I confess I have not played every Silent Hill game in the series. But this is not to say I did not have a good time. The second game in the series, Silent Hill 2, was one of the first horror games I've played. Even though I liked it, it was rather hard for me to identify with James: I am not married, and I am a bit younger than him. So the idea of me chasing after a dead spouse, as of this writing, is hard for me to identify with the character. And then I played Silent Hill 3, a game of horror masterpiece. Heather's plight was something I could really identify with: I remember what was like to be a 17 years old, the fear of dad dying (mine survived triple bypass), and the struggles of moving through conflict. The horror and imagery in those games are a few topics a friend and I periodically talk about. Recently, I have had the good luck to get my hands on the "prequel" game: Silent Hill: Origins for the Playstation 2. And, just like any good Silent Hill game, I have a lot to write about.
Silent Hill: Origins (or is the "O" truly spelled with a "0?") follows the adventures of Travis Grady. Good old Travis is a truck driver who has had the good (or in his case, bad) luck of attempting to take a short cut through our forbidden hamlet. But instead of it being a short cut, it's more of diversion as he almost runs over a young girl in the middle of the road. She quickly disappears and our hero goes after. Shortly after this, he sees a burning building. Goes in, and rescues the last survivor. Those have played other installments will probably have a good idea of who this character's identity. And, of course, things quickly go downhill from there. To write any more would truly spoil the plot. All of this takes place before any of the other games takes place.
The graphics, on the whole, are pretty grainy. But this is a mainstay of the series: The games have always attempted to make you feel like you are watching a reel of some sort. What I should write is that one can tell that it is a port of the PSP version. There are certain details that are not as strong as a previous installments, and at the very, very end of the game it chugs a bit. However, this is not to say that the game's engine does not work, and the series (as a whole) was never about top-of-the-line graphics. So it is very forgivable. Anyway, the atmosphere is exactly what you would expect from a horror game. Darkness looms all around the various buildings with our old "friend" fog engulfing Travis' (and our) thoughts, rust is seen in the dark / other world's buildings and bloody footprints can be seen after Travis walks through a corpse. The few monsters in the game are well animated and down right disturbing. The straight jacket spitters and nurses return, along with a few other disturbing creatures. Let's just leave it at that. And this thought dawned on me several hours ago: I can almost swear that the creators' believe that a cross of the organic with industrial is the scariest thing of all.
Controls are exceedingly solid. The old tank-like movement is completely abolished. Just tilt the left analog stick in the direction you want to move and Travis will move in that direction. It can, however, get a little tricky when the camera decides to be more cinematic than useful. It just is not as refined as Silent Hill 2 and Silent Hill 3. This is not to say it does not work, you just can't fiddle with it as much you need. And whenever you push the L1 button to force the camera behind Travis, it either doesn't work due to cinematic logic or it does and it suddenly appears behind him without any warning.
Combat is handled a tad differently in this installment. This time around weapons are available in mass quantities (yea!). Nearly everywhere you go, there is something out there that Travis can pick up and use against the nightmarish creatures. The down part is two fold. First, ammo is at a premium. Usually in my favorite hamlet, ammo is scarce but plentiful enough that the hero can defend him (or her) self against harm. This time around, you obtain such a miniscule amount that it makes gun combat third to Travis' fists. Yes, fists. This brings us into problem number two: weapons have a durability issue. After whacking a monster a certain number of times, the weapon breaks. This leaves Travis bare handed. However, his fists are a rather effective weapon (and fast enough too) that I didn't really bother that often with the different melee weapons.
What also makes this game unique is the mirror mechanic. As most horror gamers know, there is usually a darker, more horrific side of Silent Hill waiting to be discovered. Unlike previous heroes who were sucked into its industrial horrors, Travis can travel between the two sides almost at will by touching a mirror (remember how James and Heather dislike mirrors?). This allows him to explore both sides with ease and locate the necessary items. Furthermore, there are a few trapped places that can only be accessed on one side of the real or dark realities (respectivity). It's interesting, but it doesn't have the over-arching anxiety that something darker is waiting for you. The only down part is that there is one puzzle that gives you no clues on how to solve it (when you get there, you'll instantly know what I'm talking about).
This is also the first time in a Silent Hill game that I was forced to go stealthy. Usually I am able to kill all monsters I see without too much difficulty. Instead, health items are even more scarce (or so it seems) along with ammo. Also, monsters seem to re-spawn on a daily basis. This is an occurrence that I don't seem to recall from my previous experiences with the series. Furthermore, the game is just too dark to play without the flashlight on (those experienced with the series will recall that the light helps the monsters see the protagonist).
Audio is by far the strongest aspect of the game. It's dark. It's moody. It ranges from classical instruments and arrangements to more industrial sounds of things grinding and gunshots. In a word: Awesomeness. No matter what doubts you may have about the game, the audio perfectly accents the mood. It was really the audio that kept the tension high for me.
Overall, Silent Hill: Origins could be considered an average horror game. The mismatching camera, the obscure item placements (his head still moves, thank goodness!), overly dark screen, the odd graphic glitches (reload the guns and you'll see the pistol image in place of the other gun images) and few save points. However, even the most average Silent Hill game is more intelligent than the average horror game.
No matter what complaints I have for Origins, I still enjoyed myself. It is a downright wonderful (or should it be "horrific?") ride. I was completely enthralled by it from start to finish, as it refused to let me go from its grasps more than a few hours before completion. The game's biggest downfall is that it is short. I suspect that it is the shortest game in the series. Most of the time, Silent Hill games would have you wandering around for about eight to ten hours (or more). This game can be completed the first time through in about six hours (if not faster).
And yet, I easily recommend this game for fans of the series and fans of horror. However, this is not a good game for new players of the series to enter into due to the lack of difficulty choice, despite the fact that there is a tips section on the title screen. If you want to get into the Silent Hill mythos, I recommend the second and third installment (both are available for download through GameTap's services). Good luck finding a copy because I have yet to see one since the summer time. Still, Silent Hill: Origins is a great game to get lost in a fog, to reflect upon the horrors of one's life. That's what makes Origins such a ride.
