A refreshing take on the series but lacking in some areas.
Shattered Memories distances itself from previous titles in terms of gameplay. The game focuses too much on the story that it leaves the adventuring part cold.
There's no combat involve. When Silent Hill turns nightmarish over Harry there's nothing he can do but run away from monsters. Now, the idea of being helpless in a horror game is a good....idea but not so in this case. And I'm easily scared when it comes to horror. Playing Shattered Memories gives me the chills but not to the point that it's horrifying. Maybe because there's only one type of monster to encounter. And they're not usually scary. Their idea of killing is death by hugging. The only way to escape the nightmare is going to a specific location. And there's no clue as to where the place might be, only that you have to trust your instinct and have a wonderful sense of direction. Dying and finding a way out is not frustrating as it seems though. It's more of a Temple Run game(Silent Hill version).
And when the nightmare is over and Silent Hill returns to a desolate town that it is, there are items(mementos) to collect and ghost hauntings to experience. Not that it affects the game but listening to haunted conversations provides a backdrop to the town's history and on Harry Mason himself even through in bits and pieces.
Silent Hill is also known by its puzzle games. And in Shattered Memories, it never fails to impress. Sadly, there are only a few of them considering that this game is too short.
As for the visual presentation, it's snow everywhere. Nightmare Hill looks like Mr. Freeze decided to freeze the whole town. But the amount of details from posters to random items are amazing. Being in a handheld platform, it looks quite good.
As for the audio, there are a few eerie and startling sounds that contributes to the chilling atmosphere of Silent Hill.
Shattered Memories is a good game. An absence of combat, blood and hellish rust might lower the scare factor a little bit but it ties in Silent Hill 1 and 3. And Harry Mason searching for his daughter and finally taking a twist in the end is very much surprising. There's little incentive to replay the game other than seeing the multiple endings though.