Silent Hill: Ascension Unleashes Interactive Horror on Halloween

Key Highlights:

• Silent Hill: Ascension is an interactive horror series premiering on Halloween night
• Viewers can influence the story through daily votes and decisions during live episodes
• The streaming show is free to watch, but a paid season pass unlocks cosmetics and bonuses
• Puzzles and challenges let viewers earn Influence Points to boost their decision power
• Packaged episodes recapping viewer choices will be available weekly after live airings

Silent Hill: Ascension Brings Interactive Horror Starting Halloween

The interactive streaming series Silent Hill: Ascension kicks off on Halloween night, allowing viewers to actively participate in shaping the disturbing events through daily votes and decisions. The premiere on October 31st marks the start of a 16-week interactive storytelling experiment blending horror, community and game elements.

A brand new trailer showcasing what’s on offer was released by Genvid a few hours ago as of this writing, that can be viewed below:

Created through a collaboration between Konami and developer Genvid Entertainment, Ascension takes place in the iconic survival horror universe of Silent Hill. Viewers will be able to influence the fates of characters and even impact aspects of the horror’s canon based on the collective choices made during episodes.

New episodes will air live five nights a week at 1 AM GMT/ 9 PM EDT, with the premiere being approximately 45 minutes followed by shorter 5-15 minute episodes thereafter. You can signup by going directly to the official website and sign up/in with your Google account. Genvid expects to generate around 45 minutes of new content each week through Ascension’s branching narrative.

Importantly, Silent Hill: Ascension is completely free to watch without any upfront cost. The companion app on iOS and Android devices is also a free download needed to participate. However, a paid season pass comparable to a game battle pass unlocks various cosmetic rewards, bonuses and privileges.

Paid Pass and Challenges Deepen Interactive Experience

While the series is freely accessible to all, viewers can purchase a $19.99 season pass to enhance their interactive experience. The six-month pass unlocks over 100 reward tiers such as character avatars, stickers and other cosmetics to show off during live chat. Pass holders also gain bonus Influence Points to weigh decisions more heavily.

Additionally, daily puzzles and challenges in the app provide opportunities to earn Influence Points without spending money. Rhythm games, lockboxes and tile puzzles will let engaged viewers gain points and aid characters in the story. Participation also allows fans chances to win speaking roles and cameos through live contests.

This combination of paid and free progression systems allows all levels of commitment and investment into Ascension’s interactive elements. Casual viewers can enjoy influencing the story while die-hard fans have avenues to go deeper through purchases and challenges.

Episodes Recap Viewer Decisions in Weekly Packages

While the premiere and daily episodes air live, the app and website will also host packaged versions summing up each week’s viewer choices in an easy-to-follow narrative. This allows those in time zones where live airings are inconvenient to catch up on key events.

More Silent Hill Content:

• Remake May Vastly Expand the Cult Classic’s Runtime
• SH 2 Remake Developer Provides Update on Game’s Progress

The packaged episodes will additionally be available through the Sony Pictures Core app on PlayStation and other Sony devices. Having weekly recaps makes the complex branching narrative more accessible as both a passive and deeply interactive experience.

With this news dropping on the darkest day of the year, recently the Silent Hill 2 Remake’s Steam page got an update that implies the development of the horror title may be nearing completion.

Overall, Silent Hill: Ascension represents an ambitious evolution of streaming horror through its merge of interactive storytelling, communal fandom and eerie live events. The Halloween premiere kicks off a grand experiment in letting viewers shape their own terrifying tale drawing from Silent Hill’s iconic lore and psychological horror.