Gameitall Every series has one game that makes it well known, Resident Evil 4 made the previous ones a joke and gave 5 big boots to fill, Fatal Frame 2 blew everyone away with it’s story, and our main culprit in this theory, Silent Hill 2, has made fans rabid with how the series had gone downhill.
The team at Vatra realize this problem, and they did the smart thing, they’re not trying to beat or copy Silent Hill 2, they’re trying to complement it, take what works and make it better. In my opinion this makes for one hell of a trip back to our favorite vacation spot.
In Downpour you play as Murphy Pendleton, a convict on his way to a maximum security prison, the bus transferring him to this prison brings him to the east side of Silent Hill. Inspired by The Fugitive, the bus flips over allowing Murphy to escape, however the roads are all destroyed and the streets are filled with monsters hell-bent on destroying Murphy. Murphy starts to slip in and out of sanity as he finds news clippings regarding his pass.
The game plays very simular to the older Silent Hill games with a few modern updates. The Camera focuses over your shoulder throughout most of the game, and lighting has been greatly improved. You find yourself switching between different lights like a lighter, flashlight and a Forensics light to reveal traps, puzzles and even some enemies.
The environments are gorgeous in a creepy Silent Hill sort of way and the puzzles are smart, we even get the return of the famed Silent Hill Puzzle difficulty when you load up the game, which can make some of the most simplest puzzles a chore to complete. Which brings one slight problem.
When you start the game you get the option of choosing your combat difficulty, after given a short tutorial on combat by shanking a defenseless man in the prison shower, in actual practice the basic monster will be able to wipe the floor with you. Monsters take and dish a lot of damage, and there is very little strategy against most of them.
While this does add to the horror of the title and make sense with Murphy generally being an easy going guy, parts of me do miss some of Homecomings contributions to the series, such the side-step or roll mechanic. The reason why I say this is simple, the blocking and aiming mechanics are bad, hitting an enemy while it’s blocking will sometimes knock you back, while them hitting your block stance will automatically send you back, and since your weapons have durability now, it makes the flight function a necessary mechanic to use.
Those familiar with Silent Hill will know the Otherworld plays a huge part in the game, this is where Downpour take cues from Shattered Memories, where the Otherworld becomes more of a nightmare, this is actually one of the first times I actually dread the Otherworld because it will mess with your mind. with moving walls, blades and a new enemy called The Void chasing after you in this nightmare, you really never know what to expect.
What I originally thought was going to be a downside of the game was the fact that Akira Yamaoka would not return for the 8th installment due to his departure from Konami, they actually found someone that is on par, if not better, to take the reigns of the series, enter Daniel Licht (Dexter) and probably some of the best music for the series.
To me Downpour isn’t just another survival horror game, it’s a look back at Silent Hill and everything we love about it, the team at Vatra did an amazing job, giving it an old-school feel without with modern touches. With the series staple of 6 multiple endings, amazing enviroments and Otherworld levels, and a great story may put this on the top of Silent Hill series.
Silent Hill: Downpour 8 out of 10
Pros – Some of the best music in a video game, well crafted story, great level design, Multiple endings give it high replay value.
Cons – Combat seems lackluster, Monsters are don’t feel like they’ve been though the Silent Hill Treatment, fustrating last level that relies only on your combat.
