A game that not only scares you, but also moves you to tears and makes you think deep about the storyline.
The storyline follows the classic formula of most Silent Hill games - looking for answers. It's a mystery - not only to the characters, but to you as well. The game is about a man called Harry Mason, who is looking for his daughter Cheryl, after she went missing in a car accident. His search leads him across the whole town of Silent Hill, where he meets characters including the singer Michelle. But as he moves closer to his daughter, he begins to see things that are out of place.
So, it has that style that we got from Silent Hill, including the film starring Radha Mitchell. The story is so gripping. It has a mysterious tone that makes you want to keep playing to find out what exactly is happening with Harry. As the game progresses, we learn more about Harry's past and how he was a father, and this done in a quite subtle way with random phone messages. But we also get hints that Harry may not even be in his present time. The ending is by far one of the best I've seen in a game.
The sequences with at the clinic with a therapist, who will ask you questions about your past. You don't actually know which character you are using at the time, but you suspect that it's Harry, or is it?
The scenes where you must run away from the monsters of Silent Hill are fantastic. These sequences keep you tense throughout the game. When we have one of these "creature chases", everything around you begins to cover in ice, and you must escape from this nightmare. You will have to lead yourself out of maze that is infested with horrofying creatures. Unlike other Silent Hill games, you can't kill these things. You have to run away from them. If they jump on to you, you can push them off, and you can even find flares which will repel the monsters, keeping them away from you. At times, you will be required to complete small tasks in these nightmares, which again leads to another tense experience.
The visuals of the game are outstanding. Throughout the game, we have a nice, creepy look, as everything is either dark or covered in fog. While Harry is looking for his daughter, a snow storm is cutting off electricity for the whole town of Silent Hill. This means that if you walk into buildings or shops, the only light you'll have is the light from your torch, creating an atmosphere that is genuinely chilling. The music also adds to this scary tone.
Silent Hill: Shattered Memories is definitely one of my favourite games. The graphics are great, but the story is what I loved most. The ending is so moving, and what's great is that there a multiple endings - depending on the choices you make throughout the game. You can play this more than once, trying to see a different ending. If you want to be scared by something other than a horror film, I highly recommend this game.