Creating Silent Hill | How the 'Team Silent' Newbies Created a Horror Classic | Game Documentary

[@TheAufziehvogel]

You've given the Silent Hill Community a huge present here. Because Konami abandoned the IP (and we still don't know it there really is something new in the works), it is important that the Silent Hill Franchise will not be forgotten. Such high quality documentaries are very important to keep the name alive. Really looking forward to Part 2.

[@Genasidal]

Good news: we've got a whole slew of games on the way!!

[@reercudi]

@@Genasidal With Konami you never know is it good or bad news

[@sebastiantafoya3609]

​@Genasidal it has been nothing but disappointment.

[@walmartian422]

On a technical level they don’t look great but honestly I always thought every silent hill after the first game were janky pieces of garbage and always inferior compared to resident evil. The allure of these games was the universe and atmosphere the gameplay was always pretty bad.

[@TheAufziehvogel]

@@walmartian422 Yeah, no. The gameplay was neither janky or bad, it was simply the most basic stuff. And it worked. Also there were a few things Silent Hill introduced Resident Evil only implemented way later like shooting while moving and getting rid of tank controls. Of course Resident Evil became an even bigger Juggernaut over the years but we all know how Konami handled the series.

[@scrunglenut6222]

holy shit. this is the first video on silent hill that's taught me something new about the game in probably a decade. amazing work!

[@shibitoobscura3348]

10:28 Since you mention it, I'll just pause the video here to share a couple of fun facts: - Frédérick Raysnal, the creator of the first Alone in the Dark (and therefore, arguably the creator of the modern survival horror genre) was born near my town. He received La légion d'honneur in Paris for his heavy contribution to the video game industry, through Alone in the Dark, the same day Michel Ancel (another very influencial French game developer who created Rayman, Beyond Good and Evil and King Kong the game for Ubisoft, among other things. - The second fact concerns the connection with Biohasard / Resident Evil. After Shinji Mikami finally admitted that Alone in the Dark (1992) was by far the biggest inspiration for his Resident Evil, and that if it weren't for this game, Resident Evil would have been an FPS shooter, Frédérick Raysnal commented on this in a couple of interviews. This is what he said, translated from French to English by me: "Back then, I was no longer working for Infograme [editor of Alone in the Dark] when those controversies occured, but I was told of them. Infograme was really not happy, they could see how RE ripped off many elements from our game. As for me, I must confess it did hurt me [that Capcom and Mikami denied having played Alone in the dark and denied any inspiration from it]. I'm not looking for glory, aknowledgement or anything like that. But the contrary was harsh. When the team and the creator fo Resident Evil claim "No, I've never heard of Alone in the Dark", I was like "This is really not honest, at all". I remained hurt by this, for a long time. And a couple of months ago, when Shinji Mikami eventually said that Alone in the Dark was of course the main inspiration for Resident Evil otherwise it would have been an FPS game, I was relieved, happy. I'm even eager to meet him, so I can thank him. It was a relief because I'm a honest person, and I think that it must have weighted on him for all these years. And now that he was no longer under contract [with Capcom], he probably felt the need to admit it out loud. So, thank you so much Shinji Mikami, I hope we'll meet one day." This interview happened around the time of The Evil Within, after Shinji Mikami, who was no longer working for Capcom, was able to speak freely about Resident Evil being heavily inspired by many aspects of Alone in the Dark, something he had denied for years. Sorry, this was a little off-topic regarding the purpose of your video, but I thought these were nice pieces of trivia. I will now continue my watch of the History of Silent Hill, which is so far very informative and entertaining, just like your previous documentaries about it and most of your content. Thank you for keeping up the researches and sharing them.

[@Scarshadow666]

Those are interesting facts! Not surprised that it took a lot of time and distance from Capcom for Shinji Mikami to admit Alone in the Dark's creative influences (considering how a lot of old video game companies tend to be like that).

[@Borahkreth]

merci pour l'info

[@lewiswatson1690]

So as a person with experience as a voice over technician, I can say that the choice to leave a gap between the actors lines is to give the editors and mixers more options. They do in fact remove those gaps in post. However this means the team silents choice to leave those gaps in is rather certainly a creative choice

[@danielmeredith4222]

The was one of the most best episodes ever muse cheers and thankyou so much. Silent hill definitely deserves all the attention xo

[@derekb4977]

She made a few like this awhile back history I mean.

[@luisvelasquez1577]

Appreciate your devotion to a genre that is like no other !! Silent hill has been incomparable to anything ! Good work , looking forward to your SH2 follow up

[@lucidsounddriverlsd1567]

Already rewatching again! Really can’t get enough of this one, makes an already personal game feel so much more personal on so many levels

[@Vexicrypt]

The amount of work, time and dedication you've put in this documentary is huge and I really respect that. Silent Hill is one of my favorite games of all time since childhood so thank you for making this, its was a blast to watch.

[@dingus_maximus]

I’ve been playing Siren for the first time, and it has so much of SH1’s DNA it’s crazy. You can tell Sato and Toyama worked on it, lol. It’s like an alternate universe where SH1 was more aimed toward a Japanese audience rather than an American one. But at the same time it also has so many of its own interesting ideas, narratively and gameplay-wise.

[@alanreyes3451]

I've been watching your videos since i was in middle school. Im in college now. I love your videos and all the passion you put into your work. Very excited for the second video :)))

[@LobselErik]

This was very chill to watch, looking forward for the continuation when it comes :D

[@meimei8718]

Thanks for bringing up the voice acting! I have always thought that I was just missing something when it came to the delivery of these lines. I knew these people were proper talent and not just staff but I couldn’t argue with anyone who told me it was “bad.” Now I finally have a source I can sight and a reason to speak my mind in defense of silent hill acting.

[@shibitoobscura3348]

1:46:30 About TV commercials, I would like to add a little trivia: The European ad had the Richard Darbois as a narrator (although he only just says "Silent Hill" with a deep voice). He's arguably the most famous and most prolific French voice actor. It's actually an unexpected and fun fact that one of his minor works was related to Silent Hill.

[@Derptheraux]

Thanks!

[@thegamingmuse]

Thank you so much! :D

[@Zeithri]

I love the voice acting in Resident Evil, Silent Hill and Alone in the Dark. Honestly, RE's voice acting is probably the most *realistic* one for how people would actually talk in such a situation. Sure it's not Legacy of Kain amazing, but it's special and that's why I love it. 1:36:00 - " "Including *Sudoken II* " x3 Excellent video.

[@Ramt33n]

silent hill is like fine wine, the older it gets, the more people appreciate what a beautiful experience it was!

[@FulmenosQuiesce]

Thank you for doing such an excellent job telling the story of one of my favorite games especially addressing the people and inspiration behind it, as I really didn't know many of the details you covered. I think there's very little coverage (at least that I have seen) on the peoples and decisions behind the game (or the IP at large). Personally I blame Konames (really) bad reputation for this, since I honestly have tried to divorce the IPs I love from the company that published them to enjoy what came out without being put off by some of their decisons on them, of which Silent Hill may be the most abused of Konami's original IPs (although I'll grant there's stiff competition for that). Thanks for making such a great documental!

[@Kurdinov83]

You have no idea (maybe you do) how much you've helped quench my thirst for knowledge regarding SH1. So much info, so much heart poured into this! Muse you rock!!!!

[@animegirlprincess]

Oh this is great! You did so wonderfully! So many details and context in japan and their culture. It's wild how things turned out the way they did and how well known and loved SH is to this day.

[@noiselessfox7618]

Absolutely meticulous Work. I love how Silent Hills Hardcore enthusiasts are always so relentlessly thorough and look at the big picture in a realistic way. Thanks for highlighting the individual developers so fairly, without putting one developer on a massive pedestal. Much Love!

[@Konis45]

A must watch for anyone into SH! Thank you for the research and hard work that went into this.

[@reercudi]

It's fascinating how when you look at the history of team's creation it's a few long time workers and many young people with little to no experience in their jobs. Times were surely different back then. Nowdays in your 20s you need to have 10 years of experience to get a job at big company. And so many aspects of Silent Hill's creation and success were a complete concatenation of circumstances

[@SOLIDSNAKE.]

Hey muse! You know how mentioned how the classroom was hell in the 60s student to student murder? Abuse? All I could think of was SILENT HILL F!

[@andrewh.8118]

Love hearing how they all teamed up,truly a special crew of innovators without realizing the impact. Talking about showing up at the right place at the right time with new possibilities in gaming industry.

[@haideus5226]

Really enjoyed the documentary, best piece of silent hill material I've seen on youtube. I usually don't make any comments on here, but this one I really enjoyed. Awesome job, the dedication on the franchise is highly appreciated!

[@beingdealtwith]

This was a fantastic documentary, really appreciate the research that went into covering aspects of the developers backgrounds, interests, and creative decisions. The storytelling was spot on, reminiscent of silent hill. Thoroughly enjoyed this. Thank you for putting in so much effort to put out this excellent documentary

[@Branchofsin]

I’ve been a silent Hill fan and a fan of the team who created it since 1999. I’m 32 years old still playing SilentHill and it’s honestly my favorite game. I didn’t know most of this history. Things are very hard to find so you did your research!

[@stax3330]

this is literally so amazing! i wondered why there was no documentary for SH when its such a huge deal in the industry. amazing work!

[@VinceOmega]

This is probably the best doc on Team Silent I've seen on KZbin. It's amazing. (Also, I had no idea that Akira Yamaoka did the music for Kensei: Sacred Fist! No wonder that game has such an awesome soundtrack.)

[@blastradius9136]

I knew Jacob's Ladder defienely had an influence of the first game's nightmare world art style. The first second time I play Silent Hill that movie came to mind after playing the Midwich School level.

[@zlodrim9284]

All of your Silent Hill docs are a treasure and one of the best videos to be found on this platform. Thank you very much, they've been really informative for a newcomer to the franchise such as myself!

[@l1z4rdon7]

The design elements like the characters looking like irl actors from movies for example is not surprising. Artists from every medium from drawing to painting to sculpting (ect.) use real life references all the time to help create accurate depictions of whatever we need it for. Especially if you’re new to a medium or you’re just wanting to be as realistic as possible then you would refer to real life references. Everything about the PS1 and that generation of video games in general were brand new to everyone in the industry, so you’d need all the help you could get if you were gonna develop content for the PS1. I just don’t want people to think that the developers were being lazy. They were very smart and knew what they wanted and Silent Hill is the best game on the ps1 in my opinion

[@TheRealJackArthur]

This video was fantastically made. Thank you for posting!

[@CornRecords972]

This is exactly what I needed for this afternoon.

[@skatee99]

I must say (as a Film & Video alumni from Columbia College Chicago) and an avid video game player: I, of course, have always loved the Silent Hill game series since the start. Yet for SO long, I had always wondered who had the true genius and creativity to create the first game. As is always the case in KZbin searches, I came across many videos claiming to present the story, many having much more views than yours. Yet, after watching them ALL, yours is the best researched and to the point. (The others are all WAY to bloated and go off on useless tangents.) Many do not realize the time it takes to make such a video as yours. The research, video clips, stills, copyright concerns, audio and narration issues, and finally, editing. You did a GREAT job in actually addressing my initial curiosity - Who were the geniuses behind this great game and, what was their inspiration. You deserve much more views, keep up the good work. Much success to you!

[@detectivemurciano8606]

I do not understand why you got just 50k subs. You did an astonishing job here. You deserve a prize for your investigation. Congratulations. Greetings from Spain.

[@arirj4080]

I am only halfway through but what an incredible documentary this is already. Your love for the game is clear as day and I appreciate the thorough research you poured into this. Thank you!

[@CaiSpidox]

Recently been on a silent hill binge..retrospective of the games, this was wonderful and I have subbed so I can see how this series continues. I remember getting the special edition of silent hill 2 and watching the 'making of' multiple times. Great work.

[@synaestheticstudios]

Please post this in its entirety when it's done streaming pls!!

[@mythlover20]

Another excellent video, muse.

[@Kenb3d1]

Really incredible work. Thank you for putting this together. Love the level of depth, covering the lives of the artists so often overlooked.

[@jakedizzle]

This video is going to blow up for sure. It was the first video that showed up on my feed when I opened KZbin on my phone. Excellent work.

[@velosiped135]

Great introduction. As a teenager in the early nineties discovering anime and Japanese pop culture, I always wondered why they depicted the destruction of their country or capital in everything. Makes more sense now based on the type of media they were consuming and their not-too-distant past.

[@dungeonsanddobbers2683]

I think that's more to do with the cultural impact of the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki than the occult-boom.

[@littleboatvids]

Thank you for making this! It's incredible :)

[@leonardvole9760]

33:13 - WAIT! Silent Hill is an English translation of a real town? Could Shizuka Oka be the setting for Silent Hill f?

[@ryanjoband9082]

I'm so thankful you made this. To all of my fellow silent fans, this series will live on in our hearts forever

[@lomein9751]

I’ll meet you there when the sirens sing homie

[@CypressDahlia]

As a person who works in both indie and AAA game dev, usually "lack of team coordination" is a big red flag. But then you have people like Yamaoka and Muranaka who made bold, creative choices (imagine hearing Spanish ballads, hip hop and folk rock in a horror game OST) that would somehow benefit the franchise more than any boardroom decision could have.

[@Illstatefishing]

Amazing work on an amazing game, so much history!!

[@josephsouza9599]

This video deserves way more views than it has! This is a full on professional documentary

[@javier-xe6bv]

AMAZING documentary very great quality, you are getting better and better, keep the amazing work.

[@lordlobo1818]

Awesome video. Great job! I learned that Midwich Elementary was based on the school in Kindergarten Cop, which is the school I went to as a kid.

[@lucidsounddriverlsd1567]

Any chance you’d ever consider doing for any other entries (2 would obviously be amazing but Silent Hill 4 always feels like such a mystery in the line up)

[@thegamingmuse]

ill be doing all the games! currently the first four are written and being prepped for videos, and the research for origins is ongoing

[@midnightotherworld8056]

@@thegamingmuse I think Homecoming is the one I've seen the least of, just some interviews and stuff inferred from development materials :(

[@lucidsounddriverlsd1567]

Oh wow I can not wait

[@derekb4977]

@@thegamingmuse hey girl thanks for the great team silent games over the years.

[@jaredparsons9582]

Bravo bravo! So much backstory and detail in this documentary. This is amazing and right up my alley. I’ve always loved reading about the people behind the games but never got this much information at one time.

[@bombastik_bomb]

insane work, and research. thank you for making such deep investigation, and going in full detail about everything that is told about the game development. big like to you, but it's sad that not many people are aware of this video, because it shows the extremely true passion that was put into it.

[@santerihuida4215]

These are so good, this is pretty much my favorite channel now

[@Hugo_Tate]

this is phenomenal! I seriously didn't want this to end lol thank you very much for this video and all your hard work. ✌

[@Vox_Phantom_Mark-VI]

My favourite game of all time. My favourite franchise. Your history is rich of details. Thanks Silent Team, for this masterpiece. Thanks for this short documentary.

[@thaimuturay9671]

Hands down one of the best in depth documentaries made on the series. Great work!!

[@boscorner]

Fantastic work on this. I'll never tire of finding new information about the development of this masterpiece

[@elchabonification]

I keep comming back to see this Silent hill series. Thank you so much for making it!!!

[@Tomorrowomari]

Outstanding work. This channel has become a personal favorite

[@Keysandcrystals]

this is amazing!! makes me excited to see even more from you!

[@user-xi5zy2nb6c]

absolutely incredible video. i'm in awe at the depth and detail of your work at piecing together the timeline for the game's development. instantly subbed!

[@blainealexander5091]

Wow, simply great. I was going to cancel out thinking this would be a bare bones doc but hot damn - you did a great job and now I am invested in all of these!

[@jimwalton8973]

Thank you for this excellent documentary on one of my fav game series. It sure helped me recover from a depressive phase watching it.

[@blastradius9136]

Siren is a underrated horror classic and I wonder if Keiichiro Toyama used The Evil Dead as influence for the "Shibito" creatures in that game. Those zombies remind me of Deadites specially from Evil Dead 1.

[@JonnyBeoulve]

This documentary is remarkable. You deserve praise for this work.

[@Wanderlauch]

I've been a hardcore fan since it's release, and yet I've learned so many new things about Silent Hills development. Vielen Dank for this!

[@ClamsQuentino]

Insane devotion to SH, love it. It's really funny to see Nostradamus's influence on japanese culture, as here in France it's basically become a meme haha.

[@equalskat]

You have made the best videos on silent hill across the whole internet

[@LongWangHung69]

Absolutely wonderful work. Thank you so much. I cant wait to watch your SH2 video

[@thommybepunkt7111]

[@Arkayruz]

My favorite SH, and a truly outstanding video. Thank you. Deeply.

[@kellevichy]

Subbed; this is an AMAZING video on Silent Hill. It had so much information I had no idea was out there; thank you for your hard work.

[@edvinsrakickis8801]

You have the best SH content on KZbin. Period.

[@petrinhos]

Amazing work, Muse! One of the best on the platform.

[@loldoctor]

Just a correction to around 43:00, the PS1 didn’t have a Z-buffer.

[@thegamingmuse]

interesting since i found multiple interviews which mention it as a problem. perhaps a translation issue?

[@whoisyouranime]

I just want to say thank you for your video. Your research was brilliant and you have done a service for Silent Hill fans. Thank you very much.

[@Brainstorm411]

Incredible work, Muse!!! Thank you for making this 🙏

[@wojciechkowalik4949]

Thank you for this video and the entire series. It’s very insightful and well made!

[@galamotshaku]

thi gotta be the best and most complete documentary about the making of silent hill 1

[@joshuaclouse7610]

This was well done thank you for the video

[@marioaudito]

Thank you so much for your work. You made me an even bigger fan of Team Silent Also props for tremendous work.

[@snakeeaterstbk]

Absolutely fantastic video, thank you. Must have been a hell of a research

[@Robahue]

I really appreciate the video seems to be based on facts, and not made up stuff, or interpretations. Thanks!

[@hardcorecarlo]

How can such a well made, beautiful narrated and greatly edited essay had so few likes!? WTF people!

[@DesireeEagle]

I love how you've explored the world inside Silent Hill. Now befitting, that we explore the world that created Silent Hill from a production angle.

[@angelbless45]

Your videos are amazing. You put so much effort into research which I particularly find admirable. Keep up the great work!

[@couchfrog4823]

It is amazing that you can still dig up all of this information about Silent Hill

[@Kyuubipain]

By far one of the most fascinating stories I’ve ever heard, it’s inspiring!

[@MrJodrok]

Loved this so much, the effort really pays off i promise

[@Occult_Detective]

What a joy to watch. Incredible work!

[@projectonestar]

You gave them the best props that could ever have been given. Thank you so much.

[@xlovur]

just excellent. So well made. Thank you for your work!

[@4071816]

this is unbelievable work given the language barrier, thank you

[@sozaj]

You forgot one other thing with which Japan also became obsessed: the Year 1999. No seriously! Think about it! X/1999: a manga about the end of the world. In the Macross series, the titular ship crash landed in Japan in 1999. In Chrono Trigger, Lavos emerges in 1999 AD And there are numerous other examples in Anime and Video Games. Also, the Dreamcast Launched in 1999! And in the USA it launched on 9/9/99!

[@freewilliam93]

The amount of work put into your vids is amazing.

[@maniaulakh5696]

Juuussstty discovered you channel. Love it! Great work!

[@dhz4]

Amazing job, this was quite informative. Thank you.

[@Teknoman]

Just came across this while looking up survival horror games / something to give me a push on my next game, and this was wonderfully informative! Awesome work