Silent Hill fans are not happy with Ascension or its microtransactions
Silent Hill: Ascension is a new interactive Silent Hill experience which fittingly premiered on 31 October.
The premise will see the story continue each evening at 1am GMT each day with decisions being made by the viewers as to where the plot will go. This plot will cement the viewers choices into the Silent Hill canon.
However, fans of the Silent Hill franchise are not pleased with the game for many reasons, evidenced by the Google Play store rating of 1.5 out of five. Some people are of the opinion that the game doesn’t resemble what is expected of a Silent Hill instalment. Others are concerned about the premise as votes are unable to be undone.
The biggest issue for many fans however, is that microtransactions dictate who actually gets any say when it comes to voting.
Silent Hill: Ascension makes heavy use of microtransactions
One of the biggest causes of irritation for fans of the franchise are the microtransactions involved in Silent Hill: Ascension, particularly as the experience is advertised as being free.
While it is possible to tune in and vote on decisions without spending any money, Influence Points (IP) are needed to really be able to influence the direction the game goes in.
There are a few ways to gain IP without opening your wallet, such as completing daily puzzles, however the main ways seem to be by purchasing the season pass or buying IP outright.
Silent Hill fans are upset with the microtransactions in Silent Hill: Ascension
Silent Hill fans have spoken out on social media to express their irritation at the fact that the game feels pay-to-win.
While technically there is no need to put money into the game, it seems like decisions only really matter when people can put a lot of IP into them, typically giving players willing to spend money more sway over the results.
“Holy cash grab,” one Twitter user wrote about the interactive story’s launch.
Another said: “I'm ok with Silent Hill Ascension looking like a shitty Until Dawn knockoff with QTEs ripped straight out of Man of Medan.
“What I'm not ok with is a narrative focused horror game having a fucking season pass and microtransactions.”
Jacob Navok, CEO of Genvid, has previously stated that the game will not be pay-to-win, and that players will not be able to buy a lot of IP to outvote other players, according to Polygon. Hopefully, once the game gains its footing, this will become more clear to players through the decisions made in the app.
