Game Review: Silent Hill: Shattered Memories

Title: Silent Hill: Shattered Memories
Platforms: PSP, PS2, Nintendo Wii
Platform Played On: PSP
Release Date: 2009
Final Score: 8.5/10

OKAY, so, here goes, my first review on this blog. This is simultaneously terrifying and exciting for me! Before I begin I need to note that I actually played this game months ago, and wrote my review on a site which has since been removed, so I am reiterating my thoughts on this game solely from memory. If I make any mistakes or seem to be confused about anything, feel free to tell me what a dumbass I am in the comments! Now, let's begin!

Silent Hill: Shattered Memories is a loose reboot of the original Silent Hill game, and while it does veer from its roots a lot, the same basic story remains unchanged. Harry Mason has a major car accident in the strange town of Silent Hill, and upon awakening finds his daughter Cheryl missing, and proceeds on a hellish and life-changing journey to find her.

The plot for the original Silent Hill was...not great...More on that later, but one of the places Shattered Memories shines is how it adds depth to the mundane story that the original game gave us. It made the story a deeply personal character study about a disturbed mind, something that the series became famous for in its sequels, which I have yet to play.

One of the most unique aspects of this game, however, is that it manages to do this by psychoanalyzing YOU, the player. In between each chapter of the game, you will have a therapy session in which you are forced to answer a few questions and perform a number of tasks for a psychiatrist, and the way you respond to his inquiries will effect the story, the world, and your own protagonist's behavior as well as the other characters and the way they respond to you.

This smug asshole is the therapist, in case you were curious.

This mechanic can make every player's experience unique in some way, and it allows the game to get under your skin in a way few games can. By gaining a greater understanding of who the player is and what makes them tick, the developers can unsettle and scare you far more effectively. I've only played through the game twice but both playthroughs felt very different and exciting.

Now for the characters that inhabit the topsy-turvy world that is Silent Hill. There are three big ones, and all of them are ladies: Cybil Bennett, Lisa Garla-nd, and Dahlia Gillespie. The intriguing part is how these women change depending on how you're handling the therapy sessions, not only in demeanor but also in their appearance. For example, Cybil, the cop who's trying to assist Harry in finding his daughter, can appear in one of two ways. This:

Or more hilariously, this:

My, oh my, what a big...badge...you have...

 Okay, so some of the changes are far from subtle, but when it works, it really works. I won't go into the spoiler-ific details surrounding Dahlia's character, but let me just say she is fucking fantastic.

Another fascinating change in this game as opposed to other entries in the franchise is the complete lack of contact. Once the monsters show up, you have no choice but to run and hide until you figure out what to do and where to go next. Does this approach work? Eh...To some extent. The problem is that the developers have split the game up into two parts: story progression, and chase sequences. Usually, near the end of each chapter, the environment will start to ice over, signaling that a chase sequence is about to begin. These moments give off a sense of dread, since the player knows exactly what's coming and that it is not going to be fun.

These chase sequences are intense and fast paced. The player will sprint from room to room, trying to find out where to go or where they can hide from the monsters until they can find out where to go. They're always hectic and adrenaline-charged, and for the most part this works, however, this system isn't without its faults.

The best kind of monsters are the ones that try to hug you to death

For one, the monster design is extremely lacking. Sure, the pink, fleshy, faceless attack-hug monster is scary for a time, but it is the only enemy you'll face in the game. In a series that's renowned for its excellent monster design, in particular how they pertain to the protagonist's psyche, this is extremely disappointing. While it's true that they do change their appearance slightly depending on your therapy sessions, the changes are far too subtle to make any significant difference. Some of the chase sequences also go on for far too long, to the point where it stops being scary and just starts being exhausting, and coupled with the same-y monsters, this makes for some very repetitive action gameplay.

Yaaaawn

The design decision to break up the narrative and the action sequences presents another unfortunate side effect. The story-telling segments are almost completely devoid of scares. Since the player knows they're never in any real danger, it's impossible to create any lasting feeling of dread or unease. The developers did find a few ways to spook the player in these areas, mostly through the use of excellent sound effects and environmental design, but they're always fleeting, and few and far between. I never got that perpetual feeling of danger and terror that I found in my time with other entries in the series. The game relies more on its (thankfully superb) story and characters to unsettle the player, and fortunately it succeeds in that regard most of the time.

Harry can also use flares to ward off the monsters and buy time.
That's pretty kewl, I s'pose.

Final thoughts: What the game lacks in gameplay it more than makes up for with its fantastic story, characters, and environmental design. The psychoanalysis aspect of the game makes it stand out from other titles, for creating an incredible layered  experience and one that is worth replaying for the story alone.

8.5/10