Girl Gamer

Forward

When I heard that Konami was allowing the original – MY BELOVED – Silent Hill to be remade, my heart sank. They know how protective the fans are, and wouldn’t even let the movie be green-lit until they found a director who was as passionate about the series as they were. Konami turned to Climax Studios, who brought us Silent Hill: Origins, and I must say that they undid some of the damage done by said film adaptation. (Konami refused the proposal to remake Silent Hill in the vein of the movie, thank God) To calm the fans, we were constantly assured that Shattered Memories was not a remake, but rather a “re-imagining.”

This peaked my interest.

I know the original Silent Hill story backwards and forwards. I researched its origins and inspirations, created a successful fan site and even wrote my own screenplay version long before Christophe Gans enlisted Roger Avary to write his. To say that I am passionate about this franchise would make the cover of “Understatement” magazine. I. Love. Silent Hill.

However…as we learned from Silent Hill 4: The Room, naming something “Silent Hill” does not automatically make it fit comfortably into the franchise. In fact, The Room was originally developed as a different game altogether until it found its way to Team Silent, who liked the concept and built a Silent Hill story around it. Ever wonder why it doesn’t have the same feel as the previous 3? Now you know.

But enough ranting from this self-proclaimed “Hill Head.” As a fan you’re wondering, Will I like this game? Despite my criticisms, I’m here to tell you that you just might. A substitute for the original it will never be, but Shattered Memories is a smart little game that is worth a try.

NOTE – THIS REVIEW IS BASED ON THE PSP VERSION. GAMEPLAY MAY VARY ACROSS DIFFERENT PLATFORMS.

Stories Both Familiar & New

Harry crashes his car in the snow – waking up, he realizes that his daughter, Cheryl is missing. She sets off to find her. If you think you know what happens next, think again. You will be just as confused as Harry, I guarantee it.

There is really no way to describe it further without spoilers – but if I had to sum it up, I’d say that Silent Hill: Shattered Memories is like Jabob’s Ladder, written by Stephen King, inspired by Silent Hill and directed by M. Knight Shamalan.

In other words, it’s definitely unique; but don’t expect anything like the previous Silent Hill installments! In fact, Climax purposely twisted some familiar aspects JUST to make you go, “Wait – WHAA??”

The Game That Plays You Back

The most compelling element of Shattered Memories is the fact that the game actually adjusts itself based on your behavior. Choices you make during psych tests and throughout the action will not only affect your ending, but which areas you can explore and how characters look, dress and treat you. For this reason, replay value is fairly good for the curious gamer.

Claims that the game isn’t linear are hardly true. In one play-through I was able to access one store and not another, and then the second time around (having made different choices) I found myself locked out of said store and able to enter the previously locked one. Although definitely interesting, you always end up in the same place; so those looking forward to a “Fable”-type experience are in for a disappointment.

On a brighter note, you can gain different tid-bits about the characters and places each time you play so it’s not just the clothes and open doors that change for you.

A Change in the Weather

No fog.

...??

Go ahead, let that sink in for a second. Silent Hill without fog. How can that be possible? In Shattered Memories, the overall theme is that time has frozen over, or that Harry is “frozen” in this state of amnesia. In a tribute to the original game, Silent Hill has snow…and lots of it. Unfortunately, that also explains why no one is out, so the mystery of a deserted town has been eliminated.

Hell Freezes Over

Whenever a character reveals another small clue as to what’s happening, they, along with the entire area, freezes over…and out come the monsters! Screeching little pests, these are.

YOU CAN NOT FIGHT THEM.

This fact adds tension, yes. This takes us out of our comfort zone, yes. This gets real stressful, real fast. Sure, you can open doors to see if the coast is clear and take another route if it’s not, but the monsters are on you so fast they just end up following you and latching onto your ankles like so many crazed children at Wal-Mart.

A Wayward Point will appear on your GPS, but to run and watch the map is cumbersome – I hate to say it, but it’s almost better to just run aimlessly (and fast) until you find what you’re looking for.

The rest of the game play is surprisingly (and disappointingly) not scary at all. No longer do you have to wonder if you’ll enter a room just to be ambushed, or hear white noise in the fog while you’re low on ammo. I love to explore, but this version of Silent Hill – no matter how you play it – has lost its ambience.

A Locksmith’s Nightmare

Apparently, there’s no need for a locksmith in Silent Hill because every key is sitting right next to the door. Seriously? When you do have to search for a key, it’s never far away and NEVER hard to find. They might be implying that Silent Hill is a quaint little town where people keep their doors unlocked, but the key routine gets real old, real quick.

There are only a few puzzles in Shattered Memories, and they are ridiculously easy. You do not have the option to adjust difficulty, either in game play or puzzles. The “puzzle,” it seems is how the world will appear to you this time through, and how it will end.

A Few Easter Eggs to Find

Silent Hill fans will undoubtedly appreciate the few, but interesting nods to its predecessor. Names, places and a few familiar locales can only be fully enjoyed by those who recognize them, however, so this isolates the game’s audience.

A Modern Twist

Harry Mason comes equipped with a smart phone, which acts as map (GPS), camera and white noise generator when monsters are near. You have free reign to play with your phone; changing the ring tone, storing photos of whatever you like, and calling every single number you come across, if you are so inclined.

As is tradition throughout the series, players are able to find notes and mementos around town. Whereas before you had a choice in the matter, Harry is plagued by white noise until he approaches the object and receives a message about it. There are a few instances where these recordings offer clues as to how to open a door or escape the nightmare – however, most are off-topic.

You will receive a plethora of voice and text messages throughout the game, but cannot send them back.

A Farewell Serenade

In most cases, the only familiar friend in this game is the soundtrack; filled with lonely guitar, piano and mournful mandolins, your journey is accompanied by the last Silent Hill soundtrack composed by Akira Yamaoka. Mary Elizabeth-McGlynn returns to lend us her sultry voice; ironically the song “Acceptance” becomes not only the theme for the game, but the thought of never hearing a Silent Hill soundtrack like this again.

“Tell it to yourself…say it’s just a nightmare,” she sings. How true those lyrics become.

If you are playing on PSP, do NOT try this game without headphones and a low-light or dark setting. Doing so will eliminate the mood entirely.

Shattering Expectations

If you give this game a try, do so with an open mind and if you get the chance, DO play the original! Copies are hard to find and therefore a bit expensive but well worth adding to your collection. One can definitely appreciate the work and imagination that went into creating this game; but even compared to Silent Hill 2, Shattered Memories fails to impress.