Fine light-gun game, mediocre Silent Hill entry, Silent Hill: The Arcade is an interesting time if only in small moments. From the way certain enemies move, to rare, but deliberate horror film inspired framing and enemy placement, it's clear that the makers of this title understand what small touches give Silent Hill its charm, but actively choose to ignore them in the larger scheme of design?

It's a short and breezy arcade title with very little substance and little to no impact on the legacy or intent of the series and that's...fine. I keep saying "fine" specifically, because that's what it is. It is just fine.

If anything the elephant in the room here is the liberal use of creatures from individual manifestations of the town of Silent Hill. Pyramid Head is James' demon specifically. Robbie so heavily tied to Heather that it's weird to see him in so many other titles. I definitely feel like games like Silent Hill: The Arcade, and other SH titles released around this time (Homecoming, Downpour, etc.) became so focused on "mapping" and defining the concept of Silent Hill that they all lost their mystery and allure. I'm really hopeful that the upcoming titles have learned from these missteps, but if you play Silent Hill: The Arcade, know that it is easily the biggest offender of the bunch in this regard. It's a clip show of things you like about Silent Hill, in a shell that adds nothing and subtracts plenty.