Difficulty:

Very Easy

Time Spent:

10 to 20 Hours

The Bottom Line:

"Immersive"

So, I've been interested in Silent Hill for a while, especially after seeing the movie, and I finnally got this game. Read on to see my thoughts.

Graphics: The graphics in this game are, in a word, spectacular. Now, they aren't a huge technical acheivment, but the Wii software is put to great use in creating a very eerie and spooky atmosphere. The whole game is bathed in darkness (with a few exceptions when you're outside) and al you have is a flashlight. The lighting effects for the light is amazing, easily some of the best in the biz. The nightmare sequences (more on these later) are actually not as scary. Sure it's dark, but for some reason, it's just not as unsettling. So, the graphics get a very high score not because they're incredible to look at, but because they help create an atmosphere of horror easily up there with the likes of Deadspace. 9.5/ 10

Sound: Another very well done part of the game. A great instance in which the sound is used is in the beggining when you walk in a video store. You here some staic and some knocking but can't quite locate the scource. And you never do. The silence in this game is put to great use. As a matter of fact, it'd probably be a good idea to turn the music all the way down, because, while the music is good, it detracts from the atmosphere. The voice acting is well done and the screams of the Raw Shocks are chilling. 9/ 10

Story: The story of this game is so praised not because of what happens during the game, but because what happens at the end. Obviously, I won't spoil anything here, but this game has one of the most thought provoking endings ever. And it doesn't just make you think about the game and the events leading up to the end; it makes you think about some pretty deep stuff, like family and the effects a parent's actions can have on their kids. While driving in Silent Hill, author Harry Mason (who writes crap, mostly, he says to Cybil) crashes his car, only to get up and be horrified that his daughter, who had been sleeping in the back seat, is nowhere to be found. He grabs a flashlight and sets off to find her. Like I said, the ending is so great and surprisingly touching that the story for this game will stick with you for a long time. 10/ 10

Gameplay: This is, amazingly, the weakest part of the game. It does, however, feature one of the freshest ideas in years: the psyche profile. In the beggining of the game and periodically throughout you are asked to answer some pretty personal questions or "solve" some puzzles that show your state of mind. Depending on how you answer these, certain characters will look different, events will play out differently and the Raw Shocks (enemies during the nightmare sequences) will look different. You have to play through the game at least twice to see the effects of this neat feature. So, now on to the gameplay. As stated above, this game has a terrific atmosphere. But, and this is a shame, it stops being truly scary after you realize that the only time you're in danger is during nightmares. (more on these in a bit) This seriously detracts from the scariness. So, you are left to exploring the environment, and finding echoes and memories. These are remnants of things that have happened in Silent Hill that you can use your phone to access. Now, for the nightmare sequnces. These ARE the weakest part of the game. During certain events, the world will suddenly freeze over and deform, and Harry must make his way through a maze of this to a safe point. This can be very frustrating, because you have Raw Shocks on your tail and if they catch up, they will grab a hold of Harry and suck his life away. In order to get rid of them, you must push the Wii remote and Nunchuck in the direction of the Raw Shocks. This wouldn't be a problem, if only for the fact that whenever a monster latches on to the left of Harry, I had a freakin difficult time getting them off. All the other directions were fine, but the left was really difficult, almost immpossible to shake them off without using my flare. (which make you temporarily invulnerable.) This led to many frustrating deaths.
In addition to these two relativley weak styles of gameplay, (it is fun to explore and look for mementos, though), the game is incredibly short. I beat this game twice in 2 days. If you wanted to, you could probably beat this in a single sitting. There is some replay value, though, to act differently and answer the profile differently in order to get a differnt ending. But the brevity of this game is the last step to making this game feel less like a game and more like an interactive horror movie. 5/ 10

In conclusion, this is a good game, but not for the gameplay. The atmosphere and story is what you play it for.
I read in an interveiw with one of the creators of this game that the reason that you must run from the Raw Shocks and that there are no enemies outside the nightmares is because in your nightmares, you don't bash your fears with a lead pipe. You run from them. I see what they mean, and it was a great idea, but the execution makes the game alot less scary. So, if a sequel is made, (and I really hope there will be), I have a few suggestions for Konami.
1. Make the game longer. I'm ultimatley glad I didn't pay full price for this game due to the brevity.
2. Keep the spectacular atmosphere, but for Pete's sake, add some monsters! I wouls have been scared of this game if there were monsters outside of the nightmares! I'm wouldn't mind if you could still only run from them, but make there be some danger in your spectacularly creepy world!

So, if you've read this far, I thank you for reading my longest reveiw yet. (I know that I said my Okami one was longest, but look at the contribution dates. This came after it.)
Final thoughts: This game isn't a game so much as it is an experience. If you like very strong, thought provoking psycological hooror storytelling, you'll like this. So, once again, thanks for reading my reveiw and happy gaming.