I’ve Been Thinking About P.T. for 10 Years

I wasn’t a fan of Silent Hill in 2014. To be honest, I had never even touched one of the games in the series. But once I booted up P.T. on my PS4, long before I knew it had anything to do with the series, I was hooked. From its haunting first-person perspective to its cryptic narrative, it delivered a terrifying experience that kept me thinking about it for the past ten years.

For many, P.T. was more than a game—it was an event. Its mysterious release on the PlayStation Store as a free “playable teaser” offered no hints about what it was beyond the title. A complete mystery ready for a community of eager players to unravel. That collective discovery process was part of what made the experience so impactful.

Players quickly realized that they were not just playing through a demo they were solving something larger, one piece at a time. It was almost as if everyone online was working together to figure out each step. From cryptic puzzles to whispered rumors about hidden mechanics. The immersion of discussing theories, piecing together clues, and hearing rumors about solving the teaser’s intricate puzzles was such a unique aspect of gaming at the time.

The environment of P.T. was one of its greatest strengths. Despite the entire game confining you to a single looping hallway, the tension never lets up. Every loop introduced subtle changes, making the world feel unstable and unpredictable. From flickering lights to the eerie sounds of a crying baby or the sudden appearance of Lisa, the game’s hostile ghost, P.T. mastered the art of suspense. Even when nothing was happening, the atmosphere made it terrifying. I remember walking through that first hallway, sweating before anything even occurred. The game’s ability to instill fear without relying on constant jump scares was a testament to its brilliant design.

One of the most engaging aspects of P.T. was its unconventional mechanics. There was no clear guide or objective, no overt explanations, which made each playthrough a puzzle in itself. I still question to this day whether we ever truly figured out all its secrets.

Did speaking into the PlayStation’s microphone really solve a puzzle? The idea that your voice, an external input, could affect the game was unique. It’s a shame we never got to see how that idea could have been developed in a full game.

And that’s where the real tragedy of P.T. lies. It wasn’t just a teaser for any game—it was a teaser for Silent Hills. A collaboration between Hideo Kojima and Guillermo del Toro, starring Norman Reedus. The revelation at the end of P.T. was shocking and the prospect of this dream team working together on a full Silent Hill entry was beyond exciting.

But then Kojima and Konami publicly and dramatically parted ways. Not only did Silent Hills not survive the fallout, but P.T. was completely wiped from the PlayStation Store. You can’t even redownload it if you had it before. To a game preservationist like me, it’s our worst nightmare. To this day there’s no way to play the original teaser. It was heartbreaking when the project was canceled, especially since P.T. had built such a fervent fanbase in such a short amount of time.

Even though we never got Silent Hills, P.T. left an indelible mark on gaming. Its influence can still be felt today, particularly in how it inspired Resident Evil 7 to take a first-person approach. Norman Reedus also carried on his collaboration with Kojima in Death Stranding, ensuring that the creative partnership didn’t entirely go to waste.

Still, after a decade, I can’t help but feel cheated. We were so close to getting something truly special. P.T. wasn’t just another horror game; it was an experience that transcended the genre and reshaped the way we think about fear in games. It opened the door to countless possibilities and, in a way, changed the horror gaming landscape. But we’ll never know what Silent Hills could have been, and that’s a regret that will linger for years to come. Even though P.T. was ultimately just a demo, it left an impression far greater than many full-length games ever could. Ten years later, I’m still thinking about it, and I probably won’t stop anytime soon.

P.T. was available on the PlayStation 4.