"A PSX Hit to Gameboy Advance in the form of a Play Novel?"

Well, Silent Hill was a great horror game for Playstation 1. It was scary, chilling and the story was riveting. Well, Konami managed to convert it to Gameboy Advance. But it's not a perfect conversion. It is now a PLAY NOVEL game. It's a book type game that retells the PSX game's story in the form of a choose you own adventure book. The whole game is in FMV, which is amazing for a cartirdge. Resident Evil 2 is the only other game to have FMV on a cartirdge.

Gameplay: 8
Well, all you do is choose your own adventure. But you have to know Japanese to play the game correctly. There are many puzzles to solve. Just choose an option and the FMVs continue. You also control two characters named Cybil and Harry in their journey to find Cheryl and get out of town.

Story: 10
Although I can't read Japanese, I own the PSX game, so I know what's going on. The PSx version's story is basically intact. Many scenes have been converted well and the image is clear and crisp. The story is that Harry Mason and his daughter, Cheryl, go to Silent Hill for vacation. On their way, Harry almosts hits a girl on the road and crashes. When he wakes, Cheryl is missing. Harry wanders into Silent Hill to find Cheryl, meeting Cybil Bennet on the way. Silent Hill also seems to have been deserted...

Sound: 4
Well, there isn't much sound in the game. Only a small amount. Konami should have put more scare sounds into the game. It would have made the Play Novel a little more entertaining. Oh well.

Difficulty: 6
Well, all you do is choose a selection. Most of the time you can't go wrong. But the game's length can piss you off. Oh well. Roll with the punches.

Port Quality: 5
Well, the Silent Hill I knew didn't quite make it. Well, the Play Novel version seems to be good when on the car or plane. The port quality gets a 5 because the game didn't make it enough. But the FMV boosts the score, though.

OVERALL: 7 [NOT AN AVERAGE]
A 7 would be the equivalent to a B- or a C+. The game did pretty well for a Play Novel, all things considered. Konami did a fine job converting it.

RENT OR BUY?
Have extra money? Buy. Srapped on cash? Rent. Never played PSX Silent Hill? Buy. Played PSX Silent Hill? Rent.

Reviewer's Score: 7/10, Originally Posted: 06/17/01, Updated 06/17/01