brandonh83
Banned
Just point the way out of town,
and I'll keep right on goin.'
and I'll keep right on goin.'
Murphy Pendleton has been incarcerated for several years, having had his sentence extended once already.
Due to his history at Ryall State Prison, he is being transferred to nearby Wayside Maximum Security
Penitentiary-but a freak accident cuts the journey short. Waking up in a forest next to the wrecked bus,
Murphy has a clear shot at freedom. He makes his way into the sleepy town of Silent Hill where mysterious
locals welcome him into a slowly developing personal hell.
Silent Hill Downpour is the latest Silent Hill game offering the familiar Survival Horror gameplay delivered
in the most defined visual quality to date. The game also expands on the exploration theme of the franchise
both design-wise and through psychological torture, ambient story, horrific enemies and self-evaluative
questions of despair.
March 13 | Playstation 3 & Xbox 360 | Survival Horror | Vatra Games | published by Konami
Silent Hill Downpour carries the tradition of simple and to the point adventure-based gameplay. The
designers have went on record stating that their aim was to not make another Homecoming, in that
there will be no focus on gunplay or combos although there will be guns and other weapons akin to
all the past installments. They are trying to, however, refine the combat so that when the player decides
to engage in combat, it hopefully won't be as frustrating as it has been in the past. There are also
chasing sequences similar to those found in Shattered Memories, though they will not be focused on
as a central gameplay element. Weapons are breakable, which is never good but hopefully it's been
implemented better than in Origins and Silent Hill 4.
Rain will play multiple roles in Downpour. During gameplay, the rain's intensity will fluctuate. The lighter
the rainfall, the less danger Murphy is in. Concurrently, as the rain intensifies, Murphy will run into more
enemies. It is advised that when the rain starts coming down, to seek shelter. It is also expected that,
in typical Silent Hill fashion, that rain will somehow factor in to Murphy's past and provide some sort of
catalyst to his character.
The Silent Hill franchise has been known to borrow inspiration from artists and other works in order to best
bring its story, symbolism, and characters to life in the most interesting, bizarre, and disturbing
ways imaginable. Silent Hill Downpour is no different, as creative director Brian Gomez describes--
very interestingly-- at a conference, that Silent Hill Downpour is like "M.C. Escher's wet dream meets
Franz Kafka." This should allow for the game to adopt its own visual identity without deliberately trying to
copy Team Silent's art style.
Works by M.C. Escher:
It has been revealed that Downpour will be the first Silent Hill title to include sidequests. While little
information is known about what they will consist of, the developers have stated that they simply
exist to give players optional quests to do outside of the main storyline and that these sidequests
will provide new details and insights into the town of Silent Hill, and even perhaps shed some light
on Murphy.
meet the composer | meet the writer | screens | in motion (video) | reviews
Best known for his work on the hit TV series "Dexter," Daniel Licht has been tapped to compose
the original score for the game. While many fans are disheartened that veteran Silent Hill composer
and sound designer Akira Yamaoka will not be returning for Silent Hill Downpour, Mr. Licht is more
than up to the challenge and has provided a unique, spooky, thematic score of his own. Based on
the music that has been heard so far we can expect plenty of nods to Yamaoka's style.
Korn has also provided the theme song. Give it a listen below.
The first thing that came to mind when I first listened to the track "Jump Monster" was the music from
Suspiria along with some other Argento films. Whether or not Licht borrowed inspiration from Goblin's
work, the emphasis on frantic, wild percussion is evident in both tracks. Either way, it is reminiscent of
Italian horror film scores, and that's never a bad thing.
Without a story there'd be no game. Silent Hill Downpour was written by Silent Hill comic author Tom Waltz.
The Silent Hill games work largely in part due to their intricate, disturbing, and sometimes surprisingly
emotional stories. Players typically go in expecting to get their pants scared off them, but just as typically
come out surprised and slack-jawed by a fantastic twist, emotional elements, and sometimes both.
His work includes Silent Hill: Sinner's Reward and Silent Hill: Past Life.
Silent Hill: Sinner's Reward | When hitman Jack “The Pup” Stanton runs away with his mob boss’s wife,
he thinks he’s finally put his murderous past behind him. Instead, Jack and his lover take a wrong turn into
Silent Hill and quickly learn that some sins are impossible to escape.
Silent Hill: Past Life | The story chronicles events going back to 1867 and features a criminal gunslinger
called Jebediah “Hellrider” Foster and a woman called Esther Monroe.
Konami has released some of the worst screenshots of this game that they possibly could have over the
last year and a half. However, I have attempted to hand-pick some of the "better" screens out there. If
they don't do much for you, don't worry, you're not alone. The videos do the title a bit more justice.
Watch the E3 2011 trailer, as well as a 40+ minute gameplay demonstration that covers up to a bit
beyond the initial otherworld sequence.
- Game Informer | 7
- Destructoid | 8
- Rely on Horror | 9
- Gamespot | 7.5
- IGN | 4.5
- Gamesradar | 7
GAF impressions
Dusk Golem's impressions
Ahasverus' impressions
creative director: Brian Gomez | producers: Tomm Hulett, Devin Shatsky
Silent Hill Downpour was developed at Vatra Studios situated in the town of Brno, Czech Republic.
The creative/design director is Brian Gomez, with Tomm Hulett and Devin Shatsky producing/damage
controlling.
A very special thanks to these guys for helping keep the Silent Hill franchise going!
