Silent Hill: Homecoming

"Flawed, Yet Lovable"

The Silent Hill series, to me, has always been the pound mutt. Sure, it lacks the pedigree papers of Resident Evil and doesn't know all of the neat tricks of Gears of War, but it has something the others lack. One look into its baleful eyes and you see a glimmer of a soul beneath its shaggy coat and dubious heritage. It would take a certain type of person to love Silent Hill, but those that do form a bond that is stronger than any other gamer could hope to experience.

The "soul" I speak of is the story of Silent Hill. It has created its own mythos on par with the Star Wars trilogy (Not sextet, no matter what George Lucas would have you believe.) that sucks the player in and makes you feel almost a part of the very world which it inhabits. This has always been its strongest point, and the key to remaining true to its chilling roots while other series have been given a glossy action veneer. In a world where games like Left 4 Dead have completely cut out the plot to focus on action and more action, Silent Hill: Homecoming carves out a perfect niche for itself in the almost antiquated realm of story-based gameplay.

The section of the overarching storyline of Silent Hill you experience in this run is that of Alex Shepherd, a soldier recently released from duty to a VA hospital only to find it twisted into the nightmare form that, by now, should be a familiar sight to veteran players. In a routine exploration you find his younger brother, Joshua, amongst the horrors and investigates. Without giving too much away, the situation drives Alex to the town of Shepherd's Glenn, and thus the story begins in earnest. And so, also, does the review:

Controls: 7/10
Despite being, in this humble reviewer's opinion, the strongest controls in the series, this section still remains Silent Hill: Homecoming's weak point. The addition of a fully adjustable camera is long overdue, and for the most part is fluid and well conceived. Alex controls smoothly, with the standard over-the-shoulder look making for a much more understandable directional sense, and his new aiming feature is a welcome addition to the combat mechanics. That being said, as in all third-person perspective games, getting around objects can be a chore, and while the Counter concept was nice in theory, in practice it becomes more a matter of pure luck than timing or skill. Even dodging was a (pardon the pun) dodgy affair, as approximately three-quarters the time I would find myself on the receiving end of an attack, anyway.

Sound: 9/10
Sound has always been the key to the gameplay in the franchise, and Homecoming is no exception. The nurses' joints crack in unison with their unnatural posturing, the lurkers' wet skin dragging on the concrete is so realistic you can nearly hear the gravel parting beneath them, and the ferals' howls echo in the distance. The nightmare realm, for its part, sounds alive with a twisted mix of industrial machinery and live organs. The radio static, again, makes its perennial appearance (although it sat out SH4) in walkie-talkie form. But I found myself turning it off more than once to sit and listen to the ambiance. Perhaps the only complaints come in the form of the Smog enemy's belching/tractor combination----the most obvious and least terrifying of enemy warnings to appear in the franchise---and some of the voice acting. Emphasis on some. It speaks to the game's credit that most of the voice acting is good enough that the bad becomes glaring by comparison.

Graphics: 8/10
For the most part, the graphics do not disappoint. In particular, the transition between the normal world and the nightmare world is a feast for the eyes, rivaling the special effects from the movie. The horrors are in full-force, with the sewn-shut mouth details on the Needler enemies down to the ropes bounding the female portion to the male portion of the Siam. Objectives and items are clear (except when meant not to be) and little touches pepper the town of Shepherd's Glenn. The fog that once served as a convenient cover device for the limitations of older hardware now has its own personality, shifting around approaching objects and enemies. The graphics are, however, not perfect and this becomes particularly obvious during cut scenes. While the actual character models look fairly good in still frame, they suffer from the dead-eye syndrome present in older games: that is, their eyes never appear to be focused on anything. And the teeth look less natural to a human character as much as they look like the preliminary computer rendering before texture is added. Games with far less emphasis on story have done far better in this regard, and it's a shame considering that it looks like a large oversight on the part of the programmers. It should be noted, too, that despite the excellent detail on most enemies, a couple---most notable bosses----are woefully uninspired. Perhaps the most disappointing of all is the Feral, which looks like little more than a dog shaved of its fur.

Gameplay: 9/10
The gameplay is significantly improved in Homecoming. While purists will undoubtedly bemoan the 'copious' amounts of enemies (though my experience with SH2 says that, if anything, the number of enemies have been cut down, though the amount of types has increased) and more action focused combat system, the moments of excitement never overpower the story and make fighting enemies far less of a hassle than it was in previous installments. Undoubtedly, at times you feel just a bit too powerful (Particularly after obtaining a certain unlockable weapon) but it was refreshing to have some variation on the strategies available to you besides Run or Swing Wildly. While there are no options for puzzle/riddle difficulty in this go-round, the puzzles are rarely difficult enough to warrant a different setting. As somebody who detests puzzle interruptions in his game play, I found this a welcome change, but some players will no doubt be upset they'll be unable to challenge themselves any further in that regard. My biggest gripe comes in the lack of extras available to you. While you can unlock a Hard Mode and different outfits, you're always left to repeat the main story... which, unfortunately, clocks in at just under ten-hours on a first play through, highlighting the need of extra modes of play.

Story: 8/10
Let me preface this by saying, as players, we need to quit comparing it to Silent Hill 2. Silent Hill 2 is what it is, Homecoming is what it is. They're two entirely different stories, and while it would be nigh unto impossible to recreate the brilliance of SH2, on its own, Homecoming's story holds its weight. It takes a rather novel approach in starting the game in Shepherd's Glenn, which was an interesting way to provide new scenery to the by-now-familiar locales of Silent Hill. Alex's story is fascinating, in its own right, and the family dynamic alone provide hours of speculation. It creates a template that is accessible, but without the answers handed to you on a silver platter like they were in Silent HIll: Origins. The real beef is that at a point the game abandons its traditional roots to shift focus to a much more Americanized idea of horror----leaving the Tokyo horror scene and finding itself firmly planted in SAW and Eli Roth territory. This does occur late in the game, which is both its saving grace and its biggest detraction; after all, because it does occur so late, it becomes completely unnecessary and would have been better left on the cutting room floor. However, the chapters that precede and follow it are so intriguing as to make it less of deal breaker and more of a nuisance.

Overall, it's a worthy entry into the franchise and a valiant effort. In most ways, it manages to combine the best of the new and the best of the old, only falling short in a few forgivable areas. The new team has done a fairly decent job of bringing Silent Hill into the 7th generation of consoles, giving it a much needed makeover. Unfortunately, some cuts did have to be made, but beneath the manicure and shiny fur coat lies the same soulful mutt that won our hearts almost ten years ago.

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 01/05/09

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