Fractured Fright

Silent Hill: Shattered Memories

Platform: Wii
Publisher: Konami
Developer: Climax
ESRB: Mature

Silent Hill: Shattered Memories is a bold, ambitious attempt to reinvent survival-horror. It’s a game of big ideas, intended to break the shackles of genre tradition and create a more convincing nightmare. That if falls just short of those lofty goals is a disappointment only because we have to settle for something merely good when the potential for greatness is so explicit.

Still, this return trip gaming’s creepiest zip code is worth taking. Few, if any, Wii titles provide a more immersive experience. For starters, wielding the Wii Remote as a flashlight works brilliantly (no pun intended), and the lighting effects that accompany it are truly impressive. So, too, are your surroundings, which boast an amazing level of detail–each locale feels unique and realistically adorned (if a bit dilapidated, of course). The game also uses the remote as a phone to great effect, with calls and voice mails playing through the controller’s built-in speaker. I was so strangely compelled by this particular feature that I couldn’t help but call every number I found printed on a sign or billboard (all of which actually work). A GPS and other relevant applications are accessible from your phone, as well, eliminating the need for any sort of onscreen display. Plus, the ways you interact with the world are very organic, making intelligent use of the Wii Remote without going overboard. It’s all in the name of creating that suspension of disbelief- making you feel like you’re really in Silent Hill.

To pull you in even further, Shattered Memories employs a psychological profile, kicking off with a therapy session in which you, the player, must fill out a personality survey. Your answers will affect the game in a number of way, from the appearance of certain character to how the story unfolds. Additional session are sprinkled throughout, acting sort of like thematic chapter breaks and building on your profile. The Silent Hill series has always had a strong psychological component, but this novel approach makes it more personal. The game really does get in your head, and you’re constantly wondering what you’ve done to make things a certain way. (Fair warning, though: the therapist asks you some pretty personally and potentially embarrassing questions, so you may not want to play with friends in the room.)

Yet for all the great work it does drawing you in, the game is never able to leverage that into something truly scary. It’s uncomfortable and unsettling, to be sure, but doesn’t leave your nerves completely frayed like the first three games in the series did so effortlessly. The main source of terror is supposed to be the chase scenes, which are triggered when you reach certain points in the adventure that have you running away from monsters. It’s a great idea in theory, and I certainly don’t miss the awkward combat from previous installments, nor the mood-breaking tedium of scouring the town for weapons and ammo. But the fact that you’re in danger only during these scenes removes a lot of the tension from the rest of the game. They’re not very dynamic either; aside from knocking over the occasional bookshelf and picking up flares to keep the monsters at bay, you’re really just running from point A to point B. A few more items or environmental interactions would have gone a long way.

The reduced emphasis on horror puts greater importance on the game’s puzzles. Fortunately, they’re some of the best in the series–creative and varied, yet never obtuse. Plus, the clues are always cleverly integrated with your surroundings and do a nice job of encouraging exploration. The narrative is quite engrossing as well, and concludes with an inspired twist that you’ll never see coming.

So though it may not be the unqualified success we were hoping for, Shattered Memories proves an audacious and ultimately compelling experiment. We only wish it put our extra pairs of trousers to better use.

–Steve T.

Magazine Review scans


source: Fractured Fright, Nintendo Power, Volume 249, Holiday 2009 (pg. 84) | 12/01/2009