Ah, now we get to the good stuff.
Not the sub-par sequels (Except Silent Hill 2, that thing was a master piece) but the original.
I don't know what I can really say about this game, well, I do but it's hard because as much as I love it, I hate playing it simply because it does its damn job and scares the hell out of me resulting in me only playing for an hour at a time... Maximum.
But after several playthroughs over the last eleven years since its release, I know I'll be able be able to put into words what I feel in my heart.
But before I do go into looking at this game, I would like you to read these two extremely important words. SPOILER WARNING
I know that by now, everyone who likes good games has played this, but for gaming newbs who are looking for something retro to look for. Be warned that I will reveal several plot details.
I still find it shocking to believe that they decided to remake this game as Silent Hill: Shattered Memories on the Nintendo Wii, it's not even half as good as this version, and whilst were currently talking about adaptions, the Silent Hill movie is loosely based on this game with certain locations and creatures from the highly praised and superior sequel.
This entry into the series is the only one to gain a true sequel with Silent Hill 3 in which you play as Harry Masons daughter, Heather seventeen years later, whilst the other games share it's name and location, each game has it's own separate plot and characters, but only by playing them do you realise that there is a main character to the series... And that's the town of Silent Hill itself.
Let's move onto the scoring, shall we?
Graphics 7
For it's time the graphics in Silent Hill were outstanding, the character models are arguably average, the monsters are slightly better, but what brings the score up is the detail to scenery and the environment... When you could see them that is.
Most of the time in game is spent wandering through fog or darkness, and the game has a grainy effect, or noise effect if you will, slightly distorting the picture to make it resemble an old horror movie and blur out the rough edges.
The world portrayed here is both haunting and terrifying, depending on which one you're currently in as it switches back and forth between the 'real' world and a nightmare world, both of which are expertly crafted.
In the real world, you'll wander around a desolate town, exploring many of its empty buildings (save for the monsters that inhabit it) and you'll experience both isolation and dread as you wander through the fog and strange ash snow to see that gaping chasms have closed you off from the rest of the world, leaving you in this open prison with a ravenous horde of beasties.
As you travel through the various landmarks; a school, hospital, waterworks, fairground and the town itself, you'll be transported to the nightmare world.
This alternate reality comes complete with grated floors, peeling walls, eternal darkness, blood and hanging bodies.
But it's the way these are all presented that makes you scared as the bodies are situated behind steel bars behind the mesh walls, you know what they are... You want to look but can't, and all the while you're left wondering if they will jump out at you on a later date.
The blood is cleverly placed, not just sprayed about willy-nilly, it stains coffee tables, beds, desks and other places where people would most likely be situated, the grated floors allow you to see that below... Is nothing but darkness. You're truly trapped and alone, and you know it.
Gameplay 9
The way this game plays out is wonderful, as are the tight controls that govern it.
You spend the game, navigating the town, solving its many intricate, yet easy to solve puzzles all while trying to defend yourself from the nasties that lurk in the shadows.
There is a bit of item fetching to be done as you search for keys and puzzle items that will allow you to advance further into the game.
Combat is another major focus with this game and you can choose to flee or fight your opponents.
I've always found it best to battle whilst inside as you don't really have room to manoeuvre and you may have to return to the spot later, but in the town... Run like your life depends on it (and it does)
The fighting mechanic is unique in that, unlike with for example; Resident Evil, where you play as members of a Special Ops outfit, Harry is just a regular guy with no training in firearms or melee weapons, meaning that not every shot he makes with a gun will hit and every swing of the pipe won't always connect right. But the more you do it, the more proficient he gets at it.
Also, he doesn't have much in the way of health, so you have to be careful and use your health kits sparingly, making the game that much scarier as you are always trying to avoid slaughter and the hands of your enemies so you don't see the game over screen.
Sound 7
The sound in this game is absolutely incredible! And terrifying, there's no real way to put it into words.
Everything sounds as it should, from your shoes clanging against the metal floors, to the shrieking monsters in the dark.
Air raid sirens blare every now and again and this causes dread as you know what's about to occur. Everything is just so well done, though you'd have to play the game to appreciate it.
The music is also something else, ranging from hauntingly beautiful melodies, to a gathering of loud, horrid bangs and irrelevant sounds to make some frighteningly disturbing music which really pays off.
Akira Yamaoka is a genius for what he did with this game sound-wise.
The voice acting on the other hand is questionable as it all sounds choppy and emotionless, you really don't give a shit about the characters as the all sound so monotone and robotic... Except Lisa Garland, Silent Hills shining star
Story 9
The basic outline for this story sucks total ass, guy loses his daughter in the town after a car accident and decides to search for her, but as you progress through the game, you learn that it's all a little bit more sinister as it turns out his daughter, Cheryl, is the reincarnation of Alessa Gillespie, a girl destined to birth a god.
The town is full of apocalyptic cultists and the sequels go on to reveal more of the towns extremely dark history.
What truly makes this game though are the individual elements, whilst the game does centre on harry and his daughter with the whole cult arch, there are little character side stories that you can uncover, that being Dr Kaufman and Lisa Garland, you briefly meet Kaufman and he suddenly vanishes, and Lisa, she's probably the most tragic person I've encountered in a game.
Should you undertake an optional side mission related to drug trafficking, you'll learn more about Kaufman's and Lisa's fates and how they intertwine.
As well as this, we have the back story to Alessa and how she managed to split her personality into a separate being whilst still being able to lie dormant in a burned, nearly dead body.
And finally... Cybil, meh, her stories not much... She could totally be ommitted from the game and I doubt anybody would notice.
Lisa Garland 10
Yeah, I know it's a bit weird to focus on, and rate a character, but there's just something about her that captivates me. She really makes this game stand out.
As I said earlier, she is one of the most, if not the most tragic character I've ever seen in a video game. All I wanted to do when in her presence was give her a hug as she always seemed so scared, yet brave.
Again, as I said earlier, her voice acting is the best and really conveys her personality, you can instantly tell that aside from being scared shitless, she's dutiful, caring and kind hearted... Which all probably come from her job.
As you may have guessed from the images, Lisa Garland was a nurse who worked at Alchemilla Hospital.
She was addicted to White Claudia, a drug being dealt by the hospital's administrator, Dr. Michael Kaufman, and Silent Hill's resident cult, the Order.
One of Lisa's duties was to take care of the patient Alessa Gillespie, who was severely burned in a fire.
Alessa's body was covered in burn wounds which would not heal, and were always oozing blood and pus, requiring frequent bandaging.
Lisa did not understand what was keeping the girl alive, and the ordeal of constantly replacing the bandages took a toll on her sanity.
Alessa misinterpreted Lisa's care as actual affection, something she desperately wanted having never received any from her mother.
This might be the reason why Lisa retains her human form and individuality during the events of Silent Hill.
Lisa wanted to leave Alchemilla and quit nursing Alessa because she eventually grew sick of it, however, Kaufmann refused to allow her, and threatened to cut off her supply of White Claudia which led to arguing and fighting between the two.
As you may have guessed by reading the above, that Lisa is dead. and this is what makes her so tragic a character as that she has suffered enough and sits alone and scared in a world she doesn't know.
When she first meets Harry, she's glad to see him, possibly seeing him as her saviour, her way out... But at the time of their first meeting, she has yet to realise she is dead, this revelation comes later and qwhen it does, it reveals a moment in gaming that I have never forgotton.
See for yourself
From the very moment I met Lisa, I wanted to help her get out... It was my sole intention within the game... Then that happened and I almost cried.
What makes her even more tragic is that we never find out how she dies, it's all left up for the player to decide.
Her popularity has ensured that she's been referenced in the sequels and even has a part in the prequel, Silent Hill: Origins... But the remake, shattered memories, seems to destroy her character, she's not the same as the original Lisa.
On top of this, she even had a brief cameo in the Silent Hill movie (credited as Red Nurse)
Lisa Garland is truly a character that I, nor anybody else who was touched by her revelation will ever forget.
Overall 9
Silent Hill is truly a landmark game to the survival horror genre and it only got stronger with its sequels, unfortunately, after team Silent Hill stopped making them and an American company took over, they have waned somewhat in quality and fail to reach the glorious, scary standards of the first four games.
With multiple endings, lots of little secrets to find and an intricate plot, and as good as the sequels are, aside from Silent Hill 2, none of them live up to the first in the series.
Silent Hill is a game that in my opinion, everybody should play at least once, it's truly an experience unlike no other.
