， Steam， might be at fault.
However， issues with Steam and problems with Konami are not mutually exclusive; Konami’s commitment to this particular game is indeed questionable. It’s important to note that the developer of this game is not Konami， but a company named NeoBards Entertainment， headquartered in Hong Kong， China. This company has previously collaborated with major publishers like Square Enix， Capcom， and Nexon， boasting an impressive outsourcing portfolio. However， their experience in leading development on their own projects is debatable.
For example， their previous work on “Resident Evil: Resistance” was later delisted by Capcom， leading to speculation that it was due to poor player reception， low profitability， or a lack of engagement. This track record raises concerns about their capacity to deliver a flagship title.
In conclusion， the series of rather peculiar decisions surrounding this game has left me quite speechless. I can’t help but wonder if the “f” in “Silent Hill: Ascension” stands for “fuck Konami.”
Of course， the actual quality of “Silent Hill: Ascension” is still noteworthy. With a 70% positive rating， it falls somewhere between a decent and a flawed game. Many long-time fans of the IP are not particularly fond of it， feeling it lacks the distinct atmosphere of prior installments. However， newcomers drawn by the allure of the “JK Valkyrie” seem to have a more favorable assessment.
Personally， I am inclined to offer a positive review. The reasoning is simple: if the Silent Hill franchise doesn’t evolve， it risks fading into obscurity. Silent Hill， as an IP that garners critical acclaim but struggles with commercial success， needs to revitalize itself. Otherwise， discussions about it will invariably circle back to “P.T.” from 2014 and the original “Silent Hill” games. While past glories are acknowledged， the sales figures paint a grim picture: the IP’s cumulative sales over two decades are comparable to what “Black Myth: Wukong” achieved in just three days—slightly over 10 million units.
It’s time to move beyond nostalgic reflections of past glories and focus on attracting new players. The true tragedy would be the cessation of new game releases altogether.
