There are currently 19 Killers in Dead by Daylight, the four-year-old asymmetrical horror game developed by Behaviour Interactive. A number are based on genre tropes popularized by media in the 70s and 80s; evil clowns, crazed doctors, plague-bringing ancient zealots, etc. The rest are "visitors," licensed representatives from those movies that influenced Dead by Daylight, for instance Michael Myers from Halloween. Modern-day horrors have also been included, from Saw's Amanda Young to the Demogorgon from Netflix's Stranger Things.
To celebrate its fourth anniversary, Dead by Daylight is adding Pyramid Head from Konami's Silent Hill franchise to this esteemed pantheon. While the developers have previously incorporated content from Valve's Left 4 Dead in the form of a new Survivor and alternate costumes, this will be the first time an entire Chapter complete with a Killer, Survivor, and map is based on a video game. Before Behaviour's official reveal today, Game Rant sat down with Game Director Mathieu Cote, Creative Director Dave Richard, and Head of Public Relations Marie Claude Bernard to talk about what Pyramid Head will offer in service of the Entity.
The Silent Hill DLC Chapter will make some content available to all players when it releases for PC and consoles on June 16, such as a map recreating Silent Hill 1's Midwich Elementary School. The ability to play as Pyramid Head is locked behind a paywall, but even those who do not purchase the DLC may encounter a player using the Killer. Richard said that as a "hardcore" Silent Hill fan it was "important" for him to base the design and perks of this iconic character after his appearance in Silent Hill 2, so understanding that origin may help players know how to approach Pyramid Head.
Pyramid Head's Origins
Silent Hill 2 follows James Sunderland as he searches the town of Silent Hill to find his wife Mary, who despite dying prior to the events of the game has sent him a letter asking to meet. The player comes to understand that James' guilt over smothering Mary after growing frustrated with her deteriorating mental state due to a terminal illness has influenced the hellish Otherworld he explores. Pyramid Head becomes the judge and executioner for James in this world, a monster that is "a sadistic and merciless killer fixated on dispensing punishment through pain" according to Behaviour's press release.
These themes are what carry into Dead by Daylight, where Pyramid Head is called "The Executioner" and serves as a judge for every Survivor — including Cheryl, or Heather Mason from Silent Hill 3. According to Richard, "The first three Silent Hill games were mind-blowing and always in the back of my mind ... It just made sense for me to pick elements, the most iconic things, from each of the titles and make a big Silent Hill package." While Midwich Elementary School is a recreation of its PlayStation 1 iteration, Pyramid Head's model is similarly based on his PlayStation 2 origins, recreated with modern technology — though the monster has appeared in more recent iterations as a sort of mascot for the series.
How to be a Killer in Dead by Daylight
Cote said the inclusion of licensed characters starting with Michael Myers and Laurie Strode made a statement that "real horror lives in Dead by Daylight," but it also opened up unique and interesting narrative opportunities:
"The world of the Entity, our own Killers, it's critical that we continue to enrich that and make it more powerful. [The visitors] need to add to it, to have a place to play that is interesting and fun, then they can interact. This is the only place you can live the fantasy of having Freddy Krueger chasing Steve Harrington from Stranger Things in the house that Michael Myers grew up in."
In the lore of Dead by Daylight, the Entity is an "almighty malevolent being" that captures Survivors and Killers, traps them in Trial Grounds, and forces them to go through endeavors that allows it to feed on their emotions until it can consume the entire world. These "trials" are what play out in-game, as the Survivor characters are tasked with starting generators around the arena to open exits before being sacrificed to the Entity. In order to do so, Killer players must incapacitate their prey, carry them to hooks, and leave them there to be taken. Killer perks exist in service of these goals by facilitating the discovery of Survivors or making it easier to incapacitate them, as all four Survivors must be sacrificed for the Killer to win.
Pyramid Head's Playstyle
As "The Executioner," with powers, add-ons, and lore based specifically on his appearance in Silent Hill 2, Richard said Pyramid Head's unique perks are optimized around stealth and deception. "There are perks that will allow you not to become 'invisible,' but to better surprise the player for their judgment. You'll be able to hide a little better, make them oblivious to your presence, and also lure them to specific places without them knowing you're there."
One major way Pyramid Head is able to try and drive his victims where he wants them to be is through a new mechanic called trench drawing. By planting his giant knife into the ground, Pyramid Head can create a trench that forces Survivors to make a choice: Find another way to a particular location, or wade through the trench and become inflicted with the "Tormented" status. While a Survivor is under the effects of "Torment," if Pyramid Head puts them in a dying state he can begin the sacrifice sequence without a hook. He traps them in the "Cage of Atonement" bed contraption from Silent Hill 2, and Richard said he can execute them on the spot through a power called "the Final Judgment" before moving to a new victim. However, Survivors can still be rescued and escape from the Cage of Atonement.
Pyramid Head has a few options to incapacitate his prey. He has a normal attack by striking with his giant knife, but the developers have also created a "special ranged ability" that plays upon his build as a stealthy, expedient killer. Pyramid Head can send a "wave of dark force" using his weapon that goes through collision and walls. "[Survivors] only have a fraction of a second to adapt to this and evade being banished by this attack," Richard said.
Despite the language barrier, Cote said the collaboration with Konami was "smooth" because Konami was excited and understood the requirements of making content for video games. This "landmark moment" is just one step in an ongoing process that Cote said has evolved Dead by Daylight from a homage to movies from the 70s and 80s into "the place where horror comes to play."
Cote said the team still has a lot of original stories to tell so that Dead by Daylight is "first and foremost" its own lore that can invite visitors like Pyramid Head without "diluting" it. Any medium which could fit well within their world would be open to discussion in the future, he said, and there are still some properties that are "big enough" to make it into Dead by Daylight. However being recognized by "legends of our own industry" is humbling to the team, and Cote said they hope to do Pyramid Head justice.
"Pyramid Head is an imposing, threatening presence," Cote said. "In Dead by Daylight, it will be felt."
Dead by Daylight is available now for Android, iOS, PC, PS4, Switch, and Xbox One.