Reference to Silent Hill in OD trailer? Kojima leaves riddle

Hideo Kojimaknown for its deep and elaborate narratives in games, appears to have included a subtle reference to the iconic horror series Silent Hill, from Konami, in its latest trailer for FROM. The new title, exclusive to Xbox and previously known as Overdosewas officially presented during the The Game Awards 2023 last week, highlighted by an intriguing trailer that focused on the actors’ faces.

The reference was initially noticed by the Brazilian website Central Xbox and confirmed by VGC, when analyzing the video on Kojima Productions’ official YouTube channel. During a scene with the German actor Udo Kierdiscrete letters appear in your mouth in five separate frames — by adjusting the video’s brightness levels, for example, you can clearly identify the letter ‘A’.

When placed in sequence, the letters form the word ‘Atami‘, a Japanese city located in Shizuoka Prefecture. Interestingly, Shizuoka’s kanji script is made up of two characters, with the first meaning “calm”, “quiet” or “silent” and the second representing the word “hill”.

It was discovered that during the OD trailer, some letters appear during the frames. They form the word Atami, which is a city in Shizuoka, in JP it is ??

Separating the kanjis and taking their literal translation, we have:
?: quiet, silent (silent, quiet)
?: colina (hill) pic.twitter.com/e47ESzlokM

— Central Xbox (@centralxboxbr) December 11, 2023

Speculation about Silent Hills

This apparent reference to Silent Hill in the trailer generates speculation about why. In 2012, Kojima began working with filmmaker Guillermo del Toro on a new game in the series titled Silent Hillswhich was introduced through the famous demo PT. The teaser ended with the revelation that it was, in fact, a title from the horror franchise starring Norman Reedus, but shortly after that, the project was cancelled. Reedus later collaborated on Death Stranding.

Assuming the lyrics are indeed a mention of Konami’s suite of games, it’s unclear whether they are implying that FROM could be another chapter of Silent Hill or just a quote from the late title — which is likely, considering its relationship with the Japanese giant.

Additionally, it was announced during TGA that Kojima is working on the new title with Jordan Peele, director of Us e Don’t Look Up, along with several other yet-to-be-revealed collaborative partners. This project marks another chapter in the renowned developer’s career, in which he continues to surprise and intrigue fans with his enigmatic creations and hidden references, maintaining constant anticipation for what will come next.

And you, what do you think? It’s actually a reference to Silent Hill? Tell us on social media Voxel!