Silent Hill or Resident Evil?

Key Takeaways

• Silent Hill and Resident Evil are iconic horror game series with unparalleled atmosphere and tension.
• Silent Hill excels at its setting and monsters, while Resident Evil excels at its combat and resource management.
• Resident Evil wins in overall game variety and quality, slightly better than Silent Hill.

Horror, a genre that has found its way into all types of creative media, will always have a legion of people who love it for a variety of reasons, whether it's aesthetics, storytelling style, or just plain thrills. Even though there are so many great new horror games coming out these days, we shouldn't forget Silent Hill and Resident Evil, pioneers of the genre that revolutionized it and brought it to the masses.

They are unrivaled titans of survival horror games who continue to inspire new projects from indie developers to this day. Let's take a look at how these epic survival horror series fared against each other as they created the ultimate legendary horror game.

Updated on Sep 2024 by Dennis Moiseyev. Is there anything more iconic than comparing Silent Hill and Resident Evil to determine which horror game series is better? Bloober Team has decided to revisit this article ahead of the Silent Hill 2 remake in 2024 and update it with the latest and most important comparisons between the games. If you agree, please let us know in the thread!

12 atmosphere

silent hill

There's no denying that the atmosphere of the original Silent Hill is an incredible achievement from the developers, especially considering that the game was released in 1999. Washed-out graphics, eerie sound effects, fog, story, monsters; All of this creates persistent and stubborn fear and fear. This continued in the sequel and became the main theme of the series.

Compared to the atmosphere of Resident Evil, which largely relies on the mystery of the situation and tons of zombies, it doesn't quite have the same effect. Zombies may or may not be scary, but the tone of the series as a whole is more B-movie than true horror.

11 nervous

resident evil

The original Resident Evil game had a lot going for it. One of them was the tension you felt. This was because the way the game was set up, especially the tank controls, camera angles, and unexpected jumpscares, made it feel like there was danger lurking around every corner.

The important thing is that these dangers may be sneaking up from behind, or several zombies may come towards you in narrow hallways. Of course, tension is a subjective term, so it could be argued that both games have strong tension. However, Resident Evil intentionally created tension by placing some enemies where they could not be seen from the established camera angle.

10 setting

silent hill

While the settings of Resident Evil games are relatively spooky, whether it's a massive mansion, a police station, or a town full of zombies and unnecessarily complicated, out-of-place puzzles, Silent Hill's setting is better suited to a horror game. . Some people might argue that massive mansions are scary, but Silent Hill's locations are designed to scare you to the core.

The setting of a horror game can make or break immersion, and in this case Silent Hill's setting works better. The thought of being completely helpless in a foggy town or an abandoned hospital sends shivers down our spines.

9 battle

resident evil

If you like horror games with more action and scares, Resident Evil definitely has the edge. In it, the horror comes from ridiculous traps to make Jill sandwiches or zombie dogs chasing you. Sure, it's not very systematic in cultivating fear, but the sudden threat of fear keeps attention and adrenaline levels high throughout.

There's no denying that some games in the Resident Evil series fall short when it comes to blending horror and action in equal measure, but those that strike the perfect balance have our hearts racing. And when those combat moments arrive, only Resident Evil delivers a truly polished experience. Because this was never Silent Hill's strong point.

8 *character

Resident Evil and Silent Hill – tie

When it comes to characters that fit the horror genre, Silent Hill and Resident Evil are equally strong in this regard. For the former, most of the characters feel human and flawed in their own way, some more than others. The reason this works is because they don't feel like superhuman beings who can get through any situation without sacrificing their sanity.

The main cast of the Resident Evil series feel like generic action movie characters who get through whatever comes their way, but that's literally the charm of the series (and why it's so legendary). Leon S. Kennedy, Claire Redfield, Chris Redfield, Ada Wong, Jill Valentine, Albert Wesker, Ethan Winters, and even the side characters are all very iconic.

7 weapon

resident evil

A big part of survival horror as a video game genre is the survival part. This means that the game should make you feel like you need to find tools to increase your chances of survival. One of the most important tools in the game are weapons, and Resident Evil has an abundance of useful and interesting weapons to help your characters fight against zombies and survive.

What makes collecting these guns better is that they are usually hidden, hidden behind puzzles, or split into parts that you need to hunt down. Some might argue that too many guns take away the scary aspect, but no matter how many guns there are, there are always moments in the Resident Evil series that will catch you completely off guard and scare you.

6 monster

silent hill

Zombies have been a staple of most, if not all, horror-based creative media, and Resident Evil was one of the reasons they became popular in the late '90s. But where Silent Hill is undoubtedly better is at creeping you out with inhuman, utterly disturbing creatures that emerge from the characters' own fears.

Resident Evil's Tyrant variants are memorable, but enemies like Pyramid Head and Silent Hill's Nurse are more iconic. Creatures in horror games that make you fear the dark or make you fall asleep after playing them are extremely difficult to create because they have to cause deep anxiety on a psychological level, and it's undeniable that the Silent Hill games got those aspects right.

5 Cheese flavor

resident evil

It may sound confusing to some, but Resident Evil's cheesiness works to its advantage. The way to do this is to lower the tension through vulgar dialogue between characters and then immediately hit a jumpscare that makes the characters jump and fear for their lives. The cheesiness extends to enemies too. The best examples are most of the bosses in Nemesis and Resident Evil 4.

Of course, this is most likely a product of the times and not a conscious decision. Because the 80s and 90s are the definition of cheesy. But whether intended or not, it seems to play an important role. And the Leon line from Resident Evil 4 is the best cheese to compete with the real 'big cheese', Bitores Mendez.

4 sound design

silent hill

For some reason, there's a general rule that audio quality can make or break the media that uses it, regardless of the quality of the rest of the project. A game can have the simplest graphics in the world, but as long as it is well made and has the right audio, it can make the gaming experience a million times better.

A perfect example of this is the Silent Hill series. All of the audio pieces have been specifically designed to provide features such as skin growls as well as radio static to warn you of approaching enemies. If you want to hear a song from a game soundtrack that delivers pure terror, check out the track 'Over' from the original Silent Hill.

3 resource management

resident evil

When talking about the survival horror genre, few people mention resource management as an important element within the genre. It may seem annoying having to count every shot and make sure you have enough room in your inventory for both guns and ammo, but it's the system that keeps Resident Evil games on their toes.

Avoiding zombies knowing you don't have enough ammo due to limited inventory space creates a unique type of fear. Some people may find the limited inventory space boring, but having limited space for your gun and ammo will make you worry about missing a shot.

2 Overall game variety and quality

resident evil

The biggest factor to consider is the legacy of each series and the overall longevity of the industry, and Resident Evil blows Silent Hill out of the water in this series. Silent Hill has suffered a string of defeats with the cancellation of almost all of its sequels and spinoffs, most notably 2024's A Short Message, PT, and the terrifying interactive mobile game Silent Hill: Ascension. A remake of Silent Hill 2 feels a little late, as it's already surpassed Capcom's numerous solid Resident Evil remakes.

Every Resident Evil entry offers a compelling story and innovative new gameplay, and the series has done a much better job of implementing the first-person account of Ethan Winters' journey than any Silent Hill entry. Team Silent's first four Silent Hill games will forever remain iconic and one of the best the survival horror genre has to offer, but Resident Evil's sequels, spinoffs, and remakes are just as well-made and even more memorable.

1 verdict

resident evil

It was an incredibly difficult decision, but Resident Evil beat Silent Hill by a bit. In the end, after examining every game, character, and gameplay across the series, Resident Evil fared better than Silent Hill. While the latter features excellent monsters, settings, and atmosphere, Resident Evil ultimately excels at providing a consistent, satisfying experience across each title.

Silent Hill is still a must-play for fans of the genre, but Resident Evil has a longer storyline, with beloved characters from each series visiting new areas and facing off against new and exciting enemies. Playing Resident Evil can be more exciting, while Silent Hill can be more of a depressing and emotional time (given its darker psychological horror nature), but both earn their stripes in different ways. Yes.