'Silent Hill: Shattered Memories' First Impressions

For almost the whole first hour I played this game, I kept thinking the same thing: "Man, is this game spooky." It's creepy and atmospheric, and whether or not you played the original, you'll probably at least want to rent this. Of course, the assessment that follows is based on about six hours of gameplay, and it's possible my views may have changed by the time I get to the end. Stay tuned for my full review.

Before I start to gush about how great this game is, I just want to repeat that this is a "first impressions" article, not a full review. It is based on actual hands-on play with the full retail version of the game; I just haven't got to the end yet.

So, unless you're new to gaming, you've probably heard of Silent Hill. The first three games were big hits, and the series continues to appear on PlayStation, PSP and XBox consoles. Silent Hill: Shattered Memories is a "re-imagining" of the original Silent Hill game, and the storyline looks pretty much the same: Harry Mason wakes up in the town of Silent Hill after a car crash to find his daughter Cheryl missing, so he explores the mostly abandoned town in search of her.

At this point, I have to admit that I never played the original. It's been on my to-play list since I first got my PS2 a million years ago, but somehow I never got to it. So I was excited that Shattered Memories was a remake--it was like being able to catch up on the series without having to get further behind on new releases (if that makes any sense). So my reviews are from the point of view of a Silent Hill virgin, as it were. Unfortunately that means I can't give you a first-hand account of how different Shattered Memories is from the original. But I like this game so much I'm going to track down a copy of said original and find out for myself.

So What's It Like?
After my delight at discovering just how very, subtly, creepy Shattered Memories is, my next impression was how similar it is in gameplay to the best point-and-click adventure games. That is, in my opinion, a very good thing. It does make me wonder, though: if Silent Hill and similar survival horror games (the Clock Tower series comes to mind) were so popular and critically acclaimed, why did the point-and-click adventure decline so much in the first place? (Actually, I know the answer and that is because so many lousy games came out in the genre after the success of Myst that gamers gave up on it. Or something like that.)

Shattered Memories has essentially three kinds of gameplay sequences. The one that makes up the bulk of the game, has you navigating Harry around Silent Hill, exploring the town, trying to find ways past massive snow drifts and locked doors, and finding clues about the inhabitants of the town and about Cheryl. Next in imporance are the "otherworld" sequences, when the world goes strange and you have to flee from pursuing creatures and find the exit. This part is part maze, part puzzle-solving, part action (but not much fighting back). Finally, there are sequences in the therapist's office, where he asks you questions and give you little tests that later turn out the affect your perception of Silent Hill.

All of this adds up to a really great game (so far), that can sometimes be frustrating--but not too much--and is always spooky.

Disclosure: A review copy was provided by the publisher. For more information, please see our Ethics Policy.