Silent Hill: Ascension - the new interactive Silent Hill story which allows players to vote on different outcomes and influence its plot - has been received very poorly by fans, largely due to its inclusions of microtransactions and a paid season pass.
In theory, Ascension had the potential to be quite a hit - with each new daily installment, the audience has the power to make major decisions that will be locked in for good, and will impact Silent Hill canon. While it’s free to sign up and watch the action, to make your votes have more of an impact, you need to use Influence Points (IP).
According to Polygon, there are ways to earn IP for free, but it’s also possible to pay for set amounts of them with real money. This mechanic, along with the season pass and $19.99 / £19.99 Founder’s Pack (which contains “a full season of content” as well as some extra cosmetics, rewards and IP), hasn’t gone down well with everyone, as reflected by its current 1.8 out of five star rating on the Google Play Store, and numerous social media posts.
“This app is completely garbage. You [put] microtransactions in it? Really? Lmao this is a joke for Silent Hill and the app interface is horrible. I deleted it. You should too,” one Twitter user wrote in a tweet directed at the Silent Hill: Ascension account.
Another tweeted: “I'm ok with Silent Hill: Ascension looking like a s****y Until Dawn knockoff with QTEs ripped straight out of Man of Medan. What I'm not ok with is a narrative-focused horror game having a f****ng season pass and microtransactions. I fear for [the] SH2 remake and Silent Hill F.”
Silent Hill: Ascension premiered (fittingly) on October 31, and new parts are available each day at 9pm ET / 6pm PT / 1am GMT / 12pm AEDT.
If you’re looking for some terrifying games to play, look no further than our recommendations for the best horror games and best indie horror games.
