SILENT HILL (PS)
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Publisher: Konami.
Developer: KCET. Released: August 1999 (Europe). Genre: Survival Horror. Posted 31st October 2012. By Tom Clare © 2012 |
So much more than a great survival horror game, Silent Hill was a landmark for what it showed the medium to be capable of on an emotional level, with every facet of the experience being wired towards scaring the player. The end result was something very special, producing an argument for horror games achieving a more heightened (and more prolonged) sensation of fear than their non-interactive silverscreen counterparts, a concept most of us would have laughed at a few years earlier. In unrelentingly bleak scenarios and surrounds, Silent Hill afforded its player no convenient means of escape; no hiding behind the sofa, no skipping a scene when bad things started to happen; no hiding under a blanket when the tension became too much. If Harry Mason was to survive the psychological torture of Silent Hill, one thing was clear: you’d have to live through every second of the nightmare with him.
Harry crashes his car in the fog-blanketed, titular American town. When he comes to, he witnesses his young daughter Cheryl disappearing into the mist. After a nightmarish intro, Harry awakens once again, this time in a diner. Thereafter, his chief concern is to find and follow Cheryl’s tenuous, cryptic trail. Early stages involve exploring the town, discovering most of the roads have been demolished, leaving only an abrupt drop into the abyss. The fog is unsettling as it hides lurking hounds and harpies, all intent on preying on our beleaguered hero. Silent Hill builds its foundation upon familiar survival-horror tropes, following Capcom’s lead with regards to sturdy, ‘tank’ controls; scenic observation and exploration; awkward, cinematic camera angles; scarce ammo and a recognisable inventory system.
They wanted atmosphere, so the janitor gave them it
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"Hospital food: a real horror story"
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But it raises the stakes considerably. SH exhibits a stunning array of ideas, all designed to unsettle the player and fray at the nerves. Harry finds a pocket radio which spits static when an enemy is nearby, whilst the Dual Shock pad tremors to his rapid heartbeat of the central protagonist whenever health is low and his life in danger. You’ll curse the lack of sophistication to Harry’s cheap flashlight, even as you’re thankful that it allows you to see at all. If you’re brave enough to switch it off in the vicinity of enemies, they’ll struggle to locate you in the darkness. And as if to reiterate Harry’s ‘normal guy’ nature, he tends to send bullets astray when shooting from distance, and can only sprint for short periods before having to recover.
Enter the Midwich Elementary School and things become more sinister; fog is replaced by hard, unyielding darkness, broken only by the light of your torch, and the scares ramp up to eleven when Harry enters the claustrophobic, panic-inducing Otherworld. These are usually parallels of places already explored, but nightmarish visions afforded the décor of the devil; rusted metal floors, hung corpses in cages, blood-splattered fans, desperately low visibility and lots of beasties. It’s a remarkable, unusual marriage of visceral gore and psychological horror, two sides of a coin that are so rarely fused in so effective a manner, and these sections are perhaps the crowning-glory in Silent Hill’s elaborate scare methodology.
Enter the Midwich Elementary School and things become more sinister; fog is replaced by hard, unyielding darkness, broken only by the light of your torch, and the scares ramp up to eleven when Harry enters the claustrophobic, panic-inducing Otherworld. These are usually parallels of places already explored, but nightmarish visions afforded the décor of the devil; rusted metal floors, hung corpses in cages, blood-splattered fans, desperately low visibility and lots of beasties. It’s a remarkable, unusual marriage of visceral gore and psychological horror, two sides of a coin that are so rarely fused in so effective a manner, and these sections are perhaps the crowning-glory in Silent Hill’s elaborate scare methodology.
Harry's alarmed at the arrival of a giant pizza in the school courtyard
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It's marvellous that he knows what's important from what's crap, isn't it?
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SH positively drips with atmosphere, and it’s largely thanks to the outstanding audio design. It moves survival-horror away from the b-movie strains of Resident Evil and subjects the player instead to a collection of tunes so warped, unpleasant and at times, near-maniacal, that they’re a thing of beauty. Silent Hill really gets that sound should be used insidiously to retain an uncomfortable atmosphere. Little things, such as distant rattles, crashes and thuds, as well as the low roars and piercing metal screeches of doors opening and closing, combine to keep the player on edge almost constantly. Akira Yamaoka works his magic on some emotive, sweeping compositions that draw on themes of sadness and loss that permeate the story. They’re so good in fact, you can almost forgive the completely shocking English-dub. Almost. Sentences are punctuated with yawning gaps, whilst Harry in particular delivers each revelation in a tone more befitting of the shipping forecast.
But it’s a truly complete exercise in scaring the player. If Resident Evil taught us that games could make you jump, Silent Hill showed us they could genuinely frighten. The sensation of fear and trepidation is so acute, that there are times when you’ll have to will yourself into approaching that rattling locker, or descending into the bowels of the Otherworld Hospital which, by virtue of not being recognised on your map, makes for a passage of play where the sensation of aloneness and isolation is absolutely incredible. The relief when you leave the Otherworld locations, and return to the fog you considered so unsettling to begin with, is palpable.
But it’s a truly complete exercise in scaring the player. If Resident Evil taught us that games could make you jump, Silent Hill showed us they could genuinely frighten. The sensation of fear and trepidation is so acute, that there are times when you’ll have to will yourself into approaching that rattling locker, or descending into the bowels of the Otherworld Hospital which, by virtue of not being recognised on your map, makes for a passage of play where the sensation of aloneness and isolation is absolutely incredible. The relief when you leave the Otherworld locations, and return to the fog you considered so unsettling to begin with, is palpable.
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It looks a peach
too. As well as proving stylistically immaculate, it’s blessed with really good
character animation and some downright freaky enemies. It even ventures full 3D
backdrops, with a degree of camera movement, in a break from the static,
pre-rendered look synonymous with most survival-horrors of the time. But whilst
Silent Hill’s latter-day successors
have adopted standardised third-person viewpoints, the original recognised the
cinematic potential of oblique camera placement. Harry may enter a room, only
to have the camera face straight at him and his dazzling flashlight, with the
crackling radio goading you as to the danger that lies just beyond sight. Time
and again you’ll admire how much of the tension is caused by what you can hear,
but not see.
There are four endings influenced by two chief events; instigating what amounts to a small side-quest halfway through, and either killing or finding a means to save Harry’s cop friend Cybil. The scene at the fairground that sees her rise from a wheelchair, a possessed glow in his eyes, remains one of the most bone-chilling FMVs of its era. There’s even a UFO ending, sparking the series now long-held affinity with humorous, strange conclusions. It’s got about 10-15 hours of play first time through (dependant on how effectively the labyrinthine streets are navigated and how quickly you can crack the riddles), as well as three difficulty settings and post-game goodies. But it’s the world-beating atmosphere, design and gameplay tricks that will have you returning, time and again.
Shocking and creative imagery, unsettling sound, camera angles and environments that accentuate feelings of claustrophobia, smart lighting and, despite some dodgy voice-acting, a mysterious, multifaceted narrative – Konami’s title had it all. Nearly fifteen years on, survival-horror is fading, as innovation and direction appear to have deserted the genre. But developers take note: the blueprint for the ultimate survival-horror game is not an unbreakable code, and it’s not going to be attained through radical changes or untested gimmicks. Lurking amongst gamers’ collections, archived in the sea of history, such a game already exists; and it’s called Silent Hill.
There are four endings influenced by two chief events; instigating what amounts to a small side-quest halfway through, and either killing or finding a means to save Harry’s cop friend Cybil. The scene at the fairground that sees her rise from a wheelchair, a possessed glow in his eyes, remains one of the most bone-chilling FMVs of its era. There’s even a UFO ending, sparking the series now long-held affinity with humorous, strange conclusions. It’s got about 10-15 hours of play first time through (dependant on how effectively the labyrinthine streets are navigated and how quickly you can crack the riddles), as well as three difficulty settings and post-game goodies. But it’s the world-beating atmosphere, design and gameplay tricks that will have you returning, time and again.
Shocking and creative imagery, unsettling sound, camera angles and environments that accentuate feelings of claustrophobia, smart lighting and, despite some dodgy voice-acting, a mysterious, multifaceted narrative – Konami’s title had it all. Nearly fifteen years on, survival-horror is fading, as innovation and direction appear to have deserted the genre. But developers take note: the blueprint for the ultimate survival-horror game is not an unbreakable code, and it’s not going to be attained through radical changes or untested gimmicks. Lurking amongst gamers’ collections, archived in the sea of history, such a game already exists; and it’s called Silent Hill.
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VERDICT
Visual: 9/10
Audio: 9/10 Gameplay: 10/10 Longevity: 9/10 OVERALL: 10/10 |
PIXEL SECONDS: SILENT HILL (PS)
By 1999, the survival horror genre was truly alive and kicking. But Konami’s first foray into the genre remains one of the greatest games, period. Harry Mason’s day from hell is engrossing from start to finish, despite the feeling of suffocation induced by its heavy, morose atmosphere. It outdid Resident Evil in its utilising of fully 3D environments, and overcame technical limitations by infusing a dense fog into every facet of the environment. Seen as derivative by some, it more than makes up for it by being one of the scariest games ever made. When the dense fog and scratching radio synchronise, it is a frightening time. It’s also fully featured, with multiple endings influenced by a bevy of tasks which you may miss entirely depending on how you play. Silent Hill is a top-to-bottom masterpiece, arguably the pinnacle of survival horror and one of the scariest games available. If you’ve somehow missed this, seek it out immediately. But be aware: it is one which is full of scares! [10] - Shane Battams © 2018
By 1999, the survival horror genre was truly alive and kicking. But Konami’s first foray into the genre remains one of the greatest games, period. Harry Mason’s day from hell is engrossing from start to finish, despite the feeling of suffocation induced by its heavy, morose atmosphere. It outdid Resident Evil in its utilising of fully 3D environments, and overcame technical limitations by infusing a dense fog into every facet of the environment. Seen as derivative by some, it more than makes up for it by being one of the scariest games ever made. When the dense fog and scratching radio synchronise, it is a frightening time. It’s also fully featured, with multiple endings influenced by a bevy of tasks which you may miss entirely depending on how you play. Silent Hill is a top-to-bottom masterpiece, arguably the pinnacle of survival horror and one of the scariest games available. If you’ve somehow missed this, seek it out immediately. But be aware: it is one which is full of scares! [10] - Shane Battams © 2018
MORE NINETIES SURVIVAL HORROR CLASSICS REVIEWED
Resident Evil 2 (1998, PC)
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Dino Crisis (1999, PS)
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