As a big fan of anything and everything in the realm of survival horror, I was a giddy little fangirl when I first saw the teaser trailer for Silent Hill: Homecoming; I quickly marked my calendar when the release date was announced. I did a little bit of research on the game and was a little shocked to find out that, much like Silent Hill: Origins, Team Silent wasn’t developing the newest game but by the recently-founded Double Helix. I was a little sad that Team Silent wasn’t working on the game but knowing that Origins got decent reviews thanks to Climax Group I was willing to give it a shot.

Within the first few minutes of the game it became obvious that Double Helix was inspired by the Silent Hill movie, from the transition to the otherworld, the way the light affects the nurses and the appearance of Pyramid Head. Being a fan of the movie I found this enjoyable though a little strange when taking the other games into account. Putting aside the nitpicky side of my brain, I jumped into the newest facet of the Silent Hill world.

The game’s atmosphere was classic, from the rundown, fog-filled town of Shepherd’s Glenn to the music, with Akira Yamaoka once again teaming up with Mary Elizabeth McGlynn, the female vocalist from Silent Hill: The Room. Going through the tutorial, which was nicely played out as prophetic dream, I got a feel for the new controls (which were a little shoddy), the game’s characteristic “mini quests,” and the beginnings of an interesting plot, which I refuse to go into because it would ruin too much. Your weapons are survival horror classics: a knife, a metal pipe, a shotgun, an axe, etc. The interesting twist they put on the weapons for the game is that if you need to slice through something, only the knife will do it, if you need to pry open a gate, the pipe is the way to go, and the axe is the only thing you have that can hack through things.

Character design is nice, and the movement of Alex’s face is wonderful; however, some of the other characters seem a little less fleshed out. The monster designs were amazing, proving that Double Helix has the potential to create some frightening creatures. I was a little disappointed with the appearance of Pyramid Head; the character didn’t do too much and appeared to be in the game just because he was a fan favorite, all of this is a huge difference from his role in Silent Hill 2.

I see this as a game that I could play over and over again, not only for the endings and achievements, but for the overall story. For survival horror enthusiasts and fans of the Silent Hill series, I would say this is a must for your collection. For those just getting into the genre, new to the series, or just plain interested, I would suggest renting the game before buying it, just in case it isn’t for you... but I find that hard to believe.

7/10

 

 

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