A Look At Survival Horror - Silent Hill

As the intro video played I felt goosebumps all over my body. The scenes were eerie and enthralling. The main theme set a desperate tone, consuming the player. A man who lost his wife was driving down a highway. Apparently heading towards the town of silent hill. As his daughter falls asleep in the passenger seat the man driving saw the figure of a woman, a ghostly visage. Startled, the man swerved sharply to avoid hitting the woman and the screen turned bright white. I chose the normal difficulty and pressed start.

What captivated me about this game was the atmosphere. A thick blanket of fog enveloped the entire town. Buildings and streets, strangely abandoned. Clues are scattered around, Shattered glass and blood stains tell a story with no words. The darkness, illuminated solely by a small flashlight harry has in his pocket. Every street is a dead end, leaving the player with a sense of sheer dread for what lies ahead.

Harry woke up in a diner, dazed and confused. He is approached by a female police officer, Cybil. who gives him a handgun and heads further into town to seek help. With little to go on and no help in sight, Harry heads out into the fog to find his daughter, Cheryl. The streets are plagued with ferocious dogs and hellish flying creatures, resembling pterodactyls. Armed only with a pistol, a melee weapon and a small radio, we are left to wander the streets of silent hill.

As if the world wasn't scary enough, There are alternate or (otherworld) parts of the game that transform the town into a rusty, bloody, pitch black nightmare! the monsters are stronger, faster, and more blood thirsty then ever! The scary atmosphere in these sections is amplified ten fold! The music playing is nerve racking and the random glass shattering and distant footsteps leave you questioning your next move.

The plot thickens! I didn't know what was happening to this town, and I didn't care. I wanted to find my daughter and get out! Not an easy task. With knife wielding grey children, zombified nurses, blood hounds, and ape like creatures around every corner, you'll be lucky to make it out alive.

As you wander the town you will eventually run into unique puzzles and key items, all essential to story progression and engrossment. The choices you make in game effect the ending, of which there are several! searching every dark corner of this town could lead to uncovering the mysteries behind the surreal occurrences in silent hill. This took immersion to a whole new level for me. I was Harry Mason. I wanted answers. But I was not prepared for the truth.

As far as the franchise goes, Silent hill 1 and two remain my all time favorites. silent hill 3 was good to. There have been soooooo many sequels. Often with convoluted storylines that bounce around between iterations. If you have never played silent hill, i recommend playing the first two. They have at least some connections to story and continuity. Not that the other games are terrible and should be avoided. On the contrary. I recommend playing all silent hill games, to familiarize yourselves with the series and hopefully loving it as much as I do!

As an initial installment, silent hill sets itself apart for its unique approach to the survival horror genre. The overall artistic design and attention to presentation make silent hill a must play title! A mixture of puzzle solving, gritty combat, and terrifying atmosphere make for a one hell of a gaming experience the likes of which I had not seen or experienced before! Enjoy your stay at Silent Hill, I know I did!