Been thinking about this one lately. Silent Hill 4: The Room is a weird messy game, in line with honestly most of the series being weird and messy as well. This is a game that is about the corrosive effects of agoraphobia and how that leads to repetitious days, which of course gets reflected in the game itself in ways that can be honestly really frustrating to players including myself.
A fairly common critique of this game is that the second half is bad, and this is due to the fact that you are having to protect Eileen while going through environments that you were in before. It has often been speculated that the game was rushed development-wise which is what led to the recycling of assets, and that a lot of the game's flaws are therefore stemming from that. I can certainly understand this perspective, since Silent Hill 4: The Room has as many locations any other Silent Hill game before this point, and in terms of budget and development time it probably wasn't feasible to invent even more new areas for the back half of the game.
But like it's also complicated? This repetition is supposed to be frustrating because of how it is manifesting a lot of the game's subtextual notions. Henry is fairly explicitly an isolated agoraphobe, this is something that is true even outside of the context of the game's plot mechanics itself by examining how he actually lives in his apartment, how little care to decor he's devoted to and how little interest he has in the things around him. You can examine his stove for instance and he'll make a comment on how he isn't hungry or doesn't want to cook or anything, along with how often the game uses non-optional voyeuristic camera perspectives with him. This is why Henry speaks in such a strange detached way, I read it that he's not only very introverted but he's also very depressed.
Eileen is the only person in the game you are capable of having meaningful interactions with, which in a lot of metaphorical ways shows the frustrations of actually combatting agoraphobia. It can feel like a complete uphill battle to forge a meaningful connection with someone of you've convinced yourself the outside world is actively hostile and malevolent.
One thing that stuck in my mind is the WHY of why The Room is the center of how the Otherworld is projecting outwards, and at its core it all stems from loneliness and isolation. Walter Sullivan was indoctrinated into a cult that actively dehumanizes its individual members to hate the world, and yet in pretty fucked up ways he still wants to connect with people and attempt to see people. This is why he wants Eileen to be reborn as a Holy Mother, and also extremely notably why he wants Henry as this container of knowledge. I don't think it's coincidental that Henry of all people is involved with all this, I feel like a lot of this happened BECAUSE of how Walter related to those feelings of isolation and twisted that into these really dark manifestations. Why else would he continually have Henry see aspects of his own memories while he commits murders? He wants someone to see what he went through, but is incapable of progressing beyond showing his wounds.
All this to say, I ended up really vibing with this game. There are very many obvious issues to observe with it, but I want to accept and understand things the way they are now instead of imagining an alternate 'fixed' version that will never exist, and I relate highly to this game because it reflects a lot of my own issues in ways I rarely see other media tackle, which is enough for me.
A fairly common critique of this game is that the second half is bad, and this is due to the fact that you are having to protect Eileen while going through environments that you were in before. It has often been speculated that the game was rushed development-wise which is what led to the recycling of assets, and that a lot of the game's flaws are therefore stemming from that. I can certainly understand this perspective, since Silent Hill 4: The Room has as many locations any other Silent Hill game before this point, and in terms of budget and development time it probably wasn't feasible to invent even more new areas for the back half of the game.
But like it's also complicated? This repetition is supposed to be frustrating because of how it is manifesting a lot of the game's subtextual notions. Henry is fairly explicitly an isolated agoraphobe, this is something that is true even outside of the context of the game's plot mechanics itself by examining how he actually lives in his apartment, how little care to decor he's devoted to and how little interest he has in the things around him. You can examine his stove for instance and he'll make a comment on how he isn't hungry or doesn't want to cook or anything, along with how often the game uses non-optional voyeuristic camera perspectives with him. This is why Henry speaks in such a strange detached way, I read it that he's not only very introverted but he's also very depressed.
Eileen is the only person in the game you are capable of having meaningful interactions with, which in a lot of metaphorical ways shows the frustrations of actually combatting agoraphobia. It can feel like a complete uphill battle to forge a meaningful connection with someone of you've convinced yourself the outside world is actively hostile and malevolent.
One thing that stuck in my mind is the WHY of why The Room is the center of how the Otherworld is projecting outwards, and at its core it all stems from loneliness and isolation. Walter Sullivan was indoctrinated into a cult that actively dehumanizes its individual members to hate the world, and yet in pretty fucked up ways he still wants to connect with people and attempt to see people. This is why he wants Eileen to be reborn as a Holy Mother, and also extremely notably why he wants Henry as this container of knowledge. I don't think it's coincidental that Henry of all people is involved with all this, I feel like a lot of this happened BECAUSE of how Walter related to those feelings of isolation and twisted that into these really dark manifestations. Why else would he continually have Henry see aspects of his own memories while he commits murders? He wants someone to see what he went through, but is incapable of progressing beyond showing his wounds.
All this to say, I ended up really vibing with this game. There are very many obvious issues to observe with it, but I want to accept and understand things the way they are now instead of imagining an alternate 'fixed' version that will never exist, and I relate highly to this game because it reflects a lot of my own issues in ways I rarely see other media tackle, which is enough for me.
After much hesitation, I finally decided to bite the bullet and play Silent Hill 4. It was always the most interesting game of the Team Silent games for me due to its polarizing reception. This game is like the middle ground between good and bad according to the community. However, now that I have finally finished Silent Hill 4. I can give some of my thoughts.
First and foremost, Silent Hill 4 is not as good as its predecessors in my opinion. The minds of Team Silent took a slightly different creative approach to the game. This can mostly be seen within its gameplay. Silent Hill 1-3 allowed you to use both guns and melee weapons. However, as you keep playing 4, you'll notice that the game is more melee focused. There are a ton of melee weapons to be found since there are only 2 guns within the game. Taking a page out of Resident Evil, Silent Hill 4 features a limited inventory. Now personally, I never found the limited inventory to be an issue. The only thing I can really complain about the inventory is that handgun/revolver ammo no longer stack, so you have to carry individual stacks. The same also applies to health items.
The combat in Silent Hill games haven't always been the greatest. Like I mentioned earlier, Silent Hill 4 takes a slight departure from the original 3 games and goes more melee focus. You can perform normal attacks and charged attacks with any melee weapon you find. The gauge for charged attack vary depending on the weapon. Charged attacks is the norm for when doing combat since you're given i-frames during the attack animation. You also have the option to dodge in combat, but I never did it too much. If you want to have a more solid time with this game, then use the Rusty Axe once you find it. It's charged attack is absurd and it eliminates the need of having other weapons in your inventory. It's just that good and it gets rid one of the biggest problems people have with the game.
One of the biggest things against Silent Hill 4 is the 2nd half of the game where you have to escort Eileen through your world revisits. Eileen, herself, doesn't particularly have the greatest AI in the world. There are times where she'll either get stuck at corners and you have to wait for her. Genuinely, the only hindrance Eileen does is make you slow down for her. Henry easily outruns her and you'll be waiting for her to catch up. She can't access the next room unless she's within a certain proximity of Henry, so you have to wait on her. The only time this can be annoying is if you're traveling through a room with hummers which only happens a handful of times. One slight thing I want to add here is that she can help in combat if you give her one of her weapons. Although, there's a risk of her taking damage or getting in the way. Anyways, the escorting itself isn't as bad as people make it out to be. It's like an overblown exaggeration similarly to Ashley in the original Resident Evil 4.
Presentation is one of Silent Hill's strongest suites and I think 4's overall tone is good. The titulary room, Room 302, is an interesting concept. It acts as a safe haven while also imploring that there's something else more menacing going on as you collect red notes. Speaking of the red notes, the story in Silent Hill 4 is really good and interesting. You won't understand the overall narrative at first, but as you collect more memos it's quite interesting. The characters featured within the game aren't really all that interesting outside of one person. That one person being Walter Sullivan. The entire game centers around him as you explore his manifestations, learn his background, and understand his motives to why he's performing the 21 Sacraments. Walter is potentially the best antagonist within the Silent Hill games. The worlds that you do get to explore are fine. I didn't find any of them to stand out personally on a visual level excluding Room 302. However, I do find the Water Prison to be the most interesting in terms of aesthetic and lore. It's also the first time you encounter the Twin Victim. Speaking of enemies, Silent Hill 4 doesn't have a memorable enemy lineup except for the Twin Victim. The most memorable thing about the enemies are the stock sound effects that play you fight and kill them. An interesting thing that Silent Hill 4 does take from is Japanese horror with the introduction of ghosts. The ghosts aren't exactly all that threatening, but rather impose themselves as annoying enemies. Although, they didn't feel that annoying. The only annoying ghosts are the victim ghosts.
I want to talk about the soundtrack here for a moment. It's interesting because Silent Hill 4's soundtrack is good. Not as memorable as the first 3, but still good with its own selection of memorable songs. I'm really huge on Tender Sugar, Room of Angel, Nightmarish Waltz, and Pulsating Ambience. I think the only reason I really wanted a short paragraph here is to mention the official soundtrack that you can listen to on music services. It's quite interesting that Silent Hill 4's official soundtrack is comprised of both music heard in-game, but also music that's just not even featured within the game itself. I don't know why, but it kind of intrigues me. Anyways, just know that Silent Hill 4 has a good soundtrack but isn't as strong as Silent Hill 1-3.
Although, my thoughts are quite scattered on Silent Hill 4. I find the game itself to be interesting conceptually. In fact, it somewhat feels generic in a way, yet also maintains that feeling of being a Silent Hill game. I'm somewhat relieved to have finished this game because now I don't have to doubt whether the game is bad or not. It's good just not as good as what came before. I do implore that any doubters of this game do give it a chance because there is something here.
First and foremost, Silent Hill 4 is not as good as its predecessors in my opinion. The minds of Team Silent took a slightly different creative approach to the game. This can mostly be seen within its gameplay. Silent Hill 1-3 allowed you to use both guns and melee weapons. However, as you keep playing 4, you'll notice that the game is more melee focused. There are a ton of melee weapons to be found since there are only 2 guns within the game. Taking a page out of Resident Evil, Silent Hill 4 features a limited inventory. Now personally, I never found the limited inventory to be an issue. The only thing I can really complain about the inventory is that handgun/revolver ammo no longer stack, so you have to carry individual stacks. The same also applies to health items.
The combat in Silent Hill games haven't always been the greatest. Like I mentioned earlier, Silent Hill 4 takes a slight departure from the original 3 games and goes more melee focus. You can perform normal attacks and charged attacks with any melee weapon you find. The gauge for charged attack vary depending on the weapon. Charged attacks is the norm for when doing combat since you're given i-frames during the attack animation. You also have the option to dodge in combat, but I never did it too much. If you want to have a more solid time with this game, then use the Rusty Axe once you find it. It's charged attack is absurd and it eliminates the need of having other weapons in your inventory. It's just that good and it gets rid one of the biggest problems people have with the game.
One of the biggest things against Silent Hill 4 is the 2nd half of the game where you have to escort Eileen through your world revisits. Eileen, herself, doesn't particularly have the greatest AI in the world. There are times where she'll either get stuck at corners and you have to wait for her. Genuinely, the only hindrance Eileen does is make you slow down for her. Henry easily outruns her and you'll be waiting for her to catch up. She can't access the next room unless she's within a certain proximity of Henry, so you have to wait on her. The only time this can be annoying is if you're traveling through a room with hummers which only happens a handful of times. One slight thing I want to add here is that she can help in combat if you give her one of her weapons. Although, there's a risk of her taking damage or getting in the way. Anyways, the escorting itself isn't as bad as people make it out to be. It's like an overblown exaggeration similarly to Ashley in the original Resident Evil 4.
Presentation is one of Silent Hill's strongest suites and I think 4's overall tone is good. The titulary room, Room 302, is an interesting concept. It acts as a safe haven while also imploring that there's something else more menacing going on as you collect red notes. Speaking of the red notes, the story in Silent Hill 4 is really good and interesting. You won't understand the overall narrative at first, but as you collect more memos it's quite interesting. The characters featured within the game aren't really all that interesting outside of one person. That one person being Walter Sullivan. The entire game centers around him as you explore his manifestations, learn his background, and understand his motives to why he's performing the 21 Sacraments. Walter is potentially the best antagonist within the Silent Hill games. The worlds that you do get to explore are fine. I didn't find any of them to stand out personally on a visual level excluding Room 302. However, I do find the Water Prison to be the most interesting in terms of aesthetic and lore. It's also the first time you encounter the Twin Victim. Speaking of enemies, Silent Hill 4 doesn't have a memorable enemy lineup except for the Twin Victim. The most memorable thing about the enemies are the stock sound effects that play you fight and kill them. An interesting thing that Silent Hill 4 does take from is Japanese horror with the introduction of ghosts. The ghosts aren't exactly all that threatening, but rather impose themselves as annoying enemies. Although, they didn't feel that annoying. The only annoying ghosts are the victim ghosts.
I want to talk about the soundtrack here for a moment. It's interesting because Silent Hill 4's soundtrack is good. Not as memorable as the first 3, but still good with its own selection of memorable songs. I'm really huge on Tender Sugar, Room of Angel, Nightmarish Waltz, and Pulsating Ambience. I think the only reason I really wanted a short paragraph here is to mention the official soundtrack that you can listen to on music services. It's quite interesting that Silent Hill 4's official soundtrack is comprised of both music heard in-game, but also music that's just not even featured within the game itself. I don't know why, but it kind of intrigues me. Anyways, just know that Silent Hill 4 has a good soundtrack but isn't as strong as Silent Hill 1-3.
Although, my thoughts are quite scattered on Silent Hill 4. I find the game itself to be interesting conceptually. In fact, it somewhat feels generic in a way, yet also maintains that feeling of being a Silent Hill game. I'm somewhat relieved to have finished this game because now I don't have to doubt whether the game is bad or not. It's good just not as good as what came before. I do implore that any doubters of this game do give it a chance because there is something here.
Boy, this game is rough, gameplay was nuh uh...this is a hard game to love,I didn't mind the gameplay being eh on the first time, it was decent enough and I wanted to play it, it can be argued that the gameplay changes makes it more tense, therefore more challenging and scary..I kinda felt that and perhaps someone out there truly likes it. But most of it feels clunky and easy to abuse in a video game way, still its decent enough for me, I've played much worse, dealt with much worse feeling gameplay and seen much worse. Now...why doesn't my items stack up is something I can roll with, whatever but things like the Jaguars (oh I'm sorry, "Dogs") being literally warped to you as they attack in front of your eyes or how about...COME THE FUCK ON EILEEN, THERE ARE ABOUT 5 GHOSTS COMING AT ME THAT I CAN'T HURT IN ANYMORE WHO CAN HURT ME BIG TIME AND WE GOTTA GO TO THE NEXT DOOR, MOVE YOUR ASS! I also said this on that review and I'll say it here...if anyone ever complains about escort missions with Ashley on Resident Evil 4 (2005) make them play either this or Dead Rising 1, then they'll understand escort missions that truly suck, would you prefer one dumb escort over a shorter yet tough game? Or multiple idiots you have to escort over a bigger yet relatively easier game? Atleast the idiots going "FRANK! FRANK!" aren't mandatory though...anyway, this is a rough game to play...
But now, presentation! That's where the game stands on as it's legs in my opinion, cuz holy fuck this is a scary game, the presentation is scary, uncanny, chilling and in a way that mainstream titles don't often do it enough I imagine, atleast back then, I consider the intro to be a masterpiece on it's own for how unusual and strange it is, I love the mix of gameplay footage, cutscenes and some dedicated animations? used in it, it just hits the right notes for me. And yeah in my opinion this is the scariest and most disturbing of the Team Silent Hill games, that alone kept me going atleast. Also my theory on why Henry sounds "phoned in" or "distant" is because he's in a hazy state due to being locked in the room for so long, if you examine the kitchen he will say that he doesn't feel hungry even though he should, I got the implication is that he wasn't hungry since the room locked up on him, so why wouldn't this put him in a hazy half sleepy state too? Like he's here but also not here at the same time, atleast mindset wise, y'know? Of course this could not be intentional, maybe the guy just did phone in or direction did a poor job (tho I find that hard to believe especially after SH3) but considering how he looks, moves and acts, it feels quite intentional to me. And anyone else imagine Henry just being a blood covered corpse warped back to his bed whenever you get a Game Over screen? Also Walter Sullivan looks like Kurt Cobain
But now, presentation! That's where the game stands on as it's legs in my opinion, cuz holy fuck this is a scary game, the presentation is scary, uncanny, chilling and in a way that mainstream titles don't often do it enough I imagine, atleast back then, I consider the intro to be a masterpiece on it's own for how unusual and strange it is, I love the mix of gameplay footage, cutscenes and some dedicated animations? used in it, it just hits the right notes for me. And yeah in my opinion this is the scariest and most disturbing of the Team Silent Hill games, that alone kept me going atleast. Also my theory on why Henry sounds "phoned in" or "distant" is because he's in a hazy state due to being locked in the room for so long, if you examine the kitchen he will say that he doesn't feel hungry even though he should, I got the implication is that he wasn't hungry since the room locked up on him, so why wouldn't this put him in a hazy half sleepy state too? Like he's here but also not here at the same time, atleast mindset wise, y'know? Of course this could not be intentional, maybe the guy just did phone in or direction did a poor job (tho I find that hard to believe especially after SH3) but considering how he looks, moves and acts, it feels quite intentional to me. And anyone else imagine Henry just being a blood covered corpse warped back to his bed whenever you get a Game Over screen? Also Walter Sullivan looks like Kurt Cobain
This review contains spoilers
This installment of the Silent Hill series is my first, and what a terrific decision that was. This game's unique premise, centered around the mysterious and ever-changing apartment room of Henry Townshend, creates a sense of claustrophobia and discomfort that no other horror game has achieved for me. This story doesn't rely on previous knowledge of the other installments, and for me, it enriches the storytelling with a gripping plot that gradually unfolds in disturbing and unsettling layers of depth that kept me engaged and immersed to my core.
The sound design is a major standout feature that significantly contributes to the atmosphere, enhancing the sense of dread and anticipation that Henry is feeling throughout the game. Every creak, groan, and distant sound adds to the suspense, making every moment a nerve-wracking experience.
Visually speaking, the environments are hauntingly beautiful, and the monster designs are some of the most grotesque and imaginative that I have seen yet. The attention to detail in the landscapes is something I also really appreciated. With every note I pick up, I can imagine myself being in that person's position, writing it out, and seeing their demise as I pick up an item that once was their belonging.
The second half of this game really sealed the deal with its interconnected level design and the constant stress of having to deal with Walter stalking you in every world all while protecting Eileen. The revisits are some of the most rewarding puzzles I have experienced yet and never overstayed their welcome. The revisits were by no means a handout, but feel a lot more intuitive once I figured out the Silent Hill formula. At first, I was not looking forward to replaying the respective worlds from previous bad experiences like Kingdom Hearts 2. Silent Hill 4 did not take the easy route with lazy writing/development having to revisit the worlds a second time, but took it as a creative opportunity to maximize the content of the game, given you are stuck in a room that slowly deteriorates along with the sanity of Henry as he loses more of his peers to the unrelenting world of Silent Hill.
This game has single-handedly made me a fan of psychological horror games, as it truly delivered a bone-chilling and memorable experience. Silent Hill 4 is an absolute gem to me, and it deserves every bit of its 5-star rating.
The sound design is a major standout feature that significantly contributes to the atmosphere, enhancing the sense of dread and anticipation that Henry is feeling throughout the game. Every creak, groan, and distant sound adds to the suspense, making every moment a nerve-wracking experience.
Visually speaking, the environments are hauntingly beautiful, and the monster designs are some of the most grotesque and imaginative that I have seen yet. The attention to detail in the landscapes is something I also really appreciated. With every note I pick up, I can imagine myself being in that person's position, writing it out, and seeing their demise as I pick up an item that once was their belonging.
The second half of this game really sealed the deal with its interconnected level design and the constant stress of having to deal with Walter stalking you in every world all while protecting Eileen. The revisits are some of the most rewarding puzzles I have experienced yet and never overstayed their welcome. The revisits were by no means a handout, but feel a lot more intuitive once I figured out the Silent Hill formula. At first, I was not looking forward to replaying the respective worlds from previous bad experiences like Kingdom Hearts 2. Silent Hill 4 did not take the easy route with lazy writing/development having to revisit the worlds a second time, but took it as a creative opportunity to maximize the content of the game, given you are stuck in a room that slowly deteriorates along with the sanity of Henry as he loses more of his peers to the unrelenting world of Silent Hill.
This game has single-handedly made me a fan of psychological horror games, as it truly delivered a bone-chilling and memorable experience. Silent Hill 4 is an absolute gem to me, and it deserves every bit of its 5-star rating.
Todo Increíble, mecánicas de combate iguales.
The best one, actually.
I can see the vision here and the frankly terrifying opening to this game got me really excited for this to be the scariest Silent Hill yet, but I ended up getting why everyone sees this as the weakest in the Team Silent quadrilogy.
The game before the midpoint was fine enough, if not a lot easier than the previous games. I was fully expecting to shit my pants throughout the entire game, but enemies were mostly harmless and avoidable, and the puzzles were super straight forward, save for the ones that required going back and forth between the room and the hole world. There was really only one moment where I was genuinely spooked, and while it was really good, I really needed more of that.
I was willing to play through with the understanding that this would simply be a different experience than the 3 games before it, but then I got to the infamous midpoint and decided I didn't wanna see it through. Having to escort an NPC through all of the previously explored worlds is already a big letdown, but now having to actually face the shitty inventory management system alongside having to suddenly engage in combat is really stupid and throws a wrench in the already established flow of the game. Also, why does the room start getting scary NOW? I wanted that the whole game man.
Also, why the fuck does the NPC's health affect the ending you get and not just lead to a game over? With how ridiculous the enemy placement in this game is considering how clunky the NPC's AI is, I absolutely shouldn't have my ending be penalized because the game threw 3 of the same enemy at me at once while the NPC skips around waiting to be hit.
Overall, super disappointed by this one.
The game before the midpoint was fine enough, if not a lot easier than the previous games. I was fully expecting to shit my pants throughout the entire game, but enemies were mostly harmless and avoidable, and the puzzles were super straight forward, save for the ones that required going back and forth between the room and the hole world. There was really only one moment where I was genuinely spooked, and while it was really good, I really needed more of that.
I was willing to play through with the understanding that this would simply be a different experience than the 3 games before it, but then I got to the infamous midpoint and decided I didn't wanna see it through. Having to escort an NPC through all of the previously explored worlds is already a big letdown, but now having to actually face the shitty inventory management system alongside having to suddenly engage in combat is really stupid and throws a wrench in the already established flow of the game. Also, why does the room start getting scary NOW? I wanted that the whole game man.
Also, why the fuck does the NPC's health affect the ending you get and not just lead to a game over? With how ridiculous the enemy placement in this game is considering how clunky the NPC's AI is, I absolutely shouldn't have my ending be penalized because the game threw 3 of the same enemy at me at once while the NPC skips around waiting to be hit.
Overall, super disappointed by this one.
This game is so much better than people who probably haven't played it will tell you. It's definitely got some style changes from the first three, and honestly, why not? Everyone hates the subway escort mission, it sucks, fuck that part of the game, but it's so worth getting past that section. Especially once you figure out how to ditch Eileen in a safe space for a minute while you go do the dangerous stuff.
Didn't think I'd be writing that, but Silent Hill 4 is my favorite SH since the 2nd one.
What won me over is how unique and lightly experimental it is compared to the previous ones. The concept of Henry locked in an ever-changing apartment fascinates me. It messes with your sense of safety, because if the protagonist isn't safe in his own house, anything else can happen. This makes SH4 one of the most disturbing and intriguing out of the 4, even if it's not the scariest.
I also prefer the focus on melee combat instead of puzzle solving. It does take away the dreadful sense of exploration that the others have, but it makes up for being its own consistent thing. And with it, comes a touch up in the combat sytem. I mean, it's still not perfect and, quite frankly, dated, but it's the best one. Even the camera works a little better. Pack that up with great visuals and some disgusting enemy designs and you have a very creepy challenge ahead of you.
The story is also great!
Definitely not better than 2 and might not be as horrifying as 1, but I love how the mystery slowly unfolds. The pacing feels just right, characters are memorable, there's an eerie sound to the voice acting, the main villain is good and the pay off felt satisfying, in most of the 4 endings you can get. The tone set by your interactions inside the room and the frightening things happening outside of it helps a lot in building up tension and curiosity.
The only thing I did not enjoy so much was Henry, but you get used to him.
And I won't even take too much time talking about how The Room handles sound. I've said it before in past reviews and I'll just say it again: Akira Yamaoka is a god! If it wasn't for him, I don't think Silent Hill would've been as memorable as it is and this is not different in this game. Again, the best one since 2.
I do have to point out a few things that I definitely agree in relation to this game's negative criticism. And that's the 2nd half of it.
I was not happy when I figured out that a lot of things changed when Eileen comes into play. As I played, I figured out that it isn't horrible to deal with her, but depending on the type of player you are, she can ruin your journey, because she is an unquestionable nuisance. Protecting her can be challenging even on easy, especially when you enter rooms filled with ghosts. I don't understand why the devs turned the game into a giant escort mission.
The 2nd half aso brings hauntings into Henry's room. And while I did find the concept very engaging, it got old soon and some of them can be very frustating if you do not correctly manage your items.
There's also the fact that the inventory just sucks. It is unapologetically bad. Some items are useless, the way it handles ammo and guns makes no sense, you can't discard items and it encourages mindless backtracking, which can totally break immersion. And the level design just doesn't help, since it's mostly linear, with some rooms FILLED with enemies. And this is coming from someone who actually prefers linear games.
I really don't understand why the devs made such weird decisions about how the final half of the game would roll. But while it could have ruined the experience for me, it just didn't. I could not dislike Silent Hill 4. In fact, it became my 2nd favorite out of the ones that I played.
If you have a chance, play Silent Hill 4. Especially if you're a horror fan. This is a very unique game, with a wicked mystery and some very off-putting imagery that, while definitely not perfect, shines in its strange design.
What won me over is how unique and lightly experimental it is compared to the previous ones. The concept of Henry locked in an ever-changing apartment fascinates me. It messes with your sense of safety, because if the protagonist isn't safe in his own house, anything else can happen. This makes SH4 one of the most disturbing and intriguing out of the 4, even if it's not the scariest.
I also prefer the focus on melee combat instead of puzzle solving. It does take away the dreadful sense of exploration that the others have, but it makes up for being its own consistent thing. And with it, comes a touch up in the combat sytem. I mean, it's still not perfect and, quite frankly, dated, but it's the best one. Even the camera works a little better. Pack that up with great visuals and some disgusting enemy designs and you have a very creepy challenge ahead of you.
The story is also great!
Definitely not better than 2 and might not be as horrifying as 1, but I love how the mystery slowly unfolds. The pacing feels just right, characters are memorable, there's an eerie sound to the voice acting, the main villain is good and the pay off felt satisfying, in most of the 4 endings you can get. The tone set by your interactions inside the room and the frightening things happening outside of it helps a lot in building up tension and curiosity.
The only thing I did not enjoy so much was Henry, but you get used to him.
And I won't even take too much time talking about how The Room handles sound. I've said it before in past reviews and I'll just say it again: Akira Yamaoka is a god! If it wasn't for him, I don't think Silent Hill would've been as memorable as it is and this is not different in this game. Again, the best one since 2.
I do have to point out a few things that I definitely agree in relation to this game's negative criticism. And that's the 2nd half of it.
I was not happy when I figured out that a lot of things changed when Eileen comes into play. As I played, I figured out that it isn't horrible to deal with her, but depending on the type of player you are, she can ruin your journey, because she is an unquestionable nuisance. Protecting her can be challenging even on easy, especially when you enter rooms filled with ghosts. I don't understand why the devs turned the game into a giant escort mission.
The 2nd half aso brings hauntings into Henry's room. And while I did find the concept very engaging, it got old soon and some of them can be very frustating if you do not correctly manage your items.
There's also the fact that the inventory just sucks. It is unapologetically bad. Some items are useless, the way it handles ammo and guns makes no sense, you can't discard items and it encourages mindless backtracking, which can totally break immersion. And the level design just doesn't help, since it's mostly linear, with some rooms FILLED with enemies. And this is coming from someone who actually prefers linear games.
I really don't understand why the devs made such weird decisions about how the final half of the game would roll. But while it could have ruined the experience for me, it just didn't. I could not dislike Silent Hill 4. In fact, it became my 2nd favorite out of the ones that I played.
If you have a chance, play Silent Hill 4. Especially if you're a horror fan. This is a very unique game, with a wicked mystery and some very off-putting imagery that, while definitely not perfect, shines in its strange design.
I never want to touch this piece of shit ever again.
All I remember from playing Silent Hill 4 was, me going around in circles on a level which I remember had a cabin and a forest in it and I peaced out because I got stuck in that area.
I've been dwelling on the decision to drop this for a month now. So I think it's finally time to call it quits. This game, is fucking terrible. I could not stand another minute playing this hunk of garbage, it started to make me so irritated I actually got outwardly pissed off. I wrote some notes on it a month ago when I was still playing it, which I was gonna expand upon, but fuck it, here's what I wrote:
Dumb protagonist
Cool soundtrack
Aside from SOME cool designs, the enemies are all ass
The room is a cool concept
Awkward mechanics
Dodge is nice, but clunky
Stupid characters
Riddles aren't good
Some cool visuals
The prison level is cool
Impeccably stupid writing
Apartment level sucks
*Gives me a headache.
I just don't gaf anymore it's not worth the time I've already wasted on it.
Dumb protagonist
Cool soundtrack
Aside from SOME cool designs, the enemies are all ass
The room is a cool concept
Awkward mechanics
Dodge is nice, but clunky
Stupid characters
Riddles aren't good
Some cool visuals
The prison level is cool
Impeccably stupid writing
Apartment level sucks
*Gives me a headache.
I just don't gaf anymore it's not worth the time I've already wasted on it.
Apesar das suas falhas, a temática junto com a inovação me prendeu.
horny schizophrenic hallucinates glory holes everywhere
Very cool story concept,
Unacceptably bad gameplay.
Unacceptably bad gameplay.
How can you have some of the most interesting ideas with the worst gameplay possible???
Took me 3-4 MONTHS to complete this god damn game, I got demotivated to keep going like 5 times
Took me 3-4 MONTHS to complete this god damn game, I got demotivated to keep going like 5 times
why did he not eat the chains on his wall, is he stupid??
god i want to like this game so much more but i just cant. i love 2 and 3, and so was looking forward to this one but im a bit disappointed by it. i found it extremely frustrating, and not in a way which made it more scary or anything like that.
the entire second half is an obnoxious escort mission with a girl who has all the AI intelligence of a spoon combined with you basically just revisiting areas that youve already seen in the first half over again. but now you have a handicap. whoopee.
enemies arent nearly as frightening or symbolic as they are in the other games (twin victims are pants shitting and very tragic tho, gj there lads). fuck the ghosts, such a consistent annoyance to deal with. the levels are kinda cool, but constantly going back and forth between them and the room isnt that great. storywise, its just a generic serial killer plot with elements of the silent hill cult kinda taped onto it. bit of a let down after the beautiful emotional potency of 2 and the legitimately terrifying coming-of-age of 3. the characters in this story are ok, and henry is a particularly relatable protagonist. theres a bunch of bells and whistles attached to the inventory system making inventory management a nightmare, plus the weird ass advanced combat system feels a bit out of place. if nothing else, i respect team silent for experimenting.
ok enough negativity, i think the concept of the room is really cool. watching it slowly change over time from a safe haven to a nightmare is legitimately really disturbing. its especially relatable after lockdown, good grief. because i liked the characters, i found the good ending a very pleasant reward for what is otherwise such a disheartening game. the bad end is also particularly depressing.
graphically SH4 looks amazing, and the soundtrack is also great, although not including the full version of tender sugar is a crime. general sound design is noticeably a lot quieter than other entries which i appreciate. big fan of how the room ties into certain puzzles, too. although such things are criminally underused.
in conclusion i kinda feel torn, because there is a lot to like here, but at the same time i think if SH4 didnt have the silent hill name attached it would be kinda forgotten about and not as critically acclaimed.
i know this game was not quite the vision team silent wanted to release, and we can only blame konami for that. i suppose the take away from this game and silent hill in general is screw konami. hard.
the entire second half is an obnoxious escort mission with a girl who has all the AI intelligence of a spoon combined with you basically just revisiting areas that youve already seen in the first half over again. but now you have a handicap. whoopee.
enemies arent nearly as frightening or symbolic as they are in the other games (twin victims are pants shitting and very tragic tho, gj there lads). fuck the ghosts, such a consistent annoyance to deal with. the levels are kinda cool, but constantly going back and forth between them and the room isnt that great. storywise, its just a generic serial killer plot with elements of the silent hill cult kinda taped onto it. bit of a let down after the beautiful emotional potency of 2 and the legitimately terrifying coming-of-age of 3. the characters in this story are ok, and henry is a particularly relatable protagonist. theres a bunch of bells and whistles attached to the inventory system making inventory management a nightmare, plus the weird ass advanced combat system feels a bit out of place. if nothing else, i respect team silent for experimenting.
ok enough negativity, i think the concept of the room is really cool. watching it slowly change over time from a safe haven to a nightmare is legitimately really disturbing. its especially relatable after lockdown, good grief. because i liked the characters, i found the good ending a very pleasant reward for what is otherwise such a disheartening game. the bad end is also particularly depressing.
graphically SH4 looks amazing, and the soundtrack is also great, although not including the full version of tender sugar is a crime. general sound design is noticeably a lot quieter than other entries which i appreciate. big fan of how the room ties into certain puzzles, too. although such things are criminally underused.
in conclusion i kinda feel torn, because there is a lot to like here, but at the same time i think if SH4 didnt have the silent hill name attached it would be kinda forgotten about and not as critically acclaimed.
i know this game was not quite the vision team silent wanted to release, and we can only blame konami for that. i suppose the take away from this game and silent hill in general is screw konami. hard.
It's the last Team Silent "Silent Hill" title and people tend to rank it as the worst, but I genuinely loved this game. It's scary and the story is so twisted and unique. The game's atmosphere bleeds mid 2000s, late PS2 era and makes me feel so nostalgic for that time. We won't get another like this. Thank you Team Silent.
Probably the best game that's less then 10 hours that took me the longest to beat because I would only play it far into the night before midnight and I had some other games I was playing and my online classes until these past few days where I decided to finally finish it.
Definitely the weakest of the golden age of Silent Hill and there are some annoying parts but if I'm being honest I really enjoyed it. I wish Henry could have been fleshed out like they did with James and Heather but the story is pretty interesting. The gameplay is kind of a downgrade since they add this charging machinic to the weapons and they replaced the tank controls with full on movement with the control stick. But the atmosphere is some of the best in the series and it does have some great execution with the apartment especially during the second half where it starts to become haunted and it can no longer heal you meaning you have to rely on health items instead of the room which become more common.
I would say more but honestly I don't want to spoil anything about these 4 games, they are masterpieces of horror that I would recommend to anyone who loves horror games, especially 2.
Oh and for some reason the holy candles didn't work on Eileen for the finale even though it looks like it does at first and I still got a bad ending, does it actually work or is everybody who says that just lying?
Now I wonder if the other games are just as go... sees Silent Hill Ascension, Book of Memories, and Homecoming
FUCK
Definitely the weakest of the golden age of Silent Hill and there are some annoying parts but if I'm being honest I really enjoyed it. I wish Henry could have been fleshed out like they did with James and Heather but the story is pretty interesting. The gameplay is kind of a downgrade since they add this charging machinic to the weapons and they replaced the tank controls with full on movement with the control stick. But the atmosphere is some of the best in the series and it does have some great execution with the apartment especially during the second half where it starts to become haunted and it can no longer heal you meaning you have to rely on health items instead of the room which become more common.
I would say more but honestly I don't want to spoil anything about these 4 games, they are masterpieces of horror that I would recommend to anyone who loves horror games, especially 2.
Oh and for some reason the holy candles didn't work on Eileen for the finale even though it looks like it does at first and I still got a bad ending, does it actually work or is everybody who says that just lying?
Now I wonder if the other games are just as go... sees Silent Hill Ascension, Book of Memories, and Homecoming
FUCK
soo underrated😢
She's frustrating but you cannot look at me in the fucking eyes and tell me this isn't the scariest Silent Hill there is. NONE OF THEM hold a candle to the fucking insanity this one is.
At first I didn't really think it seemed like a proper silent hill game, but i definetly grew to like it the more i played it. Truly underrated, i got the escape ending.
The gameplay is questionable (in the sense of differing from 2-3), but the story and the creepy atmosphere carries throughout the game. It starts slow, but once you get past the first subway section it gets better. I grew to like Henry and Eileen as each moment passing, though i feel the antagonist writing was eh. Overall I do believe this is a silent hill game that deserves more recognition.
The gameplay is questionable (in the sense of differing from 2-3), but the story and the creepy atmosphere carries throughout the game. It starts slow, but once you get past the first subway section it gets better. I grew to like Henry and Eileen as each moment passing, though i feel the antagonist writing was eh. Overall I do believe this is a silent hill game that deserves more recognition.
Good:
-One of the most interesting main villains in video games
-A lot of unique mechanics and details such as the hauntings and the ghosts
-An interesting take on the Silent Hill formula
-Very atmospheric
-Some cool enemies
Neutral:
-The soundtrack is very good (listened later on because you can't hear it through the TV's speakers)
Bad:
-The areas are quite boring to go through
-One of the most interesting main villains in video games
-A lot of unique mechanics and details such as the hauntings and the ghosts
-An interesting take on the Silent Hill formula
-Very atmospheric
-Some cool enemies
Neutral:
-The soundtrack is very good (listened later on because you can't hear it through the TV's speakers)
Bad:
-The areas are quite boring to go through
this happened to my buddy eric
This is a really weird and confusing game, there's alot of elements that I love, like the music, the atmosphere, the monster designs, but everything else is just really tedious, sluggish, and boring. I don't know if I'll ever pick up this game again, and I do respect this game for trying to innovate and experiment, but I personally can't get into it, no matter how many times I've tried.
i did not enter the room
I love old games and I have a high tolerance for jank but SH4 just feels bad to play, which I don't enjoy saying. Terrible enemy sound design ,uninteresting main character with the only saving grace being the soundtrack by Akira Yamaoka. Can't recommend sadly unless you really want to finish completing the series
This game has everything to make a great Silent Hill game. Ambiguous/interesting story, great visuals, creepy environments, that off-feeling that you just can't describe other than describing it as a "Silent Hill" feeling. However, this game is absolutely infuriating to play. AWFUL controls and combat, frustrating enemy design once ghosts are introduced, and a gigantic escort mission once you get halfway through. So many great ideas, but fails to pull all of them into an enjoyable gameplay experience. I really want to love this game, but I just can't look past its shortcomings.
Silent Hill 4 is the true story of a man trapped in his apartment as it gradually becomes dingier and dirtier. That man was me. I was sick of a weekend and spent that weekend trapped in my apartment, playing a game about a man trapped inside his apartment. For various reasons, it was not a stellar experience.
The Room was not originally intended to be a Silent Hill game, and feels like a very different game with a few references to Silent Hill thrown in. Instead of taking place in Silent Hill, it takes place in what appears to be New York City, in a dingy apartment owned by a sentient sack of potatoes known as Henry Townsend. Townsend awakes one day to find himself trapped in his apartment, with the door secured by multiple locks and chains. However, he finds a mysterious hole in his bathroom, which takes him to a strange nworld filled with monsters.
Instead the rust-n-blood covered hellscapes of the first three games, this game uses the apartment as a first-person hub world and has five different levels accessed through the mysterious hole. The style of horror feels closer to a mix of J-horror and Stephen King than it does to the original Silent Hill games. Unfortunately, the creepy body horror of the first games has been replaced with pure gross-out horror: -expect plenty of dead bodies, leeches, and revolting sounds. The story is actually the most interesting of all the classic Silent Hills; it's too bad the protagonist is silent half the time when he should be reacting and has the charisma of a wet blanket.
The movement is much better, having gone from tank controls to a more modern scheme, similar to the first Devil May Cry. On the other hand, the camera is now absolutely nausea-inducing. I have never played a game with a worse camera. Combat has always been the worst part of the Silent Hills, which is why it is confusing to me that the series continued to lean into the combat more and more as it progressed. Silent Hill 4 has the most combat of the classic series and its combat system is the worst. You are once again funneled down hallways crowded with enemies that you cannot simply run around, but now they are even harder to avoid and kill. You have a dodge move now, but enemy attacks are not telegraphed, so dodging is a matter of luck rather than skill. Instead of the eldritch horrors of the first Silent Hill games, you get to face exciting foes such as The Killer Moths, The Testicle Monkeys, The Burp Monsters, The Giant Two Headed Babies, and The Haunted Wheelchairs. Enemies will spawn right on top of you as you enter a new room and then stunlock you. On multiple occasions I went through a door and was thrown right into an attack by the Haunted Wheelchairs. Terrifying. Melee weapons are actually more powerful than guns in this game, which is the opposite of every survival horror game ever and also real life.
Backtracking is the most prominent element of Silent Hill 4. You will backtrack to your apartment to throw items in your chest (there's a horrible resource management element in this game), then backtrack back to whatever world you are in, then backtrack back to your apartment to get an item that you now need, then backtrack halfway across the world map, ad nauseam. The game recycles all five of its levels without even doing the nightmare reskin that the first three Silent Hills did. After about five hours into the game I was being asked to go to five separate places in the woods to recover every piece of the body of Guillermo del Toro or something and I abandoned the game. Life is too short and precious to spend my valuable time making a character move slowly across a screen.
It's a shame this game sucked because there are a lot of interesting ideas in it. For example, there's one puzzle where you have to go back to your apartment and look out your window in order to find a clue to the combination for a lock. Similarly, the story was told in an interesting way; you receive notes slipped under your apartment door, and in one level (a hellish otherworld version of your apartment complex), you can put the notes under your door to look at when you get back to the apartment. Unfortunately, the interesting bits did not make it worth my time to play this tedious and clunky game to completion. It's a neat concept that isn't really Silent Hill and would be better as a short story or movie than a game.
The Room was not originally intended to be a Silent Hill game, and feels like a very different game with a few references to Silent Hill thrown in. Instead of taking place in Silent Hill, it takes place in what appears to be New York City, in a dingy apartment owned by a sentient sack of potatoes known as Henry Townsend. Townsend awakes one day to find himself trapped in his apartment, with the door secured by multiple locks and chains. However, he finds a mysterious hole in his bathroom, which takes him to a strange nworld filled with monsters.
Instead the rust-n-blood covered hellscapes of the first three games, this game uses the apartment as a first-person hub world and has five different levels accessed through the mysterious hole. The style of horror feels closer to a mix of J-horror and Stephen King than it does to the original Silent Hill games. Unfortunately, the creepy body horror of the first games has been replaced with pure gross-out horror: -expect plenty of dead bodies, leeches, and revolting sounds. The story is actually the most interesting of all the classic Silent Hills; it's too bad the protagonist is silent half the time when he should be reacting and has the charisma of a wet blanket.
The movement is much better, having gone from tank controls to a more modern scheme, similar to the first Devil May Cry. On the other hand, the camera is now absolutely nausea-inducing. I have never played a game with a worse camera. Combat has always been the worst part of the Silent Hills, which is why it is confusing to me that the series continued to lean into the combat more and more as it progressed. Silent Hill 4 has the most combat of the classic series and its combat system is the worst. You are once again funneled down hallways crowded with enemies that you cannot simply run around, but now they are even harder to avoid and kill. You have a dodge move now, but enemy attacks are not telegraphed, so dodging is a matter of luck rather than skill. Instead of the eldritch horrors of the first Silent Hill games, you get to face exciting foes such as The Killer Moths, The Testicle Monkeys, The Burp Monsters, The Giant Two Headed Babies, and The Haunted Wheelchairs. Enemies will spawn right on top of you as you enter a new room and then stunlock you. On multiple occasions I went through a door and was thrown right into an attack by the Haunted Wheelchairs. Terrifying. Melee weapons are actually more powerful than guns in this game, which is the opposite of every survival horror game ever and also real life.
Backtracking is the most prominent element of Silent Hill 4. You will backtrack to your apartment to throw items in your chest (there's a horrible resource management element in this game), then backtrack back to whatever world you are in, then backtrack back to your apartment to get an item that you now need, then backtrack halfway across the world map, ad nauseam. The game recycles all five of its levels without even doing the nightmare reskin that the first three Silent Hills did. After about five hours into the game I was being asked to go to five separate places in the woods to recover every piece of the body of Guillermo del Toro or something and I abandoned the game. Life is too short and precious to spend my valuable time making a character move slowly across a screen.
It's a shame this game sucked because there are a lot of interesting ideas in it. For example, there's one puzzle where you have to go back to your apartment and look out your window in order to find a clue to the combination for a lock. Similarly, the story was told in an interesting way; you receive notes slipped under your apartment door, and in one level (a hellish otherworld version of your apartment complex), you can put the notes under your door to look at when you get back to the apartment. Unfortunately, the interesting bits did not make it worth my time to play this tedious and clunky game to completion. It's a neat concept that isn't really Silent Hill and would be better as a short story or movie than a game.