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With so many avenues of entertainment, there is always a need to find new ways to engage the audience and keep them hooked. The interactive streaming genre is not new, but with Silent Hill: Ascension, Genvid and Konami are certainly hoping that the horror and crowd play elements would be big draws compared to the competition.
Yet, following the debut of the show, the reception has been mixed, and it has less to do with the actual, unfolding story, but rather the gamification and monetisation of the entire experience.
While Silent Hill: Ascension is initially positioned as a free-to-play experience, with players determining the next course of action using influence points, those who prefer not to dip into their wallets have very little hope of impacting the story. On-screen, there are constant reminders for players to spend money on influence points so they can make more of a difference, or to purchase the Founder’s Pack.
The US$20 pack will net players the Season Pass, unlock all puzzles, and grant exclusive emotes that Silent Hill fans will recognise as references to the legacy of the horror series. For now, players only have access to one puzzle, with three others locked behind the paywall, with the likelihood that access will be widened down the line.
As one would have hoped the people behind Silent Hill: Ascension would see, this line of thinking and hard-selling has not gone down well with fans or even people stumbling upon the series for the first time. The fact that the launch was plagued with issues didn’t help much either.
The only scant consolation is the buzz it has undoubtedly generated amongst those tuning in, with a live chat that has plenty of activity even when the show isn’t on. Perhaps bad publicity isn’t all that bad. The series is set to continue over the next 16 weeks, with new content expected to drop daily, while the results of the community votes will be summarised at the end of the week to determine the direction of the story.
Jake is a full-time trophy hunter and achievement gatherer on consoles, and part-time Steam Sale victim. He has a thing for Batman and awesome statues, and running out of space for both. Send help.
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