Silent Hill will require your absolute full attention in order to be enjoyed. As a whole, this game is excellent.
User Rating: 8 | Silent Hill PS
Silent Hill is a survival horror game developed in 1998 by Konami and KCET. It's chilling atmosphere and memorable value is what makes this game stand out from the rest. The gameplay, however, will require an open mind and some tolerance. You play as Harry Mason, looking for his daughter in a creepy town called Silent Hill, it's completely empty and while you hunt for your daughter, the mystery behind the darkness consumed town will unfold, but not the way you'd expect it. The game is really dark and has some terrifying enemies that will approach you from out of your visual range and relentlessly try to kill you. Wandering around, thinking about what enemies are stalking you is what makes this game scary, and the sense of isolation. The gameplay on the other hand falls short. It's difficult to aim, and to move, in general. It follows the basic "forward and steer" formula you have seen in Resident Evil, and maybe a few other games. You pretty much control the character like a car. Press Up to go forward, and use Left/Right to steer. It's really clunky and the sluggish but reasonable camera doesn't help. The worst part of Silent Hill is probably how vague and punishing it can be. Sometimes you have no sense or slight hints of what you're supposed to do, and you're forced to wander around in creepy hallways until you find seemingly pointless items that will help you advance through an unpredictable obstacle. If the game was a little more clear and you actually felt like you were advancing every now and then, it would definitely get a better score from me. Fortunately, if you reach the end of the game, you'll definitely feel like you achieved something. You may even be scared of normal real world objects that you'd see every day due to Silent Hill's haunting portrayal of certain set-pieces.
Good stuff about Silent Hill:
-Excellent job at keeping you on your toes without relying on cheap scares.
-Great music and sound, it's what makes half the game.
-The mystery behind the town of Silent Hill is very intriguing.
-This classic of a horror game feels completely unlike any other cliche Hollywood horror.
-Nostalgic and memorable value makes you feel like you actually achieved a large goal.
Bad stuff about Silent Hill:
-Your views on wanting to go from Point A to Point B are pretty clear, but in order to actually get there, is a disaster as the game provides little to no help along the way and gives the game a punishing difficulty. It's almost required to use a guide if you want a good experience.
-Voice acting is almost completely random, in some scenes it plays, sometimes it doesn't. The voice acting is alright, but definitely not quality acting.
-If you get too used to the terrifying aspects and elements of the game, Silent Hill can get boring pretty fast.
Score: 8/10
