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![]() They're subtle and scared people just like him. As James Sunderland pokes around, he stumbles on others looking for a missing presence of their own. She's been dead for years, but her recent written letter says she's here, so we have cause. He's looking for his wife in the small town of Silent Hill, which gives us direction. From the first moment, Silent Hill 2 establishes its narrative as relatable, so it's main character has goals we understand. This wasn't just because its setting was gross or the monsters were spooky, but because of the deep-cutting metaphors present in its thought-provoking story. Silent Hill 2 is mentally draining, and I often felt sick playing it. I had genuine, physical reactions to what I saw happening in these games to the point I stopped playing multiple times. It's as if you can see their biology pulsating and swimming through walls. Parts of Silent Hill 3's environments look alive, and it's some of the most unsettling imagery in the series. The Brookhaven hospital in Silent Hill 2 is a disgusting, dirty setting drenched in either dried blood or rust. Most Silent Hill 3 environments have great lighting. It's worth enduring minor inconveniences for the otherwise incredible whole. ![]() Atmosphere, aesthetic, and haunting themes dictate the real horror of Silent Hill, a series that wants you to whimper rather than scream. Jump-scares are completely manufactured by players. Hearing something you can't see may lead to mistakes born out of panic. On the other, it's a classic scare tactic that has an incredible effect in tight, too-dark spaces. On one hand, the camera makes navigation, combat, and escape difficult. This often limits your view, which is a double-edged sword. Unwieldy control schemes don't cooperate with the camera, whose cinematic presentation means to give you an interesting perspective of each room. Imprecise melee combat leads to more flight than fight, for better or worse. This is the nature of returning to old design. I wandered through empty hallways holding items with no apparent purpose for a long time before falling back on decade-old guides. Unclear objectives and out-there puzzles frequently left me at a complete loss. I don't know, but you should look in its guts for a key! Time has, as it often does, eroded important parts of the original foundations. Even after all this time, these frightening experiences exist in a place most modern horror games or Silent Hill sequels can't quite reach.
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