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Monday 14 January, 2008
GAMEPLAY:
I feel like a lot what I write will only be relevant to veterans of the series, as the Silent Hill series is very unique. Most of the games make sense in the context of the game that preceeded it. That is to say the second game has some elements explained by what happenned in the first, and vice versa. As a result, this series has sort of ventured towards this phenomena of where they are generally regarded by fans firstly by how well they go on to add on/clear up what we as fans already know about the central storyline. It is because of this that certain improvements never really get the credit or notice they deserve.
For example, lets look at the combat system. I know I mentioned earlier that I wasn't a big fan of it, but as I continue to play, I notice more it grows on me. The large variety of meelee weapons allows for different ways to kill monsters and to approach each situation. There is also a wide variety of firearms that, strangely enough, behave very realistically. You cannot hit anything if you fire more than 2 or 3 shots at a time with the assault rifle. The shotgun has a fairly short range. All in all, the combat system takes on a very infant feel, that is almost appropriate given the lack of combat training for the protagonist. If he could acurately hit targets from 100 yards away, then this isn't silent hill anymore, its Rambo.
The boss battles in this game are terrible. All bosses in this game, and the series for that matter, suffer from the same problems. They are all slow-moving, have a lov variety of attacks, and can be killed by standing in one place, shooting, going to the menu to reload, and repeating. After just finishing off the third boss in this game, I can affirmatively say that nothing has changed.
jUst another example of the atmospheric beauty in this game. I'm traveling along the ground floor of the alternate world theatre. All around me, I can hear shrieking metal, akin with the blood, rust, and metal creating the environment around me. The music is foreboding, the lighting is low, and the environment is hellish. This game is truly an artistic experience.
Quickly, I want to take a quick second to explain the alternate realm. In Silent Hill, most of the levels at some point have the player cross over into another dimension, where he layout of the level stays almost identical, however everything else changes. Instead of floor, you could be walking on a bloody, rusty, metal mesh. The walls can be replaced with bloody, pulsating "flesh-sacs" (for lack of a better term). Basically, the environment "goes to hell."
DESIGN:
Overall, this game has some excellent level design. There are some flaws, such as there is a high occurence of doors that are "broken" or "blocked." This is an obvious flaw of the design in that it would obviously be too time and space consuming to model every room in an entire mental hospital. That being said, I would say most levels are still mostly explorable (~70-80% so).
That being said, the levels are MASSIVE, and very realistically designed. When I walked through the sanitarium, I literally thought that it could have been a real sanitarium somewhere. That it was located high on a hill and fairly isolated was a cliche that did NOT detract from the overall believability to the situation.
I've mentioned before about the alternate reality. I just want to take this chance to say how truly well done the alternate worlds are. I've never felt so surrounded by evil as when I was wondering through the alternate sanitarium, playing my PSP in a completely dark room with noise cancelling, bass amplifying headphones. I felt like I could feel the bass of the hellfire boiling.
After having played this game now for around 4 hours, I have realized why it is I find it enjoyable. The gameplay itself is fairly average, and does not do much thats special. Instead, its the experience, as well as the sheer creativity and horror of the environments. Playing this game is less like playing a game, and more like listening to a CD or staring at a piece of art. it invokes a feeling that stays with you even after you are done. It is that feeling, plus the amazing story that is fleshed out very nicely that ultimately makes this game an enjoyable experience. Perhaps this explains why the series has grown to be popular, but never beyond into mainstream success.
And that, ironically, is the reward system for this game. Deal with this somewhat unoriginal gameplay, and cumbersome combat system, and you get to watch the cutscene's, learn the story, and explore some more of the amazing environments crafted around you. I feel like if the series had ever brought something more original to the genre, something more creative, it would have taken off a lot more. The amazing atmosphere, story, and design are held back by merely "average" gameplay.
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