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Hideo Kojima and Guillermo del Toro unleash marketing genius with 'Silent Hills' teaser

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In the gaming world, it's almost impossible genuinely surprise anyone anymore. The constant speculation surrounding industry showcase events such as E3 and Gamescom means that most fans know exactly what to expect and their suspicions are almost always vindicated. By and large, this year's Gamescom was quite underwhelming. Although Sony probably gained the most kudos out of their impressive, but by-the-book conference, it was still essentially what everyone was expecting, a back-patting victory lap following a year of steady PS4 sales. Everyone presenting at the event followed protocol, wheeling out a member of staff who played through a pleasant, but forgettable gameplay demo to be followed by somebody from Sony walking onstage to boast about sales figures. Rinse and repeat. Of course, not everyone is Hideo Kojima, and the gaming worlds most divisive (and arguably only) auteur has pulled it out of the bag once again with a little help from Guillermo del Toro, who is effectively the Stephen Spielberg of modern horror cinema.

Kojima has stated that Silent Hills will be developed alongside Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain, but has yet to announce a release date

Originally revealed at Sony's pre-show conference, the cryptic title was unleashed for free on unsuspecting PS4 owners (myself included) immediately following its announcement. Supposedly created by an independent studio called 7780 Games, the game (if you can even call it that) is a first-person experience with the suffocating, nightmarish atmosphere of a David Lynch movie and the cryptic puzzle solving mechanics of... well... a Silent Hill game. The player exists in a seemingly perpetual loop, walking through the same hallway over and over again, triggering different horrific events as he or she delves deeper into the game's twisted dark heart.

The 'Silent Hills' reveal

To explain any more would be doing the demo (because that's what it is) a disservice, but suffice to say it is perhaps the most terrifying gaming experience I have ever encountered. In fact, it's so intense that it almost makes playing last year's bone-chillingly terrifying indie-hit 'Outlast' feel like playing Crash Bandicoot by comparison. What's really remarkable, however, isn't necessarily the game itself, but the very idea of using a 'Playable Teaser' (you understand that title yet?) as a marketing tool. In short; it works very well indeed. In fact, so well that a title I didn't even know was in development until this weekend (an impressive feat in and of itself) has now been catapulted almost instantaneously to the very top of my list of “Most anticipated games.” It might be a marketing gimmick, but it's an incredibly effective marketing gimmick!

Originally revealed at Sony's pre-show conference, the cryptic title was unleashed for free on unsuspecting PS4 owners (myself included) immediately following its announcement

Of course, Kojima and del Toro have both stated that the game wasn't supposed to be unveiled this soon, as they assumed it would take at least a week for anyone to crack the game's maddeningly cryptic code. But this is 2014 so the final reveal (which only comes after you've completed a series of seemingly arbitrary movements within the game) was on YouTube within hours and P.T was actually exposed as a teaser for Silent Hills, the next game in the Silent Hill franchise that is to feature The Walking Dead's very own Daryl Dixon (Norman Reedus) in the lead role.

P.T. Gamescom 2014 Trailer

The reveal is quite similar (in theory) to the initial reveal for Metal Gear Solid V, a game that Kojima is polishing off as we speak and was given its own (unfortunately not free) warm-up mission earlier this year in the form of 'Ground Zeros'. Kojima has stated that Silent Hills will be developed alongside Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain, but has yet to announce a release date. It's unlikely that we'll see the final product until the end of next year at the very earliest, but stranger things have happened and Kojima is never adverse to a welcome surprise!

Benjamin Hiorns is a freelance writer, musician and avid gamer from Kidderminster in the UK who genuinely struggled to sleep last night. Be forewarned; DONT LOOK IN THE SINK!

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