Chapter 767 - 767: Everyone Has a Silent Hill in Their Heart

If he had a choice, Zack really didn't want to play Silent Hill on a second or third playthrough.

That suffocating feeling was too much to bear, but he never expected Ben to be even tougher than him.

Ben not only beat the game once, but he also used a guide to unlock all the other endings.

The reason Zack was so sure Ben used a guide was that a quick look at the requirements for the other endings made it clear that Ben's intelligence likely wouldn't have been enough for him to discover these branching paths on his own.

In fact, it's the same for most players. Without exchanging information with others and then trying things out little by little.

The conditions for triggering the other endings in Silent Hill are frankly outrageous.

In the Silent Hill of his past life, the game originally had a total of 6 endings.

However, only three of them were actually related to the game's main plot.

Of the other three, two were joke endings, and one was an easter egg ending related to the first game.

So, when making the game, Lucas didn't include these three endings, as they weren't really connected to the game's story.

The three proper endings each had different conditions for being triggered.

Unlike traditional RPGs with multiple dialogue and branching options, Silent Hill judged which ending to lead to based on the player's habits.

It can be said that if you had no idea what you were doing, the ending you got on your first playthrough was definitely the Silent Hill in your own heart.

The first ending, where James leaves Silent Hill with Laura, is actually the easiest one to achieve. Zack and most players got this ending.

And the condition for triggering it is quite simple: just keep James's health above 50% at all times.

After defeating Pyramid Head, listen to the conversation about Mary in the hotel hallway, and then the ending will trigger.

These actions imply that James is thinking of Mary, but he also cherishes his own life.

So, he ultimately faced his inner demons and walked out of Silent Hill, which makes perfect sense.

The second is the suicide ending. Players need to control James to go to the hospital rooftop and read a diary. During the game, repeatedly observe Angela's knife, and at night, go to the bar and read the suicidal encouragement on the wall. Always keep James in an unhealthy state, and finally, listen to what's said in the hallway.

These actions also imply that James still deeply misses Mary, and due to his love for her, he developed suicidal tendencies.

Finally, he drives the car carrying Mary's body into the river with himself, a suicide ending that can be considered a natural conclusion.

Of course, there's also the last ending, the "scumbag" ending. To achieve this, you need to get close to Maria.

During the hospital section, Maria will temporarily leave the party because she's feeling unwell.

If the player controls James at this time, he can return to the sickroom to see Maria from time to time.

Later, in the prison scene, after Maria is killed by Pyramid Head, he will still go to the underground maze room where her body is.

And during the game, he stays very close to Maria.

Also, in the hallway, walk away quickly and don't listen to that conversation, and then Maria's ending will trigger.

In terms of conditions, this ending is more time-consuming and complicated, but considering Silent Hill's unique gameplay features, it's actually the second most frequent ending players get.

This is because, although Maria seems a bit strange at first, as the story progresses, players tend to develop a dependence on her. After all, in the eerie, foggy environment, having a companion by your side is always a comfort.

So, when Maria is forced to leave the party, many players, out of curiosity and other psychological factors, will involuntarily go back to check if Maria is okay.

For James in the game, these actions mean he cares more about the current Maria than Mary. Thus, leaving with Maria is also a natural outcome.

However, as they leave Silent Hill, Maria also starts coughing.

This implies that in the near future, Maria might also fall seriously ill like Mary, as if it's a cycle.

From the player's perspective, this ending is undeniably a bad ending.

However, many players liked the theme song of this ending, "Promise." If you listen closely to the music, you can almost feel Mary's emotions after being killed and completely abandoned by James.

And the theme song for this ending is called "Promise." Compared to the theme songs of the other two endings, "Overdose Delusion" and "Angel's Thanatos," it's clearly more ironic.

The song is called "Promise," but the ending shows James abandoning Mary and choosing to be with another woman.

Similarly, different endings lead to different interpretations.

Regarding these three endings, different players believe that the one they triggered is the so-called true ending.

Because, from any perspective, these three endings seem to have their own logic and can be explained.

Many players who completed the game, or watched others complete it, expressed their opinions on community forums.

Some players even frantically tagged Lucas's official Weibo, hoping for an official explanation.

But Lucas would obviously not grant their wish.

Because which one is the true ending, it's actually not that important.

Silent Hill is inherently a game full of metaphors.

Players have various interpretations of the game.

Similar to souls-like games, players have their own understanding of the game's world and plot based on the clues and information within the game.

This is the charm of open-endedness; there is no strictly defined answer.

Even the game developers might not necessarily say that a certain answer is the correct one.

Why should only the official version be correct, and players be wrong?

Just like those who have gone to Silent Hill in the game, everyone has a Silent Hill in their heart.

Similarly, every player has their own Silent Hill story.

What that story should be like should be what players themselves believe and understand.

Not something forced upon them.

(End of chapter)

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