Silent Hill: Origins

"See, this is why you don't save little girls from burning houses!"

It seems like forever, but Konami and Climax studios have finally graced PSP owners with Silent Hill: Origins. Originally being developed by a LA-based studio, Origins was originally supposed to have a RE4-style look and be more action based. Konami saw that this was not how Silent Hill was, and gave the game to UK-based Climax studios. The results are finally here, and what we have is classic Silent Hill gameplay and a story that serves as a prequel to the entire series.

FOG-SHROUDED STORY

You play as Travis Grady, a simple trucker who leads a solitary, lonely life. On his way to Brahms for a pit stop, he takes a detour down a road near Silent Hill. Of course, this is a BIG mistake. All of a sudden, a small child darts out right in front of him. Travis is able to slam on the breaks and avoids hitting the kid, but the kid runs off. Travis follows the child down the road and winds up running into a burning house. Hearing the screams of a child from inside, the kind-hearted trucker runs in to save the child, and succeeds. However, Travis blacks out, and awakens sometime later on a bench in the fog-shrouded town of Silent Hill, and that's when his nightmare truly begins.

Being a prequel to the entire series, fans will probably enjoy running into some old friends, including Dahlia, Nurse Lisa, and Dr. Kaufmann. However, as fans also know, Silent Hill doesn't just choose anyone to walk it's monster infested bowls, as Travis himself has some dark secrets that will become unearthed as you progress through the town. It's a pretty interesting story that fans will probably get the most out of, but newcomers will probably enjoy it, too.

FOG-SHROUDED GAMEPLAY

As I said before, Origins is pretty much classic Silent Hill gameplay, which may relieve fans who didn't like the different approach that Silent Hill 4 took. PSP controls are pretty simple, you use the analog nub to move Travis, and holding down square will cause him to run, but just like most of the other Silent Hill protagonists he will get tired the longer you make him run. The triangle button brings up the map of whatever area you are currently in, and (in classic SH fashion) keeps track of important areas and locked doors and the like. The circle button turns the pocket flashlight on or off, and the X button is your action button. L re-centers the camera behind Travis, and R readies him for combat. So, the controls are pretty basic and are easy to use.

Your basic gameplay consists of guiding Travis through the fog and monster covered Silent Hill streets and locations. As in other Silent Hills, it's always a good idea to search every nook and cranny on the streets, as they usually yield useful items. A nice touch as always is that Travis will turn his head to look at useful items he can pick up and doors he can enter, which is good since Silent Hill still suffers from an abundance of broken and locked doors. You will be traveling to familiar locations (The Alchemilla Hospital) and new ones (a sanitarium, a theater, and a motel). Along the way, you'll be getting into scraps with the trademark grotesque monsters that SH vets know and love, and traveling to Silent Hill's “nightmare world”.

Combat in Origins is pretty much the same as it ever was, which may delight or disappoint you. You lock on to an enemy with the R button, and use the X button to attack. Once again, you will acquire a lot of melee weapons and firearms to help you combat the horrors of Silent Hill. Melee weapons are handled differently in Origins, as every one will break with continuous use. How a monkey wrench or crowbar shatters with repeated use is beyond me, but it happens in Silent Hill. The good thing is that the game gives you a TON of weapons to use, so don't be surprised if you still have around 30 or more weapons in your inventory at the end of the game. If for some reason you actually run out of melee weapons, Travis is pretty good at smacking things around with his fists as well. You will also pick up one time use weapons, like portable TVs and toasters, that Travis can throw at an enemy to take it down in one hit. The game also makes it easier to equip weapons by letting you use the d-pad to choose them without going into the games menu. The bad thing though is that this same luxury doesn't apply to healing items, and it seems that Travis takes less hits to kill than any other Silent Hill protagonist. Obviously a trade-off for all the weaponry you'll be getting, but I would of loved to not go into the menu to heal and break the flow of the game. Firearms you pick up are of standard fare, including pistols, a shotgun and a rifle, and are often better saved for tougher enemies and bosses, since the melee weapons seem to be quite enough to deal with normal enemies.

Of course, it wouldn't be Silent Hill without trips to the alternate “nightmare world”, although they are handled quite differently here. Instead of the game pulling you into the world out of your own free will, Travis can travel between the two by examining mirrors scattered throughout the town. Traveling between the regular and nightmare world is essential if you want to solve the games puzzles, which are still as strange and offbeat as ever. Some of which include putting together a surgery mannequin, feeding different colored medications to doll heads, and quite possibly the most horrifying of all…doing laundry!! Oh noes!!

The other problems with Silent Hill Origins are mostly the same problems that plague the other Silent Hills. A new problem though is the inclusion of a button pressing mini-game that happens when enemies get close enough to Travis to grab him. You have to press the buttons that appear on screen when they appear, and if you fail you'll take significant damage. The problem is that when you succeed, all Travis does is push the enemy away from him, with no extra damage given to the enemy or nothing. With no reward for succeeding these events, it just seems like a tacked on and useless addition to combat. Then you have the bosses, and while they are just as grotesque as in previous games, they are entirely too easy to kill if you choose to use firearms and have a good amount of ammo ready. You can use melee weapons against them if your bold, but I doubt anyone would do that, at least during their first playthrough. Then we have the camera that does provide some cool angles like in previous games, but can go wonky during combat, becoming hard to re-center and zooming in way to close in tight quarters. Changing angles may also cause you to accidentally move in a different direction, which in turn may have you running into monsters your trying to get away from.

Still, I must say that having a portable Silent Hill is pretty darn awesome.

FOG-SHROUDED GRAPHICS

When I first started playing Origins, I had a hard time believing that it was a PSP game. Silent Hill is faithfully recreated in perfect detail, from the fog-covered streets full of run-down buildings, to the industrialized rust-covered look of the nightmare world. The locations you'll travel to are also very impressive, giving you that sense of dread that you got from previous games. It also features the trademark noise effect that covers the screen, which just heightens the atmosphere of the game. Monsters are also impressive, with such staples as nurses and straightjackets being joined by freaky puppet children and what I can only describe as mountains of flesh that walk on four legs. I also like the shiny, oily covering of the monsters that carries over from the other games that highlights their unusual shapes. The regular character models are just as impressive. Hands down, the best looking PSP game to date.

FOG-SHROUDED SOUND

Silent Hill has always impressed on the sound front, and Origins is no exception. The horribly roars and gurgling noises of monsters, the piercing silences, the bangs and clanks and various effects you'll hear in your travels are just as unnerving as in the console games. Series producer and composer Akira Yamaoka also provides another great music score, with trademark guitar, keyboard, and drum tracks that are just as good as his previous works (although Silent Hill 2 is still the best). Voice acting is also very good. When you turn the game on, it suggests you play in the dark with a pair of headphones, and I strongly advise you do this as well, at least on your first playthrough.

INTO THE FOG ONCE AGAIN

Origins main quest isn't very long. Series and survival horror vets can easily get through it in 5 hours or less, with others not taking more than 8 hours. However, just like the others, Origins gives you plenty of reasons to go through the horror again. Besides being able to unlock two alternate endings, Origins also awards you with accolades, which gives Travis alternate costumes and effects. For example, thoroughly exploring the town and areas may give you the “explorer” accolade, which gives Travis an Indiana Jones-like costume. Likewise, killing 50% of all enemies with your fists only will give you the “brawler” accolade, and gives Travis a Mexican wrestler costume. There are about 15 accolades to get, and multiple playthroughs are required to get them all. You also unlock extra options, which allow you to change blood output, walk and run controls, and even have Travis's flashlight project various images. You haven't played Silent Hill until you've run through it in a wrestler costume, projecting a smiley face onto monsters as you pummel them to death.

So despite some problems, Silent Hill: Origins is the classic survival horror game we have come to know in love, only in portable form. Whether you're a series vet or newcomer, Silent Hill beckons you once again to walk its horror-filled streets.

Now onward to Silent Hill 5…

KEWL
+Classic Silent Hill gameplay
+Easy controls
+Interesting story that should please fans
+Graphics and sound that put other PSP games on notice
+Good voice acting
+Just as scary and atmospheric as it's console brethren
+Cool puzzles
+Lots of Replay value

LAME
-Even with replay value, it's a short game
-Button-pressing mini-game with enemies is pretty useless
-Camera can go wonky during combat and in tight areas
-Easy boss fights
-Can't quick select healing items
-“This door is locked”, “This door is jammed” etc.

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 11/19/07, Updated 04/16/08

Game Release: Silent Hill: Origins (US, 11/06/07)