What is R&D Version?

[Burning Man]

In the middle of the credits, there's a section that says "R&D Version Staff" and then it lists a whole bunch of folks at Konami and HexaDrive. Your friend, Atsushi Tsujimoto, is actually listed as Director and Chief Game Director for Game Development in the "R&D Version Staff" section but not the main "Silent Hill: The Short Message" section at the start of the credits.

If I'm right about what I think this "R&D Version" is, Konami and HexaDrive may have developed a prototype game, a predecessor if you will, before they eventually finalized on Silent Hill: The Short Message. Tsujimoto was the Chief Game Director for that R&D Version but not the main, final one. Okamoto is also credited as the Main Scenario Writer for this R&D Version.

Curious to know how different this R&D Version is compared to what we got as Silent Hill: The Short Message.

If I got the ordering correctly, the final game has these characters listed as "Cast" and "Voice Cast":

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Anita 	Fadile Waked
Maya 	Haruka Sakaguchi
Amelie 	Debora Uehara
Anita's Mother 	Tony Hosokawa

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Anita 	Jeannie Tirado
Maya 	Anne Yatco
Amelie 	Brendan Arteaga Walsh
Anita's Mother 	Larissa Gallagher
Classmates 	Brenna Larsen, Jay Preston, Andrew Russell

The R&D Version section has these characters listed as "Photo Models" and "Cast":

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Anita 	Fadile Waked
Maya 	Yui Moroi
Catarina 	Angelina
Leon 	Shannon Yotaro
Clara 	Maria Rybalka
Amelie 	Debora Uehara
Emil 	Joseph Carlsen
Anita's Father 	Martin
Louis 	Tyler Toic
Jasmine Rose 	Priakhina Ksenia 
Obhrai Harmeet 	Pozo
Mahendra 	ALPHA
Arnaud Le Gall 	Dmytro
Natale 	Masato Aihara
So Saeki 	Eva Soutoul
Phoenix 	Elisa Le Gall Yosino

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Anita 	Hannah Grace
Maya 	Miki Clark
Emil 	Eric Vieira da Silva
Leon 	Jon Sabay
Catarina 	Thina Shimada
Clara 	Keren Louis
Anita's Father 	Jeff Gedert
Anita's Mother 	Rachel Walzer

[Wigeke]

Maybe research and development? Might be an early version where they were trying a bunch of different things.

[Burning Man]

We may need to do some investigation here. The credits are too elaborate for it to be trying a bunch of things. It's notable that Mineshi Kimura of Metal Gear Solid series fame is listed as the Art Director for this version.

Miki Clark, who is listed in this version as Maya (I assume as the voice), has a YouTube channel and a video released in October 2020 that mentions that she lost a job because of the pandemic. Considering that we were supposed to get a SAKURA game in 2021, I'm starting to wonder if this is a canned version that would have been released if it went through. It's strange enough that such a version would get a credits listing, but perhaps Konami felt that they wanted to recognize the efforts that went into this R&D Version.

[Sabitsuki]

Details of the R&B version were leaked a few months ago by Dusk Golem, the person who also leaked some images back in 2022. In short: there were more than 20 characters, a gameplay system similar to Shattered Memories where you had to investigate the environment to discover pieces of the story, more endings and a whole subplot dedicated to the Order.

Regarding the Order, according to Dusk Golem, it was mentioned in Playable Concept: Sakura that the cult had been near extinction after the events of SILENT HILL 4, so they had to find new ways to expand globally and gain new adepts. Through the internet, they began to promote radical political ideologies and hate speeches as recruitment mechanisms. At Anita and Maya's school, their classmates and teachers were members of the cult. The suicides that took place in the Villa were part of an occult ritual.

Dusk Golem thread on Twitter: https://unrollnow.com/status/1789675972301828299

Famitsu article, where Okamoto mentions Sakura and how the original setting was “darker” than Short Message: https://www.famitsu.com/news/202402/09332546.html

Machine translation: "The early stages, we had a set that would allow us to make a feature film, and there were more than 20 characters. However, in the end, I decided to put it out as a single short film, so this time I will complete it all with "SILENT HILL: The Short Message" and will not be involved in any other works (...) For example, other classmates, their ancestors, etc. It still exists in the setting, but I decided not to mention it because it would make the story too long. On the other hand, I think that narrowing it down to three people made for a beautiful story. (...) In fact, the content was a little different from the original story, and it was originally much darker. It just makes you feel bad."

[Chris Sunderland]

For some reason I like what we got better. Just a short simple game tied adjacently to the series. Though it's hard to love what you can't see.

[leftshoe18]

It would be interesting to see some more stuff from the R&D version some day. I agree with Chris that I like the game we got.

[Burning Man]

Thank you so much, Sabitsuki. This was highly informative.

Based on Dusk Golem's posts and the ordering of the Famitsu article: that part "In fact, the content was a little different from the original story, and it was originally much darker. It just makes you feel bad" sounds like there was an earlier version of Silent Hill: The Short Message's story that was much darker than the finalized version. Dusk Golem's description makes the R&D Version sound very different from the final version, not just a little.

In other words:
- Silent Hill: The Short Message that was released.
- Silent Hill: The Short Message with initial story that was much darker.
- R&D Version with more than 20 characters including classmates and the girls' ancestors.

Kiichi Kanoh of Alterciws is credited for the Scenario, so there had to be a transition from Motoi Okamoto as the Main Scenario Writer for R&D Version and Kanoh for Silent Hill: The Short Message. If the story was just a little different, I would think Okamoto should have continually been credited.

[The Adversary]

I've read about The Order's inclusion in SILENT HILL: THE SHORT MESSAGE. That sounded terrible and I'm glad it was 86'd. Not sure we need a Silent Hill: 4Chan Edition out there.

[Sabitsuki]

Thank you so much, Sabitsuki. This was highly informative.

You are welcome. It's also important to note that the “Stone Castle” was briefly mentioned in SILENT HILL: Ascension, so Okamoto was clearly planning some continuity between the new projects and the old lore.

https://youtu.be/rOvyH1-3uug?t=22

[The Adversary]

You are welcome. It's also important to note that the “Stone Castle” was briefly mentioned in SILENT HILL: Ascension

What does the Stone Castle have to do with THE SHORT MESSAGE? The game I played never mentioned any Stone Castle.

[Sabitsuki]

You are welcome. It's also important to note that the “Stone Castle” was briefly mentioned in SILENT HILL: Ascension

What does the Stone Castle have to do with THE SHORT MESSAGE? The game I played never mentioned any Stone Castle.

I was referring to the R&D version. According to Dusk Golem, the Stone Castle was a ritual being performed in The Villa to "feed" the Otherworld.

[The Adversary]

I was referring to the R&B version. According to Dusk Golem, the Stone Castle was a ritual being performed in The Villa to "feed" the Otherworld.

Silent Hill: Rhythm & Blues Edition. Into it.

But gotcha. I didn't see that referenced elsewhere in the thread so wanted clarification.

Still glad that The Order plot was removed. That would imply James, Eddie, and Angela — or anyone called to Silent Hill — would have been "sacrifices" to the Otherworld. And that's just silly.

[Sabitsuki]

Silent Hill: Rhythm & Blues Edition. Into it.

But gotcha. I didn't see that referenced elsewhere in the thread so wanted clarification.

Still glad that The Order plot was removed. That would imply James, Eddie, and Angela — or anyone called to Silent Hill — would have been "sacrifices" to the Otherworld. And that's just silly.

Yes, the whole cult thing was weird. I'm just curious if the original Short Message story had more references to SILENT HILL: Ascension. If I remember correctly, The Purifier, the deity that Ascension's religious organization worships, was also briefly mentioned in the R&D version.

[Burning Man]

Still glad that The Order plot was removed. That would imply James, Eddie, and Angela — or anyone called to Silent Hill — would have been "sacrifices" to the Otherworld. And that's just silly.

I don't think it's that silly. Silent Hill 2 had these placards: Oppressor, Seductress and Gluttonous Pig. Silent Hill 4: The Room appeared to have reused the concept with its own: Temptation, Source, Watchfulness and Chaos. Four people were sacrificed for it.

[The Adversary]

I didn't watch ASCENSION outside of the first episode, and that was on my birthday so I don't exactly remember it clearly. (There was tequila.) I'll get to it eventually.

Silent Hill 2 had these placards: Oppressor, Seductress and Gluttonous Pig. Silent Hill 4: The Room appeared to have reused the concept with its own: Temptation, Source, Watchfulness and Chaos.

The latter four were killed as part of the ritual of the 21 Sacraments for the Descent of the Holy Mother. That doesn't necessarily make them sacrifices to the Otherworld.

It isn't exactly Audrey Jr. yelling at Rick Moranis to Feeeeeed me!

[Burning Man]

It's also important to note that the “Stone Castle” was briefly mentioned in SILENT HILL: Ascension, so Okamoto was clearly planning some continuity between the new projects and the old lore.

True. After ten years of inactivity, it looks like Okamoto had initially made efforts on world building. This R&D Version would have had connections to other works. Ascension may not have received many favorable reviews, but it could give us some insight into that world building.