Video Game Review: Atmospheric, Effective ‘Silent Hill: Shattered Memories’

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CHICAGO – I used to approach a new “Silent Hill” game with heightened anticipation but the franchise has been so lifeless for the last few years that I somewhat dreaded entering its world again in the alleged reimagining of “Silent Hill: Shattered Memories,” now available for the Nintendo Wii. Much to my surprise, Konami’s latest is an effective, atmospheric title with only a few flaws.

As franchises like “Resident Evil” have effectively moved to the next generation consoles, “Silent Hill” has been stuck in neutral, arguably in reverse, for a few years now. The first three “Silent Hill” games are some of the best-reviewed of the last ten years, but the fourth title “The Room” started the slide and recent games like “Silent Hill Origins” and “Silent Hill Homecoming” have been complete duds.

Silent Hill: Shattered Memories
Photo credit: Konami

Those recent titles failed because they lacked focus. Was “Silent Hill” a mood game or an action game? As a lot of franchises have moved toward the latter genre (recent “RE” games are much more action-driven than the first few), “Silent Hill” still wanted to have it both ways. “Origins” and “Homecoming” failed to give survival horror fans what they wanted but also completely missed the mark as effective action titles.

For the first installment of the legendary franchise on the Nintendo Wii, the developers have gone back to the drawing board, taking much of the action of the first “Silent Hill” game and remimagining it in a new way that takes advantage of the strengths of its new console. Stripping the game of a lot of its action and making it a more atmospheric experience was a risky move that has surprisingly paid off with a flawed but ultimately rewarding title that defies expectations and far surpasses recent “SH” games.

Silent Hill: Shattered Memories Photo credit: Konami

The game opens with a warning that it will “play you as much you play it”. Designed to be a psychological experience akin to a nightmare, the game cuts between the story of Harry Mason searching for his daughter Cheryl in the terrifying ghost town of Silent Hill and a therapy session in which you answer questions that influence the gameplay. The game supposedly uses your answers to craft the experience that will be the most effective for the individual player, a daring idea for the future of horror gaming. What if we could honestly reach the day when a game would be the most terrifying experience possible for each individual player? “Shattered Memories” tries.

And it doesn’t stop with the therapy sessions. The game constantly monitors the player’s behavior, from where they explore first to the items they examine to the reactions they have to meeting characters and it adjusts the nightmare and the demons encountered based on those interactions. It’s not a perfect interface but it’s a daring attempt at honestly getting inside the head of a player and I hope to see it perfected it the future.

The basic gameplay takes players through an alternate universe version of the story from the first “Silent Hill” game. The Wii mote is used mostly as a flashlight but it’s the other device at Harry’s disposal that is most new to the “SH” experience - a cell phone. Harry can now use the cell phone to take pictures - often of things that the eye cannot see - and to save the game, check a map, and, naturally, make calls.

Silent Hill: Shattered Memories Photo credit: Konami

The Wii mote is also used as a control device for the many puzzles in the game and the bulk of the “action,” which involves running from demons, barricading yourself behind doors, and running some more. Some of the running/nightmare sequences seem ill-conceived and the puzzles are somewhat uninspired, but the overall atmosphere of the game makes the smaller elements easier to overlook. The forest is more impressive than the individual trees.

Helping the overall mood and success of “Silent Hill: Shattered Memories” is a ridiculously high production value including remarkable graphics and a fantastically effective score from series composer Akira Yamaoka.

Perhaps the highest praise I can pay “Silent Hill: Shattered Memories” is that I hate “Wii mote as flashlight” games. The mechanics of it almost never work, but it didn’t take me long before I was fully engrossed in the world of this game. The beam beautifully casts light off the snow and projects sometimes-terrifying shadows along the wall. Needless to say, the best way to play “Shattered Memories” is completely alone and with all the lights off.

“Silent Hill: Shattered Memories” is not your typical “Silent Hill” game. It doesn’t include the cavalcade of monsters from previous titles and involves no combat like recent installments, but to people who say that this is not a complete “SH” experience, I say that recent complete “SH” experiences simply haven’t worked. It was time to try something new and developer Climax has come up with something that feels both fresh and familiar at the same time. It’s one of the most surpisingly accomplished Nintendo Wii games in quite a long time.

By BRIAN TALLERICO Content Director HollywoodChicago.com brian@hollywoodchicago.com