Silent Hill: Homecoming

"Great for fans of the series and those who haven't yet stepped foot into... Silent Hill"

I've always enjoyed Silent Hill, the overall feel of the game always tends to stay with you. In tradition it has always been one of a more atmospheric nature. I feel this game adheres to that nature, more on that to come. In any case, I feel that this game is a worthy successor to the previous installments, there are some things this does a bit different, and that doesn't mean it's a bad thing.

One thing I would like to note is that this game is developed by a different developer than the previous games. How did their effort measure up? Read on:

Story

The game begins with our main Character Alex Sheppard looking for his brother. This is a familiar theme with the Silent Hill games. Someone looking for something. Now, one of the most important aspects of Silent Hill is user interpretation. There is a lot of imagery between monsters and what they mean to the main character. In addition to this the plot carries out with symbolism in certain ways. This is of course important to users to find out on their own. As in Silent Hill tradition there are plenty of twists and turns, as well as multiple endings. One of the of the new changes in this latest installment is that you can make certain choices in the game, that affect certain outcomes, even the ending, which makes decisions have that much more weight. If you are a fan of the series, there are some references in the game for you as well. While playing the game there are various opportunities to learn additional tidbits of information by reading various notes around the environment. Most of the fun of Silent Hill is figuring out the story, and this one does not disappoint.

Graphics

Obviously with the upgrade to the next generation of consoles, graphics must be upgraded as well. I was surprised how well the new team did with the overall feel to the game. If you have seen the Silent Hill movie you would recognize the "transition" effect between the normal/hellish worlds. I happen to enjoy this effect because it keeps you within the game and shows what happens, rather then just some loading screen. The monsters definitely feel like they belong in the Silent Hill universe, each creepy in their own design. The mood is set in a variety of areas whether it be in a realistic setting, or just downright disgusting. The gore is here and if you are squeamish of blood, well... just know that there is a lot of it! While it may not be the most cutting edge graphics out there, I still feel it does a great job of getting the overall presentation down. The level of detail that is in each location, makes it feel as though it's a real place. It's easy on the eye, if you like well... you know, blood and guts.

Gameplay/Controls

For the most part gameplay consists of exploring various places while solving puzzles and collecting items to progress the story. You are given a variety of melee/ranged weapons at your disposal to defeat the things of nightmares. The puzzles themselves require trial and error, as well as finding clues around the environments. They get more challenging as they go along, but it is definitely rewarding when you find them out.

One of the biggest changes in this game, is the combat system. The system relies heavily on knowing/finding out the weaknesses of certain enemies, as well as using proper timing to counteract the attacks of your enemy. I found this system to work rather fluid, and works well in keeping you in the action. The firearms control as a Third-Person Shooter, and the melee system uses a set of combo actions. A small detail that I actually enjoyed comes with the evolution of technology. When you come up to a door in this game, you aren't treated with a small loading blackout, but rather you actually open and walk through the door. In fact there are very few loading points within this game. Also a change from the Silent Hill mold is the fact that you can control the camera. You can change to first person to get a better feel of the area around you, which adds a bit more detail to the game. As I said earlier, the combat system relies on trying to find out what weaknesses each creature you face has, so until you find that out, each new creature you meet becomes the more terrifying. The controls are responsive and function well, during my time playing the game there wasn't a single moment where I would blame the controls for anything, with the addition of an updated combat system there is a bit more difficulty in the game as it requires you to dodge/counter at the right times.

If there is one thing that I would complain about, it is that sometimes the enemies can be a little cheap and repeat the same attacks over and over, however that doesn't too happen often. As far as glitches go, I have seen a fair amount of talk about this by reviews and the like, I did in fact have a minor one, during a load screen my game froze, but that is the only time something negative happened.

Audio

This is one of the most important aspects of games to me. Akira Yamaoka returns to add the atmospheric sound to the game. The music/sounds of Silent Hill have always been one of the key factors in setting the mood/atmosphere. I must say this is some of the best in gaming. Each creature sounds incredibly creepy, and the music dictates the mood. For the most part it always keeps the player on edge, while giving few brief moments of peace, before throwing you right back in. As in recent tradition, Elizabeth McGlynn adds her voice to vocal tracks for the game. They aren't heard too often during the game, but they did a great job with these as well. Noises are everywhere keeping you on edge, while the monsters give off screeches that chill you to the bone. If you have a good surround system, definitely take advantage of it for this game. The voice acting was appropriate for each character, none of them felt out of place or annoying. Everything is solid in this category.

Overall

If you are a veteran of the series, it has everything you would come to expect, from the storyline to the music, it's classic Silent Hill with an updated combat system and look. If you are new to the series this is definitely a good starting point. There isn't a need to have played the previous installments of the series in order to fully comprehend this story. The game may not be absolutely perfect, I still think it's a great addition to the series by a different team. I can't really think of anything that stands out negatively about the game. The only think I think they could work on for the next installment is possibly honing in on the graphics just a little more. Overall if you are a fan of the series or Survival Horror games, it's definitely one you should check out.

Score: 9/10

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 10/13/08

Game Release: Silent Hill: Homecoming (US, 09/30/08)