Being a Silent Hill fan is a lot like watching Eddie Murphy movies. You keep thinking back and remembering the glory days, while quietly thinking that maybe this next one movie will be the one to restore him to Beverly Hill Cop/48 Hrs. glory (or in Silent Hill's case, the days of Silent Hill 2 and 3). However, time and time again, we are ultimately disappointed among the Norbits, Klumps, and Homecomings. But we keep with it, remembering the good days, and in the case of Silent Hill, recognizing the key strengths of the franchise, and hoping that some capable developer will put the series on top of the survival horror heap where it belongs.
Then, Sillent Hill comes along and knocks the series down a few more pegs.
Then, Sillent Hill comes along and knocks the series down a few more pegs.
Trailer from the game
Developed by series newcomer Vatra Games, Silent Hill Downpour is a pretty different take on the series. Downpour takes many of the devices familiar to fans of the franchise like Akira Yamaoka's score and many of the familiar landmarks and sights in the town, and replaces them with new previously unexplored sections of Silent Hill, a new hero and more of a focus on action and combat. There are a few connections that the game makes to the previous games in the series, but unfortunately most of what has been added isn't great. There are a few fleeting moments in Downpour that offer legitimate thrills, but on the whole, the experience is very weak. The gameplay is dull and uninspired, the combat is loose and clunky, and the technical presentation is simply a mess.
Silent Hill Downpour pits you as series newcomer Murphy Pendleton, a convict being transported to a new prison. Before he gets there, the bus crashes, killing many of those on board and transporting Murphy into the eerie otherworldly town known as Silent Hill. The game gives you a few details here and there on Murphy's background, but you're only fed bits and pieces of the character, slowly learning what he did to get incarcerated as well as why he's a prime candidate for residency in the terrifying titular town. Much of what you see at first of Murphy's past is the bizarre visual cues that don't mean much, but as you progress the pieces will begin to fit together more.
Silent Hill Downpour pits you as series newcomer Murphy Pendleton, a convict being transported to a new prison. Before he gets there, the bus crashes, killing many of those on board and transporting Murphy into the eerie otherworldly town known as Silent Hill. The game gives you a few details here and there on Murphy's background, but you're only fed bits and pieces of the character, slowly learning what he did to get incarcerated as well as why he's a prime candidate for residency in the terrifying titular town. Much of what you see at first of Murphy's past is the bizarre visual cues that don't mean much, but as you progress the pieces will begin to fit together more.
The game also lets you create Murphy's character yourself with a few choices littered throughout the story. You'll be tasked a couple of times with either rescuing someone from harm or leaving them to it (occasionally goading them into it as well). However, these choices don't really have the weight that they should, and oftentimes the same series of events will play out regardless of what you choose.
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