This review contains spoilers
There will be spoilers in this review, marked for you to know. Before that mark, it is spoiler-free.
Silent Hill 3 is a great addition to the series, with possibly the best visual atmosphere of the 3 that I've played so far. The textures and music get so abrasive at times, it feels like the game itself is full of outward hatred towards everything, it's a very unique feeling I've gotten from a game.
The gameplay is what you would expect from a Silent Hill game, rather clunky and a product of the PS1-era movement days, but still enjoyable enough to not severely detract from your playing. I felt like the camera was much better and less finnicky in this than in the 2 games that came before it.
The game falls very flat for me in the character department. Heather is a very well-made protagonist, following in the upgraded footsteps laid by James in the predecessor, and I felt very sympathetic to her journey in the story, but I can not say the same for the other people that she comes across in the game.
=== SPOILERS FROM HERE ===
Claudia is my least favorite Silent Hill character so far, even more than useless-ass Cybil. I get that she's supposed to be an insane religious fanatic, but it's so frustrating to listen to her babble every time she comes on the screen. What's worse is that near the end of the game, they try to get you to sympathize with her. I don't want to sympathize with her, she killed my dad and wants me to birth a god, fuck off. Vincent is no better, an annoying smug aura perpetuating everything he says. I get that's the point, but it doesn't make it any less grating to hear him talk down to you about his "knowledge."
Speaking of that, that's another thing this game gets wrong for me. Silent Hill 1 was heavily based around pure psychological horror with the occult stuff being in the background. Silent Hill 2 was psychological horror with no occult matter whatsoever, instead looking more inward and speaking on depression, guilt, and judgement. Silent Hill 3 could have been a great blend of those 2 games, but instead chose to go full on occult horror. I think it works for the most part, but I feel like they could have had such an interesting story if they talked more about how Heather felt about who she was, and that battle was more apparent throughout the entire game. Instead, she feels like a pawn in a game that other characters are playing, and she doesn't get the treatment that James got in SH2.
Overall, I still think the game is great. Improved gameplay, visuals, and sound over the first 2 make its rocky story and annoying characters tolerable. Plus, c'mon, it's a Team Silent game. There's not much I can say to convince someone of its quality other than that.
Silent Hill 3 is a great addition to the series, with possibly the best visual atmosphere of the 3 that I've played so far. The textures and music get so abrasive at times, it feels like the game itself is full of outward hatred towards everything, it's a very unique feeling I've gotten from a game.
The gameplay is what you would expect from a Silent Hill game, rather clunky and a product of the PS1-era movement days, but still enjoyable enough to not severely detract from your playing. I felt like the camera was much better and less finnicky in this than in the 2 games that came before it.
The game falls very flat for me in the character department. Heather is a very well-made protagonist, following in the upgraded footsteps laid by James in the predecessor, and I felt very sympathetic to her journey in the story, but I can not say the same for the other people that she comes across in the game.
=== SPOILERS FROM HERE ===
Claudia is my least favorite Silent Hill character so far, even more than useless-ass Cybil. I get that she's supposed to be an insane religious fanatic, but it's so frustrating to listen to her babble every time she comes on the screen. What's worse is that near the end of the game, they try to get you to sympathize with her. I don't want to sympathize with her, she killed my dad and wants me to birth a god, fuck off. Vincent is no better, an annoying smug aura perpetuating everything he says. I get that's the point, but it doesn't make it any less grating to hear him talk down to you about his "knowledge."
Speaking of that, that's another thing this game gets wrong for me. Silent Hill 1 was heavily based around pure psychological horror with the occult stuff being in the background. Silent Hill 2 was psychological horror with no occult matter whatsoever, instead looking more inward and speaking on depression, guilt, and judgement. Silent Hill 3 could have been a great blend of those 2 games, but instead chose to go full on occult horror. I think it works for the most part, but I feel like they could have had such an interesting story if they talked more about how Heather felt about who she was, and that battle was more apparent throughout the entire game. Instead, she feels like a pawn in a game that other characters are playing, and she doesn't get the treatment that James got in SH2.
Overall, I still think the game is great. Improved gameplay, visuals, and sound over the first 2 make its rocky story and annoying characters tolerable. Plus, c'mon, it's a Team Silent game. There's not much I can say to convince someone of its quality other than that.