Silent Hill: Shattered Memories

When driving through the quiet vacation town of Silent Hill, Harry Mason crashes his car(this takes the idea of doing so and its potential consequences and runs with it), and awakens to find his daughter, Cheryl, missing. He goes looking for her, and instantly discovers... that the similarities pretty well end there. This references the original(with locations and events), but "nothing is quite right", making you question how this relates to it(alternate dimension, sequel, coincidence…?), and we get to feel less and less like we know who our protagonist is… his characterization(appearance and behaviour), by the way, along with every other person in this, can be altered by the brilliant and unique psychological profiling feature. You are asked yes or no questions and go through tests, a great addition to replayability(since you can now(for the first time in this series) get more than different endings, it affects scenes throughout it(not how they end up, but how they get there... read on)), and if you are honest, it will find things that will upset you, and use them against you, things will go the way you fear they will(while I can only speak for myself, it utterly nailed me). It is a short experience(and you may just want to rent it if you aren't intending to see all the different versions), taking me only 5 and a half hours - and now that I know where to go and what to do, it probably wouldn't even be that. Since everyone has a cell-phone today, and it can do quite a bit, this puts one in your hand, as well... literally; the Wii-Mote doubles as it(with the D-pad navigating the menus), as well as the now regular type flashlight(it's no longer in your chestpocket), which you can point anywhere you want to(and it'll adjust your view, and thus what direction you're headed in). It can engage and receive calls(any number you find in this, you can call, though it doesn't particularly change things), and you'll get text messages and voicemails... the latter two not only from those you've met in this, but also ones giving a few details on tragic stories(like the ones where you'd get a block of text(from a book, a newspaper article, etc.) that you'd have to stop right there and read, in the others... that wasn't bad in those, still, it's nice to do something else), it's where you save progress(it may go to the nearest checkpoint; you won't have to redo much), you can take photos(of anything, really... what it's meant for is the area-trapped ghosts, which make up essentially all the supernatural aspects of this... this is psychological thriller, not psychological horror with fantasy in it), and the map(that no longer automatically draws out the spots where you can't pass... you can do so, yourself, putting decisions back into our hands(again, the other way wasn't bad)). The puzzles are almost all focused on utilizing the motion controls(they're on the level of Homecoming, if that, immensely easy), you "pull open" a closet, etc. When solving them, you zoom in by using B, then grab something with A, and you can now interact with what you grabbed(which is highlighted so you can find it). A key to a door is in the same room as you need it(there is no inventory). In fact, other than aforementioned, you can only pick up "mementos", things that means something to someone, somewhere. This is rather immersive, if it isn't as effective at that as the Penumbra Collection, maybe because here you can't do things that you'd expect to be able to. Unlike in those, when facing enemies, this doesn't allow you to distract(by way of throwing something to make a noise), fend them off at a slight range, blocking their path can only happen in very specific spots and hiding from them doesn't seem to do any good. The two types of monsters(both pale, skinny humanoids, one of them looking like a doll with extremely thin(or nonexistent?) joints) try to grab you(if one or more of them are successful, you can shake the joysticks to throw them off(and remember, there's no health pickups)) and chase you(running as fast as you...!), making you think of the Dahaka, the guardian of the timeline, in Prince of Persia: Warrior Within - except here, you don't know where you're going, several paths lead back to where you started or into a dead end, and bringing up the map(or putting it away afterwards) both take far longer than they should(why can't you bring it up and lower your arm within a second or two, like you could in real life?). Walking quietly and without a lightsource makes them a little slower to find you, and if you find a flare(there's at most one per sequence), activating it holds them off(until it runs out), only you then can't check where you're going(without dropping it to the ground, and you can't grab it afterwards). And yes, all of this with the foes is only true of the Nightmares, the altered Otherworld(outside of them, there are no attacks), that are now brief, intense bits(though as I described before, they get increasingly frustrating) where you have to get from point A to B as quickly as possible. And in place of fog, rusty metal grates and grotesque imagery, this has everything ice over, looking very unwelcome and isolated. It is hard to recognize where you are because of the visibility and the bluish tint. The story is the focus as usual(and as it should be), and it really draws you in. Because of the length, it also moves ahead at a fast pace. Voice acting is great, with our lead providing the occasional exception to prove that rule. There is disturbing content, and a little moderate to strong swearing, blood and violence in this. I recommend this to any fan of the series(provided they can keep an open mind about the changes) and of this sort of thing in general. 9/10

Positives:

• Musical score
• Presentation
• Some of the atmosphere
• Most of the gameplay

Negatives:

• Lack of horror

After the mediocre Silent Hill: Origins, Climax got the rights to develop a new part of the series again when Konami realized that the developers from the previous game Silent Hill: Homecoming were much more incompetent. And to say that I like this game much more is to say nothing. Honestly, Silent Hill: Shattered Memories broke my heart. But it is also worth noting that if you abstract from all the previous parts, and perceive this game as a self-sufficient interpretation of the first game without any nonsense with occultists, and with the desire to dive into the psychological depth of its characters, as the second part did, then everything you see in it you will really like. And even if to be much more honest, and do not treat this game as "Silent Hill" lacking the intensity of horror, because of which we mainly loved this series, then you will like it as I did. This game is not scary, and running from banal monsters sometimes tires, which is stressful, but I repeat... Silent Hill: Shattered Memories is a cold from the beginning, and warm at the end drama that makes you think about many aspects of our life, when you are literally in a psychotherapist's sessions. And also a huge thank you to the developers, who again made me feel guilty before Lisa.

I see some people didn't get what "reimagining" means, it's not a remake or remaster. It's a different game with same concept of "father looking for daughter" like the first game. Climax come from combat to more exploring, from bloody, rusty like in hell locations to deadly cold ice, and they did it great!

Plot is great as well, game only have some lack of hardinteresting puzzels. But anyway, I liked this game. Graphics for PS2 is fascinating.

Hope to see more reimagining of the series in the future, something like Kojima tried to do with Silent Hills and P.T. teaser. All I have is only "hope"...

I was very afraid that Climax would once again tarnish the series, but boy was I wrong! This is a highly competent re-imagining of the original Silent Hill game. The music is incredible (as always) and has a great mix of ambient and melodic tracks (don't really know how to word that, but I hope I'm getting my point across), though sometimes I felt that the music detracted from the eeriness of the game (the Mall, for example). The graphics are gorgeous with very detailed areas and easily readable text on posters, billboards, signs, etc. The psyche profiling was a cool addition that will greatly enhance replay value, although the first playthrough you don't really realize how much the profiling affects the game because you don't have another playthrough to compare it to (once again I'm not sure if I'm wording this as clearly as I can...sorry if that was confusing). The flashlight mechanics are absolutely amazing; it feels completely natural and it enhances an already detailed world with shadows and falling snow. I also felt that the cellphone was an interesting gameplay mechanic that gave a new layer to the world surrounding Harry with the ability to take pictures and find echoes, as well as call the numbers found throughout the game. Many players will hate the fact that there is no fighting in this game, but I believe that no fighting ramps up the fear and tension. Multiple times throughout the game I found myself freaking out when deciding which way to run in the Nightmare as monsters pursued close behind. Players might also dislike the swapping of rusty decay for ice and snow, but I felt that it was appropriate for the game and story, and it added to the isolation felt throughout the game. The characters are very fleshed out and believable with outstanding voice acting and animation. The story itself is a deep and enthralling piece of work jam packed with the symbolism and weirdness that Silent Hill is known for; it truly is psychological horror. Overall this is an extremely interesting and very well made game (albeit a short one) that will scare and enthrall most players. Definitely worth the money!