Summary
TheSilent Hillseries represents a gold standard for the survival horror genre. What truly sets these games apart is that, rather than settling up for jump scares and spectacle,they use psychological horror and disturbing imageryin order to leave players feeling truly unsettled.
The games also come with a bunch of iconic boss fights. While some of these encounters are more about the themes of the game rather than a test of the player’s skill, others can present a challenge and will leave gamers with a headache on more than one occasion. Here are thetoughest boss fights throughout theSilent Hillseries.
Spoiler warning: This article reveals crucial plot points for several Silent Hill games.
Floatstinger is a rarity in theSilent Hillgames. It isn’t a representation of a disturbed psyche or a major character coming back to life; it’s just a giant bug. Protagonist Harry Mason encounters it relatively early in the very first game in the franchise, having uncovered more information about the disturbing events surrounding the titular fog-ridden town.
When the boss fight kicks off, Floatstinger is more of a pain than anything else. Resembling a giant hornet, it stays airborne and uses a variety of attacks with its stinger. It can be notoriously tricky to beat and is every bit as irritating as a real-life insect that simply will not quit, resisting any attempt to squish it into oblivion.
Grief abounds in the form ofSilent Hill: Downpour’s Sad Daddy, who can be seen as the personified guilt and trauma experienced by Murphy Pendleton following the death of his son Charlie. This boss battle is one of the most oppressive in the series, as the atmosphere is especially dark and gruesome. The hanged man before the player eventually convulses and morphs into a grotesque pile of flesh.
The battle is one of the more drawn out in the series, as the creature lashes out repeatedly and has a repulsive ranged attack where he vomits blood and offal. Unless the player has amassed a serious horde of guns and ammunition with which to blast him repeatedly in the face, he can be a challenge to take down.
Silent Hill 4: The Roomchanged up the formula by switching the setting and incorporating a first-person perspective for portions of the gameplay. The plot involves the connection between a cursed apartment and the serial killer Walter Sullivan,one of the nastiest characters in the seriesand the final boss of the game.
But this isn’t as simple as it sounds - Conjurer is a ghostly apparition who assists his corporeal self while fighting the protagonist, and while the two entities are working in unison, they are impossible to beat unless Henry can obtain Walter’s umbilical cord and use it to unlock the necessary weaponry to defeat him.
One of the most visually unpleasant entities inSilent Hill(and that’s saying something), Asphyxia appears in the third act ofSilent Hill: Homecoming. She also hasone of the most tragic backstories, as she represents a murdered child who was strangled to death by her mother in order to satisfy the supernatural cult, The Order.
Asphyxia appears as a sort of human centipede (not to be confused with the film of the same name), made from fused-together human torsos, and she is one of thestrongest enemies inSilent Hill. She uses her multiple limbs to perform brutal swipe attacks and has a vicious 360 degree attack via her tail-like appendage.
6Incubus (Silent Hill)
This Godlike Creature Can Make Life Hell
The firstSilent Hillgame was revolutionary inprioritizing atmosphere and multiple endingsto keep the player on their toes. Having endured all manner of sinister beings and supernatural trauma, beleaguered father Harry Mason must go toe to toe with a creature whose appearance resembles the pagan deity Baphomet.
The horrid beast erupts from Alessa Gillespie’s back. By the time she appears, the player has already spent much of their ammunition and resources, meaning that they must summon all their resilience to withstand her pesky lightning attacks. Matters are made worse by the size of the area she fights in, where the player is constantly vulnerable.
Heather Mason is one of theplayable characters in theSilent Hillfranchisewho has an extra rough time. DuringSilent Hill 3’s climax,she confronts antagonist Claudia and finds out she has been tricked into giving birth to an abomination that could end the world. Emerging from a nightmarish flesh cavity in the ground (a staple of theSilent Hillgames), the being known as God is a screeching, grotesque monster who puts up a big fight.
Appropriately for her name, God has a high health bar and fearsome powers, and one hit from her can affect the player’s life by 50 percent. Get too close to her, and she can dish out close-quarters punishment, but she also has deadly ranged attacks.Resource management can be a big help, but players should still be prepared for a grueling fight.
4Memory Of Alessa (Silent Hill 3)
A Girl Boss In More Ways Than One
It all gets a bit messy in this boss battle, as the multiple incarnations of Alessa Gillespie return to make life unbearable forSilent Hill 3’s Heather, who isone of the most selfless characters in the franchise. Not only must she defeat the many forms that Alessa takes, but she must also do it while riding the carousel at an amusement park, at nighttime.
Alessa has an absolute feast of attacks to choose from, be they melee or weapon-based. She makes use of knives, pipes, handguns, and machine guns in order to reign brutal harm down upon the beleaguered teenage protagonist. The carousel setting adds to the challenge, as Alessa is a dab hand at evading an attack by the player.
Synonymous with the franchise to the point wherehe is essentially its mascot, Pyramid Head first appeared inSilent Hill 2and has been a video game legend ever since. The nightmarish executioner is the not-so-living embodiment of protagonist James Sunderland’s unresolved feelings over the death of his wife and pops up in a pivotal boss fight.
The challenge here is that, during the fight, he summons a mirror version of himself to join the battle. His brutal stabs, swings, and spear-gouging are effectively doubled, making things even more traumatic for James. Having to fend off the pincer attack from both Pyramid Heads makes some of the most frustrating moments in the entire game.
2Scarlet
This Devil Doll Fights Harder When Attacked
The developers behindSilent Hill: Homecomingmust have been feeling especially sadistic when concocting Scarlet, the second of four boss encounters in the game. Here, the player will have little more than an axe in their inventory with which to do battle, and their fiendish adversary comically outmatches them.
Scarlet’s bite attacks become stronger the more she is struck. She is also incredibly nimble and can scuttle all over the place, almost mocking the player’s attempts to take her out. The eerie vocals that play during the fight make the whole thing even more unnerving, and the fight can take well over 20 minutes if she isn’t handled properly.
1The Amnion
An Atrocious Arachness Who Fights Dirty
Fast and deadly, with an appearance that will upset even the strongest stomachs, The Amnion is the final boss inSilent Hill: Homecoming.Her scary spider-like appearanceis mixed with all manner of bio-mechanical nastiness, and she is one of thehardest bosses in all ofSilent Hill.
Her deadly vomit can inflict severe damage, and her ghoulish metallic limbs can also crush the player to death. Her speed means that it’s incredibly difficult to find an opening in which to fight back, and her truly hideous second form of a pregnant woman makes the battle even more nerve-shredding.
