The horror game franchiseSilent Hillis well known for nightmare-inducing monsters laden with symbolism that are still scary to this day. Recently, however, oneSilent Hilldeveloper has publicly tweeted out their regret for having created one of the series' most iconic characters.
Pyramid Head’s terrifying first appearance inSilent Hill 2depicted “him” as an undetermined anthropomorphic character with a large red pyramid covering its head and a very large blade. This mysterious design became so iconic that future games continued to give the creature cameo appearances in future games, which is why this sudden announcement is shocking for many fans who know and love the sinister monster.
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Masahiro Ito was the art director onSilent Hill 2andSilent Hill 3, which became the hallmark for critically acclaimed horror games. His presence on Team Silent proved to be invaluable, with frequent lists titlingSilent Hill 2the best horror gameof all time because of the intense psychological horror among other things. However, Ito has recently tweeted out his dislike for designing the eponymous character in the first place in a blunt and serious manner. Even more concerning is Ito’s lack of explanation for his sudden and shocking claim, with many users theorizing the cause but with nothing conclusive being confirmed by Ito himself.
EachSilent Hillgame uses monsters and scary locations to symbolize trauma that punishes the player characters, withSilent Hill 2’s symbolic depictions of Pyramid Headbeing the most visceral and violent. Therefore, questions are being raised about the artistic disillusionment that Ito may feel now that the series continues to use Pyramid Head for cameos. Previous statements from Ito on Twitter show his lack of desire to use him in any possible futureSilent Hillinstallments and plans to kill the character if forced to.
Using previous tweets as a record of Ito’s views, he has also mentioned that his reasoning has nothing to do with the lack of payment for royalties or “statues” from Konami, as he has “never been paid for them in the first place”. Regardless of the exact reason, the mystery surrounding this figurehead of horror is an impressive feat that still chills players 20 years on, and Masahiro’s artwork for the first three games has left behinda lasting legacy for Pyramid Headthat keep gamers up late at night.
Due to game cancellations and unfounded rumors, it is unlikely fans will see a newSilent Hillgame for a long while. However, withother horror games such asSlitterheadin development, it’s clear that the trailblazing impact left by the series can still frighten and inspire horror fans to this day.
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