Written by: PlayDevil.com Staff

 

 

 

"Silent Hill Downpour" seemed intent on pulling me in with one hand while pushing me away with the other. Phrases like 'this will have no ties to the earlier Silent Hills' worried me as I got the feeling they were trying to distance themselves from the superb psychological horror series, while 'we are drawing inspiration from Silent Hill 2' dragged my attention back fast enough to give me whiplash.

 

Playing the first chunk of the game did offer some insight in to the cryptic juxtaposition being given. Downpour shrugs off previous story threads, far from unheard of for the series, but an important point to make for fans looking for recurring threads. Instead of looking to the past a new 'hero' is presented in the form of Murphy Pendleton, a convict who finds himself free after a bus transporting him crashes. Probably feeling quite lucky at this turn of events he tries to put some distance between himself and the crash site, unfortunately the town of Silent Hill has other plans and Murphy soon finds himself trapped by the eponymous town.

 

It was keenly pointed out that this was still very much the town of Silent Hill, much of the classic iconography remains a fact soon highlighted by the appetence of a wheelchair (a series mainstay) on the roof of a petrol garage and the random appearance of Harold. Peculiar appearances and disappearances are common place in the world of Silent Hill, but comments made about Harold suggest something more interesting as his postman person may be more than a job but also a metaphor for his purpose in the game, delivering messages from Silent Hill. If this is the case European developer Vetra is moving in to interesting (if dangerous) territory, giving the town a voice and maybe shedding more clarity than previous titles on the games bizarre events.

 

Any clarity Harold may give would certainly be interesting, as the town of Silent Hill remains bewildering as ever. Promised to be five times bigger than previous games the town is still filled collapsed roads and other contrived supernatural barriers to progress. Vision is as always impaired (this time by the titular downpour) and the run down Middle America vibe remains a constant. The all important dark world keeps much of the earlier games aesthetic, though it does seem to be even more twisted offering a geometry unrestricted by gravity or physical laws, a fact I discovered by running down an ever extending corridor before plunging down a water soaked slide within moments of entering the dark world.

 

Fortunately movement seems much improved in this new world as Murphy ducks his and adjusts his by all manner of obstacles. This new movement and freedom in the world is mirrored in Murphy's ability to break and enter as unlike previous protagonists he is able to crowbar his way through many locked doors (possibly a link to his criminal past). Unfortunately innovations do not carry through to the combat, which remains clunky. Blind swings frequently miss leaving Murpy prone as he recovers, and the fiddly controls make it as difficult as ever to line up attacks. As with all previous titles the argument remains that it is because the protagonist is not a fighter that they struggle, but given the new developer my hope was that the combat would undergo some refinement and this lack of skill could be represented in a less frustrating fashion.

 

Another slight negative for me, and a strange omission, is the removal of a portable radio. These used to create a creepy static to alert visitors to Silent Hill of approaching danger with the trade off of attracting enemies. Radios are still present but less passively as larger devices in the world can be listened to with the audio often talking of Murphy’s progress, somewhat voyeuristically.

 

As a series fan I cannot help but be excited by Downpour. Developer Vetra seems to have drawn on much of what makes the series work, using elements I loved from Silent Hill 2 and Shattered Memories as the town of Silent Hill draws on Murphy’s subconscious to create a world tailored to his own personal fears, particularly noticeable with the constant presence of water and enemies becoming more dangerous during heavy rain.

 

"Silent Hill Downpour" has all the elements to be an amazing Silent Hill, but a lot could go wrong especially with the clunky combat less forgivable in modern gaming. I can only hope I will be impressed when Silent Hill Downpour releases on PS3 and 360 this November.