LogFAQs > #934245094

Silent Hill: Shattered Memories

Played On: PS2
Release: January 19, 2010
Genre: Survival Horror

PSYCHOLOGY WARNING!

Okay, I promise this is the last game in this project actually released in 2009 instead of 2010! The PS2 version was released in 2010 and I didn't have a Wii at the time okay?! Okay, now that that's out of the way, let's talk about Silent Hill: Shattered Memories. It's a re-imagination of the first game in the series, and either a much praised entry or much maligned entry depending on where you look. In my view, this is easily the best post-Team Silent game though, and while yes it doesn't even come close to touching the original trilogy (what can?), Shattered Memories has enough of a unique voice to itself that I can't believe it isn't more universally liked, though knowing the SH fanbase, maybe I can believe it.

Shattered Memories doesn't play like any other game in the series, Team Silent or not. The game features no combat, one of the main points of contention, but I thought it was fine at the time & works even better as a precursor to the Amnesia-style of horror games that would go on to populate the decade. What's a little more unforgivable in my eyes is the lone enemy type you encounter from beginning to end, and the predictable nature in which you encounter them. Unlike other SH games, enemies are only encountered in the Otherworld here, and far-removed from the metallic rust & grime of other entries is a frozen landscape filled with convenient barricades and hallways to run through. Though the locations do end up getting more maze-like, each encounter plays out the same and I feel it was almost included just because the SH series needs a monster to go up against.

Luckily though, that's only a very small slice of the game. Most of the time is actually spent exploring the titular town, and these sections are where the game truly shines. You'll meet familiar faces and traverse familiar locales, but the game feels radically different from the original Silent Hill. In these locations, you'll find clues and mementos that build up a story that plays out in text messages, phone calls, photos, & voicemails. This is such a perfect fit for the series and the natural evolution of file collecting that goes way back to the genre's progenitors. One of the best stories takes place in Midwich High School, which includes an expanded role for Mr. Gordon, Alessa's school teacher mentioned in SH1 & 3, and the fallout of his affair with an underage student. Lisa Garland's re-imagination is also very powerful and kind of makes you feel like crap too. The way its all presented, and with you having to discover the clues with the tools you have is just all very engaging and keeps the tension & atmosphere high without relying on enemies.

The second huge part of the game consists of therapy sessions with Dr. Kaufmann. In these sessions, you answer questions or participate in little activities that change the town of Silent Hill. It's the kind of thing that is really neat the first time through, but easily manipulated on every subsequent playthrough. It's not quite the menacing (read: extremely cheesy) PSYCHOLOGY WARNING and the "game plays you as much as play it" as it promises but it's clever enough and is a good hook for getting you drawn into the game at least. And it does ultimately play into the mega final twist of the game you probably won't ever see coming.

For just a brief moment in time, Silent Hill felt fresh again, like it could reclaim its spot on top of the psychological horror throne. Alas, it was a one-off, and this would end up being the last truly good Silent Hill game we would ever receive (P.T. aside). We will return to Silent Hill again in two years (and believe me it is not pretty), but for now, let's take a second and remember a time when Silent Hill was almost a respectable franchise again.

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Too much horror business, drivin' late at night
https://imgur.com/MmrKwGZ - https://imgur.com/ntWVGyh