Similar to Resident Evil, Silent Hill is
a better game in almost every category. While Resident
Evil is scary in a monster movie way, Silent Hill
is disturbing in a more psychological manner that stays
with you. And unlike Resident Evil, the supernatural
is never fully explained in Silent Hill. As Harry
Mason, you are stuck in a bizarre town looking for your
missing daughter, Cheryl. You look for clues, as you walk
though fog and snow, fighting off monster dogs, winged
beasts and other demons. Other than the police officer
you meet early in the game, the town seems deserted.
The graphics are very good for the most part. They are
all real-time, and any pop up is disguised by the fog
(or later by darkness). The graphics have a dithered quality
to them, and are lacking the detail of more modern games
(but frankly you'll be glad for that lack of detail later
in the game).
Sound is excellent in this game. The use of radio static
and ringing alarms to alert you to monster proximity is
both useful and frightening. The sound track is more controlled
noise than music, yet matches the game perfectly. The
voice acting is well done for the most part, but you can
tell that the actors are reading one line at a time.
The gameplay is a good mix of exploration, monster fighting
and puzzle solving. Where Silent Hill really shines
though, is in it's ability to disturb. From the lack of
people in town to the earthquake-like fissures in the
roads to the creepy alternate realities that start to
show up, reality in the game seems to be unraveling. As
you progress further, both real-time and beautiful pre-rendered
cinemas slowly reveal more of the story. One of the best
games for the PSOne.
2008 ben langberg, all rights reserved.