Chapter 767: Everyone Has a Silent Hill in Their Heart

If he had a choice, Zhang Yi really wouldn't want to play through Silent Hill a second or third time.

That oppressive feeling was truly unpleasant, but he never expected Old Song to be much more ruthless than him. Not only did he complete a playthrough himself, but he also looked up guides to unlock other endings.

As for why he was so certain Song Ren used a guide, it was because a quick understanding of the trigger conditions for the other endings made it clear that Old Song's intelligence might not be sufficient to discover these branching points on his own.

In fact, this is true for most players; without communicating with others and slowly experimenting, they wouldn't find them. The conditions for triggering the other endings in Silent Hill can only be described as outrageous.

In the previous life's Silent Hill, there were originally six endings in the game. However, only three of them were related to the main game's plot. Of the other three, two were comedic gag endings, and one was an easter egg ending related to the first game.

So, during development, Chen Xu did not include these three endings, as they weren't significantly related to the game's main story.

The three normal endings each had different trigger conditions. Unlike traditional RPGs with various dialogue and branching options, Silent Hill determined which ending a player got based on their habits.

One could say that without any prior knowledge, the ending a player triggered in their first playthrough was definitively the Silent Hill in their own heart.

The first ending, where James leaves Silent Hill with Laura, was actually the easiest to achieve. Old Zhang and the vast majority of players triggered this ending.

The conditions for this ending are also very simple: just keep James's health above 50% at all times. After defeating Pyramid Head, listen to the full dialogue about Mary in the hotel corridor, and this ending will be triggered. These actions signify that James cared for Mary but also cherished his own life. Thus, it was natural for him to confront the sin in his heart, overcome it, and leave Silent Hill.

The second ending is the lovers' suicide ending. Players need to control James to read a diary on the hospital roof, repeatedly observe Angela's knife during the game, read the pro-suicide messages on the bar wall at night, consistently keep James in an unhealthy state, and finally, listen to the full conversation in the corridor.

These actions imply that James still deeply missed Mary and developed suicidal tendencies due to his love for her. Ultimately, he plunges the car carrying Mary's body and himself into the river, a fitting end for a lovers' suicide.

Then there's the last, 'scumbag' ending, which is a cycle of reincarnation. To achieve this ending, one must be close to Maria. In the hospital level, Maria temporarily leaves the party due to feeling unwell.

At this point, if players control James and repeatedly return to the hospital room to see Maria. Later, in the prison area, after Maria is killed by Pyramid Head, they must continue to visit her corpse in the underground labyrinth room.

Furthermore, during the game, they must always stay very close to Maria, and in the corridor, they must walk quickly and not listen to the entire dialogue. If these conditions are met, the Maria ending will be triggered.

In terms of conditions, this ending is more time-consuming and complex, but considering Silent Hill's unique game characteristics, this is surprisingly the second most frequently triggered ending.

This is because, throughout the game, Maria initially gives players a slightly eerie feeling, but as the story progresses, players tend to develop a dependency on her. After all, having a companion in the eerie, dim, and foggy scenes is always a comforting presence.

So, when Maria is forced to leave the party, many players, out of curiosity and other psychological factors, instinctively go back to check if Maria is still there and if she's alright. For James in the game, these actions mean he cares more about the current Maria than Mary, and thus, leaving with Maria is a natural progression.

However, as they leave Silent Hill, Maria also begins to cough. This implies that, perhaps in the near future, Maria will also succumb to a serious illness, just like Mary, in a cycle of reincarnation.

From a player's perspective, this ending is undoubtedly a bad one. Yet, the theme song for this ending, 'Promise,' is loved by many players. Upon careful listening, the music seems to convey Mary's feelings after being killed and utterly abandoned by James.

The theme song for this ending is titled 'Promise,' which, compared to the other two endings' theme songs, 'Overdose Delusion' and 'Angel's Thanatos,' is clearly filled with irony. The track is called 'Promise,' but the final outcome is James abandoning Mary and choosing to be with another woman.

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

Because, from any perspective, all three endings seem to have their own logic and can be explained. Many players who completed the game, or watched video playthroughs, expressed their opinions in community forums.

Many players even frantically @-mentioned Chen Xu's official Weibo account, hoping for an official explanation. But it's clear that Chen Xu would definitely not fulfill this request.

Because which one is the 'true ending' doesn't actually matter. Silent Hill itself is a game full of metaphors.

Players have various different interpretations of the game. Just like Souls-like games, based on various clues and lore, players each have their own understanding of the game's world-building and plot.

This is the charm of 'negative space' (leaving things unsaid); there is no truly strict answer. Even the game developers don't necessarily have to declare a single answer as definitively correct.

Why should only the official interpretation be correct, and players' interpretations be wrong? Just like those who venture to Silent Hill in the game, everyone has a Silent Hill in their heart.

Similarly, every player also has their own Silent Hill story. As for what this story should be like, that should be what the players themselves believe and understand, rather than something imposed upon them.

(End of Chapter) <>