December 15th, 2009 by MaxGamer101
AddThis
Also available on: PSP
Welcome to Silent Hill…

Both films and video games have their own definitive hallmarks in the horror genre. For Hollywood, there have been the masterworks from Alfred Hitchcock, Psycho, and John Carpenter, Halloween. Both films have left a lasting, iconic impression on the film industry. For games, we’ve had Resident Evil, F.E.A.R, and of course, the series based on the foggy, deserted and lifeless town of Silent Hill.

There are a number of reasons as to why Silent Hill broke the boundaries in gaming. One reason could be the game’s perfect execution of a horror atmosphere. The foggy, deserted town really terrified yet completely absorbed the player. The town was dead and had barely any life, just ominous noises filling the air. Nothing was clear. Everything in the town was shrouded by one fog after another. The game completely sucked you into this dead town and nailed executing a simple yet incredibly effective horror atmosphere.

Another reason could be its main characters and the story’s heavy focus on psychological horror. You really feel your character’s fright and pain in the series, and you can really believe that they are characters with real flesh and blood emotion. It is possibly these reasons in particular that to the series’ strong legacy.

Silent Hill: Shattered memories, the latest in the series, developed by Complex Studios and published by Konami, is a re-iteration of the original game. No, not a remake, a re-iteration, as the developers at Konami is consistently telling the fans. Whilst the game borrows a lot of the same qualities the initial game had, there have been quite a few twists, changes and turns added in to the experience.

Whilst a lot has been added, the already rich, deeply scary atmosphere the Silent Hill PSONE classic has been enhanced greatly. After all, the atmosphere has been one of the series’ strongest pedigrees. The execution in this game is already looking rather complete, and Shattered memories seems to experiment with a lot of different ideas rather effectively for the game play.

Where’s my daughter?

The game kicks off just like the original did. Your main protagonist, Harry Mason, has suffered a terrible car crash due to being blurred and steered off course by snow covering his view. Harry then finds himself alone and lost in this forgotten town. His quest, just like the original did too, involves you tracking down his lost daughter: Cheryl, but little does Mason know what horrors await him in Silent Hill.

The most noticeable change to the core game play is Harry’s inventory. He now has a wide variety of gadgets and materials at his disposal. Mason has a flashlight with him and a cool iPhone-esque phone that he will occasionally use and may even receive some in-game clues on via text messages. A small map with him highlights specific areas that he is either in or he may need to get to. However, these are the only items in the game that you can use. Yeah, seriously. Only those three. No other weapons for combat, nothing. No joke.

However, considering combat has always been the series’ weak point, it’s actually a blessing that it has been removed here. The game instead solely relies on you solving as many puzzles as you can and collecting as many clues as you can retrieve. There is a potential to be getting mauled by monsters, of course there is. But instead, the player needs to run as fast as he can to a safety point, or ANYTHING that can help you escape.

The puzzles in the game are shown by in-game clues either carved on a wall, or found out of discarded rubbish. You may actually need to use your phone’s camera device to zoom in to look for other clues, but they may come back as distorted images that you need to identify. It may be considered one big puzzler of sorts, but nothing could be further than the truth. The game’s puzzles actually look pretty clever, and more importantly, challenging.

Shattered memories also focuses heavily on the players’ consequence, how it affects your progression and even on the state of environment around you. If Harry completes a task in a heroic way, fewer changes in the game will happen. If he does not, more horrors will come your way, such as the unexpected character changing. The environment may also change in general, and will be done more subtly. For example, more subtle changes may be the change in mood and colour of the environment that Harry may be in. For instance, a section may turn into a reddish colour in a certain room to alert potential danger crossing your way.

Another change in the game are character personality switches. A policewoman that first appears early on in the game may change from a stern authority figure to a much wilder, sexier figure. Also, some characters that Harry has received help from can suddenly have a change of heart and bring him harm next time they meet.

Silent Hill effortlessly makes the player feel like a vital, fundamental part to the town’s atmosphere. There is an impressive diversity in the game’s mission structure and all of the missions affect how the story plays out. Nothing in this game feels half-baked. All of it has a reason, for truly horrifying purposes.

Creating the intended atmosphere

The series’ veteran composer: Akira Yamamoka once again provides an all-new soundtrack for the game. The game’s music is already as eerie and spooky as ever, blending the use of old chimes and instruments with a foreboding orchestral sound. The original’s fogginess and darkness is consistent in the overall surroundings. You’ll rarely have a clear view and the town of Silent Hill still feels just as dead as it did the first time around.

The specific areas the player explores are rather linear in nature, yet where you are is a question mark throughout most of the game. Your playable hero is utterly terrified and, of course, worried whether he will ever find his beloved daughter. As such, it is easy to relate to his predicament and not knowing where you are only adds to the sense of distress. Of course there is plenty to be distressed about. Your monstrous enemies are faceless, genderless creatures that will come after you whenever they spot you. They carry a sharp bite and will damage you severely when they attack you.

The clues and your interaction with other characters in the town are unpredictable. No matter what action you take, you rarely know what the outcome will be.

Be afraid, be very afraid…

The game does not impress graphically and it also has a few minor problems with the responsiveness of the controls. But those two issues are the only negative remarks I can make about the game.

Silent Hill: Shattered memories is an incredibly absorbing game, both in its atmosphere, and everything that you may encounter. Konami certainly have not forgotten at all of why the series is so frightening to us in the first place. This game is scary in all the best ways.

Graphics 7.9
Sound 9.0
Interface 8.1
Replay 8.0
Gameplay 8.3
Stability 8.0

How hooked?
8.0
(not an average)